For the first time since we arrived at Mission Training, the weather actually did what it said it was going to do: snow! We woke up to a blanket of white and the fluffy goodness just kept on coming for the entire day. For us Californians this is a wonderful change of pace and our family especially loved it. Titus and Avery were really excited to get out and play in it, so here’s a few photos.
One of the blessings about living in Colorado for a month is that we get the weekends to go see friends and family that we haven’t seen for a long time. This past weekend we got to spend some time with my sister’s family. Our kids got to hang out with their cousins and they all had fun playing on a nearby playground. We forgot to bring our kids jackets so they borrowed from their cousins…us Californians get a little cold. Below are a few photos.
Heather was kind enough to cook us lunch and dinner, but somewhere during our conversation we started to talk about Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I ended up downloading an app that is supposed to tell you when the doughnuts are hot and fresh, but it wasn’t really working. In the end we all went over to Krispy Kreme and they were handing out the fresh ones (even though the light was off)! Here’s a few more photos I snapped with my iPhone before we said goodbye.
We had a little birthday party a few days before his actual birthday and enjoyed breaking the fire code in our condo with all the kids and families. It was a sports themed party and we had funny taking “baseball card” photos of all the kids. Here’s a few photos of the day.
As our kids get older we’re trying to figure out what kind of traditions we want to have. I didn’t really grow up doing an egg hunt for Easter, but it’s definitely something Bethany remembers doing. I’ve seen 8mm video of Bethany with her Sunday best on and her basket when she was little, so I know it’s something her family really enjoyed.
This year we did a little egg hunt with our kids, and of course we had them all dressed up from church. We painted eggs on Saturday and had some fun hiding (I use that term loosely) them in the grass. We also opened up “resurrection eggs” which tell the Biblical account of Christ’s death and resurrection. There are 10 eggs that have a Bible verse and a visual reminder inside (e.g. a little rock to represent the stone that covered the tomb). Our kids are still really young and it’s hard for them to sit still as I read the passages, but we want to make sure they know what we’re celebrating and why Easter is so special. It was a fun time and I really appreciate the work that Bethany puts into making it so special for us.
Here’s a video and a few photos from our egg hunt.
Easter 2013 from Shay on Vimeo.
Titus and Avery with their baskets, ready to find some eggs!
Avery gets down low to find a blue egg in the grass.
Avery showing some excitement with an egg she found.
Avery dropping an egg in her basket.
This was our attempt at getting a smiling photo of the kids when we were all done. Didn’t quite work out.
Finally, a tripod photo of our family. Avery is going for the “Czech smile” (aka: no smile) and Titus is trying to figure out why daddy strapped a little baby doll to the tripod. Good times!
We’re full, and no, I don’t mean from all the turkey. We’re just full from life.
We spent the Thanksgiving holiday with Bethany’s family this year in Washington. It was a great time away and it’s really fun to see our kids get to know their grandparents more and more. Most of our time was spent just being together at home, and it was nice to have a change of pace (like getting to bed early!).
It’s impossible anymore to not think about the fact that us leaving for Czech Republic means (at least partially) that our time with family will be much different in the future. These are the kinds of things I think about when I consider “counting the cost” of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Leaving family will definitely be hard, but we hope and pray that the time we do have together is as much a blessing as it was this past week.
A few photos (more can be seen here):
We also gave Avery a little mini 1st birthday party a few days early.
I spend way too much time looking at photography, but not enough time shooting. I’m working hard to change that, and I figured I would start in my own home. These are my just-because-I-can-photos of my family from the past two nights. Bethany has been making pretty things and Titus has been trying to eat them, so I guess it’s been a pretty normal couple of evenings.
Also, I’m realizing more and more that I’m still learning how to use my camera…hard to explain, but it’s true. For you photo nerds, I shot all of these with my 16-35mm f/2.8 and I plan on shooting with it a lot more often. There’s something right about the 35mm–it’s a classic and I think I need to trust it more. But more on that later…on to the photos!
