Happy 11 Months!

No, he's not really one, yet. But, we celebrated early with our family in the U.S. before leaving for Olomouc on Monday. It was wonderful to make these memories with our family while we had the opportunity- and Jakub seemed to love the experience:)



Here he is with his first birthday cake, which was a train. I made it with the same train pans used to make Josh's first birthday cake by his Mom. I thought that was really sweet! I have more pictures from this event, but right now I'm borrowing some of my Grandfather's to show you. I'm too tired to download and sort through all of mine:)


Can you tell he likes cake? He devoured it and then sat back with satisfaction. I've seen some babies eat their first birthday cakes with hesitation and timidity, but that was not the case with Jakub! He didn't hesitate one bit. He took one bite, and then quickly shoveled more in. It was so much fun to watch (and a little worrisome when he took bites so big he could hardly breath through them!).

Here are some things I want to remember about Jakub at 11 months:
- You have a sweet nature and smile and it's usually the first thing people notice about you when meeting you. You've won many over with your smile:)

- You love to talk, mostly gibberish, and can say "mama, dada, wow, bye-bye, bow-wow, and possibly banana," though it sounds like nanana. You also tried to say belly button with me today, and it sounded like beee-bu bu. It was cute!

- You love to throw the ball, you throw on command, and will also hand it to me on command. You wave bye-bye and say it, you clap, high-five/pat-pat, give kisses, and bend down from standing, all on command. You really understand a lot of what we say to you and it's been amazing to watch you think things through and then do them. I know I'm biased, but you seem very aware, attentive, and intelligent.

- You point at everything in order to know what it is, and you also point at food when you want some. You especially love to point at the bottle of puffs when you want some. It's nice to be able to communicate with you in this way.

- You love to play chase, as your grandparents know well:) I love the scared laugh you have when I "catch" you.

- You wear mostly size 18 mo clothes, though some pants are a little long. The length in arms and torso work perfectly and I can't believe how tall you are. You're growing so quickly!

- You still put EVERYTHING in your mouth and the other day I had to sweep out, unknowingly, a beetle. Boy am I glad I didn't know that going in to it. If you ever eat a spider you're on your own! :)

- You still dance every time you hear music and you can push buttons on command to make your toys play music. You loved playing on the piano and the banjo while you were home with family. Sometimes you'll just sit and listen to music with us. We really love doing this with you.

- You're just starting to express frustration with some hand slapping on the floor or table when you are upset. Tonight you were upset in the tub that I wouldn't let you stand up over the edge, so you sat down and bent over in frustration, but you put your head in the water and were so confused by water being down there. It was really funny:)

- You eat anything we make or give you. You also drink out of a cup and straw now. You've been practicing using a spoon and self-feeding and you are pretty good at it already!

- You walk around everything and holding on to our hands, even only one hand, but you never try to do it alone yet. You like to climb up anything you can. You do the stairs really well, you try to get up on our couches, and you like to walk up our body while we hold your hands.

- You are a really good world-traveler:) You don't cry much, except when falling asleep, and you can go a long time without sleep and be ok. We felt so badly for you while traveling back from the U.S., but you just laid against me in your body carrier and watched the world go by with heavy eyes. We were so proud of you for doing so well!


I know there is so much more I'm not thinking of right now, but I have to get to bed. I'll post more later and hopefully will have many, many more pictures from the weddings and our time in the U.S. We had such a wonderful time. Thanks to all of our family and friends for making our trip home the best and most memorable yet. We love you and appreciate you more than you know!

Many new adventures...

We have been experiencing plenty of new adventures with our families over the past few weeks! I have an abundance of pictures to share and not enough time to post them all right now. It is always that way lately and when I think about it, how, really, could I share all that we have been doing. So, here are some of my favorites for now and I'll post more at another time. (I still don't have any more pictures from my sister's wedding and only a few from Josh's brother's wedding...)



Here Jakub is helping my Mom celebrate her birthday. He loved seeing the candles!






Here he is with my brother, Eric, and his wife, Cindy, helping them celebrate their daughter's 5th birthday. We had a good time watching our nieces bowl and celebrate with their friends at the party. Jakub does not always go quickly to others, though he will after a few minutes, but he goes immediately to my brother, which is so sweet to see.





These are pictures of "Charlie" the pumpkin, which my Dad paints for us every year. He even had a few requests this year from other people who wanted their very own Charlie pumpkin. It was great to introduce Jakub to him! :)





Jakub learning how to mow the lawn. Yes, Corey and Sarah, we made sure his ears were protected:) He had a good time until he saw us and then he wanted off of there. He liked watching my Dad drive it, though, and the loud noise didn't seem to bother him at all. He has really enjoyed playing outside and getting dirty. I love it!




Do you not just love boys in cowboy boots? I do:)



We took Jakub for a drive on the golf course- his first official introduction to this great sport!




We also fed the ducks while we were there.




And one last picture before I have to go (though there are still so many more to share). Here is a picture of us with Josh's grandparents, Jakub's great-grandparents. They were in town for several days to help prepare for and celebrate the wedding and we had a very nice time with them! We're so glad you could come be with us and meet Jakub. We love you very much!

Ok, more later. Enjoy your week! :)

Good times with our friends and families!

We've been enjoying some very special moments with our friends and families! We've been a part of birthdays, wedding celebrations and preparations on both sides of our families, we've visited with a lot of family members, we've even been to Texas and back to see some of our closest friends. We've visited different churches, parks, play centers, and a pumpkin patch! I'm thankful for the memories, pictures, and videos we've been creating of this special time with Jakub- showing him where we're from. :) We've, of course!, also been spoiling him a little with fun toys, and foods:) A certain someone reading this (you know who you are;) will be happy to know that he got to eat his first marshmallow. You should have seen how happy his face was with that one:)


We've also all had some illnesses, Jakub for his first times, but we're over it all now and thankful for the help we received through it all!

Other special moments:

- Playing the piano - he plays one key at a time
- Picking pumpkins and eating them:)
- Visiting Harding and the students/leaders who worked with us the past two summers in Olomouc
- Visiting the West Fork school where Josh grew up and where Jakub's Papa still teaches
- riding in wagons
- Jakub opening and closing every cabinet in the kitchen one at a time...
- learning to play pat-pat on command- he won't stop doing it now:)
- seeing his face the for the first time when he saw Nana's birthday candles lit
- watching him walk all the way around the coffee table- it won't be long...
- watching him learn to give kisses to others



Here are some pictures from the last 2 weeks. Probably in random order..

This is our trip to TX. When in TX do as others do... Isn't it cute on him? :)

Here Jakub is playing with Keegan and Cohen. Soon, there will be another boy, Carson, to add to the group:) We can't wait to see pictures of him when he arrives into this world:) We had so much fun visiting our friends and church family there.

Here are my sweet friends, Randi and Melanie. Randi will be having Carson, prayerfully, sometime around the beginning of December. We can't wait to see him:) We had such a good, though too short, time together. I think it's sweet that we've all got boys and can share in that experience together.

I don't have a picture of all of our husbands together, but here is a picture of Christian feeding Keegan. You can see Jakub is having a good laugh in the background. I wish I knew at what... :)

Here's the Johnston Pumpkin Farm we visited, which is about 15 miles outside of Conway.

He had a lot of fun riding with the pumpkins:)

Sweet smile...

Talking to the turkey...







Seeing how tall he is...









Family photo:)







My Dad, Sister Hope, and Mom






Ok, I'm running out of time and still have so many pictures to show... SO, I'll have to put up more later. Here are just a couple more. Enjoy! :)

Welcome to the USA!

Here's a picture of our family. It's one of the few we've managed to take together since Jakub was born. That's sad... We actually took it today for our church directory here in Fayetteville. :)

Well, Jakub's first trip to the U.S. has been a great success so far. He's really enjoying getting to be with and play with so much family. It's been wonderful to spend time with them and to see him interacting with them and loving them. We've taken so many pictures since we've been here, but it would take me a long time to go through them and post a lot, so I'll save that for another time. I'll just put up a couple more at the end of this post.

Jakub also turned 10 months this week, so there are some things I want to write down now so I won't forget them or this time in the US.

- He has 2 teeth, which came within 2 weeks of each other. I think a third one is on it's way now. He's had a lot of pain, but handled it so well!
- He weighs about 23 lbs and is 31 inches long. We had a well check-up here last month and he is a healthy boy! His weight is around 60% for his age, and his height is 98%.
- His hair is coming in thicker now and still has a reddish-blond look. I love it.
- He's pulling up on everything, walking around the furniture or with us holding his hands, and he can climb up the stairs alone.
- It only took 2 days of jet lag before he began sleeping through the night here as he usually does at home. We're blessed with how well this kid sleeps at night.
- He says "ma-ma-ma" all the time now and has even called out to me 3 times when he wanted me to get him. It melts my heart:)
- He's starting to say bye-bye and to wave sometimes on command.
- He tried to say button after I did the other day, but would never finish the word. He talks gibberish all the time and makes lots of noises while playing. He's also starting to make singing noises with music and he likes to dance to it, also.
- He had his first stomach virus here, which only lasted a few hours and by the next day he was pretty much back to normal. He handled it so well- we were so proud of how strong he was and how healthy he is all the time. We thank God for that!
- He loves Bible class and hasn't had a problem being left there at church. He loves to play with the other kids and toys. He didn't even look back at me one time when I left him... I was both proud and sad at the same time:)
- He is terrible now about getting his diaper changed. He hates to lay on his back and immediately turns over and tries to crawl away. I dread this time.
- He has a dominate personality and when playing with others he often pokes at them, crawls on them, or takes their toys away. This could be a problem...
- He still loves bath time and reading at bed time.

Thanks for your prayers for his and our transition to the US. God has blessed us greatly. Though we do miss our friends and work in Olomouc, we are having a wonderful time at home with our family and friends. We're trying to soak up every moment here and with Jakub.

Here are a few more photos:

Here's one of us at my sister Hope's wedding.




Here's one of Jakub with his great grandpa. He sang him to sleep and it was so precious. We all had a great time visiting out on the porch. A lot of Josh's family was in town for his brother's fiancee Nellie's wedding.



Here is Josh with Jakub. Some of our family gave him this Tickle Monster kit with a book and special monster gloves you use to tickle the baby with:) It was really sweet and a lot of fun!

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!