Back in Olomouc!

 We're back home in Olomouc now and trying to adjust.  We had such a wonderful time in the U.S. over the past month and now, as usual, it's hard to get back into the swing of things here.  We always miss our family so much and then to only get 3 1/2 weeks together was just not enough.  We're thankful for the time we had, though, and sometime soon I'll try to go through our videos and photos and post about our time back home.




 This week we're busy settling back into our home, picking back up with the hallway repairs we put on hold while away, getting back to work and catching up on programs we missed at our center, preparing for the big Thanksgiving celebration we always host at our church with about 40 people usually attending, visiting the doctors for the baby, and preparing to leave for Germany on Saturday for the annual church retreat held there.  It's enough to keep us busy and help us get back into a normal routine.  These are all exciting things as well, and blessings in our lives, so they make the adjustment a little easier.

In baby news: my appointment went well yesterday.  She looks healthy, was kicking around like crazy, had BOTH kidneys present, and looked to weigh around 2.5 lbs.  She has her head down so if all goes well with the rest of the pregnancy I should be able to try a more natural delivery process this time.  We'll see.  Please be praying with us that no matter the route she comes she and I will be healthy.  We don't have any names yet, and haven't started talking about it, but hopefully in the next few weeks we will.  I'm looking forward to giving her a name. :)  I'll go on Thursday for a glucose testing and then in 2 weeks back to the regular doctor and the geneticist to make sure she is continuing to grow well.  I'm so thankful to God that everything is going well thus far!  I know it won't be long before we'll be meeting her!

This little man will be turning 3 next week!  I can't believe it, but I'm so happy and excited for him.  He'll, prayerfully, spend his birthday in Germany again, as he has the past 2 years as well.  I think that's a neat tradition for him, though he doesn't understand it yet.  It's nice to be at a retreat with our large church family in Europe and celebrate his life at the same time.  This year his birthday also brings with it school time!  He'll begin going to "skolka" (sh-coal-kuh) on November 26th and I think he is so ready for it.  His best friend started 2 weeks ago and they will be in the same class.  He'll go for 1/2 the day every day and then I will pick him up after lunch.  It's just behind our home and only about 3 minutes walk away.  I'm so thankful for such a wonderful school being so close to our home. 

Some other news about Jakub at this age:
- He's talking a lot in full and complex sentences after being in the U.S. and around English so much for 1 month.
- He loves to play with cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes, tunnels, tracks and highway systems.
- He speaks Czech as well and communicates well with his babysitter, Babi (bobby), which is awesome.
- He loves Bible class time with Aunt Christie.
- He likes pretty, painted toenails on girls (odd, I know, but I don't want to forget it). :)
- He's very social, learns names well, and likes to be with older kids and people, often asking for them by name or following them around.
- He's so loud, even when he's playing alone or singing in bed before going to sleep.
- He's a huge fan of Daddy at this age and prefers to be with Josh and know what he is doing at all times.
- He loved his trip to the U.S. and all of the airplane rides.  He walked like a proud and big boy through the airports.
- He likes to try his boundaries, especially with Mommy, and can be defiant despite warnings.  He'll look you in the eyes while disobeying and needs clear boundaries and at times very strong punishments.
- His favorite songs right now are Jesus loves me, Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle, Star Wars theme song and Christmas songs
- He would rather be outside playing and running than inside, which is great, except when I'm big pregnant.:)
- He's a good eater and still will try most anything I give him. 
- He had his first Halloween this year and LOVED it.  He couldn't believe people would keep giving him candy and that we let him eat so much that day.  He was super excited to be with his cousins on the hay-ride around the neighborhood and trick-or-treating together (pictures to come).
- He loves all of his cousins, can name them all, and says "those are my cousins, those are my friends!"
- He has a deep, hearty laugh that comes out the most when being tickled.  I love it!

Ok, I think that's it for now. :)