Happy Thanksgiving

The Thanksgivings I will always remember are the ones where my small family of 3 would gather at my Aunt Vicki's house in Wimberley, TX every year. The mornings were filled with aromas of coffee and the start of the Thanksgiving Day meal. The wood would be crackling in the huge, stone fireplace in the living room, and the skies outside would be overcast gray, but not raining.... just a good chill to the air. I loved waking up in my aunt's house on those cold autumn mornings. Every day I'd walk out of the bedroom and run to the fireplace to warm my frozen feet... cuddle with the dogs on the carpet, and wait for the day's festivities to begin.

I loved the morning walks to the barn with my dad. We'd always peek in on all the horses, give 'em a kiss on the nose, and then go back inside to warm up again. The smell of hay in the barn is engraved in my memory like a brand. The crackle of the leaves under our steps... his presence in my life. Thanksgiving always makes me miss my father. His birthday is November 23rd. He would have been 57 this year. How I can't imagine my father being that old. I wonder if his hair would have turned gray by now... I constantly wonder what life would have been like if he was still here. My daughters would have been richly blessed to have him as a grandfather, I have no doubt.

Thanksgiving is small for us nowadays. Living in Germany, far away from the usual American traditions... We still cook the usual dinner for Thanksgiving, but something is always missing. Maybe it's him, or the hay in the barn, or the hill country in TX that always put the soul into Thanksgiving for me.

Anyway... Happy Thanksgiving everybody. Despite the ache, I'm thankful for everything right now. For the sunrises and sunsets here in Germany that never fail to take my breath away. For my wonderful husband and my two gorgeous, healthy daughters. For my family, my career, and the experiences in life that have brought me this far. Above all, I'm thankful for my God... who has given me my life, and everything in it.

A Little Twinkle...

The other day, I was sitting in the commissary parking lot, and I noticed a middle aged man with an older woman (I'm assuming it was his mother) walking to their vehicle. I smiled a warm smile as I noticed the man walk around to her side of the car first, open her door for her, help her in, then close the door behind her. I got a bit jealous for a moment, cause I thought "man, why doesn't my husband do that for me?"

Nicolas isn't a bad guy. Actually, I've always hated it when guys opened doors for me cause I'm not handicapped... I can get it myself. We've got an agenda... we're going somewhere, let's get there! I'll get my own door, just get the car started so we can go hehe. But seeing that guy open the door for his mother made me want that for myself.

WELL... Today, our cousins were in town from Holland. We asked them to watch the girls so we could run over to he fall bazaar to put the final touches on purchasing our new couches. We took his car, which felt SO odd. I mean, I drive it to work every day. But it's an Audi TT, and it's not like we'll ever go anywhere in it as a family. Our two girls would NEVER fit comfortably in the back seat. So when we were driving down the road with him behind the wheel and me in the passenger seat for once, I was oddly turned on at the sight of my hunk in a sports car! I felt like such a little teenager, going out with my boyfriend.

We got to the bazaar, paid for our couches, walked back to the car, and guess what! He opened my door for me. He won't know it til he reads this, but my heart smiled so big as I thought back to the commissary and the envy I had for those people. :) Thanks Nicolas... who knew we could still be this way! And no, I don't expect it EVERY time, but once in a blue moon makes the heart feel good!

Ava's Headed to School!

I'm really excited to announce that Ava is headed to school! I received a call today from the Bitburg Part-Day Enrichment Program to let me know that they had a spot coming available for Ava! She'll start on November 23rd.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday she'll get up and get ready and she'll go to "school" from 0900-1200. This is HUGE for her, as she'll finally get some interaction time in with kids her own age. While hanging out with daddy every day has been fun, we feel this will benefit her so much.

We had Ava in daycare back when she was 9 or 10 months old, and it was really not the best experience. She cried every day when I dropped her off, ended up sniffling, puking, and pooping thanks to the other little brats whose parents dropped them off sick! SO, we pulled her out and kept her home with Nico.

Now that she's older, walking, and can fend for herself in a group setting like that - we feel more comfortable leaving her. I'm anxious to see how she does! I'll keep you all posted!

1st Quarter Progress Report (Stevie Stroud)

For those who don't care about the details.... Stevie's smart :) She's reading at almost a 4th grade level, and scored a 90% on her math "exam." She's currently working with third graders to increase her math skills since she's almost completely fluent in second grade work. She's off to a SUPERIOR start! She qualified for enrichment classes this year, meaning that on top of being enrolled in the primary center (a mix of grades 1-3) she is pulled out once a week to strain her brain with other smart kids to keep her curiosity peaked and her love of learning fed. Now - on to the details! Forgive any spelling errors!!!

Reading/Language Arts:
Stevie progressed well as she worked at the Transitional to Experienced level of literacy development. She participated in self-selected reading, book discussions, group literacy activities, and independent reading projects. She practiced choosing a "just right" book and read a variety of literature that included realistic fiction, fantasy, and informational texts. Reading comprehension strategies focused on previewing the main idea, supporting details, and making connections to text. She discussed plot, character, and story summaries. Stevie learned how to use nonfiction text features as a way to gain more information.
Stevie progressed as she worked at the Capable stage of writing development. She learned about and practiced writing interesting, complete sentences. She reviewed correct punctuation and capitalization in declarative and interrogative text. She developed a stronger writing vocabulary and practiced words with specific spelling patterns. Stevie worked on informational and creative pieces with attention to ideas and sentence fluency. That included making the sentences in her work flow smoothly from one idea to the next. She increased understanding of the writing process as she worked on her autobiography. Future writing work will focus on word choice and writing conventions.
Stevie demonstrated good overall progress in literacy development especially when she took the time to think carefully about her own work.

Math:
Stevie progressed well and actively worked at the Symbolic level in math instruction and Math Lab. She increased understanding of place value, comparing and ordering numbers, estimation, and rounding. She practiced using the USA format to organize math work. She communicated math thinking in both written and oral form. Stevie used problem solving strategies that included drawing pictures and using manipulatives. Math Lab work helped Stevie increase knowledge of survey and graphing, calendar, money, measuring, geometry, probability, patterns and algebra, number sense, and operations. Future math work will include exploring different thinking strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems.

Content Area Work:
Content area work included social studies, science, and health. Stevie participated in community building and citizenship activities as the class created a framework for behavior expectations and the discipline plan. She increased knowledge of different cultures, weather, seasons, and health issues as she participated in research, discussions, and hands-on activities related to these subjects. Stevie explored weather concepts and actively participated in a presentation from the weather flight. She increased knowledge of the water cycle and of different types of clouds. Stevie discovered the qualities of fall by going on a nature walk and collecting leaves and nuts. She researched how children live in different areas of the world and tried foods from different countries during the Primary Center's Food Tasting. She learned about the food pyramid and used the scientific method to discover which foods have more oil than others. Stevie used her conclusion to decide which foods are healthier to eat.

Personal:
Stevie participated well in many learning situations. She usually made appropriate contributions to discussions and activities. Stevie demonstrated increased self-direction during work time. She did a good job when she took time to think and work carefully on her own tasks. She interacted well with peers and adults and strengthened her ability to make independent choices about materials, activities, and work/play partners.
Stevie leanred and followed class routines throughout the day. She managed transitions with minimal support. She remained cooperative, caring, and a helpful member of the classroom community.

Durgeat Photography

Just a head's up... we've moved our photography portfolio to blogspot now!!

http://durgeatphotography.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

In This Life...

Parents and friends tell us when we're young, "Child, set goals for yourself and live your life right so those goals can be achieved!" When I was 5, I wanted to be a veterinarian. The closest I ever came to that was becoming a veteran. Sounds the same right? I'm currently going on 10 years in the US Air Force. It's been a roller coaster of a ride, but overall - I've enjoyed it. I can't imagine my life without the military. I love putting on this uniform. I loved my 4 months in combat. I loved my 4 months in Diego Garcia. I love military parades, marching in uniform, being thanked by citizens for serving my country. I love my flag, and my country. I'm glad I chose to be a veterinarian when I was 5 :)

Amn Stroud - June 2000

Every girl dreams of having a family someday. I mean, it's how most of us are brought up... First comes love, then comes marriage... then comes Jenny girl with a baby carriage right? Well... my goals happened, just a little out of order hehehe... When I was 22, I was blessed with the best gift EVER. I became a single mom. One of the toughest, but most rewarding titles a girl could ever be given. I gave birth to my best friend. Stevie Lynn!

Mommy & Stevie - October 17th, 2002

So the next couple of goals are all a bit jumbled... they kind of all happened at the same time. God threw a bunch of blessings in this heaping bowl of blessing soup and boy did it ever overflow!

You see, as a single mom to Stevie, I had made the promise to her that she would go to DisneyWorld when she turned 5 years old. Growing up in Texas my whole life, my parents didn't make a lot of money, so never in a million years would we afford a trip to Disney World. (Sea World was fine for me though.) But I wanted to give my daughter EVERYTHING, and little did I know, I would.

In 2006, we made the trek to Germany for the military. Do the math... born in 2002... moved to Europe in 2006... well, in April of 2008 (6 months after she turned 5) my promise came true. I got to take her to Disney World. The world part is right... Not just ANY Disney... but the one in Paris!

Mommy & Stevie (on the teacups at Euro Disney in Paris!)

Along with Disney at age 5, another goal of mine was to travel the world... Being stationed in Europe has allowed this dream to become a reality - We've driven so much European countryside in our three years and counting, and can't wait for more!

One of my first pictures of The Eifel Tower

Ok so I got ahead of myself... let's back up to that family goal... I had my first daughter... but family isn't complete without the first comes love, then comes marriage part. Ok, love did come first (just not husbandly love.) hehehe... It was mommy/daughter love.

I met Nicolas on the internet in 1998 while I was some backwoods redneck chick living in Texas. He was this hottie French guy living in Paris, and never in a million years did I think I'd ever meet him in real life, let alone marry him! But, that's what happened... we met in 2005, fell quickly in love, and married in 2006!

My engagement ring - accepted in September 2006

Our Wedding Day - December 29, 2006

While many more goals have been reached in my life... the biggest is family. It's odd how when we grow up, we have a tendency to get homesick for, well... home. Little did I know that I'd find home on the other side of the world, far away from the town that I never thought I'd leave. Since landing in Germany, my life has changed COMPLETELY, and for the better. I was a mommy, now I'm a wife, and I've got two daughters. I couldn't possibly ask for anything more. And to be honest, I've run out of goals!!!

The Durgeats - April, 2007

Ava, the final addition - October 17, 2007

My life is complete....

Lord, I Pray...

...That today won't be her last birthday with us. That I'll have more summers with her on the river. That I'll get to see Christmas at her house again, with the cedar Christmas tree and the big fireplace roaring against the winter cold.

My Beautiful Aunt Vicki - Holland

I pray that you'll make the cancer go away. That there'll be a miracle doctor who can fix her jaw and make her beautiful, for the sake of her confidence and self esteem. That you won't take her from her wonderful husband - they're still newlyweds.

The Sports Car Enthusiast!

I pray this with all my heart Father. If there's anything in life that I've ever wanted the most, it's her life. She's all I have left of my dad and when she's gone, that's it. She still has untold stories of my childhood that seep to the surface from time to time. I need these stories Father. I love hearing about who I was, who he was, who they were as a family before I was ever born. She's the only person left who knows.

The Best Great Aunt Ever!!!
Vicki & Stevie - North Sea, Holland

The world is an ugly place, definitely not deserving of beautiful angels like her... but I know if you let her stay, she'd improve the lives and the world surrounding her. I'm begging you Father - more than I've ever begged before... WE NEED HER.

Vicki & Ava
(Vicki's first time EVER holding a sleeping baby...)

But Lord, if you need her more, then leave the light on for her. Lead her always in the light, and never leave her in fear in the darkness. Give her courage in the face of uncertainty. Guide her in the direction of eternal life. Forgive her of her earthly wrongs, and accept her into your loving arms forevermore. Help her to find my father on the other side.

All of this, in your son's name I pray - over, and over and over.... Amen.

(...Happy Birthday Aunt Vicki... here's wishing for many more!)

Vampires & Devils

Halloween was last night. This post belongs in October!! However, our evening was filled with so much fun that by the time I had a chance to sit down and post, I used that time to sleep instead.

Last night was Ava's first true Halloween (although it's her third she's been alive for!) Stevie and I had so much fun teaching her the tradition of trick-or-treating, and Ava had even MORE fun learning the rules! That little girl scoured the WHOLE neighborhood, eagerly walking up to doorsteps and opening her little bag so she'd get another piece of candy thrown in. It took her about six or so houses to catch on... but once she knew what to do, there was no holding her back!

The weather was great for us. A bit chilly by the end of the evening, but it was that crisp autumn air that makes this time of year so great! Little kids dragging their costumed feet through the huge maple leaves that lay orange on the sidewalks.

We were fortunate enough to be able to have my mother and sister in law and her boyfriend in town for the big night. It's so much fun being able to share an American holiday with people who don't celebrate Halloween. Was also my first time meeting my youngest sister-in-law's boyfriend. He's a strapping young fellow, with kind eyes :) Our biggest difference is language however :( I can't speak French, and he doesn't speak English so... Constance, if you're reading this - tell Fabien that he's a GREAT guy, I enjoyed meeting him, and that I hope we see each other again soon! hehe

Anyway... here's some photos of past and present Halloweens! Enjoy :) Hope yours was safe...

Stevie's First Halloween - Piglet
Stevie's 2nd Halloween - Alice in Wonderland
Ava's first Halloween - Caterpillar
Stevie was a butterly
Ava's 2nd Halloween - A little Devil
Stevie was a vampiress
Teaching sister traditions..
Nico scared some kids with his pumpkin face
Stevie - pumpkin carving