Pictures to Post

It's 11:30pm now - the taxi's coming at 4am. Maylia and Michelle are ready for their big flight(s) tomorrow. For now, here are some recent pictures.


Big hunter Mattias next to a caught alligator.

Ella and her friend Dylan at the park...some pics we had to post.



Auntie Michelle's here!

We had Ella celebrate her 3rd birthday Saturday evening. Sure it's a week early, but the only chance with Dad and her Godmother. Ella picked out the dress to wear, which turns out to be something her Godparents picked out for her. Bring on the cake!

Dad made a cake while Ella napped. But Ella got to help make the chocolate frosting. There was plenty of taste testing.

After a few slices of cake (each with a few helpings of frosting) ---bring on the presents.
Whoa, a kiddie digital camera?? Jeff & Michelle spoil this kid.
Ella loved her camera, snapping off fifty pictures in a few minutes, learning the buttons fast.


Big success of a birthday party. (Almost) everyone enjoyed cake and presents.

Michelle's Arrived!!

She arrived safe and sound yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. May and kids greeted Auntie Michelle at the airport (actually Michelle greeted them, since she was there first).

Short Vacation
Michelle knows her fun time is limited. The girls had a pedicure yesterday evening and will hopefully enjoy the weekend, because after this...it is serious business starting very early Monday morning.

We Have a Winner
See, think back to last October when we dangled a free ticket to anyone crazy enough to travel with May and kids back to Canada. Michelle was just crazy enough to volunteer and so, she's the 'winner.'

Long Vacation
On Monday morning, before the sun even rises, the girls and the kids will be at the airport. Their flights start at 6am, having not 1 , but 2 stops (Frankfurt & London), before continuing on to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Then, Michelle continues on to Boston the next day. Wow.


Jeff says "Um, yeah...good luck with all that. See you in 3 weeks." Winner, indeed.

Been 2 Years - Another Health Check

On 16 July, it will be two years since May and Ella arrived in Prague to join Jeff. Time has flown!

We did a sort of "health check" one year ago, so we figured we'd do that again, noting how we felt then and now.

Happy?
2006: Dizzily happy.
2007: Still happy, but back down from the clouds
2008: Happy for sure, but better to say comfortable & content.

Culture shocked?
2006: Oh yes, (big culture shock).
2007: Adjusted and (fairly) settled
2008: Totally settled, but with occasional thoughts of "What the ??"

Homesick for...?
2006: Family & friends back home
2007: Family & friends back home
2008: Family & friends back home
(Have we mentioned how much we miss being close to you? Maybe not enough...)

Local circle of friends...?
2006: 0 (a zero makes a circle, doesn't it?)
2007: The 3 of us enjoy a good circle of friends we work, walk and play with
2008: Some moved away; new moved in. We're balancing family & friends.

Eating...?
2006: Take-out & ready-made meals (looked ready-made on the package)
2007: Maylia plans, buys and prepares all meals...no worries.
2008: Less a challenge to make dinner; more so to always find ingredients.

Czech language ability/effort?
2006: ..........silence. total f-ing silence.......
2007: See last year's complicated answer
2008: May striving for fluency. Jeff "content" with 2007 ability

Should note: our 'jobs' require very different language abilities (Jeff - none).

"Entertaining ourselves by...?
2006: Trading pictures with Jeff K's "Prague scavenger hunt"
2007: Having a babysitter, enjoying a peaceful meal out
2008: Nearly everyday in Letna or Stromovka park, playgrounds. Zoo & inner-city trips often.
Home nights spent burning through 3 seasons of Weeds & movies.

Who gets our paycheck...?
2006: Landlord & IKEA
2007: Bank & OB/GYN
2008: Bank & who knows...different every month. Latest was Mr. Mercedes

High on the Priority List...?
2006: An iron, basic cookware and toilet paper
2007: Preparing for our vacation, our new flat and upcoming baby
2008: Welcoming Michelle here and all flying HOME for summer holiday!

~~ Adventures of Mr. Vase~~

Our story today, children, is about a very special flower vase and how he made a new friend.

Not long ago, our hero, Mr. Vase, decided to enjoy the lovely day by sitting on the sill by the open window.

The weather was lovely. A sky full of sun and relaxing breezes.

But sometimes, the breeze was more than just a breeze, and the open window would knock into Mr. Vase. Oh-oh...

To avoid Mr. Vase tipping over completely, somebody filled Mr. Vase with odd rocks and shells to weigh it down. Whew...that was close!

The rocks & shells-filled flower vase continued to enjoy the sun. That is, until one breeze was just strong enough to ....oops, there it goes!

Ah, but how can an accidental fall out of a 5th story window be wrong, if it means you can make new friends? Right, Mr. Vase?

Meet Mr. Vase's new friend, Mr. Mercedes Benz. Note Mr. Benz's long, vulnerable hood.

Needless to say, meeting Mr. Benz had a big impact on Mr. Vase.

And, unforunately, on Mr. Benz, too.

[No picture of that impact - too depressing for a touching story like this. (oh, the puns!!)]

So, what was our next action, you ask? Naturally, we did the "right thing" and left our contact information for Mr. Benz's owner, blissfully ignoring whatever consequences may result.

To bring our story to a close, we'll post one more picture - of the bill we paid to our local Mercedes Benz dealership to have Mr. Benz fixed up and like new.

We're very thankful of two details:

1. Mr. Vase hit a car and not a Mr., Mrs. or child.
2. The 17,062 figure is not in dollars, but Czech crowns.

.....still, that's nearly 60 bags of Oreos!!

Happy Independence Day, USA!

Wave around the sparkers and enjoy the fireworks.

And Jeff made & brought in a cake for work.

Celebrate!