Spring: the good and the bad

We have had some beautful weather this week! Alternating days with 70 degree temps plus sunshine and then rain. I can take a week of rain, if a little sunshine appears as well! So, what is the downside, you ask?

For one, there is talk among the "Czech authorities" (whoever that may be) of the 10-year floods. Not as serious as the 100-year floods that hit Prague three years ago, but still not an enjoyable experience I presume. So far I know of one road down the hill from us that has already been closed due to rising water. (Thankfully we are high up on the hill!)

Secondly, warm temps meant that "Mr. No-man" made his exit from our yard early this week. Lydia noticed immediately that things were amiss when she saw his eyes, nose, mouth, buttons and hat had fallen off. So she proclaimed, "Snowman sick". Even now, with every trace of snow gone from our yard, she still goes looking for Mr. No-man each time we go outside and then promptly reminds me that "Snowman sick". If that is what it means to be sick, I hope I don't catch that bug anytime soon!

Coming to Prague, September 2006...

Stay tuned as Lydia relinquishes her role as sole royalty of the house. Nellie (the dog) being stripped of that role long ago will be further demoted to "peasant", or something equally neglected. It's the stuff blockbusters are made of!

Dare we say...

Spring???

After last weekend's dump o' snow, we enjoyed this weekend with warm temperatures and melting, melting, melting. Which, of course, means prime snowman-making conditions. So Daddy and Lydia hit the yard and set about creating Lydia's first snowman. She was pretty oblivious to the project while it was in process, but upon it's completion was quite enthralled by the newest (and least likely to stick around) member of our family, "No-man".

Terezin

On Saturday morning, we decided to visit Terezin. It is a town approx. a half hour drive from our house. The town, and the fortresses it is known for, was originally built in the 18th century as a fortification system against the Prussians. However, it is now more well known for its use as a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp during WWII. Although there were no gas chambers or mass killings performed here, many Jews were imprisoned in unimagineable conditions and eventually died of disease or were ultimately sent to their deaths in Auschwitz. The town and complex was much larger than we expected and we were only able to scratch the surface with a one hour tour of the "small fortress". We found it very interesting and plan to return another time for the rest of the tour. Lydia was just happy to be outside and loves to "walk". The stroller or daddy carrying her is no longer an option.

Winter Wonderland?

This morning we had a special surprise when we woke up... lots and lots and lots o' snow. (This sort of surprise happens often when one does not have TV and is unable to understand the radio). And to think we had the misconception that winter was almost over! We've been housebound all day today since our neighborhood is not on the snowplow map; the snow seems to have slowed as of 3:00 this afternoon so maybe we can introduce Lydia to sledding after her nap...

She's a growing girl...

Along with Lydia's 2nd birthday, came Lydia's 2-year checkup. As most of you know, Lydia has been pushing the charts since the tender age of 2 weeks. Apparently, she is staying consistent with her reputation. I knew this would be the case when the nurse began measuring Lydia's height and in the process started giggling and said "Wow." This was further confirmed when the doctor entered the room and said in astonishment: "She is like a 3 year old!" This wasn't news to me since she consistently towers over the other children her age in our playgroups. She measured 13.97 kg and 96 cm. Translation: 31 lb and 38 inches. She is still over the 100th percentile for height, but her weight seems to be leveling off at a more reasonable 75th percentile. You go girl!

Czech Chainsaw Massacre

After a six-month hiatus, work has finally resumed on the house across the street. We were beginning to wonder if this would ever happen. Never fear, a truck showed up on Monday to deliver all of the roof supports. And that sound you hear? Why, that is the men on the roof. They are trimming the beams with a.... CHAINSAW. Precision cutting? Oh, you bet. Brandon suggested I walk over with his mitre saw for them to borrow. He's sure they'll understand.

Apparently Lydia is growing accustomed to living in a construction zone. My little girl, who used to awaken from her nap at the sound of the floor creaking, has now slept through 2 hours of pleasant chainsaw lullabies. And to think I'm afraid to start the washing machine for fear of making too much noise!

Kids Praise

It's so fun to see our little "children's church" growing! We are now up to five regular attendees... Eloise, Lillian, Lucy, Clark and Lydia. Here you see Lucy, Eloise and Lydia dancing to some worship songs played by Jon Stone (on a mandolin) and Michael (on a guitar) after church on Sunday. As you can see, Lydia has her own mode of worship...