I just can't believe this moment was just over one year ago. Wow! I just can't believe he's one now. He is at such a great age now. I have loved going through each of the stages with him, and I've tried not to take them for granted or rush through them, but right now is truly a fun stage that I was waiting for. He's almost walking alone, he's trying to talk and saying some words, he's so happy and playful, he's sharing all of his food and toys with us, he laughs and smiles all the time, he loves to play with other children and lights up when they are around, he eats so well and sleeps so well, it's just a great stage. I have to say, though, that we are so thankful for Jakub and the child he has been thus far. He's really been a joy through all of the stages and has generally been a happy and peaceful baby through them all. I know it might not always be this way, but I thank God for the past year with this wonderful boy and all of the joy and love He put into our lives. I just can't thank Him enough.
There has been A LOT of celebrating and traveling lately, so I'll just post our favorite photos and talk you through them. :) You might want to get a cup of coffee and a snack... you may be here for a bit. :)
About a week and a half after returning to Olomouc, from our trip to the states, we left again for 5 days in Germany. There is an annual American Family/Thanksgiving retreat held in Germany for families in the military, missionaries, or other American families living in Europe. We usually go every-other-year and we get to see there many families and friends we have grown close to over the years. It's nice to share in our similar experiences, to share our joys and struggles, and to be encouraged by one another. It was an 8 hour car ride there and Jakub did really well. I'm so proud of him! Here are some of our photos from that time (and other people's photos...). :)
Rothenburg is a very beautiful city. It was decorated for Christmas, which I loved! You can see in the photo little Christmas trees above the store windows- they were real trees.
They are known for making these dessert balls. I only tried 2 and they are pretty good, but not sweet enough by American standards. Apparently, we have a high sugar tolerance in comparison to most Europeans. Still, they are good and I recommend them. They were beautifully displayed in a lot of windows throughout the town. (No, I did not take this picture and I do not know that lady) :)
Watching the snow come down outside our hotel room.
Loving the snow:)
Many of you know the Karnes family. They, and their team, are now living and working in Ireland. They came to the retreat and it was awesome to meet their team and to spend time with them. We always feel encouraged by them! (Denise, I obviously stole your pics) :)
Hanging out with the Karnes family our last night in Germany. This is their daughter Bailey.
Our drive home from Germany.A couple of days after we returned home from Germany we finally celebrated Jakub's first birthday with our friends here. We had a wonderful time celebrating, eating, and playing together. I wish you could hear the laughter and noise all of the children made together. It's one of the best times we have had in our home.
Here's the food. My friend Stana made the meat, it's called vepřový řízek, and is basically fried pork. It is excellent with the spices she adds to it.
His birthday cake. This was supposed to be much more elaborate looking than it is, but I ran out of time and figured Jakub would be forgiving about it.
His good friend Mikuláš who is about 3 weeks older. Stana is his Mom and we get together at least once a week to walk with the kids or let them play together. They also attend our Moms and Kids class we teach each week.
Corey and Sarah's youngest, Thompson, who is 2 1/2 months younger than Jake.
Corey and Sarah's oldest, Evan, who will be 3 very soon! Such a big boy now!
Happy Birthday to you! He loved the candle.
And the cake.
Satisfied:) Now, on to the gifts!
Our friends were very kind and gave Jakub many nice things including: a toy dump truck with big legos inside, a set of building blocks, a puzzle, a coloring book and crayons, a Czech fairytale book, a snoopy stuffed animal, a lion, and a BIG back of snack puffs. We (or I should say I) were so caught up in the fun and entertaining duties that I forgot to give Jakub his gift from me and his Daddy. We keep forgetting to give it to him... and he has plenty of things right now... so I'm thinking ours is going to sit under the Christmas tree instead. :)
Stana and Mikulas giving Jakub his gift- the dump truck, legos, and snacks. They have a beautiful custom here of greeting someone on their birthday, looking them in the eye and telling them "Vsechno nejlepsi, hodne stesti, a zdravi, a lasky, a spokojenosti, atd..." It's wishing them all the best and lots of luck, health, love, happiness, etc. in the year to come. It's wonderful and was so special to hear her do that for Jakub.
All the boys and their toys. I told you the snack pack she gave us was big! Jakub loves those things! So does my sister:)And just a few random thoughts and pictures to leave you with as I remember the special things Jakub is doing right now.
I love that I caught this face on camera. He doesn't make it often, but in general he's very expressive right now and I love it.
One of his favorite games to play is hide-and-seek. He loves to be chased and then he will hide behind a couch or table and peek around it. My favorite thing is when he holds my stare for a few seconds, then raises one eyebrow and laughs at me, and then takes off crawling away and laughing. It's such an adult expression and I really think when he can talk he'll have a lot to share with me about what he's thinking.
This is just half of the bundling that goes into a walk out in the cold. It takes FOREVER to get ready to go outside in this weather. Again, I'm so thankful for his sweet and calm nature, because generally he's very patient and playful while we get ready and doesn't mind all that I have to do to him. :)
And lastly, a sweet picture of him napping, which is rare for him to do outside of his bed so I had to get a picture. I also had to de-layer him gently so he would overheat in the house. It took a while, but he kept on sleeping. He's so sweet. :)So, there's still a lot more to come, including our Thanksgiving celebration, which we had yesterday. I have to stop now, though, so my eyes don't go blind and so I can have some quality time with my husband. :) I hope you enjoyed the stories and your coffee stayed hot through it all. I'll try to post again soon. I also have a lot of video, but I'm not sure when I'll find time for that... :)
