Happy, beautiful, peaceful, joyful Easter!

That's just what our Easter weekend celebration was- happy, beautiful, peaceful, and joyful! We spent 3 very gorgeous days in Slovakia. God couldn't have given us more beautiful weather to help us celebrate his Son and all that He did for us. We praised Him for so much, with many of our friends, and I must say it did a lot for my spirit. I needed this retreat and it couldn't have come at a better time. I am thankful for our small and intimate church community in Olomouc, but I also admit that I miss praising God in song with a very large group of people. Hearing all 4 parts of the singing voice harmonize together gave me chills and greatly moved me.

This retreat was also about family time, taking breaks, and enjoying/appreciating God's beautiful creation around us. The weather was perfect! High 70's, light breezes, all-blue skies, warm sunshine, and flowers blooming all around us. The retreat sight had a great set-up outside and we spent a lot of time running, playing, building sand castles, swinging, sliding, kicking and chasing balls, etc. with Jakub. This type of family time we do not get very often and I soaked up as much of it as I could. We got our feet in the sand, we got dirty, Jakub ate lots of earthy things, and we played until we were wiped out. :) It was awesome! You can see from the pictures how well our sweet, not-so-little, boy enjoyed his trip to Slovakia. The sad thing is that I had so much fun with my family and friends that I didn't stop to take many pictures. These are really the best of what I have. We didn't take ANY family photos. :( I do have some video, which I'll post soon. Until then, I hope you enjoy this and I pray you had a very meaningful Easter weekend.


Can you believe he's big enough to play like this outside now? I can't! He had so much fun and freedom this weekend to roam far and do many things. I just couldn't stop watching him explore and learn new things. How can you love a child this much!?! :)







The next 3 moments Josh captured for me and they are my favorites from this weekend. They are classic Jakub moments. Step 1: Discover something new. Grab hold/take it/get it. Make sure Mom and Dad know you are a master of discovery.




Step 2: Eat it. Always. Eat it.




Step 3: Express yourself in a way that truly reflects your inner thoughts/feelings/taste buds. AND VERY IMPORTANT: Repeat step 2. Again and again. To make sure you aren't jumping to conclusions. Priceless.

I couldn't be more in love with this boy. :) Happy Easter and God's blessings to you!

Happy Easter!

Well, I've been told by a few that I need to update my blog. :) Sorry, but this won't be a very good update. I don't really have any new pictures or exciting video to post here, yet. I have it all on my cameras and haven't had a chance recently to upload it. I just wanted to post something so you know I'm not giving up on blogging or anything like that. :)

We've had a great and busy last week hosting several Easter and Spring type programs for our teens, Moms, friends, and church. We're doing it all a little early because we leave tomorrow for our annual church retreat in Slovakia. We're looking forward to seeing our friends from the neighboring countries- some of which we only see one or two times a year. I'm also really looking forward to watching Jakub with lots of little friends to play with. It's going to be very special on Sunday when he has Bible class with more than 2 friends. He loves to sing and interact so much that I'm anticipating a very full and exciting week/weekend for him! It will be for us, too, as we are always encouraged and uplifted through this time with our friends. The singing alone lifts my spirit a lot! What a great time it is to be together, to enjoy spring weather, and to celebrate Jesus and all He did for us. I pray you all experience a very special Easter time as well. I hope to have some more great photos and video to add to the blog when I return! :)

Here's a video, just because I feel bad posting without adding something, of Jakub with his friend Liam. We played in the park and then went to dinner with this family. We had a great time and Jakub loves playing with Liam. They do well together. Enjoy! (and sorry if you've already seen it on Facebook)

Doing a little jig...

I love that Jakub seems to have music deep within him. Whenever we hum a tune, sing him a song, play some music, or watch a band play he immediately stops what he is doing and starts swaying to the beat and/or trying to sing along sometimes. He usually finds the right rhythm to sway to or dance to and it's amazing. I love it and I hope this talent only grows and grows. I love to dance with him- he has so much energy! You can see it in this video. This one is from a month ago, so it doesn't show the best version of him swaying and dancing, but like a friend of mine recently said on her blog- "nothing kills a good time like a video camera." I can't get him to do it for me, but I'll keep trying! You can also see the Czech sign for please at the end of the video. He's good at it and very sweet to say please a lot. He's just now also trying to say the word out loud.




This video is not great, but it shows you a small bit of where we live. It's a shot of the land and river behind our home. We often go here to feed the ducks and take our walks together. Sometimes you can see people rowing on the water and Jakub loves that! Also a lot of dogs, or "huff-huffs" come by and he loves to watch them. It's a peaceful area and we really love it. The building you first see in the distance is a medical hospital and treatment area. We took some fun videos this weekend while playing in our local square, so I hope to get those up soon.

Work and Play...

We recently had a Friday night party for our teen girls- no boys aloud! Our theme was "self-confidence" and we had several different games, activities, and a devotional to do with them throughout the night. One activity was to give your partner a new look with make-up that they weren't aloud to see for hours, but that they had to wear confidently throughout the night (It also tied in to some other games/activities). Some of the girls were kind and put on nice make-up on their partner, and some had fun with it, which you can see above on my face and some of the others. :) We all had a good time, though, and were confident it didn't matter what we looked like on the outside. ;)





After one of our friends shared some thoughts about self-confidence with the girls, we then had an art activity. You had to draw a representation of your inner voice, what it would look like and what it says to you. Then we had to take that drawing and turn it into something more beautiful, encouraging and positive.



Some of the funny faces of the evening. I think I was supposed to be Harry Potter's cat... It was a great night with some of our closest teen friends.






We've been getting out more now that Spring is almost here. Well, I guess it's here, but it still disappears for some days here and there. :) You can see that we still often have to bundle up to play outside. Jakub liked being turned on this type of merry-go-round. He had great balance!





"ooooooohhh!"




We couldn't get him to look at the camera because they were doing some construction across the street. He loves to see big trucks and bull-dozers. He can even say dozer now. It seems every day he tries a new word. I love it. We went to the doctor recently for an immunization and when I was telling Josh about it Jakub said "doctor" like it was no big deal. And speaking of the doctor, I just have to brag on Jakub a little because I don't want to forget how brave he is. He has always been good about getting his shots, and rarely cries at all, and this time was his best time yet. He had to get this one in his arm, on the upper part of his forearm, and the doctor had me sit and hold him in my lap, with his arm held tightly by mine. She put the needle in and he didn't even care. He looked down and watched it go in and watched her push the medicine in and never said a word. I thought I would cry with relief that he did so well. They were really proud of him, too, as I think it's more normal for kids to cry a little. In a lot of different ways Jakub has little fear. I know this will probably make for some trying times for us in the future, but right now it amazes me. Another small example is his interest in animals. We don't have any pets, and he's often not around them, but when we are out walking I always point them out because I don't want him to be afraid. The other day when we were walking outside a lady invited us to pet her very big dog. Jakub never looked back at me or hesitated! When she told him to come and not be afraid he ran over immediately and got in the dog's face and petted it. I was so proud of him! Ok, sorry for all of the bragging! :)


Here are all of the words we're saying or closely saying right now: Mama, Daddy, Hi, Bye-Bye, Boo, Dirty, Diaper, Poo Poo, Nana (banana), Apple, Purple, Blue, Moo, Peas (please), Uuuu (up), Dow (down), Light, Off, On, Roar (for lion), Huff-Huff (czech word doggie), Auto (czech word car), Ball, Bowl, Water, Dozer, Doctor, No-no, and Door.

Some more things to remember at 16 months:
- I think he weighs 27 lbs
- He wears a size 6 shoe, which is a little big, but the size 5s definitely don't fit.
- I don't know how tall he is, but compared to his friends here he is one of the tallest. His legs really seem to be longer lately and are thinning out now that he loves to run a lot. He seems like he's had a growth spurt lately.
- He still loves to eat anything and recently added fresh cucumber, celery, bell pepper, and salmon to his list of foods that he likes. He also had chicken salad last night that had radish in it and he didn't seem to mind or notice. Our radishes here, though, are not nearly as hot as the ones I've eaten in the U.S.
- He's started pointing at his bed when he's tired of reading books together. We usually read 2 or 3 and sing some songs before bed. I couldn't believe he began pointing at his bed and wanting to go to it, because a month ago he had a 2 week spell where he screamed the minute we put him in it and I was afraid he was going through separation anxiety. Either he got over it really quickly, or it was something else I never figured out. Either way he's back to being a great sleeper, unless he's ill, and I'm so thankful.
- He usually sleeps from 730 to 630 or 7 with no problems or needs in the night.
- He's finally getting a couple more teeth on the bottom to go with the two, lone, front-bottom teeth. He already has 4 molars, so his teeth have definitely come out of order.
- He loves to play with his friends and has finally starting willingly sharing instead of always taking away from them. I'm so glad! :)



This day he decided he would like to play peek-a-boo with his yogurt covered fingers.

I hope to get some more videos up soon!

Here Comes The Sun!

We've been enjoying some wonderful weather over the past 2 weeks as it's been mostly sunny and occasionally in the 50's. There was one random day with snow, and then today it's in the low 40's again, but hopefully that good weather will return soon and we are finally making our way into Spring. I can't wait. I've already been getting a taste of what it's like to take Jakub outside more often for walks, feeding the ducks at the river nearby our home, and playing in the park. We even recently took him to Svaty Kopecek (Holy Hill), a hillside village just outside Olomouc where they have forests to hike through, fields to play in, playgrounds, a small zoo, and a local village to explore. I hope to take Jakub there many times this Spring and Summer. I'm embarrassed to say that not even I have been to this local zoo in all the time I've lived here. I'm looking forward to it, though, and to seeing Jakub's face when he meets all of the animals for the first time!



Here we are at Svaty Kopecek. No, he's not been crying. This is the confused, watery-eyed look every Czech kid gets when they realize for the first time that the Sun they've been reading and singing about for so long does, in fact, really exist. It took him a while to warm up to it, but now he loves the Sun and wants to see it every day. I don't blame him. It can be quite captivating.





Sharing his rocks with Daddy.





You can see how dark the forest is behind them. Jakub loved exploring inside there. There was so much to see. He would have stayed for hours, but the wind was strong and cold, so we didn't. :)



He loves finding pine cones and kicking them around. We have a lot near our home, too.





Jakub with his friend Mikulas. These two have so much fun together. I love to watch them running after each other, pointing and laughing, and trying to get into trouble. :) We really enjoy our Friday afternoon play-dates with Stana and Mikulas.





Our friends recently gave us some bathtub letters and numbers to play with. I like sticking them to Jakub. :) He doesn't seem to mind too much...






A little bit of precious Father-Son time. Can you tell they are winding down before bed? :) Nothing like a little snuggle time withe Mr. Bear and Daddy before reading some books and going to sleep. Such sweet boys! I'm so thankful for them! Love you Jakub and Josh!

Music to my ears...

I love this kid and all of the "music" he makes in our lives. He is so sweet and making noise all day long. He tries to sing along with us some and demands itsy, bitsy spider at bedtime now. His laugh is so deep and from the belly- you can't help but laugh with him. :) And he's got a new little jig to go with his music. You'll see it some below. It's getting better every day and hopefully I'll really capture it well on video soon.

Make sure to turn your volume up (the sound isn't always clear on these) and double click on the video to watch it in full screen. Enjoy! :)

Prayer Requests...

I just wanted to write and ask all of you to please be praying for several women who are on my mind a lot lately. I have 4 friends who are pregnant right now and these pregnancies could definitely use your prayers. Two of these friends tried for a very, very, very long time and it is a huge blessing and gift to be pregnant now. My prayer is that they and their babies remain strong and healthy. Another friend's baby will likely have to have heart surgery shortly after birth (she's around 20 weeks now) and I can only imagine how that weighs on her and her husband's hearts. They won't know more until the baby is more developed. The 4th friend is doing well, and around 15 weeks, but she often has low blood pressure and the pregnancy makes it worse. I know peace and good health in all of their lives would be a great gift right now.

Another close friend of mine, since we were little, is helping her sister and family through some great physical and emotional trials now after her sister's car accident last fall. Please pray for strength for the family, courage and healing for the sister, and a lot of love, hope and peace for them all as they continue to recover.

My sister is having a minor surgery today and I wish I could be there with her. Hopefully, all will go well and she'll be home recovering and enjoying some movies tonight with her sweet husband and our family. :)

Thank you for praying with me!