We went to Spangdahlem and met up with our friends (the Lueth family) and they took us to a Renaissance Festival in beautiful Vianden, Luxumbourg. We all had an amazing time. The boys got to duel for the beautiful Princess Sydney, and the nice guy running it allowed the little brother to win. Go Zachary! We got to watch a knight sword fight. They were hitting each other so hard with those things that sparks were flying out. The kids could not keep their eyes off the action. Brendan learned to shoot a bow and arrow. He shot the stuffed boar right through the heart on his first attempt. Dad also took a shot and got the lemon, dead center, in his first shot. Bren left with a wooden bow and arrow with rubber tipped, blunt ends. He got to keep it for a day before he shot through the pillows his brother was hiding under and got Zachary in the lip. Yes there was a lot of blood and a big fat lip, but I stopped dad from breaking the weapon and now they can only use it outside, while supervised. Lesson learned! Well, it was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed every minute. The weather was amazing. We will definitely do it again next year. It is the first 2 weeks of August, just in case anyone wants to join us!
Can you believe another year has passed and my boys are getting so big. Brendan is off to 3rd grade. Another year of German Immersion with Frau Schubert. He learned so much from her last year, I can not wait to see what she has in store for him this year. Zachary is now a big 1st grader and is starting to read everything. He also has an amazing teacher, Mrs. Berlin, and loves being at school. I am very excited about this school year.
In the middle of August we went to the animal park that is just a town away. Kristi and I took the kids and they had a great time. They saw different kinds of birds like owls, hawks, & eagles. There were wild boars, bears, wild cats, wolves, and different kinds of deer. Half way through the park there was a playground for the kids to play at. So we stopped, had a snack, pushed the girls on the swings, and finished our walk through the park. It really was a great day. 
Brendan and Zachary participated in the Bobby Charlton Soccer Camp this summer. Brendan is only 8, but a big kid, and was immediately moved into the 10+ age group. It was really good for him to be challenged. Most things come very easy to my big kid. The coaches that come over from England teach the kids so much in just a week. I am always impressed. We had a lot of rain that week, but the kids loved every minute of it. Zachary had a smile on his face the entire time, as usual. He could care less if his team won or loss, he truly was just there to have a good time. Brendan, the competitive one, tied for first place in the "World Cup Championship"! He was team England and they tied with Greece. It really was a great camp. The kids had fun and learned a lot about soccer. 
