Blue Sky

Wonder Twins Power Activate!

2012-01-24T17:02:00.003-05:00

Stole this from the Davises' blog.

No caption necessary.

Community Group

2012-01-12T09:10:00.010-05:00

Our weekly community group has become one of our favorite parts of Prague.
It's overwhelming to even write that, because in September 2010 I sent a teary email to many of you saying, "Please pray for us... we're supposed to be hosting a small group for our church and for two weeks noone has showed up!"

Now we get to see a group of 15-20 amazing people in our home each week-- some Czechs, some expats, some Christians, some not. We eat (a lot), learn about the Bible, pray for each other, and have more than the occasional game night.

Sometimes there just aren't enough chairs....

Hanging on Jake's every word... :-)

Praying ladies huddled in the bedroom- Irynka, Rachel, Sarah & Martina

Summer intern, Cody, with his good-bye pile of koláče.

Ok, so this is from Katy's farewell dinner, but you get the idea.

Honduras night-- Junior produced & directed

Our boys love community group, for more than one reason.

Our new semester of community group just started last night. As always, we have new faces & new routines to welcome in, and this semester we'll be sharing our personal stories. Please pray for trust & vulnerability with each other, and that we'll see the Gospel understood & applied to all of our lives in new ways.
Thank you, Lord, for the blessing that is this sweet group of friends!

A Christmas Delivery

2011-12-23T02:02:00.003-05:00

Our incredibly talented friends Dennis and Amy have a new video up.
We love how well it shows off Prague's Christmas glitterings.... be sure to stay tuned to the very end!

A Christmas Delivery in Prague from Amy Hadley on Vimeo.

Gold Strike

2011-12-19T17:12:00.005-05:00

Our teammate, Talitha, is an amazing photographer.
She took some shots of our family outside the church last month-- it was fun, and we are so grateful!

Merry Christmas from the Hunts in Prague!

More Odds & Ends

2011-12-09T16:38:00.005-05:00

A few more random shots from the last several months.

After watching a Curious George episode, Sam had some questions about sewing.
So we made a brown stuffed wolf.
(I remember it as thirty precious minutes of cuddling)

Fun trip to the aviation museum with Laura's crew!

Cleaning up and moving Talitha into her new flat.

Love this one from just last week.
Sam (right), our neighbor Frantisek (left), and Simon translating between them.

This one's actually really old-- from last year's toddler music class.
But I love that these little people represent four nationalities:
Great Britian, Austrian, Chinese & American!

Hottie preacher.

When in Europe...

Jack-o-Lantern--meets--Transformer

With Sam in school most days, I'm loving my sweet mornings with my littlest man!

Post swim class.
I don't know Czech for, "My children are hiding in the lockers!" so seconds after I snapped this shot they almost put an old lady in the hospital when she tried to hang her coat up. Oh dear.

Forbesish!

2011-12-08T15:14:00.005-05:00

In August a dream came true.

Jessica Forbes made it to Prague-- and all of Europe rejoiced!

She got to live with us while she looked for a place of her own, and we were so so so SO excited to have her under our roof.
[Seriously-- one of the easiest houseguests of all time.]

We were sad to see her go, but are still so excited about getting her settled here.
These people from our church moved her in.
Five suitcases. Eight flights of stairs.
Done & done.

We're so glad you're here, friend! Our lives are already better because you're in them again!

Look, Ma! No Hands!

2011-12-08T14:59:00.002-05:00

A highlight of our summer was getting grown-up bikes with kid seats.
Mine was the fruit of multiple Christmas & birthday gifts, and Jake's was a hand-me-down from the sweet Syvertsens. We're so thankful.
It's really added a fun element to our afternoons and weekends, it's fabulous for taking kids to school, and we've even ventured into heavy traffic for the occasional adventurous errand!

Here are just two shots from our first bike date night.
Phil & Shanna introduced us to a fabulous ride by the river, into a village, up some hills (ughh!) and over to one of our favorite cafes.

Next summer we'll try mid-day dates so we won't have to ride home in the dark!

Home Grown

2011-12-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

We had such a fun summer discovering and cooking with food from our neighborhood.
From a distance these look like cherries...

but they're tiny plums. The red ones are from our garden and the yellow ones from a park down the street.

I used them for plum bread and (my favorite) tart plum butter. Mmmm!

For the second year in a row we discovered these tiny green grapes sneaking over from our neighbor's yard. We didn't have the patience for raisins, but they were a nice snack!

The summer also brings gazillions of apples all over the place--
(Yes. Apples. In the summer. Because sometimes July feels like October. But I digress.)
-- Sam's skolka garden, up and down our street, playgrounds everywhere. I honestly believe the best ones are from the Davises' yard.

And wait till you hear how Robin Hood this is.
There's a beautiful old church in our neighborhood with a massive cemetary. One day we were exploring the area around it and came across a sign strung between two trees. The only word we understood on the sign was 'Pozor!' (Caution! Watch out! Beware!), so we backed away, but notice what-looked-like three file cabinets set randomly in the trees behind the church.
My thoughts: Either lost Communist manifestos (one can only hope!)
OR
A beekeeper's sanctuary.

Fast-forward to our neighborhood Christmas market last weekend.
I saw this sign:

"Honey from Pastor Andrew"
and these jars with a picture of the church!

So cool. And the honey is delicious.

Ich bin ein Berliner .... Is That Dunkin' Donuts?!

2011-12-03T18:38:00.008-05:00

Jake and several members of our team attended a conference in Berlin for church planters.
We tagged along and took advantage of the opportunity to get out of Prague and explore the city with the Davises and the Hunters, our WHM team in Vienna.

Three moms, eight kids. Busy and fun!

Lego Land!
A highlight and someplace we'll look forward to visiting again.
Lego rides, Lego 3-D movie, Lego building, Lego sculptures. It was everything we dreamed of and more.

[Our second trip through the Lego ride.... my peeps were ready for the fire-breathing dragon this time, and I was caught on camera in my natural state.]

The Berlin Zoo & Aquarium. Really really beautiful.

Wiped out.

Berlin offers a lot of sights & tastes we miss, especially Dunkin' Donuts!

The last outing from our trip almost needs its own blog post.
Beautiful blue waters? Green rainforest? Were we in the Bahamas?

Nope-- Tropical Islands. The World's Largest Indoor Water Park!

The whole thing is enclosed in this giant airship hangar-- one of the largest buildings in the world! Insane. A little creepy. And totally awesome. Read more about it here.

[...and that's where my pictures end, because cameras and water parks don't mix.]

We're so thankful that we had time away in the middle of this busy semester!

Fun in a Halloween-less Land

2011-11-01T15:09:00.008-04:00

Sam designed our pumpkin and we couldn't resist carving it last weekend.

Unfortunately, after three days in Berlin, our jack o'lantern missed us too much and threw in the towel. Hmmmmm.....

Soooo.... we carved the little one. Pumpkin 2.0.

But Foard was (understandably) scared of that one ("I don' like it! I don' like it!"), so we turned it around and went for Pumpkin 2.1

The Big Night finally came and we were soooo excited!
Prague doesn't do Halloween (yet!), but we're lucky enough to have some sweet American friends closeby who were excited for trick-or-treaters.

First stop: The Reigls.'
Sadly, Bentley the Dog was sound asleep.

Next stop: Talitha, Christina & Rachel's flat.
[Yes, Talitha was dressed like a flapper. No, it didn't have anything to do with Halloween.]
In the shot on the right, you can see our adult 'costumes': Sam handed Jake a crayon on the way out the door and pronounced him a 'writer/draw-er/pastor.' I was a true-to-life person wishing I were at the beach.

Next up: Jessica's. She treated us to her first-ever (mouth-watering) batch of homemade cookies...

....and the best treats of all-- a whole bag of toilet paper rolls!
[This lady has obviously spent some time in our house.]

Lots of stairs in these buildings make the candy even sweeter!

Final stop: the Kenneys,' where we got to trick-or-treat at every door!

Candy + Friends + Bob Time = can't lose.

Back home after a fabulous evening.... and you know it's Halloween when you're dressed like a stagehand.

[Alternate caption: Sam and his MiniMe puppet.]
[Second Alternate caption: Beatnik Revival]

Just a Few More!

2011-10-18T14:45:00.006-04:00

A few last shots from our trip to the States.... I can't resist!

Hooray for bikes!

Foard's favorite holiday activity-- snacking next to the body of water that everyone else was swimming in.

Brotherly love.... or covert torturing?
t

I think our SuperDad built at least a thousand sandcastles during our three weeks at the beach.

This boy is fearless when it comes to anything crawling on him. I love it. See the crab?

[Me praying for Jake to be called to plant a church at the beach :-)]

Laaaaaid back....

This is Mia-- her mom, Julie, is my oldest friend (since second grade!!!)
Whod've thought one day our kids would be riding in the backseat together?!?!

If you're from Atlanta, you know the Stone Mountain Laser Show.... and how much of a cultural experience it is!
Jake's favorite part-- the horses being outlined (and subsequent sword breakage).

A love/hate relationship with those fireworks.

Sam got Legos for his birthday-- bring on the creations... and explanations!

Whew. Finally done. Now we can get caught up on what's happened since June!

Happy Birthday Pammie!

2011-10-15T11:27:00.002-04:00

Clearing Out the Closet

2011-10-10T14:32:00.010-04:00

Just a few pictures that have been sitting in my 'flagged' folder forever.

This is the way we rolled for much of our first year in Prague. Foard in the stroller, Sam on the wheel-board, and me, pushing it all from behind.
Sam really got into picking flowers for me, 'the only girl in our family,' and it was sweet to see those little bouquets as I pushed their ever-increasing weight up the hill to our flat.

Showers: a fun alternative to bath time.

A couple of outtakes from our Christmas picture...

...aaand the one I forced in bad lighting. Long story.

Sam's friend, Fabian, broke his leg skiing last winter. So Sam signed his cast. Awesome.

Slumber Party!!!

We tried to take a fun picture on Christmas Eve. But we couldn't get past the awkward hand placement or the glowing green house shoes. So we quit after this one.

Did I mentioned that we went skiing last winter? These boys hit the slopes more than one weekend!

New laundry basket!

More winter sportage-- ice skating with our friends the Šafařiks.

A short hike from our flat bring us to this overlook and the Baba monument. A random wall corner with a couple of windows, but a neat place for pictures.

Two-Riffic!

2011-09-19T15:01:00.013-04:00

We celebrated Foard's second birthday this weekend!

First, a little party with some of his littlest friends at the playground.

The cake? Chips! Foard's favorite pastime.
[Like the bike helmet?]

Birthday pancakes.

Birthday family time.

[More chips!]

And a final birthday bash with our sweet church/team family.
[And even more chips!]

By this time, the birthday boy knew exactly who we were singing for!

We love you so very very much, sweet Foarder!

Happy Birthday Ooh-La-La!

2011-09-18T04:17:00.000-04:00

Our Cameo with Baby Dyer

2011-09-02T03:43:00.003-04:00

Check us out in this video:

Did you see our cameo? We were the phone being passed around.

Thanks for letting us be a part, Dyers-- we are so excited for you!!!

Prague Spring

2011-08-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year I came across this video on 'Prague Spring' of 1968.
I've always heard this historic occasion referenced around here, but only had vague ideas of what it entailed.
This very cool video clued me in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e9nXDOQ-78

Nash-stravaganza

2011-08-11T06:27:00.013-04:00

Our last week at the beach was Nash Week.
Thirteen of us...

...and another fabulous house.

S'mores ala Grampa & Ooh-la-la

KITES + PELICANS = Roaring good times!

Reptile Farm!

Pirate Bill's Annual Treasure Hunt. Arrrrrrgh!

Boys' Tickle Fest...

...and subsequent collapse.

Endless beach time.

One giant Uno game.

24 fans: This is where I saw 'President Allison Taylor.'
Sitting right here, on this bench, in the middle of Edisto Island.

Beach Bling

We did a LOT of eating.

Sam & Foard think it's awesome that they have reading cousins!

It's not many grandmas who will teach you how to shoot...

Thanks for the sweet memories, Austin, Annina, Sydney, Melissa, Andrew, Peter, Grandma, Mom & Dad-- we love you all!

Sweet Memories

2011-08-09T15:09:00.007-04:00

Our time at the beach with Mat, Paul & Grandmary will always be treasured in our hearts.
We arrived at Edisto Island still mourning the death of Jake's cousin, Ginnie. And while we were there, we said goodbye to his uncle, Howard, too.
That's a lot of loss for one family.
Then two weeks after we left the beach, Grandmary went to be with the Lord.
Our time with her was truly wonderful, and we feel so fortunate to have been close by to share some of her last days on Earth.

I can only hope to look this good in a swimsuit when I'm 88.
And I told her so.

The boys light up whenever Uncle Paul is in town!

Blurry pictures = fun times with Gaffer!

Not sure who loves reading more.

[Who invited Harry Potter to the beach house?]

We love you, Mat & Paul. We miss you, Grandmary.

Super Simon Weekend

2011-08-07T14:37:00.009-04:00

Our friends, the Ilinčevs, celebrated their tenth anniversary this weekend (woot woot!)
We had the priviledge of hanging out with their oldest, Simon, while they were gone, and had a blast!!!

We went for a hike & creek time in Šárka, a gorgeous park near us. This place reminds me so much of the woods where I grew up, and we could've stayed all day.

Bike roads & 'spiderwebs' are a favorite.

[Yes-- we were spotting him!]

For the few hours we were home, the Legos came out and the creating commenced. Simon worked all weekend on a spectacular house, and was proud to take some pictures when he finished.

The Ilincev's left us with a ton of amazing fruits & veggies from a farm they recently visited. Needless to say, we've eaten like kings this weekend (including the Weekend MVP: pb&j minis)

A highlight: Okoř-- a gorgeous old castle we frequently visit. This was the first time we were able to go inside and explore. It's a climbing boy's dream!!!

We played hard. And we slept even harder.

Thanks for hanging out with us, Simon! We had such a sweet time with you!

Milestone

2011-08-05T16:50:00.000-04:00

My amazing husband turned 30 while we were in the States!
We called it "The Thirtieth Birthday of Music & Love"--lots of concerts, lots of family time.

We kicked off the celebrations in Charlotte when we saw his favorite band, The Wood Brothers, at our favorite venue, the Visualite, with one of our favorite Charlotteans, Jessica Dean.
Abigail Washburn opened-- it was fabulous.

We were excited to be at the beach with the Alligoods on May 17th, and the birthday boy woke up to a breakfast of sausage gravy & biscuits-- not bad!

We celebrated again with the Nashes... this time with steaks, bocci ball, and a chocolate Guinness cake.

But the piece de resistance happened after we came home.
Our kids stayed in Praha while the two of us(Thanks, Davises!) enjoyed a 10hour-round-trip overnight journey to Stuttgart, Germany, for another concert.

Have we been in a car for 10hours sans kids since 2007? Nope.
It was fabulous. Conversation, more conversation, beautiful scenery.
And my feeble attempts to capture the 'feel' of the road trip.
Like this:
"Wow-- Germans build really nice bridges."

"Wow-- Germans build really nice windmills."

And trying, multiple times, to photograph this gem that appeared at every exit:

AHA! Finally got it.

HA! I'm just immature. And it's just funny. You know it is.

Woo hoo-- we made it!

Studgart was cool, especially once we found the store that sold Frosted Flakes! Caesar Dressing! and OREOS!!!!

A tasty birthday kebab... (this one's for you, Achim!)

The metro stop closest to our destination wasn't open, so we walked through the largest parking lot in Europe....

...and finally made it.
Mercedes sponsors an entire complex there, and our concert was in a small ampitheater carved into the hill under the Mercedes museum. Very cool.

At long last, the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi band.
They. Were. Amazing.

Happy Birthday, Jake.
You are the most wonderful, sacrificial, loving, Godly, talented man I know-- thanks for letting me come along for the ride!

McCann't Believe It's True!

2011-08-03T16:06:00.007-04:00

Sean, Lindsey, Lucy, Ellie & Anna McCann came to visit us at the beach-- it was bizarro and wonderful to be in the same country at the same time!

Beach time.

Play time.

As always, books galore.

That's a lot of curls at one breakfast table.

Some of my favorite shots of our time together....
A simple, serene family dinner... right?

[trying something new... trying to be a good sport!]

Lots of hugs and kisses... we can't wait to be together again!

Alli-goodness!

2011-07-28T07:33:00.012-04:00

We got to spend our first week at the beach with the Alligoods-- it was soooo great to hug their necks again.

There was lots of sweet Pammie time...

...Papa time...

...Auntie time...

...Cousin time...

...Nene time...

...and family time.

[and we got to meet Mike, too!]

Our house was gorgeous...

...and we were lucky(?) enough to be at the beach at the height of horseshoe crab mating season. For a couple of days, they were everywhere.

[Pammie shows no fear.]

We love and miss you already, Cora, Celia, Kelsey, Lauren, Mike, Pam, Ken & Nene!

Charlottetowne

2011-07-28T06:54:00.005-04:00

A few more shots of Charlotte.
We picked up right where we left off with the Dirks.
Games of 'lemonade stand'...

...picnics....

...and lots of snacks. This isn't a great picture, but I loved seeing Foard sit at this table, where Sam has eaten and laughed so many times over the last four years!

Dirks... won't you PLEASE move to Prague? Life just isn't a much fun when you're so far away.

We discovered double seaters at the HT...

...enjoyed the obligatory IceDream after a DrBall visit full of shots...

..and even got to hang out with our old playgroup one afternoon!

We also got to journey down to Gaffney to see the Webers, meet their sweet Annalise, catch up with their church there, and have a fun sleepover at their house! We took a fun group picture at their house with the McCanns (which I, of course, can't find), and it was unreal to see how our families have grown since we all started seminary in 2004-- from six to fourteen!

Thanks, Webers-- it always feels like home with you!

Freshman Fifteen

2011-07-08T15:51:00.009-04:00

Anytime we're with other Americans in Prague, reminiscing about our home country, the conversation always comes back to food (...and Target, but that's another post). There are just some things you can't replicate.
Some of the favorites we enjoyed during our trip to the States:

The obvious: Chick-fil-A.

Revolution Pizza. Best pizza in Charlotte, hands down.

Home-style Barbecue.
[It was at this Edisto Island event that we saw her. But, again, that's another post.]

Shrimp.
Grits.
Shrimp and Grits.

You've already seen this shot from the Kulps' house, but just the brands represented here made us swoon: Trader Joe's, Peperidge Farm, Reese's... oh!

Oooh-la-la & Grampa (re)introduced the boys to s'mores.

I made up for missing these by consuming more in 3 weeks than I had in the previous 32 years total. I mean, they're oatmeal... right?

Nothing like a good-sized Solo cup.

Taco Bell has added green salsa?!? Yesssss!

Good, creamy mint chocolate chip ice cream. Ohhhhh....

Okay, we have beef in Prague... this was just a good food picture.

We left the States feeling like this, and with several extra chins as evidence.

Fantastic Four

2011-07-08T15:40:00.004-04:00

We have a four-year-old!
We celebrated Sam's birthday our last weekend in Charlotte with a few sweet friends at Carmel Park.

Custom race car cake straight from the store bakery...

...with potent blue icing!

And one of the most amazing gifts ever to grace our household [seriously makes me tear up a little!]: a SuperSam cape from Carrie's magic sewing machine.
Can you think of a more perfect gift for our amazing little man?! He wears it every day.
Every.
Day.

And finally, Little Brother sneaks in for a post-celebration snack.

We love you, Sam Hunt!
We can't believe God lets us be your Mommy & Daddy-- it's a privilege beyond any we could have asked for.

Lake House Love

2011-07-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

[I'm reposting this because I added a couple of pictures to the mix.]
We took a hiatus from the busyness of Charlotte to spend three glorious days at the lake with Jessica & the Capes family.
It was eating, relaxing, playing & laughing bliss.

(Even the bravest of boys need a distant lifeguard).

A quick hike.

Who doesn't enjoy a diaper change on the trail?

And no Capes-Dean-HuntFest would be complete without live music.

Don't let this shot fool you. I added absolutely nothing to the musical ambiance.

This shot is my favorite and pretty much summarizes our time.
Hours of relaxing and being loved by friends.
Precious balm to our souls.

And this one, a final attempt at a kids' group shot.

Home Sweet Home Away From Home

2011-06-27T11:41:00.006-04:00

Our time in Charlotte was so very refreshing.
People that we've loved for so many years now breathed a lot of life into us in ten short days.
We didn't realize how much we've missed the deep friendships that are Charlotte, and it was easy to slip right back into 'normal' life with them again.

The Kulps were our abundantly gracious hosts again, and when we arrived at their house, this out-of-control pile of deliciousness greeted us in the kitchen. Several families stocked us up with tasty treats that we missed, and indulgences we would never buy ourselves (Hello, Trader Joe's granola bars. You've ruined me.)

The boys had so much fun with three live-in 'sisters' to play with all day every day. And with the Garrisons just across the street, it was playmate heaven.

We got to see Mary do her music thing on Sunday...

...and Dave do his yard thing twice. I am floored at the speed with which he conquers his yard every weekend.

Current and former thumb-suckers made up the majority in this house. You're outnumbered, Sam

Mary helped us throw a last-minute Prague Info Dessert so we could connect with more of our sweet church family.

What would we do without you, sweet friends?

First Stop: Dutcherville

2011-06-12T02:00:00.001-04:00

We drove just a little north of Atlanta to see the Dutchers--
Shawn, Kathryn, Corbin, Isaac & McKay treated us to delicious meals, a day trip to Sharp Top and even a ducky derby!

Two dorm mates + fifteen years = look what we have become!

Amsterdam tea waffles... and trying to get our boys into the Royal Wedding

Reacquainting Sam with the sun. We don't see too much of it in Prague.

Sand and water make for happy little brothers.

Takeoff & Landing

2011-06-12T01:16:00.007-04:00

[You know you're going to get more details than you ever wanted about our visit to the States, right? As long as that's clear... :-)]

We couldn't have asked for a better departure or flight.
Thank you, Lord!

Sam & his backpack were ready at least 3 hours before we left the house.

Is that our plane? Is that one? That one?

You mean you want me to stare at this screen, only inches from my face, for eight hours??

Dream child.

My parents were prepared for Jet Lag Challenge with late-night snacks, early morning baking, lots of reading, and Pirate Put-Put.

And we returned the favor by letting Ooh-la-lah's friends oogle all over us.... a tough sacrifice, really.

Final Countdown

2011-06-12T00:46:00.007-04:00

The week before we left for the States was a busy one.

Bittersweet farewells to (the majority of) our community group....

...and capping off that night with Win Lose or Draw!

Egg decorating with friends

The (official) Most Beautiful Easter Sunrise Service on Earth

The Shanna-thon (yes, she ran a marathon by herself... woot woot!)

One last run with early morning friends

New strawberry plants & gorgeous flowering trees in our yard

And, of course, the random Sam-led Craft o' the Week
(snowshoes inspired by Curious George)

Whew!

[...crickets...]

2011-06-05T00:42:00.002-04:00

Hello, sweet readers.

Not sure if you're even still out there.

We promise to catch up soon.

We leave the States and head back to Prague on Monday.

Pray for us!

I'm thinking jet lag recovery might lend itself well to catch-up blogging.

And we have plenty to blog about.

Thanks for your patience.

Next Stop: Beach

2011-05-14T03:56:00.003-04:00

Forgive the lack of blogging. We've been going a hundred miles a minute, but there are pictures on my (Melissa's) Facebook page if you're interested.

We leave Charlotte for the beach tomorrow. We're excited for the 'vacation' part of our time away, but my heart is used to being around these precious friends again-- morning swimming dates, supper club, church conversations-- it's going to be hard to say goodbye again, knowing how different life can look at home.

So please pray for us.

We're excited to spend the next leg of this journey with all kinds of family-- bring on the grandmas, grampas, aunts, uncles & cousins!!!

Stateside Observations

2011-04-26T06:08:00.004-04:00

White trim around all the windows.

Khaki pants.... so many khaki pants!

Was there always this much water in the toilet?

[Random, I know. More to come.]

My Immortal Home

2011-04-15T08:32:00.002-04:00

Our friend Jessica has a new record that you should buy. You should do this for at least 3 reasons:

It's great music.
It will help her get to Prague to join our team.
You're already at the computer. Go.

And tell your friends! We want her here yesterday!

Clara Hardy: How Great Is Our God!

2011-04-14T05:49:00.003-04:00

Robert Hardy is a childhood friend of mine (Jake's). We spent lots of summer weeks splashing around the creek behind my grandparents' house in Elberton, GA. Then we reconnected in college, and now stay in touch via the various social networks.

Three weeks ago Robert and his wife Chrissy welcomed their first child, a beautiful little girl named Clara. While Clara was in utero they learned she had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a birth defect that is sometimes fatal and always serious. They prepared for the fight of their life, and their friends around the world began to pray.

Clara had surgery a few days after birth to repair her hernia and get her organs in the right place, and since shortly after that has been on ECMO (similar to a heart-and-lung machine). A week ago she was losing progress, and doctors began to use language like "the end of medical options." Yesterday she spent 30 minutes off the ECMO machine, breathing on her own, and they are working on weaning her off the machine entirely!

Clara is definitely not out of the woods. Her best case scenario involves months more of medical stuff. But we are rejoicing with the Hardys today, continuing to pray for for this sweet girl, and asking you to do the same. You can follow their blog for details.

Scandal!

2011-04-13T00:54:00.001-04:00

According to Yahoo! News:

As just about anyone who's ever worked in an office can attest, one of life's most festering annoyances are people who don't return pens that they borrow. Now it appears as though Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus may be one of those people, and the citizens of the nation he rules over are none too pleased about it.

...You can watch video of the incident, complete with graphics and a humorous soundtrack, below:

Addicted to Prague

2011-03-19T16:17:00.001-04:00

So... we've been here over a year and there are a lot of things I can't imagine going without now.

Rohlíky- small baguette-shaped loaves of bread that sell for about 5cents in every grocery store.
Kids over here start chewing on them before they have teeth-- sort of like the equivalent of graham crackers or Cheerios in the States. My first thought-- "Why on earth would you give your kid a loaf of French bread to chew on? Haven't these people ever heard of a carb overload?"
But now I love them because, like Cheerios, a kid can much on them in the grocery cart, but unlike Cheerios, there's no risk of them scattering all over the floor of the store. Brilliant. We also like to slice them crossway and make mini pb&js.

Account Transfers
I haven't written a check since 2009.
Most people use cash for everything here, but for large amounts (school tuitions, language lessons, other activities), the institution just gives your their bank account number, you plug it in online, and -viola- the money is theirs. So much simpler than hassling with paper.
See, look how happy this guy is!

Motorky- little plastic bikes.
There comes a point when a kid is too big for the stroller but lacks the stamina to get around town at any decent rate of speed.
Enter the motorka. Sam got one for his third birthday and rode it constantly until his knees started to drag the ground. He's fast, and it made getting to the store, the church, anywhere a breeze last summer. And it was fun to see his endurance skyrocket as his legs got stronger and stronger.

Foard has a blue one now and is gaining speed. We'll be whizzing through the city again in no time!

Public Transportation
I (HEART) public transportation in Prague, and we have three options here:
Busses ....

the metro....

and trams (my favorite!)

Most of our routes use a combination of the three. I love being able to see new things and navigate new areas when I'm on a line. I love the chance to read or just zone out (when I'm childless). And I really love the lack of parking hassles and sense big-city-life that comes with riding with a bunch of strangers.
We did end up getting a car last year-- the 'commute' to & from Sam's school can be cut from 90minutes to 18minutes if we're on our own, but I'm always on public anytime I leave our corner of the city.

Bačkory-- slippers/house shoes.
I used to loathe the Czech practice of taking off our shoes-- before we enter a house, a school, a sokol (gym!), etc. More on that in another post.
But now that I've embraced it, I can also embrace my ugly-as-sin green IKEA fake Crocs.
They are honestly the most comfortable shoes I own, and if you come visit us, you're sure to see them.

There will always be things we miss, though.
Jake surprised me with this stash on our one-year Czechiversary :-)

Christmas Morning!

2011-03-19T15:00:00.001-04:00

Back to catching up with three months of delayed posting.
It was wonderful to be in our own home on Christmas morning.

Our bright & lively Christmas crew.

The descent downstairs. Watch for :42 and :59 when each of the boys see what's under the tree.

Some other sweet treats:
Slinky from Nene (and a couple to stash away, because everyone knows the life expectancy of a Slinky).

What? Your Buzz Lightyear has other modes of transportation?

Skyping with the Alligood clan

Wall decor!

Sweet votives Sam chose for me.

Christmas at the Submarine

2011-03-19T14:26:00.004-04:00

It was so fun to see Sam in his first school Christmas 'production.'
He was supposed to wear green....so preppy polo shirt & camo pants was what we came up with.

Sweet Piper.

Conquering Castles

2011-03-09T08:03:00.003-05:00

One Saturday morning we took at quick trip to Okoř (Oh-koorz)-- there's a castle there that was built in the 1300s and lots of great space for running, riding bikes & being out in 'the nature.'

Christy (our Egyptian 'refugee') was still with us, and Sam enjoyed exploring the ruins with her.

Sam & Piper always enjoy sharing a snack.

Clark is so sweet with Foard.

Love is in the Air

2011-03-08T16:47:00.003-05:00

We're always looking for excuses to celebrate--
Valentine's Day came just in time!

I made this doily hat as a joke for Jake, but when I showed it to Sam he said, "Ohhh, Mommy, he's going to be so happy!" He was.

Christy helped us celebrate before she went back to Egypt.
Mmmmm. Strawberry shortcake!

International Women's Day

2011-03-08T14:18:00.003-05:00

Sorry that the posting's been sporadic. There's just so much to post, it's hard to even begin.
So, in the meantime, read this.

I'm tempted to link to almost every post of the Myhres'-- they all punch me in the gut, remind me of heaven, and realign my perspective on everything.
And this one reminds me to be thankful, of my mom, my grandmothers, my inlaws, my best friend, my prayer warriors... thank you for everything I've watched you do & be!

Gingeropolis

2011-02-12T16:14:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago....
it was Christmas.
And I took pictures, intending to post them on the blog.

Now it's February.

Better late than never, yadda yadda yadda.

My favorite Christmas party this year was 'Gingeropolis' at Dennis & Amy's flat.
For several years now, they've been hosting a massive gingerbread CITY-making contest, and this year they brought their tradition to Prague (and got creative with our available supplies).

My contribution to the city? A gas station.
If you look closely, you can see the awning, the pumps, and the convenience store in the background. And what fillup would be complete without....

... a car wash? Ha!

Here I am 'presenting' my masterpiece.

Now few shots of my favorite creations.
A pub. See the gummy bears drinking beer around the table?
See the one bear in the foreground, passed out on the floor?

Gargoyles on a church roof.

Tired snowman in a park.

Wreathes.

The Bakers made a bakery.

Loved it! Thanks, Hadleys!

PeekABoo

2011-02-12T16:01:00.003-05:00

The morning light in our den always produces the best pictures.
Foard was playing in our curtains and I got some sweet shots of him having a ball.

One Year

2011-02-02T09:26:00.003-05:00

Today is our first Czechiversary-- a year since we landed in Prague.

So many hard days. Quite a few good days. All days of grace. God is good, and we are thankful.

You mean it's not???

2011-02-01T14:09:00.006-05:00

The Sound of Music.
Recut as a thriller.
You people know how much I loved this.

[via 22Words]

Aimee

2011-01-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

A year ago today was our church's goodbye party for us in Charlotte.
It's also the day our friend Aimee unexpectedly went to be with Jesus.

Aimee was a missionary kid, and we loved to hear her perspective on growing up on the field. She and Melissa were supposed to have a talk about life as a foreigner, education, all that stuff. We've wished many times this year we could have that talk.

At our condo in Charlotte we had a bathroom just off the den. For whatever the reason, Aimee, and only Aimee ALWAYS got locked in that bathroom any time she used it.
It got to the point that whenever she would go in, she'd make an announcement, and we'd all wait for her to jiggle the doorknob to signal her cry for help!

Aimee loved Sam. She babysat a few times; I remember one time we were reading when she got there, but he was very pleased to welcome this pretty new friend to the couch to take over the story! When we got home she told us they read book after book for over an hour before he went to bed. More than once, when she was at our house, we told ourselves we wouldn't keep her up too long, figuring she would want to get to bed. But she stayed, talked & shared for hours.

Because she died when she did, we couldn't grieve the way we should have. We left Charlotte two days later. We couldn't go to the funeral-- our memorial service was sitting on the floor at Dave & Mary's one night with Jessica and Christy. Telling funny stories, crying, saying goodbye. To Aimee and to each other.

Because we're half a world away, we grieve with our friends mostly through Facebook. We see people who knew her well talking about good memories and hard days. Every couple of months somebody finds a new picture or video. There are punch-in-the-gut moments: her name shows up when I'm getting numbers off my old phone, we see her in a picture from last year, something reminds us of that last week in Charlotte.

Partly because of growing up on the mission field, Aimee felt the ache of wanting to be home. Home home-- not a certain house, but with Jesus, where all our stress and sickness and foreign-ness is over. We understand that longing better now than we did a year ago. Remembering Aimee, even feeling the weight of her early (to us) departure, reminds us that it's a good thing. She has a home now, and we will soon enough. Until then, we work and love and ache and wait.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Christmas Creations

2011-01-13T08:46:00.008-05:00

Christmas was a mix of emotions.
We can't even begin to describe how much we missed being with friends & family-- there were a couple of days I was ready to throw in the towel and declare it all impossible.
But we were really excited to spend our entire Christmas season at home. No long car rides, no packed suitcases. Just lots of family time and lots of new traditions.

Sam helped me make our new advent calendar. Such a studious artist!

Nothing like good ole imported brownies from a box.

Christmas incentive chart.
Notice the tiers of rewards: (indoor!) bubbles, chocolate milk, and (fake!) tattoo.

Many of our Christmas recipes called for ground sausage.
Hard to find in these parts.
SO-- my chef-of-a-husband made his own! Impressive, eh?

We had (giant, tapered) candles for our church's Christmas Eve service, but none of those hand/wax protectors.
Enter fire-phobic, somewhat-crafty, pastor's wife.

Gingerbread house (using cardboard-like rice(?) crackers).

Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. Dee-lish.

DinoPark: A Narrative

2011-01-13T02:16:00.002-05:00

This is for the grandparents, the Jessica Deans, the Christy Robbs-- those who are interested in hearing Sam talk for 3 minutes. He was being so detailed in telling me about it that I thought, "Some friends would like to hear this."

As a side note, I was not on this adventure, but might go to DinoPark one day soon, whether or not Sam is with me.

Holiday Mayhem

2011-01-10T16:17:00.001-05:00

Random!
Just caught up my holiday posting....
... as in, HALLOWEEN.

Click here to czech it out.

Christmas recap coming soon.

Hunt Visit: Touristing

2011-01-06T14:35:00.005-05:00

Dad and Paul were very brave to come for their first visit in the middle of winter. (Actually, we're still in the first third. But don't mention that to Melissa.) They were even braver in not letting the cold deter them from seeing our city.

Uncle Paul, in particular, became a transit pro.

The first day we took the crew up to Petřín, hoping to enjoy the view. It was minus 8 (or 18 degrees, for you Americans). Parenting fail, and thus photography fail.

Happily, the next day was a little warmer, but we still left the next generation of Hunt men at home with the Hunt woman.

Cheering up with some hot wine and the Christmas markets.

On their last day we took Dad & Paul to see Mosaic House. Sam was pretty excited to join the big boys at a restaurant. Even more so when he learned they had hot chocolate.

Stay tuned for more of our adventures...

Ohnostroj!

2011-01-05T17:11:00.003-05:00

Hezky Novy Rok! New Year's is a pretty big deal in Prague. Specifically the fireworks. Our flat is on a hill that overlooks the city, so we had a stunning view of celebrations all over Praha. Here's a selection.

You'll note 1) we did a fake countdown, probably around 12:01:30 AM, because we missed the real one, because it wasn't on whatever radio station I found. And 2) there are some comments between me and my brother Paul about Becherovka, a Czech beverage which was both his Christmas gift and our New Year's toast.

Fa-la-la-la-la

2011-01-02T18:13:00.003-05:00

We're still having fun with the Hunts, but I just wanted to post this before it's even more belated.
Our friends, Amy & Dennis, did a video Christmas card.
I'm in 2/3 of the shots-- they must think I have acting potential.

Fa La La from Amy Hadley on Vimeo.

Gaffer & Paul are Here!

2011-01-01T04:45:00.003-05:00

More to come, especially from our fantastic New Year's fireworks show. Our visit is off to a great start!

New Adventures in Sledding

2010-12-28T13:54:00.001-05:00

We went out with Sasha today and found that one of our favorite sledding spots has a delightful ice slick. Who needs sleds?

Saturday Morning Fun, Plus...

2010-12-28T08:47:00.003-05:00

... a reminder of God's grace to us over the last few months.

A few weeks ago Sam & I headed to some friends' birthday party at cool play place. We expected it to be crowded and crazy, and Sam doesn't love crowds in playground settings, so we kept our expectations low. But he loved it! He played by himself, he played with his friends, and I just sort of kept a general idea of what quadrant he was in.

I realized that 3 months ago, and especially 6 months ago, this never would have happened. Sam would have wanted to play, but the other kids would have freaked him out, and he would have melted down and fallen asleep on the way home. Thank God for grace that gets us closer and closer to normal!

Not sure how well this would have worked with passengers, but whatever.

"Hey Daddy, I'm in the dark!"
"Are you good?"
"Yes I'm having fun with all my latter (other) friends!"

Daddy's favorite: the huge platters of French fries. Might go here for my next birthday.

Sam's favorite: sitting next to Piper. He asked for help unwrapping his own cupcake, but then unwrapped Piper's for her.

Daddy's other favorite: watch how he keeps trying until he gets his leg up on this thing! Love it.

Table Talk

2010-12-21T13:51:00.003-05:00

A series of events left Foard & I at the dinner table alone tonight, so I thought I'd just give the blog a taste of our conversation.

Don't be a hater of my badly-pronounced Czech "Merry Christmas" at the end.

Snow Days

2010-12-17T14:41:00.004-05:00

So... our first full winter is upon us.

Last year, what with the whole every-single-aspect-of-your-entire-existence-is-being-shaken thing, Sam wasn't a huge fan of the snow. This year: another story.

Snowman #1 with Mommy.

Snowman #2 in progress. "Let's make a HUUUUGE snowman!" It was big enough that I couldn't pick up the bottom third.

We built one as tall as me. Which he promptly knocked down. This is the somewhat-shorter replacement.

But the pièce de résistance is our new sled ramp. It started as a simple mogul to get the sled going. Next week, weather permitting, I'm putting in steps and a snack bar.

Thanksgiving the Second

2010-12-14T15:21:00.006-05:00

Our afternoon feast was followed by a team celebration at the Davises.'
We changed our clothes (Lady Gaga-style), hopped in the car and made room in our bellies for more deliciousness.
Talitha took several of these amazing pictures- I love how she captured the feel of our evening!

A new Hunt Family Favorite

Such self control!

Thanksgiving football.

Thanksgiving knitting.

Thanks, Team, for such a sweet first Thanksgiving in Prague!

Thanksgiving the First

2010-12-14T14:46:00.008-05:00

Our Thanksgiving was double-the-blessing, double-the-fun this year.
At noon we celebrated with a handful of friends from church-- Amy, Beth, Bryan, Dennis, Kelsey & Thad
[Thanks, Hadleys, for letting me steal some of your shots!]

Amy's pie cooling on her fourth-floor windowsill.
How Prague-ly picturesque!

Over the river and on the tram, to the Hunts' house we go!

No fried turkey this year, but you can't go wrong with Paula Deen!

It takes a village to whip the cream.

You know they're sweet friends when they're able to keep the little people out of the kitchen.

Who lays out the buffet on a toy chest?!

We even found a way (thanks, Laura!) to watch the parade online!

What? Where do you keep your turkey leftovers?

Children's Ministry Madness

2010-12-12T13:56:00.001-05:00

Just a few shots from children's ministry at our church.

One Sunday Jake came up after leading worship and taught the kids a song...

... which they learned quickly and taught the congregation the very next Sunday.
Sam's been very, uh, protective of Piper recently.
Enjoy the video.

One week I taught the big kids' Sunday school class.
Foard was having a particularly hard day, so he joined us.

And a different evening, when I was in with the preschoolers.
Elisha, Sam, Sebastian, Simon & (sorry!) Piper.
Don't they look thrilled?

The Difference Between Three and Five

2010-12-10T08:17:00.001-05:00

Sasha: "Sam-- use the measuring tape and tell me, how long is the fire truck?"

Sam: "The fire truck is twenty years long."

Our Friend! Has a Book!

2010-12-07T02:42:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share an exciting tidbit--
Our sweet friend Annie released her first book today!

I can say first hand that I have seen the Lord do amazing things with this girl-- He has transformed her like noone I have ever known, and her writing reflects that.
So click over to her Amazon page, peek inside and read the first few pages, then buy the book for all the girls on your Christmas list.

Congrats, Annie! We're so proud of you!

Fall Reflections

2010-12-01T15:13:00.007-05:00

Since Sunday night we've been covered in snow, but I thought I'd catch the blog up and reflect on the glorious warmth of Autumn.

The leaves in Prague were phenomenal. We had strong beautiful colors from mid-September to mid-November. One lucky day we found a pile in Stromovka.

Mom & Foard are cool, too!

This building is just a block away from our flat... Sam started calling it a 'tree house' after he saw Swiss Family Robinson.

Big Boy Swing!

Why in the world would you put a picture of precious little piglets on a package of ham?

Heading to Sasha's robot birthday party-- such fun!

Mosaic House Official Grand Opening Night.
The first time Jake wore his suit in over a year.

Sam and his plastic blue sunglasses.
Reunited and it feels so good....

Talitha's birthday party!

The aftermath of Talitha's birthday party!

We got to play with Piper for a couple of days while Phil & Shanna were pond-jumping.
Buzz Lightyear-style flying into the grocery store.

Why not turn the closet shelves into bunk beds?!

Behold!

2010-11-27T16:59:00.003-05:00

The mighty winter warrior!

Thanks, TK.

Taking Sam to School (Post-Apocalyptic Edition)

2010-11-21T08:35:00.003-05:00

We May Not Have Jack Bauer....

2010-11-18T16:24:00.003-05:00

...but Chuck Norris is no stranger to the Czech Republic.
Our friend, Amy, tipped us off to these.
Enjoy.

[This first one portrays the traditional Christmas carp. From what we understand, you let ole Carpy swim in your bathtub for a couple of days, then you fish him out, terminate him, and serve him with potatoes.]

Here's the full article.

Wowza!

2010-11-16T02:39:00.003-05:00

We received a very thoughtful present from a very kind friend this week.
We don't know who you are, but we hope you're reading this so that we can say
THANK YOU!!!

Vernissage

2010-11-13T13:02:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday we went to the opening of our teammate Talitha's phography exhibit, Velvet 17. Next week is a big anniversary for the Czech Republic, so she and seven other artists explored "the shedding of Communism for a new way of life, how Czech society has adapted to that change, the prevailing existence of xenophobia, and the evolution of the social mindset in the past 21 years."
The pictures, and the stories behind them, were fascinating. It's sobering to think that such a controlling & suffocating regime was such a stronghold just a short time ago; every time I learn more about Communism, I'm able to understand the people of the Czech Republic a little better.

Talitha, posed next to her name on the window.

A group that preformed at the exhibit. Wonderful stuff.

Our friend, Petra. She was the subject of one of the photos, as was her (precious!!!) grandmother, seen here.

Talitha had some great friends turn out for the opening. Pavla (fifth from the left) was also the subject of a photo (by her head).
Shanna, Betsy, Me (why am I standing like that?), Joanna, Pavla, Sally & Rebekah

Congrats, T! We're so very proud of you!

My Day with a Cowboy

2010-11-11T08:39:00.004-05:00

I am the most spoiled mom in the world.
Thursdays are 'boy time' at my house, and I get the day to meet with people, take Czech lessons, catch up on church work, and explore the city.
Don't hate me-- I've already acknowledged the fact that I'm spoiled.

Last week, Sam asked me to bring Woody along for my day out, so I captured our adventure together.

Woody brushed up on his German while I learned Czech.
Smart guy. German's probably much more useful around the world.

Studying the metro map.

Don't worry, Woody. You'll get over your escalator fears someday, just like I did.

Sweet Woody. He remembered that I had these flowers in my wedding bouquet and offered to buy me some. Too bad pretend money doesn't work in the CR.

Our friend Talitha says that M&S petits pois are the best frozen peas out there.
She's right.

Was this post ridiculous? Absolutely.
Were you glad to see pictures of something other than our (excruciatingly beautiful, chubby-faced) children? Probably so.

Joanna (Martha) Stewart

2010-11-11T08:28:00.005-05:00

I've been meaning to share a couple of cute pictures.
Our teammate Joanna is amazingly talented. You hand her a sweater, she makes a purse. You give her 24hours and she sews an antebellum dress for Halloween. You comment on a store window and she refinishes & recovers her dining room set. Etc, etc, etc.

For Foard's first birthday, Joanna made him a precious toboggan from old tshirt thread. Perfect fit (though it's on his head backwards in this shot), and just in time for October's blustery days!

Then, she went au natural on us and tie-dyed Foard some pajamas.
With blueberries.

So precious.

She didn't ask me to do this, but you can check out her Etsy page here.
We love you, Joanna!

Fallish Festivus

2010-11-02T16:35:00.006-04:00

Everyone's putting up their pumpkin patch/fall/Halloween pictures.... why not me?
I think fall has been the most beautiful season we've experienced here so far. As our friend Claire said, "The light's just perfect, in a way it isn't any other time of year."

And the cold is finally justified.

Halloween's just not a thing here, but one random farmer in some little village outside Prague knows that if he lays his pumpkins in the grass, adds some gourds & maize, and throws in a handful of farm animals, that the expats will come running.

And we did. A sweet little taste of America.

We brought home pumpkins to eat, pumpkins to carve & pumpkins to look at.

No canned pumpkin puree in the ole' CZ, so we did it the old fashioned way.
Scooped-out pumpkin guts + water = a tactile wonderland.

Our findings from a treasure walk.

Foard enjoying his first coherent football season with David. I think they were flipping back & forth between the Tigers & the Dawgs.

I took the boys on a mid-week mini hike near our house.
Once you get the castles out of sight, it feels like you're in the north Georgia mountains!

Later Sam found some discarded [chicken] eggs near a grocery store and asked if they were the ones from this nest. Maybe, Buddy, maybe.

"ummm.. guys... if someone would just stuff a granola bar in my mouth, that would be great.... I can't really move here... guys? guys?"

Halloween

2010-11-01T15:41:00.000-04:00

Halloween isn't celebrated over here, yet somehow it became one of the busiest weekends of our year.
A true treat-- Halloween gear Miss Kelsey picked up while she was in the States!

Cute he BE more precious?

Buzz Lightyear's awesomeness was compounded by Batman Face.

Piper also came as Buzz, but, sadly, none of our pictures of the dynamic duo turned out.

He partied hardy.

Time for the adults.
We pulled Johnny & June out of the closet.
Same costumes, new continent.

Audrey & Twitter (you must zoom in to see his fabulous t-shirt!)

Let us not speak of this.

Magnets!

Flashdance Girl & Antebellum Lady
(remember my post about Joanna's dress?!)

Exotic Cleopatra & Tired-Looking June
(a little grace... this was my fourth party in 24hours)

In Search of a Retreat

2010-10-26T15:51:00.005-04:00

We took a team retreat to the tiny town of Velke Bilovice. In many ways the retreat was a total disaster-- people got sick, agendas were scrapped, trains were missed, etc etc etc. But it really was a gorgeous place to get into 'the nature,' and I, for one, enjoyed myself.

We took the train to Moravia and arrived at our destination pretty late in the day.
Solution? Quarantine the children in the corner of the room and throw all the leftover train snacks on the floor in hopes that it's enough to fill them up for the night. So classy.

The same philosophy applied to morning burn-the-hours-till-breakfast time.
Here Foard is gnawing on a piece of stale rohlik.

Ahhhh. Adult time at last.
My dinner. Not bad, really.
At least there was room for dessert.

Poached Pear Delight

Such manliness.

Happy Birthday, Phil!
See? Your special day wasn't a TOTAL disaster.

The town's foundation is the wine industry, and there are more than 650 privately owned wine cellars there. The highlight of my time there was walking around and seeing vineyards & wine cellars that have been standing since the 1300s. These buildings weren't built to look old, they are old.

See the scarecrows?

Freshly-picked grapes ready for the wine press.

We visited right in the middle of wine season, so we had plenty of chances to taste the sweet just-pressed tastiness called burcak (bur-chock).
Don't tell my grandparents, but Sam (hearts) burcak.

Fancy wine thingy.

And what goes better with wine than... cheese!
And peanuts...?

Help Some Friends Out

2010-10-15T04:50:00.003-04:00

At our World Harvest retreat in May we met Drs. Scott and Jennifer Myhre, another missionary family whose blog we've been reading for a couple of years. They served 17 years doing medical missions in Bundibugyo, Uganda, and are now on furlough in the States for a few months before moving to Kampala, Uganda to serve as WHM's field directors for East Africa.

The Myhres are a great encouragement for lots and lots of younger missionaries like us. They write honestly about the blessings and sacrifices of missionary life. Our work looks very different, but some of the ups and downs are the same. We are thankful for their example.

At any rate, there's a blog holding a contest that will give an Amazon Kindle to the winning missionary. These are great for missionaries-- they'll hold thousands of books, and you can buy and download the books online. (It's hard to get new English books in Prague. Imagine Uganda or Kenya.) Also, the Myhres left hundreds of their books in Uganda for the believers there.

So, what do you say let's try and win the Myhres a Kindle. Here's how to do it:

Go to this post for the blog contest.
Leave a comment, mention the Myhres, and include this link: http://paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

One Year of Foard

2010-10-06T15:27:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Foard!

2010-10-04T06:47:00.010-04:00

Our precious Foard turned one in September!
Besides Grampa & Ooh-la-la being here, we had a blast celebrating with sweet friends.

You don't even want to know what went into the cake.

Preparations aplenty.

Meanwhile, the birthday boy snoozed away.

Happy Birthday to You!

That's some potent blue icing!

Everyone loves Miss Claire!

Birthday present from Grampa & Ooh-la-la=
hours of warm indoor entertainment!

Nash Visit- Full Hearts

2010-10-03T14:53:00.005-04:00

Not having family close by is by far the hardest part of living overseas.
There are so many sweet moments that we miss sharing with the people we love, not to mention the help & encouragement that comes with grandmas & grampas!
So we soaked up as much as we could while my parents were here. We'll do it again next year, and until then, we're thankful for Skype & Vonage!!

Nash Visit-- Life in HuntWorld

2010-10-02T15:02:00.011-04:00

It was fun to give my parents a taste of what daily life looks like for us now.

Bus- and tram-riding.

Impromptu picnics.

River ferry field trips.

Spejbl & Hurvinek (legendary Prague marionettes)

Construction construction construction.
[It amazes me that they place each stone by hand!]

Sunday morning pancakes with our sweet babysitter, Claire.

Sunday morning movie & tea.

Escape artist

Late afternoon double rainbow... so intense.

This is the way we roll.

So is this.
[Just an aside: I love this picture. It completely encapsulates Sam at three. Way to go, Dad.]

And this.

The massive hill to our house.

Visit to IKEA.

How many people can we cram into one tiny station wagon?

We spend a big chunk of our life at playgrounds & bike ramps around the city.

Wow. BMX = Badass Mommy Xpress.

Pretty flowers at the kvetiny [flower shop].

It's tradition to make out on the metro escalators. Mom & Dad obliged. How cute.

We went out for Mom's (rhymes-with-pixtieth) birthday.
She ordered limoncello and got lemonade. Yep. Welcome to our life.

Nash Visit--Tourists Schmourists

2010-10-02T13:46:00.009-04:00

My parents visited for two weeks in September. We were SO excited to have them here and had such a fun time showing them our new city and what life looks like for us.

Mom & Dad arrived with suitcases overflowing with goodies for us. Everything from Cheerios to Halloween costumes to Tylenol.

We stuffed a lot into two weeks, so I'll break up the photo overload a bit.
Here are some shots of our touring days.
[Warning: this post contains more pictures of me than any other in our blog's history, I think. Weird.]

Our first stop: the creepy baby tower. Google it if you're curious.

I lead them into the castle via my favorite 'secret' entrance.

The fountain is 'singing.' See?

A comparison of three different artists' depictions of Christ in the St. Vitus cathedral.

Tour Guide Melissa. "Let's keep moving, people!"

Dad (hearts) Rick Steves.

September is wine season in the CZ.

Two funny things:
1- The day was windy.
2- Hello, Melissa. 1993 called and wants its all-denim outfit back.

Foard accompanied us on our outings a couple of times.

How much longer will they keep me in here?

So embarrassing when you don't know how to navigate your own city.

Dad took pictures of really pretty things like this:

Mom took pictures of really pretty things like this:

Just a little family down-time on Mucha's tomb. Hope he didn't mind.

We wore out even the most seasoned sight-seers.

Lots of walking, lots of fun!

2010-09-05T15:43:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite adventures of the summer was a ferry boat ride to Detsky Ostrov ("Children's Island"). Our city is packed with fun opportunities for kids, and this one was perfect for a summer afternoon.
We traveled with our teammates, the Stewarts, and our church friends, the Ilincevs.

Walking to the tram is half the fun!

Waiting for the ferry (a better description might be 'glorified rowboat.')
Joanna, Izaak, Sasha, Foard, Sam, Elisha, Simon, Laira & Noah.
No, we didn't get to ride the swan boat in the back. Maybe next time.

On the boat!

Glad I wasn't a part of this conversation.

Arriving at our destination- such anticipation!

Detsky Ostrov is basically a giant playground. We climbed, hung, ran, and fought yellow jackets (they go ballistic here in August... must be the upcoming football season) all afternoon. Another great Praha adventure!

Czech-cation

2010-09-04T23:23:00.007-04:00

Holiday is a big thing in Prague. Many Czechs go away every weekend to a family cottage outside the city, and even more expats return to their home countries for the entire summer.
So last month when the Ortegas invited us to stay a couple of nights with them at a country house outside Prague, we were excited to go and see what it was like.

We traveled about two hours, to the northeast. The drive alone was awe-inspiring. We passed at least 5 castles on that short trip-- each representing a little kingdom that had once stood there.
The countryside was gorgeous-- so refreshing to see wild berries and dirt paths when we're used to so much concrete.

This was the little cottage where we stayed.

The gorgeous garden.

The cottage shared a garden with another home behind it. Pavla tore up some ping pong with the grandad. She's humble, but I'm pretty sure she won her game.

They had this set up in the back, too-- tether ball-meets-bowling. Definitely addictive.

The house was near a small lake town. There's was lots to do-- boating, swimming, hiking, a little water park(!!!)-- it's on my list of places to visit again.

We have a new admiration for people here.
When it's summer, you swim, and Czechs will swim in water I would've run from in the past. This is as far as the Hunts ventured in this time. We'll toughen up eventually.

Asleep at the restaurant. A good sign of a fun day.

Thanks for our first Czech-cation, Ortegas!

...And the Livin' is Easy

2010-09-02T04:13:00.012-04:00

We're wrapping up our summer in a sudden (read: cold & rainy) way here.
The season was different than what we're used to in terms of weather (read: pasty, white, tanless bodies), but it was still a lovely time to dig our roots a little deeper into our new city and grow grow grow!

Sam took some major strides into Big Kid World

Lots and LOTS of playground time....

....and wishing-we-were-a-little-older time.

Some good naps

A precious few hours at the pool.

and lots of "Plan Bs" when we couldn't get there.

Fun packages from several sweet friends.

This little gardenia from IKEA bloomed and reminded me of summers in the States. Ahhhh...

Lots of reading... as usual.

We continued to learn about giving others personal space...

Some chill time.

General fun & silliness.

Sam started school yesterday and life gets busy again next week for the rest of us. We're thankful for this sweet summer.

Bust a Move

2010-08-27T09:11:00.003-04:00

A few notes on this:
1- Given Foard's 'Lifetime-o-Chaos', it was even that much more special to see him crawl. I think I almost cried. Almost.
2- I wanted to use 'Bust a Move' but didn't know how to just use the segment I need. Ooops. Just ignore the lyrics. Jake will be home soon and he'll fix it :-)
3- Notice how he goes for the remotes. Such a man.

Progress

2010-08-26T15:19:00.003-04:00

You may remember my tree.
Just wanted to share an update.

February

April

August

Things are progressing. We are progressing.
Thank you for your grace, Lord!

Boy Time

2010-08-15T15:08:00.003-04:00

Sam is a major daddy's boy these days. Wants to be with me all the time, gets mad when I leave, etc. So we work in daddy time whenever we can. I promised him a few weeks ago that when he could take off his shirt and put it on all by himself, we-- just the two of us-- would go get ice cream.

He set himself very diligently to the task, and on about his third marathon training session he got it! So that day I came home from work early for our adventure. It turns out he had been waiting downstairs for some time (i.e. announced 90 minutes earlier "I'm just going downstairs to wait on Daddy"), and as soon as M opened the door he launched down the street:

We discussed who was stronger: Buzz Lightyear or Batman? (Buzz.) Batman or Spiderman? (Batman, probably because he doesn't really know anything about Spiderman.) Buzz Lightyear or a shark? (The shark, but it was close.)

Best 45 crowns (about $2) I ever spent.

Photo Walk

2010-08-01T08:27:00.011-04:00

The creative team of our church hosts a photo walk every quarter.
I'm always up for exploring new facet of our beautiful city, so I popped our trusty point-and-click into my bag and went along for the ride.
To challenge myself, I decided to publish the pictures I took, as they are, uncropped and unaltered by iPhoto :-)

This shot was Jake's idea.

My favorite of the evening.

Some of our fabulous interns: Laura, Jillian, Anne & Andul

My attempt to digitally piece together a panoramic shot.

It wouldn't be a Czech summer day without a little bare belly.

Just a Peek...

2010-07-28T14:35:00.007-04:00

...at the language we're learning.
It's. Just. AWESOME.

Thanks to 22Words for the heads-up.

Giggles

2010-07-27T16:52:00.001-04:00

This may be a little long, but it showcases the wide range of Foard's giggles.
Ok. I'm his mom. It seems like a wide range to me.

While the Dads are Away...

2010-07-27T15:07:00.008-04:00

The Syvertsens invited us for a day trip to Kutna Hora.
The area is best know for one of the CR's more, uh... unique attractions, but the little town is a lovely place to peruse.

St. Barbara's Cathedral-- check out those flying buttresses!

She stood outside a shop called 'Spiral Ceramics.' I loved her.

Random Find of the Day: a store full of camo and all things military.
AKA- Boy Heaven

My favorite shots of the day.

Thanks for the fun day, friends!

Art Club!

2010-07-26T12:23:00.006-04:00

Our sweet friend Laira is hosting an art club on Thursdays-- we meet at her flat then walk to a nearby park for some big, outdoor creativity.
If you know me, you'll understand why I think I've enjoyed it even more than the kids!

Balloon painting. Tempra + water + balloons = colorful streams of fun.

Chalk painting. We were certain the Prague police were going to shut us down.
[I wish I had pictures of the stuff the kids drew-- the colors were so opaque & vibrant-- not chalky at all!]