OWL Adorable...

Get it, "owl" adorable (like "how" adorable).  I know, I know...

But I couldn't resist posting this photo of an adorable owl I encountered while at an aviary exhibition at one of the castles here.

Completely precious.  Look at those big eyes.  Poor lil guy on a leash.

Just one for today. Hope you all are well :)

Relief from the Sahara

It's felt like the Sahara Desert here in Bratislava lately.  We're talking 99-100 degrees, hot winds, no air conditioning (that's a Slovak/European norm), etc.  The occasional tumbleweed...ya know...straight up H-O-T.

So our team had planned to head to the pool today and that's just what we did.  It was quite nice, indeed.

There was a high dive that Jas partook in (due to lil baby in the belly I opted out this time :)

And since we were right across the border in Austria, an obligatory Almdudler was purchased (a fizzy apple drink).

While there we celebrated my 25th birthday with the team (thanks all!)

And we celebrated with brownie bites made by my hubs (who's becoming quite the chef I might add...)

But that wasn't all...Ilga made this rockin' chocolate chip cookie cake!

Of course, I took a photo of those fun things on top...

Who wouldn't?  That's some great color!

Thanks team, family, friends and everyone else who made this birthday a great one!  I felt the love here in Slovakia...it's very appreciated.

And now the winds are blowing here (what a welcomed relief).  I'm thinking fall may be right around the corner.  We'll see!

My Best Friend!

August 27th is my Best Friend's Birthday and I want to wish her the Happiest Birthday ever. So Charity, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I LOVE YOU AND AM SOOOO THANKFUL FOR YOU!!!! YOU ARE AN AMAZING WIFE AND MOTHER!!!!!

THANK YOU GOD FOR BLESSING ME WITH HER!

36 weeks!

Yikes! 36 weeks!  That's for real.  She's coming (well, who knows exactly) likely within the next four weeks.  Excited, ready, nervous, and anticipating are all words that describe how we feel right now.  Whew!

That's a serious belly right there.  Seriously filled with baby :)

And I'm seriously feeling it, too.  Sleepless nights, a few major headaches, and it's definitely getting harder to walk...ha!  Oh and acid reflux...that's a new one. But we can't wait to have her here.  Thanks for your prayers...we appreciate them!

Colorful Kitchen Quick-Fix

In the midst of all this "nesting" that has kicked in, a kitchen cabinet re-organization was in order.  So Jas and I set off organizing the cabinets one afternoon.

And all that brought about the messiness better known as bags of baking products leaking and causing tiny bits of flour, sugar, salt, etc. all over the place.  I knew we needed some containers to hold those important items and avoid as much mess as possible.

Cue mod podge, scissors, cleaned olive jars (yes, they're a staple in our house), scrapbook paper, and black sharpie.  It took all of 15 minutes total.  And voila! New, bright containers...

They're not perfect, but hey, they're perfectly cheap and colorful :)

What We've Been Doing...

Lately we've been doing lots and lots of this...

laundry, laundry, and more laundry.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of just how small they are.  Teenie, tiny, it's true.

And we've been finishing up her nursery, praying lots, and getting things ready for her arrival anytime in the next month! :)

Other than that, we've been studying hard in Slovak, spending time with a team here from California, and marking to-do's off of our list.  Much going on!

Where Children Sleep

I stumbled upon this from another blog, but it caught my attention so much that I wanted to share it here also.

It's called "Where Children Sleep" and it's a visual demonstration of various cultures and various levels of society.  You really should check it out.  Really.

Where Children Sleep

Let me know what you think!

30 in 30

So 30 days from today this guy will be turning 30 years old:

That means that today he had to receive his BIRTHDAY BOX!

This birthday box houses 30 gifts, mostly small, random things, and he'll get to open one a day for the next 30 days.

Wanna see inside?

I think he's pretty excited about it, and so am I, but mostly because I get to celebrate his 30th year with him.

Even though it is a little hard to believe he'll be THIRTY (see below)--

And yes, those really ARE gumdrop teeth! He's a special one, I tell ya...

Vienna: Rose Garden

This is the last of the Vienna pics, but I definitely wanted to post some of the amazing flowers, namely roses, found in the Rose Garden.

We spent a whole morning here our last day just reading and taking photos.  It was quite enjoyable.

Lovely, right? Thanks, Vienna, for a great couple of days!

Vienna: More Around Town (and 34 weeks!)

Well, these aren't the promised rose photos (coming soon), but here are some post-butterfly exhibit shots from around town.

Jas got to have sushi for the first time in a long time (it's super expensive here in Slovakia also, but he found it at a lil roadside stand for fairly cheap).

And speaking of the roadside stand,

Cute, huh? :)

And while we were exploring the city some more we decided to take some 34 week pregnancy shots...

Jas couldn't stand not having his picture taken, so here he is in all of his pregnancy glory...

Oh, I do love that man.  And the fact that he'll soon be a father! ;)

Vienna: Butterfly House!

While in Vienna we also visited a butterfly exhibit.  We were a little skeptical about it at first, but it ended up being one of my favorite things we did.

These butterflies were BEAUTIFUL and it was completely worth it if for nothing else but the pictures we were able to capture...

Seriously!?  Look at that detail, and God's handiwork...

There were plenty of bright flowers to attract all those butterflies.

And this last guy seemed to be posing for the camera.  My very favorite shot:

Jas did a great job getting most of the shots of these butterflies because he's a bit steadier with the hand when it comes to creatures that can flutter easily.  I, on the other hand, would not make a good National Geographic photographer. 

Maybe a good garden photographer, though.  Plenty of rose pics coming your way, too!

Vacay to Austria

Jas and I decided to take a mini pre-baby vacation to Vienna, Austria for two days.

The past month has been a busy one and it was great to just take some time to enjoy together!

First we decided to explore the city a little, where we found this adorable advertisement.  Of course, I suggested Jas put on his pretend earphones for a photo op (because what kind of photographer wife would I be if I didn't? :)

Beautiful, I tell ya...

And we did find one of the local Starbucks to indulge (Bratislava is too small a city to have one of its own).  A chai latte was in order--cold this time, since it was hot out...

The next morning we headed off to see the famous Austrian-bred Lipizzaner horses perform at the Spanish Riding School.  Jas and I were both very excited about this...

As expected, it was worth our excitement because these horses are pretty amazing.  Even if we were in the standing room section!

This double style was used for the Emperor's hunting back in the day.  The first horse pulled the carriage to the hunting ground, and then the Emperor would use the front horse to ride while hunting.  Pretty interesting...

And that's a mama and baby.  They don't turn white until they are about 3 years old!

We thoroughly enjoyed the show (that could be a good horse pun ;) and would recommend it to anyone visiting Vienna.

We were also able to visit a butterfly house, which made for LOTS of really great pics.  Check back soon, we'd love to share!