Brusleni na rybniku

Iceskating on the lake

Today is Christmas Eve and we went iceskating on the huge lake by our house. Last week there were ducks in this lake and today there are people on it. This is the girls' first iceskating experience and for Danny and I it has been over two decades since we donned iceskates. Tonight we will be with friends eating carp and fish soup (the traditional Czech Christmas dinner) and exchanging presents. We are really missing family, but iceskating on a frozen lake sure helped take our mind off of our sadness. Merry Christmas to all, and much love to our family and friends who are so far away.

Jack Frost in the Czech Republic

So we have no snow for Christmas (a total bummer) but Jack Frost did visit and I don't think I have seen anything so pretty. Everything had these gorgeous icicles on them and it looked like an artist came by and hand crafted each icicle. We are amazed by God's creative design and artistic eye. Every day here we see more of his handiwork.

The Night Before Christmas
rendered in Play-Doh
by Rebekah and Roxanne Coyan
Here Santa is winking at the little girl who has patiently waited all night to get a glimpse of him. He is "shh"ing her so she won't awaken the rest of her family. He has just put the presents under the tree, and, as you see, it is a white christmas for this family judging by the snowman outside.

Toaletni Papir...je to dulezite
Toilet Paper...it is important

Here in CZ colored toilet paper is abundant...and so is scented toilet paper. We normally get an orange colored tp that is peach scented. It costs no more than plain, white, unscented tp. Well, yesterday at the store we spied a sale on Christmas tp that had pictures of reindeer showing their buns and Merry Christmas/Happy New Year written on it. It would have been great enough but it was made better by the fact that it is "winter spice scented". Now we are all clean and fresh and smell like cinnamon sticks.

Our trip to Karluv Hradek...I am trying my new slideshow toy!!! This song playing was one that inspired Dan to make our move to CZ...if you don't want to hear it click on the volume icon and it will shut up.

Verunka a Roxana zpivaji hezkou pisnicku

Verunka and Roxanne sing a pretty song

Vanocni Pisnicky ze skolky

Christmas Songs from kindergarten

Adventni Trh...Advent Market

In Hluboka nad Vltavou we had an Adventni Trh today. It is also Rebekah's tenth birthday, so it was fun to celebrate her birthday at the market. Roxie sang with her class and we had svarak (mulled wine), klobasa (sausages) and pernik (gingerbread). We gave the girls some money to buy things with from the vendors (pictured are some of my ninth grade students), and they had fun hanging out with their friends, Marketa and Verunka. We enjoyed our time with our friends , Martin and Lenka, as well.