Family Vacation August 2014 - Part 1

After a very full, very blessed, work period over the last 6 months, with the peak of work being in the months of June and July, our family decided to get away in August for some family time.  For this vacation we decided to take it slowly, focus on family life and the simple things, and get away somewhere quiet.  Josh found us a "chalupa," or small cottage, in the hillside of northern Czech Republic.  The village was called Svobodne Hermanice.  The nearest, larger city was about 20 minutes away by car- Opava.   It was a beautiful village and our chalupa was nice with a lovely yard outside.  That was the thing I looked forward to the most, the yard.... and no internet access.  I wanted very much to just play with the children, explore, have the freedom to be outside and run and play and do things we typically can't do living in the city and in an apartment building. 

The kids enjoyed various new experiences and challenges at our cottage.  They also enjoyed more freedom than before with this area being private and having a fence and gate around the entire area.  Sofia loved running and exploring unhindered.  Jakub learned to make fires both outside and in for the grill and fireplace.  

Here Jakub's helping cook our dinner - grilled chicken legs.  He was so happy learning so many new things this week.  He also learned a lot about outdoor life and nature.  On day one he was very concerned about the bees and would scream and run away.  By mid-week he ignored them and by the end he would stand still if they were on him and then let them fly away again.  He said he was "brave." :)

Jakub also learned to jump rope.  I enjoyed so much teaching him different sports activities, or just doing them alongside him.  It was refreshing to be outside often and to be active together.  He was extremely proud that he learned and with Josh and I turning the rope he would jump in the middle of it up to 7 times before stopping. My favorite was doing it together as I threw the rope over both of us.

 

I can't remember why she was so serious.  Still cute, though. :)  One of the favorite events was blowing bubbles each day.  Sofia learned to blow alone and they both loved to chase them as we blew bubbles for them.  Sofia loved it so much she learned in one day to say "bubble" to let us know she was ready to do it again. :)  

That's all for part 1.  I've got to get to bed.  Tomorrow is the first day of school and we have to get up early with Jakub to get ready.  He's a little nervous, and a lot excited, and I'm both alongside him.  I'm praying for a good school year, for good friends at school, for patient and loving teachers, and for lots of new things learned. I look forward, for him, to all of the things this year can bring.  I hope it will be a blessing to him and that he will do well.  I'm so thankful he will once again have the same 2 lovely teachers he had last year.  They have been wonderful to him and to our family and I gain a lot of comfort by him being with them again.  I think he will, too.  Please pray with me for him, his classmates, and his teachers.  

A few things I want to remember about our vacation before I go:

1.  It was extremely cold in the evenings, and sometimes all day with the rain, and the fireplace was our source of heat.  The kids slept in fleece pajamas and punčochy in August.  Crazy.

2.  Both kids wet the bed the first night and I had to do a lot of laundry by hand in the sinks.  Reminded me to be grateful for modern technology and the ability to own a washing machine.

3.  There was a radio in the kitchen and Jakub loved to turn it on while we were cooking and have dance parties with Sofia.

4.  I can still hear Sofia standing at the front door and "counting" (un, uh, ee, uhn, uhh) while we all ran around the yard hiding.  She loved to look for us and find us.  She would squeal and dance when she spotted us.

5.  Teaching Jakub to jump rope and him feeling so proud and accomplished after learning.  

6.  Sofia learning to say Bubble so she could repeatedly ask for us to go outside and blow them.

7.  Watching Jakub be brave and ask to sleep downstairs alone in a new place just so he could experience sleeping on the top of a bunk bed.  He did it and loved it- all week.  So sweet.

Ok, more later.  Off to bed.  Good night!