Gruss Gott Weeks 11, 12 & 13

I feel like I'm so far behind on these Gruss Gott posts - sorry!  So ... what's been going on.  Well, with the spring weather here for good, the parks are filled (but not overfilled) with people. Here I am with the kids at Stadtpark, about 20 minutes walk from home.

Here is Luke next to a famous statue of Johann Strauss II, playing the violin.  Luke is sporting his Detroit Tigers t-shirt (one more sure sign to the locals that we're not from here).

Here's a shot of Stadtpark in the early afternoon on a sunny spring day.  It's great because there are people of all ages out.  

Luke and his Dad went to the Musikhaus Museum a few weeks back.  K told me it was a great museum, very interactive for the kids.  Luke got to conduct the Wiener (Vienna) Philharmonic ... well, almost.  Note the baton in his right hand.  He's standing in front of a large screen with a video of the orchestra projected onto it (look left).  Luke would conduct and the video would move along at the pace Luke conducted at (of course, he tried to make them go super fast).  The music?  Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart), of course.  

About two weeks ago, we headed to Belgium to visit my brother and sister-in-law and their kids.  It is so nice to hang out with family and watch the kids just play, play, play.  Luke and Campbell were on autopilot - they would just go play for hours.  It was so great for them (and such a break for us).

Here I am with my brother and Elizabeth in the kitchen of their 19th century farmhouse.  The farmhouse was so quaint, though perhaps a bit cold (temperature-wise).  

We got back to Vienna just a few days before Easter Sunday.  It was Elizabeth's first Easter and Luke's fifth (yikes)!  Elizabeth looks so happy in her Easter dress, but that lasted 10 minutes.  She cried all through Mass. 

Elizabeth trying to free herself from the clutches of one of Luke's hugs.  He won out.  

Here are Kevin and the kids, just before we head to Church.  Elizabeth is still smiling at this point.  

And, for good measure, we had Luke's 5th birthday party this week (5 years ... seriously?).  But more about that in a later post.  I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter!!