Crawling around...

Here are a couple of videos of Jakub crawling. For more pictures see the post below. Enjoy!

Happy 9 Months Baby Boy!

Happy 9 months to you, Jakub! We're so thankful to God to have you in our lives! You bring us such joy and happiness. Here are some photos and stories to tell about all the fun things you are doing right now.




You love to play and do so really well with us, with others, and alone. You're dramatic, also, when you play. You talk a lot, you yell loudly, you laugh, you throw things, you chew on everything, you crawl around, in, on, and behind everything you can. You love to open and shut doors and drawers. When you catch us watching you while you're playing you laugh really loudly and make fun faces and you usually crawl as quickly as you can to us so we'll pick you up. :)





You're exploring a lot of new toys right now. The one above is "Pingy" the penguin. You love to hit and kick him so he'll turn and sing to you. You're also doing well at standing up against some toys to play. We have to stand you up there because you're just now trying to pull up on things and you don't have the hang of it, yet. You're learning, though.




Here you had been having a tickle-fest with Daddy. You two have a lot of fun playing together. You like it when we get on the floor with you. You also like to crawl away and play chase with us... especially when you have a poopy diaper. :)





You're also now enjoying practicing walking. You usually jump a lot, too, when we practice. You're good at it and I'm sure it won't be too long before you're doing it on your own.




Sweet smiles for "da-da..."





You also like to hang off of the bed with Daddy and look at things below. With all of the loud talking/yelling/laughing you do, the chasing and play-screaming, the eating grass/leaves/dirt... there's no mistaking you are a boy. I love it, too! You are a lot of fun to be with.




Playing in bed with Mommy and Daddy...


Other things to remember about right now:

- You still like to have your pacifier when you're sleepy

- You got your FIRST TOOTH! the day before you turned 9 months. You did so well... we didn't even know you had it until you were biting on a finger and fussed a little and then I saw it. I could feel it, too. It must have happened over night, but you slept so well and did so well. I hope the other teeth come in like this one. We're so proud of you!

- You love to play with pots and pans while I'm in the kitchen.

- You eat 3 solid-food meals a day and you love it. You usually have fresh fruit and cereal for breakfast. You eat some veggies and maybe some meat for lunch. You have some yogurt or fruit for a snack and you eat some more veggies for dinner. You are a good eater- too good! You still don't show signs of being full and will open your mouth for anything:) I have to give you pieces of food to eat on your own slowly because you try to eat quickly anything you can reach and you sometimes choke yourself a little:) I won't complain, though, because you eat so well and eat anything! You even like cold yogurt plain now. I don't know of anything you won't eat.

- You've begun saying "na-na" and "ma-ma" and it's so good to hear. You say "da-da" a lot, but especially when Daddy comes into the room or when he comes home from work. I think you know what you are saying to him. We're still working on the "ma-ma." :)

- You wave bye-bye when we prompt you, but you won't say it yet and you don't do it alone, yet.

- You love to sing with me and read books- especially touch-and-feel books. You always look at the page and find exactly where to scratch or feel and it's great to watch you observing and exploring the books.

- You nap two times a day- 9 and 1- and then we go for walks and play dates in the afternoons. You love to be outside touching everything. You also like to feed the ducks with me and you don't mind when they come right up to our feet. You don't seem scared of anything, yet.

- I guess that you weigh a little over 10 kilo now. You're growing so quickly! I also measured you the other day at almost 73 cm. I think that's 28 1/2 or 29 inches. Your feet are also really big, but I don't have any shoes for you yet so I don't know what size you are:) You wear 9-12 month clothing and 12 mo pants fit you the best.

Well, that's all for now. I have some new videos to post, as well, but I have to upload them first. Hopefully I can do that soon.

Please be praying for our trip to the U.S. in a week and a half. We're really looking forward to being there, but a little nervous about the travel there. We hope Jakub will do well, that we won't be too tired, that the travel will be safe, and that we 3 will adjust to our new sleep schedules well in the U.S. It's likely my next post will be from there:) Exciting!

Fun times!

I have only a few new pictures to show, but I've been having so much fun with Jakub. He crawls everywhere and explores everything. He's also eating new foods and learning new movements/skills. It's a great time!

He has been getting up on his knees more over the last 2 days and even pulling forward on them a little. Maybe he will learn how to crawl on them after all. He's really starting to say "na-na-na" a lot with his "da-da," so it's nice to hear a new sound. When he wakes from a nap and wants us to get him he sometimes yells "hey" really loudly over and over. It's cute. :) He yells a lot, period, when he's talking. I don't know why he thinks he has to be so loud...

He wants to open and shut every door he passes. We haven't lost any fingers to this game, yet. When he crawls across the floor in the living room, and some toys are in the way, he grabs them and throws them really hard out of the way while he keeps moving. He can be so dramatic. :) His new favorite meal is steamed cauliflower mixed with sauteed tomatoes and onions and then mixed with some real cheddar cheese. I thought it was pretty yummy, myself. He's eating pieces of things now and chunkier foods on his own, but I still spoon feed him as well. Tonight I might be making him his first lasagna (if I can overcome my laziness and get to the store), which is exciting. Anyway, that's how things are going here with Jakub.

As for work we're enjoying doing a lot of follow-up activities with the camp students and the kids we already knew in Olomouc. Yesterday we took them bowling and then to the square for ice cream. Jakub loved being with all of the students. They enjoyed him, as well, and even included him in a little water-splash game in one of the fountains. :) We're hoping to see some of them at worship on Sunday, so please be praying about that.

Josh and I are also starting to make some plans for our trip home, which makes it seem really close! Only 2 1/2 weeks! We're very excited.

Here are the pictures. Some are of Jakub in the tub, some are of him eating blueberries and yogurt, and some are of him playing. He loves to crawl under tables and chairs. Enjoy!

Memories...

There are a few things that Jakub is doing right now that I don't want to forget... so I'm writing it down even though I don't have any pictures or video to go with it right now. You'll just have to imagine:)

- He loves to lean back and look up now- at anything. I always think he's going to fall, but he doesn't. He's so strong and controlled now with movements, and so curious about everything. I love to watch him while he's exploring.

- When he's frustrated he scrunches up his nose and lips and huffs and puffs several times. I don't know how else to describe it, but it's so funny and often makes us both laugh. He's a little dramatic with the expressions and talking. It's entertaining to say the least.

- When I sing he sings along and it's funny. Sometimes I make high-pitched noises "in-tune" with his just to have fun and he thinks this is hilarious.

- He still army-crawls everywhere. He's so fast now I think he doesn't see a reason anymore to try to get up on his knees. He follows me through the rooms and it's nice to know he can do this alone now.

- He's getting really good at eating with his fingers, so I'm discovering new things to feed him so he can do it alone. He likes to do almost everything himself.

- He says "da-da" a lot when Josh comes near so I think he really knows what he's saying, though he still also says it when he's excited about food and such:)

- His feet are too big for the size 3 shoes I tried to put on this morning. Is that possible?:) I think he's going to be tall. So, we don't have any shoes for him and I have no experience buying them myself, yet, but I'm about to learn. :)

- He can pull himself up to standing against me, but doesn't do it on furniture or anywhere else, yet.

That's all I can think of for now. He's so much fun to be around and to play with. He gives the sweetest hugs in the mornings and sometimes he tries to catch your eye and then smiles really big. I just love him! That's it. :)

The End... and The Beginning!

Well, July has come to a close and we are exhausted, overwhelmed, excited, blessed, and filled with joy! Our camps, follow-up activities, visiting campaigners, and interns were all a success thanks to God and lots of answered prayers. There is so much to say and so little time:)

We got back on Saturday night from our second camp. I don't know the final count, but I believe we had just as many people total as the first camp- 70+ people. We had around 40 Czech students, which was our goal. We are so thankful for what was a wonderful and touching week with them. For this camp the temps were, thankfully, much cooler. The kids, being a younger-aged group, were a little more open and youthful, which was awesome. The programs and testimonies went so well and I believe many were touched. A couple of stories to tell you of how blessed we feel and how thankful we are to God for those blessings:

- On Thursday evening of our second camp we were surprised by a return visit from 12 students from the first, older-aged, camp. They came back to share with the younger students how we had changed their lives. They thanked us for the first camp and they stayed the night to be with all of us. I can't tell you how that felt. We cried, we hugged them, and we spent a wonderful evening all together. I'm not sharing this to brag, but to let you in on our joy. This kind of thing is one of the only ways we get to know sometimes that what we are doing is actually changing others and helping them to see God in life here. These kids literally walked up a mountainside about one mile in a thunderstorm, from the local train station, just to tell us these things and to stay the night with us again. I'll never forget this night. This gift, from God, is part of what keeps us going. I've got chills thinking about it even now...

Here are some pictures from a slideshow we made for the students at the second camp. We got the idea from another video we saw where people shared messages with those they loved in this way. It was a way for us to say goodbye to the students and to share one last message with them before they left.

This is our intern Alyssa- we love her so much!
And this is our intern Madison. We love her just as much. We will miss these girls when they are gone and we'll definitely be keeping in-touch with them.

- Yesterday, for worship time, we had 25 student visitors from both the camps come to be with us. Yes, they were partly coming to say goodbye to their American friends/teachers who were here for the summer, but they stayed to worship with us. They listened while we talked about and praised God in our home environment. They learned what communion is and why we take it each week. They, hopefully, saw God in us and among us. Many took Bibles at the end and began asking us some questions about reading it and studying it. It doesn't get any better than this! This is exactly what we pray to God for after camps are over. We don't want just a week with these kids, but years of growth and learning together. We pray they will keep coming back for activities we will offer each week beginning this week. We pray they will keep looking for God all around them and that we can help with that.

So, those are just a couple of stories I wanted to share with you. There are so many more, but I know we'll send out a newsletter soon with more and with pictures. Please keep praying for us here and for these students and other friends in our lives here. Pray they will keep looking for God with us.

Here are a couple more pictures from camp of Jakub:) He's just so adorable and so much fun right now. He's crawling everywhere and getting into trouble:) He laughs and talks all the time. He still smiles all the time. He likes to hug. He loves to read with me. He has no teeth:) He's such a joy in our lives!

Happy 8 Months!

Wow! I really feel like I just wrote the "Happy 7 Months!" blog post. This last month went by too quickly. He's also changing so much each week. I can't get it photographed and recorded quickly enough:)

So, the camp stories and photos will still come at a later time- after the next camp. This post will be just about Kubi:)

He had a great check-up on Tuesday at the doctor. He's healthy and growing well. He weighs 9.44 kilo, or around 20 lbs and 12 oz. I haven't measured his length yet, but my guess is 28 1/2 inches. He's talking and screaming all of the time. He loves peek-a-boo with a cloth on his face, and with Daddy playing along. He still says "da-da" a lot. He's drooling like crazy, but no teeth. He's eating 3 meals a day and doing well with it. He's great at eating finger type foods alone, and I love to see his independence. He definitely loves to explore and do things himself, but he still usually wants us within sight:) He can now follow me, although slowly, from one room to another, so it's helping some with the whole "cry when they leave the room" problem. He's still one of the happiest babies I've ever seen and I just love that he smiles so much. Today he charmed an elderly lady at the pharmacy by smiling at her and talking to her. I also love that he is still so great with strangers. I hope he'll continue to be this social.

He's crawling forward and backward now, and using his arms, hands, legs, and feet to do it. He's not up on his knees doing it, yet, but he does rock a lot on them and he's already pulling himself partially up on things. Yesterday he crawled to me, then pulled up against me onto his knees, then crawled over my legs trying to get to a toy. It was fun to watch:) He wants to go everywhere much quicker than he can get there so, he gets a little frustrated at times.

He still loves to read before bed and he'll follow along through about 3-4 books.

Today he was playing near me on the couch, and he came over to me and he bit my nose, then he leaned back, looked at me, and laughed really hard. Sometimes I can't believe he can have the sense of humor he has already. He knew just what he was doing and it was truly hilarious. Sometimes he'll just catch my eye and then laugh like we're sharing an inside joke. I love it. I think he and I are going to be good friends:)

Here are some pictures of Jakub from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy! And thanks for your prayers about all of the work and transitions this month. Only a couple more weeks of it and then a break before we head home to the U.S. We'll need your prayers for that transition and travel as well. :)


Jakub with Crazy and Laura, two of our helpers for the first camp.




This is how we hiked up the hillside together to watch the afternoon camp sports games. He didn't mind that it made us both really sweaty:) He loved facing outward where he could see everything and everyone.



A couple of friends of mine and Sarah K.'s came to visit us at camp. This was an important and wonderful moment for us because they are dear friends of ours and they had so much interest in us, our lives, and our work that they wanted to drive up to camp for a day just to see what it was like and to spend time with us. We were so thankful for and so thrilled at this blessing. We had a great time together and it was nice to have some more little kids around for a day. In this picture is Mikulas, one of Jakub's good friends, who is only 2 1/2 weeks older than him.




I just can't get enough of that sweet face:) One more story before I go. In the mornings when I go to get him out of bed he's started hugging my neck really tight and snuggling into it like he's so glad to see me and won't let go. I love it! It's one of the best moments of each day:)

Camp!

I just wanted to quickly write and tell you that we made it through the first camp of the summer and it was fantastic! We had close to 40 students come and there were about 70 of us total. It was so hard to say goodbye to the students today and it seems some of them felt the same way. We heard positive feedback from them and we're looking forward to seeing some of them at our follow-up events we'll be hosting throughout the next week. Then, next Saturday, we will leave again for our second camp. We have about the same amount of students coming so, we are super excited to do it again. We are so thankful to God for how he blessed us over the last week with eager and excited Czech teens, hard-working American campaigners, and lots of fun and spiritual activities. I look forward to writing more about it, with photos, in the future, but there is not much time for that now. I just wanted to update you on the first camp and ask for your prayers for the second one beginning in a week.

Also, please pray for Jakub as he transitions from camp, to home, to camp again. We'll also have a visitor staying with us this week. Jakub did well the first time around, though is pretty tired and a little over-stimulated after a week of lots of attention:) He's doing great through it all, though, and we couldn't be more thankful. Hopefully it will go well the second time around.

Please also pray for his check-up this week as he turns 8 months old:) I can't believe it! I'll blog more about him later, too. He's doing well, eating 3 meals a day now and loving it:), and he's crawling with arms and legs now, and forward as well as backwards, but still on his belly like an army crawl:). He rocks on the knees, but doesn't go forward on them yet.

I hope you are all well and thank you for your prayers. They mean a lot to us and they help keep us going!