Elise Overload + a video

Just a few fun photos lately of us with the little one...

But before you look at the photos, you should watch this video.  If you know my husband at all, you will know that this is just him in a nutshell... (quick note: if nothing else, at least skip to 0:36 and watch Jason's face)

It's also why he shouldn't sing anywhere but the shower ;)



Was that worth your minute?  Sorry for the shaking...they make me laugh!

And now for the previously mentioned photos...

Hilarious Elise face.

"Why does your face feel like sandpaper, dad?!"

Another hilarious Elise face.

Ahhh, there's a smile :)

Love that little girl.

Photo o' the day to come later on today!

Day 4: Date Day

Jas and I don't have as much time to go on dates as we used to (for one main, obvious, very cute little girl of a reason) so when we do it's the perfect opportunity to capture pics of the two of us.

And yes, I know it's a picture-a-day thing, but I'm seriously having issues with choosing just one most days...oh well.

Don't ask me why we always make that open-mouthed face...haha.  Whatdya say we just call it our trademark? ;)

Love him.

Quality Daddy Time

Elise LOVES her daddy.  He makes her smile (and nearly laugh) sooo often.  And it is (in my most humble mom opinion ;) ADORABLE.

Jas does this little dance/smile combo that has her grinning from ear to ear (not to mention he looks hilarious doing it)...I caught a little clip of the action...



A couple things to note...
1)  That's our tutor Terezia who comes over twice a week to help us learn this language.
2)  I wish you could get the full effect of Jason's dance...but that's a lil snippet
3)  That is one HUGE grin for such a little girl...and then she gets a little scared of the kiss (cuuuute)

And I've also captured a few sweet moments of late:

I really love watching their relationship develop.  I realize how important it is for a girl to have a special place in her daddy's heart...and vice versa.  Thankful Elise has a dad that loves her...and am praying for the both of them daily :)

Introducing: Cross Cultural Clarity

So I don't know if you've noticed but there is a new blog that's been appearing on the right hand side of our blog over there --->

It's called Cross-Cultural Clarity and it's a blog that Jason, Tom Holloway, and some other friends from around the world are contributing to.

In its own words...
"This blog consists of our stories. Stories to bring you clarity of what it is really like to serve Cross-Culturally. The funny, the amazing, the painful, the reality. So we hope you enjoy the raw beauty of all of this. In the end you will see, we are no different from you, we just follow Christ in another part of the world."

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 ;)

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... ;)

Gifts Galore

Yesterday we took a trek across Slovakia (literally!) with our friend Heather.

With Heather's help, churches and schools collected toys and goods in shoeboxes to be given to children here in Slovakia.  There were SO many gifts given...which was simply awesome to see.

Jas was a champion at packing the car full.

Elise and I were already jammed in the car at this point, so Heather took a pic.  Take a look...

Pretty impressive, huh?  Way to go, Slovaks!  Hope there are some smiling kids out there this year :)

Morning Moment

I walked in our room from taking a shower the other morning and found this most precious scene...

Sometimes it's hard being a dad ;)

Melt my heart. Thankful.

My Beloved Fall...

Do you know how much I love the season of fall?  Apparently as much as the rest of blogworld (and pinterest for that matter...it's exploding with wonderful fall ideas).

And while I have yet to experience fall in Slovakia, I'm just as excited about it!  While summer comes in a close second (what's not to love about warm weather and sunshine?), winter doesn't do it for me it being cold all the time and such.  And spring, well, it would be great...minus allergies.  So fall takes the cake with all it's wonderful smells, colors, and just-right weather.  Ah, love.

In an attempt to "fall-ify" our flat the other day, I picked up these 1 euro glitter leaves at Kaufland's.  They make a nice backdrop for the mango salsa candles I love (thanks MIL!).

And there were so many in the pack, I decided to make a garland to hang at the entrance of our flat.

Super simple.  Leaves, glue, and string.

Then today, my thoughtful hubs brought home a bouquet of fall-inspired flowers from the store as a surprise (he's fully aware that I'm 40+ weeks pregnant and ready for our daughter to be here, too ;) ha.

Love the color.  Love it.
And in some not-so-fall news, we finally have a RED tomato! It may have taken about four months, but our tomato plant did yield a red mater. yum!

Obviously we Palmers take awhile to grow things around here (babies and tomatoes :P)

Happy Fall!

JAS, it's your BIRTHDAY!

Today is a special day in the life of my man...that's right, today he turns 30!!!

So, babe, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!  I love you, I'm thankful for you, and I think you're going to make a wonderful 30 year old.

P.S.- you're hot.
P.P.S.- for your birthday, I'm giving you a baby, but she may not be here on your exact birthday ;)

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...

Vibrant

When Jas came home the other day he brought with him a gift.

A beautiful, vibrant, quite thoughtful gift.

Isn't the color AMAZING?  And look at the detail.  Ah, it's the small things made by a BIG God that often amaze me most.

He knows I can't keep flowers alive for very long, but this one I can at least put in water and admire daily.  And I can take pictures of it without killing it! It's a win-win situation.

Thanks, babes :)

The Man I Married

I came in to the living room the other night to find this...

When asked what he was doing he said "looking for the 3D channel!"  (Those are 3D glasses obtained from a trip to the movies he took...and we really do have a 3D channel here...occasionally it'll come on)

That's the man I married!  And I'm sure glad I did :)

Love Him

He set up our printer and was testing it out for the first time.

This is what he printed off...

We've experienced and are experiencing (and WILL experience) LOTS of new this year.  I am thankful to be doing it with him.

Love you, bub.

And it's a...

Today we went to our first Slovak baby check up (doc appt.).  It was a lot of things...

Funny
Surprising
Refreshing
New
Different
GOOD

We are so thankful.  The baby is healthy and well!  Overall the experience was largely comparable to America, but I thought, even simpler (well, minus one part). And I liked that.

The doctor was very kind, seemed understanding, and did her best to communicate with us.  Though I have to say, what would have been a four hour visit for Jas and I, ended up being only a two hour visit thanks to Sonya who helped us greatly! MUST. LEARN. LANGUAGE.

Ok, now here's the biggest cultural difference, far as I could tell.  I had to have an EKG (heart test).  Now from what I know, back in the states, this is not something we do for pregnancies??  But here, it's law.  They took me in to a room, hooked up my arms and ankles, and put some sticky nodes on me (we're talking odd-looking navy circular things...not those stick-to-the-skin kind).  I was fairly nervous that at any moment they were going to send a shock of electricity through me and I was going to Frankenstein-ize, but nie, alas, all they did was get my heart beat.  I received a print out of it and was sent on my merry way.  Nothing to sweat about ;)

And yes, we did find out the baby's gender! However, cruel as it may be, we are going to wait and share since the doctor was just MOSTLY sure, not positive (though I'm not sure they are ever 100% positive...I've heard stories).  But after our next appointment, we will be excited to share!

So keep tuning in ;)  In the meantime, I'll leave you with this gender non-specific photo...

Relaxin'!

How about a picture of the mama...

And the dad...

(He looks thrilled, right?  He lugged the above all over town, through malls and intersections, and on the bus...haha, what an American ;)

His Favorite Pastime

Last Sunday was one of those super exciting, sunny days...one you just can't wait to be out in!

So after small group and lunch, Jas hit up the bait and tackle room, selected a pole and headed toward the pond (a quite large one, I must add).

And because you all know I jump on any opportunity to take pictures, here's what I got...

There ya have it...my man at his finest (and goofiest ;)

And I'm sad to say he caught no fish that day (but don't tell him I told you so! shhhh)

My husband, the fruitcake...

You see, my husband has always had an admiration for my dancing days.  He tells me often "I wish I could have seen you dance..."

I guess I didn't realize just how much I had rubbed off on him.  Why?  Well, because this past weekend he got to don green tights, a tutu of sorts (in the form of a fruitcake), a goofy, hilarious "AL" tee, and a cherry.

The Durham Christmas Pageant's final run was this weekend and Jas, along with two other Ridgecrest pastors, dressed up to dance their hearts out in a surprise performance for Al (the pageant's creator).

You have to see for yourself, you say?  I understand.  Here ya go...

(thanks, Renea, for the photo!)

Thank you Al and the DCP for memorable moments like the one above, but most importantly, for sharing the gospel with the community!

What I am Thankful For...Jason's Edition

1) For a God that loves me despite all of my flaws. A God that provided a way for me to spend eternity in His presence.
2) For a wife that loves me despite all of my flaws. A wife that is a daily reminder to me of the grace of God that is poured upon my life. A wife that is my best friend! I Love You Charity! You are my only one!!!!
3) For a family that supports us in our transition to Slovakia even as we cause changes in our whole family structure with our move.
4) For a church family that loves us and supports us as we prepare to move to Slovakia.
5) For the Southern Baptist Convention. The more involved we get with them the more I realize how blessed we are to know them. They truly have a heart for the Gospel to be proclaimed among all people. Their prayer and encouragement will always be cherished.
6) For Sushi. I just like it a lot!
7) Bella- The world's greatest dog! Seriously...she can destroy every other dog in the world with her amazing ability to do tricks at my command! She also doesn't eat her own poop like other dogs that I know.

BUT the thing that I would like to encourage everyone with is this...
Everything that we are thankful for are blessings that God has bestowed upon us. Remember we have been blessed so we can be a part of God blessing the rest of the world and making His name and glory known. So as you reminisce about the blessings that you are thankful for, don't hoard them to yourself, share them with the world around you and take part in making the nations glad. Read Psalms 67.


Jason

September 9th: A Day in History!

Today just so happens to be the BIRTHDAY of my studly man.  He's 29!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, babe!

I love you, Jas.  Hope it's a GREAT day!

AND he shares this day with another special man in my life--my grandfather!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, love you too!