It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

This last week was wonderful! With Summer comes an increased level of activity and service here as our students are out of school and our older friends typically have more time away from work. The weather also helps draw people out of their homes and every-day routines. This week was especially full of various projects, fun, laughter, teaching, playing, helping others, and feeling really used by God. It's a great thing to feel used up by Him. It's what we want and hope for in our lives, and when it happens it leaves us feeling excited and exhausted. :) Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming as this summer will prayerfully continue to bring us a lot more of the same! Our English camps are also just around the corner- our first American campaign group arrives in one week. I can't believe it's almost time. One of our biggest prayers right now is for the hearts and minds of all of the Czech and American students who will be with us at camp and will be learning about God with us for an entire week!

Also, if you have interest and would like to help financially support a Czech student at camp please write me. We have many students each year who need scholarships to attend camp and we have a program set up just for them. Let me know if you would like to help!


Now, here are some pictures from our week:




As usual we had a good time with our friends Stana and Mikulas this week. With them being so extremely close in age (Miki is 3 weeks older) it's always good to watch them play and to have Stana to talk with about all of the things we are currently going through as their parents.





Dancing to our Thomas the Train video. Jakub has finally realized he might like to watch a video now and then. He asks for "toot toot" and points at the t.v. So, we watch a little Thomas the Train and he really likes the intro song and does the cutest dances to it. Today he took an exceptionally long nap in the afternoon and then he immediately asked for "toot toot" when he woke. It was cute- this time. :) He also snuck a paci out with him... stinker. :) He usually can only have them in the bed and soon enough I hope to work on getting rid of them. Any useful tips would be welcomed.





He's finally riding his "motorka" very well, both forward and backward. We've even been taking it outside so he can ride beside me while we walk to the river to feed the ducks (there are some baby ducks there this week! yeah!). It's exciting to see him want to use it so much- such a big boy! It's also nice to have him walk, run, and ride beside me now and that I don't always need the kocarek to push him in.


He's also doing well on the potty-training front! I'm sure once we have an "intensive training" or "diaper-less weekend" week sometime this summer it won't be long then before we're moving out of diapers! Yeah! If any of you have some special tricks regarding this feel free to pass them along. So far Jakub has been very observant and interested, so I don't think it will take long once we put some real focus on it. Right now we're just lightly teaching about it and helping him use it when he asks, which he's doing more and more and doing well.





I don't think I've posted about these before... These are part of the alphabet letters we put up along one wall in Jakub's room. He loves to point at them and sing the ABC's now. He can also say "A, B, and C" to start the song. The rest of the time he just dances and hums. :) This wall above looks pink here, but it's really a khaki brown.

And these are the letters Jakub's Aunt Nellie made for him. I LOVE them- thank you Nellie! They hang just above his bed and if you ask him where his name is, he can point to it and make 5 sing-song noises to match the 5 letters we say to spell it out.

I still have 3 more art projects to hang in his room, as well as curtains to buy and hang, and when I do I will finally take more pictures. Who knew it would take me so long to get it together. :) I guess that's why most people try to do it BEFORE the kid comes. :) My sister, Hope, painted him something, Josh's Grandmother just sent us her painting for him, and I'm painting him something at the moment. I can't wait until it's all complete!



And finally... the Rizotto recipe that several of you asked about. I made it again tonight, which reminded me that I had forgotten to write down the recipe.

Above you can see the type of rice you will need for true Rizotto, Arborio, though I'm sure any short-grain white rice will do. This particular rice stays soft and fluffy and responds well to cream. I've never made this in the U.S., though, so I don't know what options you have there.

Recipe for the rice:
- 1-2 cups of rice
- 1 spoon of butter
- 1-2 cubes of chicken bullion
- Real whipping cream
- Parmesan grated finely
- Salt to taste

In a non-stick sauce pan put 1-2 cups of rice- depending on how many you are cooking for. I usually do a little more than 1 cup, and that makes enough for me, Josh, and Jakub, as well as some leftover for Jakub the next day. Heat the pan to medium heat and very lightly brown the rice before adding anything else. Stir frequently. Then, add 1 cube of chicken bullion, 1 cup of water, and a small spoon of butter. Continue stirring often and cooking rice until soft. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water at a time as rice dries out, until rice is finally soft and fluffy. It takes about 30 minutes. Rice should be a little moist at end of cooking, not completely dried out. Once it is soft, add real whipping cream and stir it in until all of rice is moist and creamy, not too wet or soupy. Turn off the heat now. If I had to guess I would say it's about 1/2 cup of cream, but I just do it to taste. I also sometimes add a little salt or more bullion to the water for the rice during the cooking process until the flavor is just right. After adding the cream and thoroughly stirring, then add Parmesan to taste. I add about 1/2 a cup and stir it in well. You want a light flavor, but not so much cheese that it becomes clumpy and stringy in the rice. The rice is done.

You will also need:
- Olive oil (or other oil/butter if you like)
- 2-3 chicken breasts cubed
- Chopped leaf spinach - 1/2 to 1 cup depending on how much you are making
- Fresh, chopped mushrooms - maybe 2 cups
- Garlic powder to taste
- Onion powder or chopped onion to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste

In another pan, while the rice is cooking, you can cook the things that will go in the rice when it's finished. First, add a small spoon of olive oil to the pan and heat it on medium heat. Then add cubed chicken breasts and season them with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powders to taste. Lightly brown the chicken until it's done. Then, add the chopped mushrooms and spinach (and onions if you want) and cook until everything is tender/done. Once the rice is done you mix all of these things together with it.

I hope you like it! I wrote out a lot of details so you would know how I do it, but don't be overwhelmed. It's really very easy! You can mix and match things that you like as well. I sometimes make the chicken with chopped onions and red bell pepper instead of mushrooms. Green peas are another great veggie in it. I almost always add spinach because it tastes so good with this type of rice, cream, and cheese. Enjoy! And let me know if you try it. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy Father's Day!

I am very thankful to God for the father he gave me, and for the father he gave Jakub, and for the many wonderful fathers I know and have known in my life. My Dad, Josh, my Father-in-law, my Grandfathers, my Uncles, my Brothers, my Friends... there have been many, many examples in my life of Godly, loving, caring, intentional fathers who love their children and families very much. I hope all of you have had a very enjoyable and blessed Father's Day!

Here's one of my favorite pictures of my Dad with Jakub from last year. It was taken at Hope's wedding. Jakub and his cousin Lillian were dressed all in white and they looked like beautiful little angels. It was such a sweet time and a great memory for me.






And here's one we just took today of our family. I'm so glad Jakub has Josh for a Father.

Josh tries very hard and wants very much to be a good Father for Jakub. He's doing a good job so far! I'm so proud of him and how he wants to be someone Jakub can learn from, respect, come to at any time, and also have fun with. It's a gift to watch their relationship grow and I hope they'll have many years together filled with a lot of love. I'm so happy and thankful God gave me this family.



Here are some sweet photos of Josh and Jakub playing peek-a-boo this weekend.












Jakub loves his Daddy (a.k.a. Da-da) very much. When I go get him in the mornings, because sometimes we don't wake up until 8am or a little later, he wants to walk to our bedroom and go see Daddy. He says "Daddy" over and over and over on his walk there and often Josh is already gone to work or to teach at school, etc. So, then, Jakub wants to walk to the back office room to see if Daddy is working there. Sometimes he is, but often he's already out of the house. It's so cute and a little sad to watch him wandering around asking for Daddy. But, on the days when Josh is there in bed, or in his office, or wherever at home, and Jakub finds him... it's awesome! He lights up and screams and starts running around or jumping. The same thing happens when Josh comes home from work. When Jakub hears the keys in the door (we have a small apartment and you can hear it from everywhere) he jumps up, says "oh!", and runs to the door. When he sees Josh he starts screaming excitedly and running to get a toy to show him. I never get tired of seeing this excitement and love. Josh is just as excited to see Jakub and I appreciate that as well. There have been several occasions when, at night after Jakub has gone to bed, Josh says... I wish I could go watch him sleep for a bit, or just hold him for a while, or see him again before bed. It's so sweet and touching to see this softer, Daddy side, of Josh. He's a good Daddy! Happy Father's Day, Josh!

And to my Dad:

Thank you for being a great Daddy for me! There's no doubt in my mind how much you love me and like to take care of me. Despite the physical distance we have between us at this stage in life, we're growing closer all the time. I'm so glad for how much you want to talk with me, call me, email me, and keep up with me and what's going on in my life. I also really love the way you are a Grandfather for Jakub! Thanks for being so wonderful and special. I (we) love you very, very much! Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Sweet Summer... Oh how I love you!

There's too much to write about and too many pictures to share so I'll just post as much as I can. We're having some wonderful, sunny, fun, work-and-activity-filled days here. It's a great time of year and we're trying to soak it all up. I hope you all are having some joyous moments at home, too!


Here's what we've been up to lately:



Eating new foods... like whipped cream from a can. :)






Working on our image...






Working on our puzzles... he calls the train a "toot! toot!"






Stubbing our toes... (I consoled him after getting a good pic of that dramatic face. :)






Finishing up our Moms' and Kids' class and moving on to playing in the park each week together. Sarah and I will take a break for the more formal type teaching setting until our summer camps are over. We made this rainbow during our final class to complete our theme of colors for the semester.






Moon gazing... this is a view from where we live. Our apartment building is on the left side of that street. It's a great view of the most beautiful cathedral in Olomouc. At night it really looks like something from a fairytale.






Retreating with our team for a few days before the craziness of our summer work fully began...

Here is the castle we could see from our penzion. It was at the top of a small mountain (or maybe just really large hill) and we hiked up to it one morning. I carried Jakub on my back in a carrier and didn't realize how tired 29lbs of extra weight would make me. :) It was a gorgeous day, though, and a beautiful castle to see. Our path up was so overgrown with bushes, though, that in some parts Christie had to help me hold back the brush and trees so I could get Jakub through without getting him caught in the nettles and branches. Christie took a lot of them for us... Those are NOT fun!


Just his size...



We've also been playing pretend a lot lately... here are his tickle monster gloves!






And his magic cape and secret castle (a.k.a. tiny fort to the right) ...






Practicing various eating techniques... this is his favorite, the shovel...







We've been playing outside every day. There is a playground just outside our front door, which has been really great for us.

Here's the first place we always start...

Then we move on to this one...

Then we hit the sand box for a while... yes, we still eat sand...

Then we end with our favorite attraction of all, the slide! Or as he says "sisze." He can crawl up the the second rung by himself now... that last one's just still a bit much...










And we like to visit the outdoor market near the square. These fresh green peas are my favorite! Jakub eats it all, too. In fact, we've added a new food to the list... raw white onion. Jakub likes to eat it raw and has the WORST breath afterward. Still, I'm proud of him. :)






And we've been playing with a lot of our friends. Here's one of my best friends, Stana, with her son Mikulas.



And here's sweet Thompson!


We recently got to babysit for Corey and Sarah while they went out for their anniversary. We had such a good time with Jakub and their boys. Having 3 boys running around the house was definitely interesting and so enjoyable.


What great and blessed times! We thank God for our little family and our home here in Olomouc. It's a good time of year and we just pray that God use us as much as possible in all of these opportunities to serve others and share His love and teachings with them. Please pray for us and for the work and camps. We'll need lots of energy and patience. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed all of the pictures.

It's June already!?

It's actually 4 days into June already, but I still can't believe it. I think May went by so quickly I didn't even stop to actually say "It's May," and now that's gone and here's June. Wow. Well, I don't even have time right now to download and post any pics or videos, but I just wanted to say hi. :)

We've had a wonderful whirlwind of weeks recently. We had visitors for a bit, then we visited another family and church for a weekend, and then we went away for a team retreat and had a fantastic time reconnecting on a "fun" level. :) We've noticed that we interact too often on a "work" level and forget that we actually have a lot of fun together, too. It was good for us to get away from the city for a while and explore a new place together. More on that, with pics, another time.

Our 2 summer interns have also arrived and just in time to help us work hard through the next 2 1/2 months. They've both been here before for our camps, so it's nice to work with them again and to know that they are already familiar with Olomouc and our goals here. Our teens are happy to see them again and that's also encouraging for us. I'm really looking forward to having them here for the summer. We had them over for dinner last night and Jakub also loved the new attention. They couldn't believe how much he has changed in a year and he couldn't believe he had such an attentive and encouraging audience. ;) He put on quite the show of ball-kicking, running and screaming, and, laughing. He's becoming quite the little entertainer.

A few more fun things to mention about Jakub:
- He started bicycling his legs when we lift him up now, it's hilarious to see. He's so quick and strong!
- He loves to pick up a book and start "reading" to me. He very seriously utters complete nonsense. I love it!
- He has an amazing throw and kick with the ball. I'm getting some on video now to share soon. I'm really not trying to brag, I'm just amazed. He's very coordinated, patient, and controlled. He actually drops the ball in front of him on the floor, lines it up, steps back a bit, then runs and kicks perfectly. We just can't believe it and are surely egging it on with lots of clapping and oooing. :)
- He's started actually noticing the food that enters his mouth and doesn't just scarf it all down now. He picks it a part, eats certain things before others, and sometimes refuses something for a minute, but in the end he still eats it all well and eats many different things. He's loving the fresh green peas, strawberries, peppers, and grapes we just got from the local outdoor market.
- He's currently sleeping really well and I'm thrilled. For a few months it was from 730 or 8 to 6 or 630, which I know is still pretty good. Now it's from 730 to 730 or 830 with an almost 2 hour nap after lunch. It may be a growth spurt... what ever the reason I'm happy and he seems well rested. I really don't think he does well getting up before 7. I know I don't. :)
- We've been in the car on some road trips lately and he does really well in the car. We aren't used to riding too often, or to going more than 10-15 min. at a time, but recently we've been gone a couple of hours at a time and he's doing well. I'm glad! Though, he prefers companions in the back. And he likes music and sings along some. I like that he tries to sing and it's such a sweet sound right now!
- He's started having some shyness with strangers and will try to hide behind us or turn away. If he can't turn away he'll at least turn his eyes, but he always gets a big smile on his face and will soon turn back. I'm glad, he seems to by shy but still very friendly and doesn't take too long to get comfortable again.
- And even just today he seems to suddenly say more words and say them more clearly. He said "please" perfectly today with the "l" and "s" clearly there. It was great. :) And he puts 2 words together like "hi, mama" "right there" and "all done." He looks right at us and is so clearly communicating with us. I think he's going to talk a lot and want to know how everything works and why. Right now I'm really looking forward to that. :) I love talking to him and teaching him new things. He's pretty patient and likes to learn and read and "talk."

Ok... off to bed. Sorry for the lack of pics. I hope you enjoyed the post anyway. More soon. Good night!