Oblatky!

We have an awesome Slovak language tutor that we've blogged about before.  Her name is Terezia and she's Slovak through and through.  We pretty much love her.

Recently she came over and brought us some "oblatky."  These oblatky are thin, decorated wafers that are very popular around Christmas time.  They have symbols on them that represent Christ and His birth and resurrection.

Not only did she bring us the wafers, but she also taught us the traditional way of eating them.

Flashing that grin as Terezia prepares the oblatky.

All you do is slice your garlic very thinly, layer it with honey, and then create a wafer sam-ich (which means place another one on top :)

Admittedly the spicy garlic and sweet honey combo was NOT my fav.

However, Jas was a fan...

Can you tell he's really good at that cheesy grin?

I'll give it an A+ for a neat Slovak tradition, and in my personal opinion, I'll give it an F for taste.  However, Jas would strongly disagree and give it two A+'s!

To the Market We Went...

Ah, Christmas, Christmas...three days away, WHAT!?

So in the spirit of Christmas, we tagged along with the Holloway's and Doyle's for their annual trip to the Vienna Christmas market.

We thoroughly enjoyed it.  The atmosphere was top notch, the food, of course was off the chain, and the company...exquisite!  We had a really good time.

I managed to get some photos in between nursing, checking on that hobbling husband of mine (he had to take it very slow), and eating!

Al and some cute girl in a lot of pink.

Bad lighting, but a family photo in front of all those awesome ornaments.

The one good group photo of the night (except Tom ducked out, and Mary is barely visible back there).  Please note how Jason is standing...he was either walking or standing the whole night, my poor waddling man.

Kara and Ellie.

Ben and, oh, who's that again?

Speaking of that little star, here she is herself...

And I'll end with one of my favorite photos of the night.  We loved all the lights and decorations.  Take these for example, they looked like chandeliers...

Great time.  Maybe next year we'll be able to go and both Jas and Elise can join me in walking ;)

First Snow!

Today we experienced our first Bratislavan snow.  That means it was also Elise's first-in-life snow ;)

Doesn't it kind of look like she's making a snow angel?

We're lovin' the snow over here!

10 Things I Love About Babies

It's true, I've only been a mom (to one baby) for about three months now.  So that really doesn't give me a whole lot of experience, however, I'll call myself qualified enough to have come up with these top 10 things I love about babies (or rather, having a baby).

In no particular order...
1.  The smell.  That sweet baby smell.  Powdery fresh and new smelling (does that even make sense?) until fluids of all sorts exit that little body, but still that baby scent = perfection.

2.  The extremities.  Namely fingers and toes.  Barely visible nails.  So tiny and small.  Oh, preciousness.

3.  The cooing.  Love the funny sounds.  That's all...just adorable.

4.  The button.  The belly button, of course.  Have you ever seen a cuter, smaller button than a baby's?  Nope.

5.  The fuzzy hair.  Fine baby hair, so soft and clean. Love it.

6.  The learning.  New discoveries abound each day as they grow.  Our latest fascination is with the hands (and her newfound thumb!)

7.  The growth.  Seriously they grow SO fast.  You'd think I fed her Miracle Grow overnight! While this is sad too (because it's already going so fast!), I also love it because it's pretty neat to see them grow and learn (see #6).

8.  The eyes.  Those big baby blues (in our case). So sweet.

9.  The relationship(s).  Particularly watching her develop one with her daddy.  She knows his voice, responds to his comments...it'll work on the heart, I tell ya.

10.  The quiver lip.  Love me that pouty face.  Though it means a cry is coming, the face beforehand is worth it.  The bottom lip sticks out, starts to quiver, and then the full out cry...plain adorable.

Adorable. Cute. Precious.  Did I use enough of those words in this post? I think so!  But man, babies got it covered.  Especially this one (I guess you could say I'm slightly partial ;)

And for the record, so I don't lose all mom points, I did go find the girl an outfit that fit after this photo shoot (see photo #2)!

Ohhh Surgery...

Man, oh man, these last three months have been medically challenging for us Palmers.  Granted, I am always reminded that these "medical challenges" have been minor in comparison to what they could have been, so in that regard, we're thankful.  But nonetheless, it's been new and different for us to experience three different surgeries (if you include post-birth operations) in three months!

It's been tough, at times, and I've wanted to complain and cry.  And, well, to be honest, I've done both. Ick. I've also been un-Christlike in many ways. I've seen my true, sinful heart come out often. Again, ick. I've also learned a lot during these times.

But, we're making it.  One small scar at a time ;)

Speaking of scars, Jas will have a decent sized one after the removal of his cyst yesterday.  We are certainly glad all was removed and went well. He is now handling the pain like a champ and resting it up.  And while he's handling the pain well, I, on the other hand, am not handling sticking cotton balls one inch deep into his back...eeeeep (I'm a weenie when it comes to blood and such, or rather when it comes to seeing my hubby's tail bone...yikes!)

And, on a lighter, less gory note, I just have to include this lil pre-operation pic of my two favorites.

Ah, another surgery down, and hopefully it'll be awhile before we hit up the hospital again... ;)