Romania or Bust!

McDonnell Family Update

2011-04-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Happy almost Easter! Many of you have asked what happened to our blog...nothing really, we just got super busy! I tried to upload lots of pictures a while back, but blogger told us we have to buy more picture space! So in the meantime, I will just write an update and get pictures when I can. Let's catch up from Valentine's Day...

February (post Valentine's Day)- We did a study with our boy and 2 girls discipleship groups on the life of Joseph. We went through the book of Genesis and used a video series from Bluefish. The kids loved it! In fact, we will be using some of the same materials this summer in camp. Joseph is relevant to all of our lives, but especially our kids. Jack is doing well, growing like a weed! We spend our mornings together as a family or at the office working, and then Jeff and I rotate afternoons at the houses. On the weekends we are usually drivers for the kids, taking them to sports practices and games, extracurricular classes, birthday parties, volleyball, errands, church, etc, etc...but we love that time with them. Jack LOVES going to the houses or having the kids over here. They are his buddies and he misses them so much if we go more than a day away.

March - We had several Americans here, including my parents!! We were so thrilled to have them here and get ot show them around. We took them to Sighisoara (an old fortress town where Vlad the Impaler lived ..aka Dracula). We also took them to Brasov and to see Peles Castle. We had a great time in town seeing where we live, play, eat, run errands, etc, etc. Who knew a trip to the mall or grocery store could be so much fun? We of course spent time with our kids...and it is never enough time! We played cards games, talked and played basketball in the courtyard. It is truly a gift to be able to share your passion and love (our kids) and family whom we love so much. They finally got to meet our kids...I will never forget it! Then they took us to Paris for 5 days...all I can say is AWESOME! We had a wonderful time seeing the sights, seeing them, and Jack LOVED seeing the Eiffel tower. We made some wonderful memories all the way around and were so sad to say "see you later," but it wont be long until we see them again. Once we got home, we spent the rest of March celebrating kids birthdays, recovering from 10 days of time with Yaya and Granddaddy, and catching up on business stuff.

April - At the beginning of April we took spring pictures of our kids. They all turned our wonderfully! I was so proud of them. Sounds silly, but getting 26 young teenagers to smile on cue, many at the same time, is quite a challenge!! I will cherish these pictures. We began a new discipleship with our kids on "Making Jesus Lord." We are using a book and going through a chapter a week. This is the 3rd or 4th study for the kids and the newness has worn off. They are having a harder time doing the HW each week, but are faithful in coming and participating each time. I am thankful for that and praying that at the end of the day, they learn more about making Jesus Lord of their lives! The kids are on vacation this week and we have another team in town from New Jersey. We have a few birthdays this week and are getting ready for Easter. It is busy, busy, but we love it that way!

Prayers and Praises - Jeff's brother Sean's cancer diagnosis came back clear and he will just go back in for regular check-ups - Praise the Lord!! Jeff's mom is going to have surgery on Monday to remove an ovarian tumor. We don't know much, but praying the pathology reports come back clear - please pray with us!! Jeff is still on the job hunt, but we have a few leads. Praying that no matter where he finds a teaching/coaching job, that it is the perfect fit and match for him...praying the Lord will work out all the details and soon;) It is nerve racking, but we trust that He will take care of us, like he always does!! Jack is still growing, which is great news! All of his pants are about 2in too short, but we love it! That's the way it should be. He is learning so much everyday and we are shocked by his comments and expressions that he picks up, both in English and Romanian. He has a great imagination and it is so fun to watch! Please pray he would continue to thrive and grow to love the Lord. Please lift up our kids that they would continue to be touched by the Lord and truly make HIM the most important thing in their life. Please pray that this Easter would be different and that they would see the great sacrifice God made on our behalf...that they would really get it!!!

Off to put the Jackster down for a nap...hopefully pictures will be coming soon. I have no idea I could run out of picture space :) Love you all and thanks for reading this blog, praying for us and our kids, and for praising the Lord with us! Blessings, Jen, Jeff and Jack

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T02:54:00.000-08:00

In the morning Jack helped me make our Valentine's Banana Bread breakfast in the shape of a heart. He loved adding the pink and red sprinkles and then dancing as it cooked! This was his first "cake" of the day!

This is a hnadshake Old Pa (Jack's great-great-grandfather) taught me when I was little. He thinks it is hilarious!

Then Jack and I headed to the mall to play in the indoor playroom that has a trampoline and a slide that lands in a very fun little ball pit. However, after waiting for 45 minutes for it to open, we headed to the food court and shared a tiramisu cake with Eniko. Jack dove in before I could even snap a picture! is would be Jack's second "cake" of the day! He was loving it as you can imagine! He bounced off all that energy as the playrom opened just in time before his nap.

When we got hom he practiced the hahandshake as well as saying Happy Valentine's Day and I love you just before going down for a nap...

Then after naptime we all headed over to a new little cafe in the center where we took the kids out for a special Valentine's Day treat. They could pick anything they wanted from the counter and they loved being a little grown up today.

Levi at the counter picking his treat

Ibi, Bex, Laura, me and Daniela

Jack enjoying his third "cake" with the kids!

Sergiu, Janos, Fanel with Julie and Ovi (educators)

Siblings: Zsofia, Kati and Levi

Jack helping daddy eat...that would be his fourth, yes fourth part of a cake!

Yes,e are in Romania, not NYC! Such a cute little place.

Some of our older girls: Eni, Kati and Zsofia

Happy Valetine's with my first love:)

And...noapte buna from our little Valentine showing off his "little" feet!

Happy Valentine's Day from Romania with love!! XOXOXO

Bathtime fun

2011-02-03T23:59:00.000-08:00

Snow Ice Cream

2011-02-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Just like at home, it has been snowing here for weeks. Today we decided to make snow cream. Jack LOVED it and was thrilled to make his two favorite things...snow + ice cream! However, next time, we will do it in the morning (not an hour before bedtime) and in Texas rather than in Romania (the buckets were black with ??? after the remaining snow melted...we have lots of big factories here:).

Our front yard

Jack and Daddy with the buckets of snow

Mixing the snow with sugar, vanilla and milk...

Topped with a few sprinkles, it was a toddler's delight!

Here is a video of Jack after the sugar rush hit...dancing to burn off the energy while we were on skype with his Memaw tonight.

January, etc

2011-01-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of pictures from our month of January. We have been busy with folks in town from America, snow (lots of it), birthdays, and just everyday life! This should have been several blog posts, but oh well! Here they are...

Time with Daddy / Opening up a sweet surprise gift from Aunt Peg!

Picking our toe boogers / loving finger painting!

Loving on THE blanket and pretending to go night-night

Entertaining the kids at Casa AnaNadia / trying on Janos' new soccer shoes

Sneaking a hug from Ibi

Playing cards with Janos, Zsofia, Daniel and Kati

Jack and "Mista Wawa"...Laura is his babysitter and our sweet, dear friend

In our front yard after lots and lots of snow

Skyping family...oh the joy you bring our little man!

More skyping

The staff from Casa Rebecca and Casa AnaNadia. We love these folks

"The Americans" Bruce and Steve (President of our Board) with us and Bex

The office staff

Playing at home

Jack LOVES Daniela...reading the Bible together

Jack wearing someone's glasses at the house / bathtime fun

Playing with Anna and Levi

Out at Vetca, our land where we held camp for years...

looks a bit different in the snow!

And the biggest change of January (no, we are not prego....)

Jack is officially 2 1/2 years old, 38 inches tall, 37 pounds and growing like crazy. We felt it was finally time to move him out of his crib and into his "Big Boy Bed!" He helped us put up his crib and move around the room. He did great!!

He was so proud of himself. He was just precious in the morning when he realized he made it through the night. Praying this is what will happen every night:)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-01-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jeff! Jeff turned the big 3-4 on Jan 13. We had a great day, apart from the electrician showing up to tell us he'd cut our electricity on Friday for a $3 unpaid bill from when we were in America that we didn't know about...gotta love life! Anyway, Daddy got to sleep in while Jack and I made his favorite blueberry coffee cake. Check out Jack stirring while riding his car...

Then when Daddy woke up, Jack helped him open his presents...a shirt from Memaw and a Hungarian handmade wooden pipe from us. He doesn't smoke pipes, but was a cool find at the Hungarian store in town!

The day before Jack made him a painting with his handprints...in Daddy's favorite color

Jack of course had to help Daddy blow out his birthday candles...

After Jack's nap, we had a party at the houses for Jeff. The kids and staff helped decorate and we ejoyed ice cream together...

Jack talking to GusGus through the window. Jack was telling him abou Mickey and Minnie Mouse!

When Jeff and Jack walked in the door, the kids started singing La Multi Ani, the birthday song. However, Jack thought it was for him! So fun!

Singing the song...its tradition to stand in a line and sing..at least it is at the houses!

Us with the kids who wanted to be in the picture:)

Gabi, Cerasela, and Marianna...some of the house staff. Gabi even made a special trip to our home that morning to bring Jeff a delicious chocolate cake...thanks Gabi...it was so yummy!!

Some of the girls were sweet to take pics with Jeff. This is with Marga.

Jack eating a HUGE bite of ice cream while I'm not looking:) Jeff with Krisztina.

Jeff with Daniela and Ibi. It was a great day! That night we can home and played with Jack. Then on Friday night we had a date. The movie showing in town (the only show in town) was "Life as we know it" and it was pretty good. Made us long to go home and hold Jack! Then we grabbed a bite to eat at the Dublin Pub down the street. We had a great time, Happy Birthday Babe! I love you!

Funny faces of Jack

2011-01-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after church Jack was in a really silly mood. He was standing on his new time-out mat in the corner (sounds sad, but he actually loves it...not sure how long that will last!). Anyway, he was making all kinds of funny faces and repeated them so I could take pictures. After all, he wanted to be able to see them, too!

Here are a few of Jack's funny faces...

surprise!/sleeping

sneaky/pleassssseee...

looking up/fishy face

hahaha/singing

roaring like a lion/just jack smile!

Hope you enjoyed them as much as we did!

Trampoline!

2011-01-10T05:26:00.000-08:00

This week we found an indoor playground at the mall in the center. It was so nice to finally find a little place for Jack to play when it is too cold to play outside. Here are a few pics from the trampoline. He loved it! I have a feeling that the $3 an hour playtime might be a weekly trend in our family this winter...

Just like Daddy

2011-01-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

Aunt Laura, Uncle Josh and Ellebelle sent Jack a bathtime shaving kit for Christmas. Here are a few pics of Jack shaving just like daddy! He was so excited...it came with a mirror and shaving brush, too!

Lather up!

Hmmmm...is this how he does it?

Going really slow to make it just right

All done:)

Favorites from Christmas day with the kids

2011-01-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

After Christmas morning at our house, we went to the kids houses. It was a cold rainy morning so Jack dressed up in his Christmas pjs, Santa suit and his fireman rain coat and boots. He loved being Santa Claus!

Waking the kids up

Sergiu, where are you?

family pic...notice the boots

sisters Ibi, Laura, and Marga trying on their new church clothes...precious girls

the babies of the foundation...jack and daniela

with all the kids from Casa AnaNadia

jeff and most of the Casa AnaNadia boys: Sergiu, Fanel, Daniel and Janos

Now doing Christmas morning at Casa Rebecca...they were already up and dressed!

Anna and Jack

Jack and Ema (Emese). Jack had to stand next to us when we took pics with the kids

The girls showing off their 'cowboy' boots

Jeff and Stefan.. we have been taking this pose for 5 years:)

stealing the kids candy canes out of their stockings...

playing with Krisztina

with the CasaRebecca kids

Next stop: apartment boys...Adi, Marian and Cornel

playing cars with Adi

jack got a few cars from Santa while the boys opened their gifts

that night the kids were in a program at church

jack went as rudolph to show his support!

Merry Christmas from our family and kids to yours!

I love you Lord song

2010-12-31T00:50:00.000-08:00

Here is Jack singing "I love you Lord" song while playing in his tent. I have sung this to him since he was an infant. About two weeks ago he sang it back to me just before bedtime. The tears were flowing! Sorry it's a little hard to see, but enjoy his sweet, sweet sounds!

"I love you Lord, and I lift my voice, to worship you...oh my soul, rejoice. Take joy my King, in what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear."

Christmas morning!

2010-12-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to part one of our Christmas morning...family Christmas. My parents, Nana and Aunt Amy stayed up very late on Christmas Eve (our Christmas morning) so they could watch Jack open up his gifts from Santa and them. We had an early morning so that we would have time as a family before going to the kids' houses. We went in to wake Jack up and he was soo tired. When Jeff said, "Good morning Son," he didn't hardly move...then when Jeff said, "do you want to see what Santa brought you?" Jack shot up from bed and shouted "OKAY!" with complete joy! When hurried downstairs to say hi to the family and then to see what Santa brought...

Our little tree; Jack running in to say hi to my parents, Nana and Aunt Amy

Opening up his stocking...

First sighting of SPINTOPS!!!

Luuuk Grandy and Yaya, spintops!!

Such joy...I love seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child...isn't that a gift of Christmas!

Santa also brought a little Woody and Buzz figures...that fit perfectly into the wooden firetruck made by the elves in Santa's workshop!

Playing for the family

Another spintop! Santa brought 3 of them!

Who knew what delight some wood could bring a little boy!

A card Nana sent with a 3D Santa...Jack loved it!

Santa also brought a light up Rudolph nose

Spinning...

Mr. Potato Head from Aunt Amy and Uncle Chad

Who's that?!

After opening up a bunch this morning, we had to hurry up and run out the door to deliver gifts to the kids. We decided to put Jack into his Santa suit. However, it was raining and Jack just had to wear his fireman boots and coat...so he wore it all...Christmas pjs, Fireman boots and coat over the Santa suit!

In the afternoon Jack said this guys looked like his Grandy!

Hahahaha...love you dad!

The big gift Jack got was from Yaya and Grandy...a TONKA tent...He loves it!

Peek a boo!

Skyping with Memaw, Pepaw, Sean, Elizabeth, Connor, Paige and Ethan...among many other family! We love skype but love the families even more. So glad we could be a part of so many Christmases!!!

After church we came home and opened up a few more gifts from Aunt Laura, Uncle Chad and Ellebelle, as well as Memaw and Pepaw...he got some wind-up toys....just like Memaw and Pepaw have! Thank you to everyone who made Jack's (and our) Christmas so special! We love you!

Getting ready for Christmas: Friday

2010-12-26T04:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday we dropped off a gift by Laura's house, Jack's babysitter and "big sister." He affectionately refers to her as "Mista Wawa." We are so thankful to have her in our lives! Her brother, Paul, is one of the educators at Casa AnaNadia.

Jack loved playing with their bunny rabbit and kitty cat!

Jack gave Mista Wawa a framed picture of them at their church Christmas concert. Laura can sing like an angel. We loved watching her sing, especially Jack.She can also play the trumpet...and Jack loved getting to "play" it afterwards. So precious!

That night we took Jack with us and the AnaNadia kids caroling, a Romanian tradition. Jack and I tagged along to two houses. He loved it!

Playing under the tree with Daniela

Doina gave Jack a cup a Fanta just his size...then he decided to dance off all the sugar!

Jeff singing with the boys outside of Vio's house

Jack and I came home just in time for Grandy to read us the "Night Before Christmas" book..a tradition in my family. Since Jeff couldn't be there, it was special to have my dad read it! What would we do without skype!!

He loves this book!

Afterwards, Jack decided to recite the book back to us. It was a special moment with mom, dad and I! Then we talked about how important tomorrow was in the celebration of Jesus' birth...and off to bed he went. I had a bit more wrapping to do to get ready for Christmas morning!

Getting ready for Christmas: Thursday

2010-12-26T04:31:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we had our kids Christmas party. We had a great time! Here are a few pics from our scavenger hunts through town. Check out the livada blog for more pics of the party!

Levi, Daniela, Geza, Janos, Ibi, Krisztina and Zsofia dancing at the citate

Stefan, Bela, Eniko, Sergiu, Kati and Anna playing leap frog at the park

Emese, Daniel, Kati, Istvan, Zorro, Fanel, Dita and Laura on the slide at the park

We finally found a Santa at the mall! We had taken Jack here before dressed as Santa, but this time there was a REAL Santa! Jack was so excited to see him in person! Such joy! He didn't run up to him, but after a few waves hello he got the courage to sit in his lap for a few seconds to tell him what he really wanted for Christmas...you guesses it...spintops!

"I want spintops Santa!...peasssssse!"

Cheese! I am not sure who was more excited to see a Santa, me or Jack. Last year we missed him entirely and I wanted a pic of Jack with him each year..we made it just in time!

Afterwards Santa gave Jack this creepy skeleton hand toy...only in Romania! Merry Christmas!

Center lights

2010-12-26T01:52:00.000-08:00

This is our "downtown," or the center as we call it. They always have lots and lots of light up at Christmas and New Years. There is an ice skating rink, the snowmen and this year they added little booths that sell warm cider and hot desserts to keep you all toasty! Before Christmas there was a Santa sleigh that you can ride for a dollar around the center. It is very festive and fun!

Jack in the center

2010-12-26T01:46:00.001-08:00

"What did you ask Santa for Jack?"

"Spin tops!!"

Going to the center to see the lights: Wednesday night

2010-12-26T00:39:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night we took Jack in town to see the lights. It was above freezing, so we thought we'd seize the opportunity to see Santa while we could! Videos to come...

Riding on Santa's sleigh. Jack was so excited to see Santa, but didn't want to get too close!

They have snowmen and a moose all lit up around the tree. So much fun for toddlers!

The tree

The moose

Watching the ice skaters in town

At the end of our night Jack got up the courage to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, spin tops! Too bad Santa only spoke Romanian!

Jack sledding in the front yard

2010-12-26T00:23:00.000-08:00

Jack says, "don't fall, don't fall, don't fall" as he goes around the little tree.

After the slide he says "all done!"

Mini Snowball fight at the houses

2010-12-26T00:21:00.001-08:00

Getting ready for Christmas: Monday - Wednesday!

2010-12-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out the Livada blog at www.livadablog1.blogspot.com for more pic of our week. There are more blog posts to come! Here are a few pictures from Monday - Wednesday of this week...

Getting ready to go "sledding" in the front yard

Sledding with daddy (video coming soon)

We had the kids create skits to tell the story of what happened to "Buddy the Elf" when he came to Romania for Christmas. The kdis had so much fun dressing up, making the skits, filming and taking pictures. Krisztina decided she would paint her face red...have no idea why but it was fun!

with Kati, Daniela and Zsoifa...check out Levi trying to fix his pants in the background:)

This group decided to have Fanel be baby Buddy and Daniel was big Buddy.

They did their entire skit in English!

This group had "Akon" lead dancing to "whoop there it is" but none of the kids knew the real words to the song...made for a great laugh! Anna is a sumo wrestler...I had no idea we had those in Romania!

This group won the skit part. Janos/Buddy landed in Romania in searhc of true love and found Zsofia the waitress! Check out Geza the narrator.

We helped Casa Rebecca decorate the tree. Jack is wearing his new Lightening McQueen pjs from his buddy Brayden back home!

Some of the girls: Kati R, Anna, Kati D and Ema

Jeff with the CR boys: Levi, Stefan, Geza and Bela

On Monday night we had our staff party: with Noemi from the office, Bex and Gabi

We won this at the white elephant gift exchange.

Jack loved his new "Frosty the Leprechaun!"

Some of the guys on staff

Jack meeting Frosty the Leprechaun...he glows with all different colors! :)

Skyping with Memaw, Elizabeth, Connor, Paige and Ethan as they bake Christmas cookies, an annual tradition since Jeff and Sean were little boys.

Fun Birthday!

2010-12-20T22:56:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the Happy Birthday wishes, it was a great day! Jeff and Jack made me breakfast while I got to sleep in a bit, Jack sang me Happy Birthday, had a snowball fight at the houses after they so proudly sang the Happy Birthday song in English, we rented a chick flick movie while Jack napped, Jeff took me out to a really nice dinner and had Tiramisu for dessert (yum!), took a walk into town to see the lights, skyped with my family back home...and then yesterday the staff sang me happy birthday at the Christmas party. It was a fun filled day...thank you for making it so special! Love you all and so glad you're in my life!

Jack the fireman singing

Date night! I treasure these!

Let it Snow!

2010-12-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

It has been snowing everyday here for 2 weeks...until yesterday! They predict that it will get up to the 40s here today, so sadly all this beautiful snow will be gone, just in time for Christmas! Here are a few pictures from our sunshine snow days!

Icecicles!

Jack loved being pulled all over the yard by Jeff on his sled. He begged to do it over and over again.

Too bad he had to come in...his little cheeks were frozen!

Playing soccer in the snow

On Sunday we dropped off a movie for the kids to watch at the houses. They came running out to have a snowball fight. We had a great time and Jack couldn't get enough! He fell asleep in the car on the 10 minute ride home!

Levi and his giant snowball

Throwing snowballs at the girls in the windows...

Anna, Dita and Kiki ducking out of the way...and throwing them back!

Jack singing, "Let it snow, let it snow, let is snow!"

Christmastime is here!

2010-12-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

Here's to the start of Christmastime...more to come...just to catch you up on what we've been doing (or at least a small part of it!)

Santa Jack. He LOVES Santa this year. He gets so excited anytime he spots him on wrapping paper, in town, on a gift, a toy Santa...etc, etc. We didn't even tell him about Santa, he just loves him! Jeff and I found this Santa suit in Cluj on our date day and couldn't resist. Jack was thrilled to dress up like him! So fun seeing Christmas through the eyes of a toddler. More to come parents:)

Making 24 dozen cookies for teachers:)

Jack loving his new hat and scarf from his buddies back home.

Perfect timing for our second day of snow!

Reading our new nativity book from our buddy Tristian.

Jack loves finding the toy that matches whatever is in the book. Checking out baby Jesus:)

Eating "supa" at the houses with Bela. Thank you mama Dina and mama Erzike!

Decorating the tree with Casa AnaNadia

Mos Nicolae!

2010-12-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, Jack left his shoes out in celebration of the coming of Mos Nicolae, the Romanian version of St. Nick. Here is what wikipedia says about the tradition as it is celebrated in Romania...

In Hungary and Romania, children typically leave their boots on the windowsill on the evening of 5 December. By next morning Nikolaus (Moş Nicolae in Romania) leaves candy and gifts if they have been good, or a rod if they have been bad (most kids end up getting small gifts but also a small rod).

This tradition is enjoyed by folks all over Europe and other parts of the world on Dec 6, seperate from Christmas morning. Who knows why we blended Santa and baby Jesus, but we are hoping to continue the Mos Nicolae tradition even once we are back in America. Here is a video of Jack's morning...

We also got to be "St Nick" for our group home kids, too...bringing them rods decorated in red ribbon as well as a chocolate Santa and candies from America. It's always fun to wake up to a goodie in your shoe in the morning, especially on a Monday!

Wishbone

2010-12-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

What's Thanksgiving turkey without the wishbone? I remember flipping a coin with my siblings to see who would get to pull the wishbone. Jack got to experience his first one. We let it dry for a week, but somehow, it broke into 3 pieces! So we decided that Jack and Jeff would both get their wishes:)

hmmmm....

mommy's help

3 pieces!

Finding Santa videos

2010-12-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

Last night at dinner, Jack and I were sitting at the dinner table. He decided to hide his Santa Claus ornament. We were playing hide and seek and I picked up the little hand mirror to "see" if Santa was in the mirror. Well Jack erupted in laughter and thought that it was hysterical...so I got hysterical! Here is a few videos of him laughing...hope you get a kick out of it, too!

Happy Thanksgiving from Romania

2010-12-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We did celebrate Thanksgiving this year...with our French turkey and all. I have never baked a turkey, so learning in Romania was quite an adventure. We just knew that we'd either cut into raw turkey or repeat the scene from the movie "Christmas Vacation" where its bone dry! But, it was delicious. We even got to indulge in sweet potatoes, green bean casserole (Jeff made fresh onion rings for the topping...never done that before either!) For dessert we got to enjoy pecan pumpkin pie....thank you family for sending the canned pumpkin! Jack helped me make an apple pie for an American family from church.

Jack talked all day long about cooking the turkey. He couldn't wait to have it finished! We tried to time our lunch for noon, when Jack normally eats. However, some things were running a bit behind and by 12:45 when we sat down to eat, Jack was just too exhausted to eat! Next time I will just feed him earlier and enjoy the meal during his nap:)

We caught Jack stirring the dressing...hahaha...somehow he was able to reach across the table and pull it towards himself...then began stirring it with his fork. Thanks for being our big helper Jack!

He wouldn't wear his pilgrim hat, but settled for his trusty leaf crown:)

Cheese!

Too tired!

After naptime we watched a bit of Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving movie online. He loved it! We really missed not being with all of our extended families again this year, but we are so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed us with. Jack gave the blessing just before the meal..."Dear Jesus, thank you for the day, thank you for the sunshine, thank you for mommy and daddy, thank you for the food, thank you for the bread, thank you for the turkey, thank you for our friends, thank you for the day, thank you for the sunshine, Amen!" I pray that your and your had a wonderful day as well.

First Snow Video

2010-11-26T05:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2010-11-26T02:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary!

We love you very, very much and are thrilled to celebrate 33 years together...even from afar!

Autumn Prince

2010-11-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

Jack's sweet babysitter, Laura, made this autumn crown of leaves a few weeks ago and every once in a while he proudly wears it around the house. Last week he wanted to wear it with his cape...so he could "fly" throughout the house. He kept saying "Look mommy, I'm a prince!" I guess some princes fly:)

Flying through the house....

He even paused so tell Momo one last time that he loved her and that he was praying for her. I am so thankful the camera was within reach so I could capture this sweet, sweet memory. We miss you Momo, but we are thankful you are wearing your princess crown and flying around heaven!!!

LOC Fall Party

2010-11-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

Hahahah...meant to post this on the Livada blog, but I doubled up somehow...

so now you can read about it twice!

This year we had our annual Fall Party since folks don't celebrate Halloween in Romania. We played relay games outside, carved pumpkins, made caramel apples and watched a fun movie together.

Everyone had a great time!

Relay Races: Stefan and Anna racing the gourds with a spatula; Levi winning the 'minute to win it' unroll the toilet paper race; Sergiu unstuffing the tissue box; and Zorro winning the 'juggling the balloons' contest

Pumpkin Carving Competition:

Geza with the help of Adi and Stefan; Janos taking the lead for his team

Angie and Cristina with Sergiu, Levi and Zorro

Jeni with Stefan, Geza and Bela

Maria (not pictured) helped Anna, Kati, Daniel, Daniela, and Adi

The pumpkins while the kids watched a movie.

After a while we paused the movie to decorate the caramel apples

Marga took on the 'big sister' role of watching Jack the monkey. Later Fanel came down in his Spiderman costume...so cute to see them play together!

Jeff, Jenny and Jack McDonnell; Istvan and Rebecca

Our monkey visits the zoo

2010-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we took Fanel, Sergiu and Jack back to the zoo for our annual "little boys day." They had a great time and worked really hard to make Jack sit still and smile for his tree picture. This year Jack was way too busy climbing and telling us all about the tree. Here are a few pictures from our fun day...

feeding the goats and looking at the bears

The little boys

Halloween in the Land of Dracula!

2010-11-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

On Halloween we drove about 3 hours southeast to visit a few different towns and fortresses where "Dracula" once roamed! We didn't go all the way to his "castle" this time since we had been before. Along our way we drove past several different citates, or walled fortresses. This curch was built in the 1200s.

Love the history!

Then went came upon a town called Rasnov. I love that many of the cities in Romania have a "Hollywood" sign up on the hills, makes me laugh everytime!

At the citate gates...Jack saying "do it myself, Mommy!" as he is walking up the hill

Beautiful Transylvanian moutains!

We bribed him using a fruit snack to get this "cheese!"

Found these fun witches hats in one of the gift shops...Jeff and Jack were great sports about it.Happy Halloween from Transylvania!

Looking at the view...check out our pack mule Jeff...

poor guy, it was much warmer that we thought it would be!

Jack running around the old well. As legend has it, while the people were hiding in the fortress from invaders, they desperately needed a well so they wouldn't even have to leave. They captured 2 Turkish soldiers, made them prisoners and promised them their freedom if they dug the well. It took them 17 years, but they were never released...so 1400s!

Jack was walking on this bench and walked up to a lady whose was peacefully sitting there. He proceeded to sit down and tell her that he had cat poop on his shoes...lovely!

Too tired to walk down the hill. Playing with the rocks was much more fun!

This is until he discovered the leaves...that always gives you back some energy, especially when you can pour them on someone else's head!

Love the fall!

Only in Romania would you find this sign. Too bad I didn't see any of the Cullens:)

After our hike to see the Rasnov fortress, we drove to Brasov. I love this little town. They have a city square, a McDonald's and KFC (they had them here long before they had them in TM...it used to be such a treat!), a church called "Black Church" because the outside was blackened by fires, their "Hollywood" sign, street musicians, and a fun street market. Love Europe!

This made for a fun family day away from the normal everyday life.

Sweet little cafe

Happy Halloween from the McDonnells!

More random life from October

2010-11-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am playing catch up on our blog. We have taken a ton of pics this month with all of the business, but I just now got them loaded onto our very full computer! Here are some snapshots over the last month of mostly Jack...

Jack's new "smile for the camera" pose and playing with pumpkins

Trying on daddy's gloves while waiting to eat breakfast. His famous line these days is "what happened mommy?"...especially when he does something he shouldn't do. Gotta love being 2!

We take our kids to help serve at the Saturday programs in a gypsy village...these little ones are so cute!

Jack's favorite place to run to when we go outside. The fence has a Jack-sized bench just for him!

Ahhhh, the fall. This was taken a few weeks ago. I will miss having a real fall when we move back to TX.

Bathtime and Bible study time with daddy. Jeff was reading, but Jack wanted to turn the pages for him.

Jack skyping sweet family....Jack and his "girlfriend" at the park. Such a ladies' man already. ;)

Jack loves all the wheeled carts that horses pull through the villages...even ones that are old and run down. The other picture is from one of the markets in town where you can buy all kinds of flowers, fresh fruits and veggies...and even a pumpkin or two! We spent several hours last week trying to find 5 orange pumpkins for our kids to carve...in the end we bought the only 5 out there and it only cost us $6! That's a deal!

Jack and the pumpkin patch

2010-11-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Last week we drove by this little restaurant on the outskirts of town and found our "pumpkin patch." Here Halloween is just catching on, so there aren't many fall photo opts. So when we drove past, we turned right around. Now I know its a bit overkill to post a billion pics of the same thing, but I just couldn't choose. My favorite is the second pic where he is saying "this pumpkin mommy!"

He was just as excited to find pumpkins as we were! Happy Fall!

Wine Festival

2010-11-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

This month we went to the Wine Festival at the citate (fortress) just down the street from our house. I will miss not getting to walk to the town festivals! During the month of October many people harvest their grapes and turn them into wine or cider. It was fun to see everyone out celebrating. Although the image of Lucy and Ethel "smashing grapes" comes to mind, there was no actual smashing. Just a lot of folks out selling their homemade crafts, food, wine, listening to hestitage music and dance, enjoying pony rides, and watching the Romanian version of a Medieval joust. It was a great family afternoon!

Jack checking out the ponies. He was still too young to ride, but we got to pet them!

Watching kids dance and sing to old Romanian music. Then Jack got a picture with the pretty girls!

Watching the sun set on our fun afternoon together

Last year for Christmas we sent home handmade wooden crosses and spoons to Jack's grandparents made by the sweet old man. This year I had to get a picture with him. Gotta love his eyebrows...he does, too!

These wooden scupltures are all around the citate. Love how they use materials from around and make them beautiful! The flowers here are to die for. I wish I had a green thumb:)

My first pumpkin sighting! Yeah! Too bad they had this harvest scene roped off...gotta love it:)

Oh, and the Medieval scene. They didn't really joust...instead they took their swords and held them up over their heads near the big bonfire, then stuck them in the dirt and grunted...all while they played music from the movie Gladiator...too funny!

Jack singing the ABC's

2010-10-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

The other morning Jack sang the ABC's to me using one of his microphones...he loves, loves, loves to sing these days. His favorites are the ABC's, Baa Baa Black Sheep, God is Love, Yes Lord (Da Doamne), Little Cabin in the Woods, Pick a Bail, Baby Bumblebee, Old McDonald, Clap Your Hands and Wheels on the Bus.

Here is his version of the ABC's...

Pumpkins, Pinecones and Plates!

2010-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Jack eating corn on the cob

2010-10-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

The other night we had corn on the cob for dinner. We shaved the corn off the cob for Jack to eat...but he still wanted to be "just like daddy" and eat it off the cob, so we gave him one. You can tell we have been practicing "yes sir" lately! Eating corn on the cob is very serious business!

Happy Birthday Memaw!

2010-10-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Memaw....Happy Birthday to you!" We love you and miss you Memaw!! We hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

A Night at the Circus!

2010-10-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got to go see the animals at the circus. Jack LOVED it! On the way there he was walking beside me and said, "Mommy, I'm so e-cited to see the zebras!" But by the time we got into the arena, he couldn't stop aksing to see the elephants! He loves his animals. Then yesterday we picked up a package from the post office from Yaya and Grandy...and inside were some of the toy animals Jack had seen, including the zebra. I cannot tell you the joy on his face! What fun timing!

We took one of the little girls to see the cicus last year, but this year we decided to just go as a family. This year's was much better. They had the girl swinging high in the sky, a sea lion balancing a beach ball, the parade of big animals, the elephants, a German man playing the bottles (Jack loved that act!), the reptile exhibit, and of course the silly clowns. What a fun night!

Jack...so "ecited!"

The parade of big animals...I wish I took pics of the sea lion and reptiles...pretty funny. My battery was dying and we weren't really allowed to take pics...I just snuck these in:)

The elephants...Jack's favorite! They were so sweet all week to entertain crowds outside everyday.

Sneaking more pictures...Romanians are funny about allowing people to take pictures...

Jack trying to see the animals and the clowns cleaning up afterwards...

This is Jack trying to figure out which animal was his favorite after we got back home...

I think it wore him out!

Random, Funny Jack

2010-09-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

Just some fun pictures for you, dear grandparents:)

We love you and miss you!

Two Elephants!

2010-09-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

The Circus came to town! We were driving past the mall in town (next to the wonderful fertilizer plant you can see in the background) and noticed the big top tent and elephants grazing in the grass. We had to stop! Jack was so excited to see "real elephants moving!" He could not stop talking about how the two elephants were moving with their feet and eating with their trunks. His Aunt Amy would be proud! He loved them so much we went back the next day and brought Bela with us to see them. They were very friendly (behind the electric fence of course) and "kissed" our hands...notice the lovely dirt left behind:) Jack was thrilled! Hopefully we will get to see the circus this week with some of the younger kids.

Random Life

2010-09-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some random snapshots from the past few weeks:

Walking to church, playtime at the houses, MamaDina feeding Jack "soupa" while he plays the guitar with Geza, building "sandcastles" in the den, playing on the slide at the park down the street (you can see part of the citate/fortress behind it), watching the Thomas train at the big park, playing with Laura (his sweet babysitter), reading book all by himself, footprints, movie nights with the kids, playing in the yard with the hose, and climbing the ladders like the firemen! Just of few memories that make me smile...more to come.

Kisses for Mommy

2010-09-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

I wish I could bottle this moment and keep it forever!

I love my baby boy!

Clap your hands together...

2010-09-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Just before bedtime Jack always gets a bit silly. This is Jack loving to be tickled, asking "to see Jack" on the video recording and then singing the "Clap your hands together" song. Fun memory we wanted to share:)

Flowers for Mommy

2010-09-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

Just before I came home from the Black Sea, Jack and Jeff planted pretty red flowers in my planter. Jack did it "all by himself!" He was so proud to show them off when I came back. They are beautiful! I love them so much because it reminds me everytime I look at them of my boys:) Thank you Daddy and Peanut!

Sweet Aunt Betty Jo

2010-09-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sweet Aunt Betty Jo's funeral was today. She is my dad's aunt who lived in Bryan all of her life. She was a precious woman who gave her heart in everything she did. She loved the Lord and she loved her family. I wasn't a grandchild, but she always treated us as her own. We spent many, many weekends, evenings, holidays and celebrations with Aunt Betty Jo and Uncle Jack. In fact, the first time Jeff met my family was with EVERYONE at their house just before an Aggie game. She battled lung cancer this past year and now she is at home with the Lord. We will miss her so very much. I am terribly sad that I wasn't able to be there today, but I am thankful I got to visit with her in April while we were home. I can't imagine going to Aggieland and not being able to see our beloved Aunt Betty Jo. But I know that she is pain free and worshipping her Savior.

Casa Rebecca at the Black Sea

2010-09-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a FEW pictures of my trip to the Black Sea with Casa Rebecca. Sorry that these are most of just me and the kids...there are many, many more great pictures of just the kids on the livada blog at www.livadablog1.blogspot.com I just didn't want to duplicate too many! We had a wonderful time. It was relaxing just to hang with the kids. I missed my boys terribly, but it was a nice change to play and talk with the kids undistracted, especially the girls. It reminded me so much of our many family vacations to Galveston...playing Phase 10 and Sorry, reading, collecting sea shells, wading in the water, racing the waves, watching movies late at night, taking walks down the coastline, going into town to see the sights, posing for pictures, and having those great conversations that are often interrupted back home. I especially treasured all the time with the girls.

Here is a run down of the pictures: me and Jack the night before I left, the drive through the mountains, kids running into the ocean when we first arrived, night out on the town, white shirt day, a final picture with Kati and Krisztina whom I had at camp the first time in 2003, and then the last group shot looking at God's wonderful creation! Thanks for praying for us while we were away. Please keep Jeff and the kids and staff from Casa AnaNadia as they are there now:)

What are Little Boys Made Of?

2010-09-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails,

That's what little boys are made of!

While Jeff is away at the Black Sea with the kids from Casa AnaNadia, it got cold and rainy here in TM. With a break in the rain, Jack and I headed out to find "snailhouses" as he calls all snails! We found 6 today...which made it a great day for Jack!

Jack and GusGus

2010-08-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last fall, just after we moved, our neighbor's cat had a bunch of kittens. One of Jack's favorite things to do when he was just learning to talk was to go over to our front window and talk to the "kit-kats!" Now those cats had kittens...so we have even more to talk to! The litter had 3 striped kittens and one that is mostly black. That one is full of courage and loves letting Jack love on him. She we named him GusGus from the sweet mouse on Cinderella. GusGus is Jack's new best friend. You can see the first time Jack met him, to playing with him in the yard, "feeding" him grapes, to watching them catch a mouse! Kind of ironic with the name and all....anyway, Jack loves GusGus. He even prays for him at night.

Please keep Jeff and Jack (and GusGus) in your prayers as I will be gone with the kids to the Black Sea this week. Then as soon as I come home, Jeff leaves with the other kids. Keep us in your prayers for safe travels and good time with our kids! Blessings!

Bombs away!

2010-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

One of Jack's favorite things is flying airplanes, especially ones sent with love from Grandy! This is one of their shared past-times. This one was in his Thomas backpack from his birthday, but since Grandy couldn't be "with" us on skype, we saved it for another day. Jack was thrilled to open it up, put it together and learn to hold it just right so it would fly. He got pretty good at it just before we busted it! Thank you for the many sweet memories Dad...we love you! ps...Granddaddy's name has gradually shifted to Grandy over the past few months as Jack never could get his name...Dad has been GeeGee, Gandy and now Grandy!

Some of our favorite Americans...

2010-08-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from this summer with the Americans we love. "Aunt" Bex lives and serves here daily with us. Sarah was a STINT here until the end of '09 and came back to visit for 3 weeks. We miss her daily and loved sharing life with her again. We pray for you sweet "Aunt" Sarah. Jack adopted these two gals as his aunts when we moved a year ago. They will always be family, no matter where we live!

The interns this summer were incredible. These 8 were selfless, giving, willing, positive and godly men and women who loved the kids...everyday, every moment. They made our summer fantastic! I am so thankful for each of them and I will treasure how much they gave to our kids...including Jack. He started saying "Noapte Buna girlfriends!" as he went to bed every Sunday to them...he loved them too:)

Hugs all around

2010-08-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

The other day Jack and I went up to the waterpark to swim with our kids. As we were getting ready to leave, Jack decided to give them all a hug goodbye. They were all thrilled to have a Jack-hug! He just couldn't get enough of it either:) It's fun to capture sweet memories like this on film...

Eating 2 cupcakes

2010-08-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

I have to laugh as I write this blog because today we celebrated Jack's 2nd birthday at the plateau (park) with some of our kids. We picked the Thomas the tank engine theme since Jack loves trains and there is a Thomas train at the park in TM that you can ride, of all places! We spent all week trying to figure out how to build a Thomas cake big enough to feed everyone, pick a time and date that would work for kids' schedules and not rain....in the end, we ended up baking 50+ cupcakes, moving the date and time the day of, and it rained 20 minutes into the party! But all was well because all Jack really cared about was going to his party and eating cupcakes...2 to be exact! He didn't want to open gifts. He didn't mind the huge storm and winds blowing dirt everywhere. He didn't mind the many Romanians fleeing the park as the storm came. He didn't mind that he didn't get to run around and play. He didn't mind that we didn't ride the train...and he didn't mind the heavy rain...all he wanted was to eat his 2 cupcakes! After we ran from the park we went back to the houses to play games and sing songs. It was a wonderful, rainy night that I will always treasure. I am thankful to Aunt Sarah and Aunt Bex for helping up pull all of it off...even the 22 minute 2nd birthday party!

Yeah! I am 2!

Our Momo

2010-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Praying for our sweet Momo...she turns 82 tomorrow...or as she says 39! She is one of the most precious women I have ever met and been privileged to love and call family. She is Jeff's Grandma. In her 82 years she has left a tremendous legacy of family and friends who love the Lord because of the life she and Grandpa lived. She defines love...humble, patient, eager to love, generous with her time, a servant, kind, giving of her sweet spirit, and woman who cherishes her deep relationship with the Lord her God. Although she is ready to go home and see her Savior and dear Grandpa, we will all strive to continue her legacy and miss her sooooo. In the 10 years of being a part of the family, I have rarely seen her rest. She is always chasing grandchildren and great-grandchildren, washing dishes, cooking, cleaning, and making sure we all have plenty of everything! She is always ready with a hug, a kiss and many, many blessings. Her gentle eyes let you know how much you are loved. When He does call her home, we know she will be at peace. In the meantime, every moment, every skype, every hug is a gift that we cherish. Every song we sing together, every prayer overheard, every night of sharing comfort, every meal blessed...is a gift. Tomorrow is her birthday and we celebrate her life. She is an incredible woman and we are thankful to have her as our Momo. Happy Birthday Momo! With love from Romania....Jeff, Jen and your Jack Edgar

Jack is 2 much!

2010-07-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

Jack is officially 2 years old. Not many kids have 10 million posts on the family blog about their 2nd birthday, but this is how our families get to be a part of these sweet moments sometimes! After Jack's nap, we skyped family and opened presents sent from America. Jack LOVED opening up his gifts...he had so much fun! Thank you for the big boy watch, fun things to color and draw, cool dude cape, Thomas backpack!, soccer ball from Northern Ireland, soccer goal and little ball, golf set and many, many more fun gifts, books and thoughtful cards! Jack has even learned to "play" his guitar shirt as he watched Geza play his guitar. He got to skype lots of family, spend time with Aunt Bex and Aunt Sarah and then ended the night with our dear friend Laura who watches Jack when we both have to be gone. It was a special day! More to come on the second official birthday party coming this week:)

Jack's birthday morning

2010-07-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Today Jack is 2 years old! Or as he would say when asked how old he is..."2 much!" This morning Daddy made special birthday "pan-cakes" since we aren't having a real birthday cake today. Jack was so excited to help mix up the 2 batches of batter, watch daddy cook his 2 pancakes, and then blow out the 2 candles as we sang Happy Birthday...2 times. Check out the video in the previous entry. Daddy even made 2 Mickey Mouse pancakes, one with "chocolate..ummm...good..yessss" and one with "Booberries!" Jack's favorites.

After playing around the house this morning, we took Jack to eat at the only restaurant in town we can take him, McDonald's. The picture below is Jack showing off his numb tongue after eating a cup of ice. This afternoon we will head to the park...and then next week once camp is over we will have a birthday party with all of the kids. Happy Birthday Jack! You are my little peanut and sweet baby boy. I love you so much....the day you were born was a day we will never forget...you area true gift from the Lord! You fill us with laughter, joy, and amazement each day as you learn and grow. I am so proud to be your mommy!

La Multi Ani Jack!

2010-07-30T05:02:00.001-07:00

Digging Ditches!

2010-07-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

The other day we were at the houses and they were digging ditches to build a soccer goal for the kids. They were just the perfect size to play in! Here are Levi and Jack in the dirt....where boys love to play!

Back in Romania...Ready, Set, GO!

2010-07-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I tried to capture 3 months of memories into one entry....now I am trying to do 3 weeks...both are very difficult! This one is mainly about Jack, since I know many of your reading really just want to see him:) If you want more details on what we have been doing with our LOC kids, check out the LOC blog at www.livadablog1.blogspot.com... I do that one, too! For now, here are a few snapshots of our time here. From hugs with Eniko, walks in the park, playing in puddles, painting pictures, staff picinics, playing with Emese, stealing balls and shoes, chasing the flag on the 4th of July to enjoying a yummy blue Patriotic cupcake! Thanks for checking in on us, we love you and miss you all very much.

Kati

2010-07-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

I will fill you in on what all has been happening over the last few weeks in another post....check out www.livadablog1.blogspot.com....it has som pics and stories in the meantime. However, today was a very special day. One of my precious girls, Kati Rostas, accepted Christ as her Savior. Praise the Lord! I have known her since 2003 when she was a shy, little girl on my team at camp. She didn't want to be touched due to the incredible abuse and hurt she had suffered over her short lifetime. Over the years she has grown into a beautiful young woman and through God's grace she was ready to get serious about her relationship with God.

She is passionate about school, loves to speak and learn English and thrives at any opportunity to sing and dance (especially the Cupid Shuffle!). She LOVES High School Musical and could probably recite any line, sing any song, and show you any dance move from any of the 3 movies. Most of all, she has really listened to years of Bible knowlege and was ready to ask some serious questions.

Today, after sports camp, she sat down and with one of the gals on the visiting team, got to share about God's grace, His love, and His desire to know her more. We prayed together and she accepted Him as her Savior...it was a precious, precious day! As soon as we ended the prayer, she asked me if I could come over tomorrow right away so we could study the Bible together...love it!

Here is a picture from today...please pray for her heart, that she would listen to the Lord, and begin to recognize the change God is already doing in her life. Please pray that when she is tempted to act in response to her old ways that she would follow the Lord's lead. Praising Him for her life!

SO much has happended!

2010-07-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

Oh my, so much has happened since I last posted. We are back in Romania and have been very busy with camp, getting to spend time with the kids, and just catching up on life here! So...here are just a FEW pictures from some of the sweet memoried we made while being hom. Of course many memories we could not capture on film, but here are some...Thank you for ALL of your prayers and help while we were home...we lvoe you all! Here are some family pictures:

Precious family visits...Uncle Bo's graduation...Aunt Amy & Uncle Chad's wedding...first trip to the beach...time with dear friends...trips to get yogurt!...riding on the train...Life Group fun...celebrating Jack's 2nd birthday 2 months early!...Aggie girls reunion...sister time...cousins playing...running at the park...and many, many more! Check out http://www.livadablog1.blogspot.com/ for more pictures since we moved back...

Time with Ellebelle

2010-05-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

One of the sweetest parts about being back in Texas has been spending so much fun time with family...especially our newest cousin, Elle. Elle has come to stay with us several times since we have been home. Jack LOVES going to get her up from her nap in the morning, watching her learn to eat cereal (he thinks she eats ice cream), tickling her toes, bathtime, dancing right before bedtime and just making her laugh! It is a precious gift to have this time and we are so thankful for it!

We love you Ellebelle!

Texas Bluebonnets

2010-04-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

A Day in the Texas Bluebonnets...smelling, running, looking, playing in the pretty flowers

Day at an American Zoo

2010-04-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took Jack to visit a zoo here in Texas. Jack loved seeing all the animals, riding the train, trying to catch the fish, feeding the birds, and sitting on Nana's lap while she drove the scooter! His favorite exhibits were the elephants, aquariums and flamingos...not to mention taking a ride on the horse with Granddaddy! It was a wonderful day.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have a family filled Easter weekend to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! We spent Saturday with my family and some of the in-laws outside in my parent's backyard for a cookout, Easter Egg hunt and just great fellowship! Then Sunday after church I took Jack over to Jeff's mom's house (sadly without Jeff!) to see his family. The cousins showed Jack how to crack open a confetti egg and play with bubbles! Then on Tuesday we had a playdate with the boys from our lifegroup. They all got to practice their egg hunting skills with each other...and there are 3 boys missing from the picture! It was a fun, rowdy, love filled weekend of worship and celebration of our Risen Lord!

Happy Easter everyone! J3

An update...

2010-04-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

Many of you know the latest on what our family is doing, where were are and what is to come...but in case you don't, let me fill you in...

Jeff fell a few times this winter and for about a month, we thought the pain in his leg was from a pulled muscle or something...the on March 5th he went to the doctor to make sure it wasn't something else. The doc ordered an xray then suggested we see a neurologist and get an MRI on his lower back. He had that appointment on Friday, March 11th. After a month of severe pain and limitations in walking, lifting, etc, we founf out he had a large disc herniation in his lower back.

We called our insurance that weekend to talk over our options. The doctors in Romania suggested he fly home for immediate surgery and lifting, bending, etc were off limits. We sent our MRI film to docs here in the states and they all agreed her needed surgery. So, on Monday at 10pm our insurance called us back and said that they had us all on a flight booked for 3pm on Tuesday...the next day! We hurried to the houses to say good-bye to the kids, went home and pulled an all-nighter packing our bags and arranging our house to leave for 3 months! We have wonderful friends in Romania who helped us take care of Jack and all the many, many details, took us to the airport and saw us off. We were devestated to leave so suddenly and for such a long time. So many, many wonderful things were happening! Bible studies, kids coming to Christ, devotionals, etc! Camp plans were beginning, the kids vacation coming up, teams in town....so many things we were leaving undone for others to do.

We arrived in the Texas on St Patrick's Day greeted by lots of family - there was much rejoicing! Jeff had a spinal lumbar discectomy 2 weeks ago and is recovering nicely! He will start physical therapy this next week. We are thankful we were able to come back to have the surgery, for family to take us in so we weren't homeless and the many people who have jumped in to cook us meals, help with Jack and let us have time to relax and recover.

We miss and pray for our kids everyday. We are enjoying the time with family and friends back home and know its a blessing to have this extra time here. My sister, Amy, is getting married on June 5, so we will return on June 12 after Jeff has had almost 3 months to recover and after the wedding. So, there's your update! Please continue to pray for a swift and thorough recovery for Jeff's back - that he doesn't push too hard or fast and have a repeated herniation, for our family as they take care of us for 3 months, for the staff and kids in Romania who are filling ourr jobs while doing their own!, for finances to come in to cover our bills, for our minds and souls to find time to rest and relax while we are home!

Here are a few pictures of the night we went to tell the kids....some were upstairs pplaying dressup just before we got there:) Precious babies!!

Jack reading to Anna & Bela pictures

2010-03-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

Anna and Bela are so good with Jack. On Saturday we needed a break before lunch from all the business of paperwork and house cleaning...so we headed over to the houses. It is still snowy outside, so we kept Jack indoors. Anna and Bela are always so good about giving him attention, whether its kicking around the soccer ball, reading with him, making him laugh, chasing him around the tables, and just making him feel special. They are precious to me and I am thankful they love my little man so much!

Check out the video in the previous post.

Jack reading to Anna & Bela

2010-03-14T23:53:00.000-07:00

My new buddy

2010-03-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

WE HAD A PLAYDATE....FINALLY! We are with teenagers all the time, which is wonderful. But, it was so, so nice to have another little guy over to play. I met Evelyn and Joshua at the park in the fall. I was running after Jack and I noticed she spoke English...yeah! She and her family are from Switzerland and are involved in planting home churches with gypsy groups in our town. She and her son are precious and we are thankful to have them in our lives. She is having baby #2 in June here in Romania, wow! I am so impressed with her courage and trust! I am thankful to our precious Lord for bringing us and our boys together.

Hey - are you little too!

So big!

2010-03-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

These days Jack is always wanting to be sooo big! He says and tries to do everything we do. In the car he will be really quiet and the shout out "come on dude," "hey jen," or even my favorite "oh man!" after Jeff says it. It cracks us up every time, but also wakes us up to be even more aware of what we say, how we respond, our attitude and our actions. At home, he loves to put on our shoes, wear our clothes (from underwear to our socks!), help us cook and even clean. His favorite thing to do is to turn off the vacuum while I'm using it and then do it himself! I still can't believe God trusted us with this little man to raise, shephard, teach and guide into a godly man himself! What a blessing you are to us, Jack!

Basketball with Daddy

2010-02-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Finger Painting Videos

2010-02-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Happy Birthday Granddaddy!

2010-02-22T07:47:00.001-08:00

Emese

2010-02-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is Emese. She is the youngest of her siblings, Krisztina and Eniko. She is precious. I bonded with her and her sister, Kiki, years ago when Casa Rebecca first opened. We have always had a special bond, a special connection. She immediately took to Jack and became like a big sister to him. She always greets me with a smile when we pull in the driveway, no matter the day she had. She is a delight. She struggles with malformations in her knees and is waiting on surgery to be permitted. But, you would never know it. She doesn't let it slow her down one bit.

As we dig deeper into our walks with the Lord through bible studies this spring, I am thrilled to see what the Lord will do with Ema. Please pray that our relationship will continue to grow as she grows in her relationship with our Lord. Please pray that she will be able to have surgery soon to correct her knees. Please pray that she will grow in maturity and learn to have good, solid relationships with her sisters.

5 years later...

2010-02-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

We don't have many pictures saved on our computer from trips to Romania before 2008, but I do have this one. I came across it the other day. It was the first summer Jeff came to Romania and were here for about 5 weeks. We spent a lot of time with the kids at Casa Rebecca, including Levi (in red) and Stefan (aka Spiderman). He loved those boys and they loved him...and still do! The would play cards, teach him Romanian words and numbers, climb and hang all over him...what precious memories! The other week when the kids had vacation I noticed Stefan and Levi huddled over Jeff...and took the shot remembering the picture from 5 years ago. They have changed in so many ways, but are still the same sweet boys who love to play, wrestle, push your buttons, and laugh. How precious a gift it is to be able to invest in kids over longer periods of time. Even when it is time for us to go, I pray that these bonds will never be broken.

Levi, Jeff and Stefan, 2005

Stefan, Jeff and Levi, 2010

Jack in the snow, part 2

2010-02-15T03:16:00.002-08:00

Jack in the snow, part 1

2010-02-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T01:56:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Valentine's Day we had as a family! I can't think of a better way to have spent my day but with the two boys whom I love so much! I am very, very blessed! We started our day with strawberries (a treat in the winter here!), finger painting (sorry, the pics are out of order as I learn how to use the new formatting on blogger), a heart shaped sandwich for lunch, building a snowman and playing in the snow, a ride to the park for cotton candy (check out the video of this posted earlier - hilarious), Jack delivering me Jeff's flowers and deciding to eat them instead of smelling them, talking with family on skype, and a dinner made by the boys...it was a fabulous day! I love you Jeff and Jack!

A cotton candy Valentine's treat!

2010-02-15T00:03:00.000-08:00

Using a Fork...kind of!

2010-02-10T02:36:00.001-08:00

Jack and the "keykat"

2010-02-10T00:28:00.000-08:00