After a very sad good-bye, we headed back to Kyiv and then to Austria. We planned a 24 hour layover to check out all things Vienna and squeezed in as much of their culture as we could in that time.
Riding the train from the airport to City Centre.
Our first glimpse of Vienna.
Riding through the country side is quite beautiful.
We probably spent way too many hours trying to find a hotel in Vienna. We decided on a art boutique hotel (reasonably priced of course). Our room’s air wasn’t working and there were dog paintings on the wall that made us giggle. I know. I know. It’s art. But it was fun art and that made us laugh.
Our main stop was Schonbrunn Palace, the hunting palace of the Hapsburgs. This wasn’t a fake backdrop. Nope. It was the real thing. A large, beautiful, proud Austrian piece of architectural and interior design. We toured and were able to walk where Mozart and Napoleon walked. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside the palace.
A small metal model of the palace grounds.
The gardens were fair game for picture taking. And just as gorgeous as the inside!
Roses were in abundance.
On the way back to the subway, we couldn’t pass by a golden Mozart street performer without taking a picture.
Speaking of the subway, we enjoyed the art. It was fairly clean and easy to navigate. 
A beautiful statue on the way to our hotel.
For supper, we headed to City Centre. We saw St. Stephen’s and just basked in the beautiful architecture.
And the crowds. It was so busy!
Every side of St. Stephen’s included a beautiful piece of art.
Trip Advisor gave super good reviews for Aida and was right in the city centre. And ya’ll, the desserts did not disappoint. Yes, supper was good…but dessert. Oh my!
Vienna was beautiful and we fit in as much as we could in 24 hours. I would love go back and see more one day.
We made sure to bring a few toys that would be fun to share and goof around with. These silly glasses were a hit.
Silas almost always had a friend with him. We enjoyed getting to know D. His English was okay and he enjoyed trying to talk to Zoe.
There was a river across the street from the camp. 
Mark got in the river one day and they had fun. Zoe and I both forgot our swimsuits and purchasing them there was not really an option.
I managed to get some snuggles in between venturing everywhere.
One day, the older boys took us to a lumber yard area (Zoe said it said something about animals) and they convinced the owner to let us come look. We walked over to the gate and saw a forest of boars. Lots of them. From giant ones to little babies. Lots of fun to look at and all the boys were super excited to show us.
Silas writing his letter stating he wanted to be a part of our bunch.
We brought our lunch each day but the director of the camp was insistent that we eat with them. We were able to try some very interesting and authentic food but we all agreed it was very yummy.
Before
A quick picture with Papa before Zoe gets some stamps in her passport!
Watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean.
A German McDonald’s Breakfast
This was the year I finally remembered to hit up the dollar store and grab up all sorts of fun glow in the dark things. The glowing orbs are actually glow balls and were an instant hit!
Just because she is adorable…and doesn’t have a neck brace.
In their congressional area.
ON the front lawn of the capital.
There were statues all over the grounds. 
A rotunda that was added when they needed more space (instead of building out, they built down and added over 600,000 square feet underground.
The chandeliers spell out Texas and there are Texas stars everywhere.
Renie was the very first NF mom to message me and has continually poured her heart in to our family and lifted up countless prayers for Super Ems. It was such a blessing to finally see her face to face!
The kids zipped away on the zipline. Hands down, one of the best investments for our super active crew.
There is a fun creek in our hometown and we chose that as a quick meet up with Aunt Yaya and Uncle J and one of the kids’ nephews.
Aunt Yaya and I kept trying to figure out why we had never been out to the creek. The water stays cool year round which makes for a fun, refreshing trip. It’s perfectly wide and just deep enough to wade in.
And it has rocks to skip.
Or just to sit in.
Cousin E found a crawfish and with that captivated the attention of all eight of his cousins.
We all climbed to the top of the silo. That’s my kids way at the tip top.
I even climbed to the top…and took this picture.
It’s always fun to meet with family and hear stories of everyone.
And see my kids be goofy.
Ceili Rain picked out her hair do in the early afternoon and with the help of a neighbor’s curling iron, I was able to pull it off.
This kid is growing up way too fast.
So is this one! My kids are good lookin’
Such a little man.
These three are missing the fourth member of their team of destruction. But they are still adorable.
Do you think he knows how cute he is?
We’re nearing teen years with this one.
And this girl is a young lady now.
Zoe asked for a Gibson tuck and a braid on the side.
Ya’ll. Have you met Mark’s twin?
We got there early and decided to trek over to the botanical gardens and try out the new splash area. It did not disappoint but we made a few mistakes. First of all, it is a far, far walk to the botanical gardens. Sure, they have a tram but there was a line and we thought, “Oh we can make it.” We had a large shopping bag full of swimsuits and towels, an umbrella stroller and a 4 year old who was too tired to walk the whole way. Mark carried him. I pushed the stroller. A kid carried the massively heavy shopping bag.
She chose a panda bear and smiled and laughed and waved. Mark and I both about lost it. Our little Super Ems was gaining even more confidence. I had to look like an idiot crying while she rode, but if we could only show everyone how far she has come. How many battles she has fought. It was definitely a triumphant moment for us to witness.
