Andrej, Jessica, Kaiya and Tobi

We are back home after a whirlwind two weeks in Slovakia. The trip was nothing short of incredible and as soon as we are able to process all that we experienced, we will attempt to put our thoughts into words here on the blog. It won't be an easy task as the trip ended up being way more than just a vacation. A huge thanks goes out to all of you that prayed for our safety and sanity as we traveled and to those that housed, fed and took care of us during our journey. Here at home we are still trying to get over jet-lag, climb out from under the laundry piles and get back into the daily grind of life. We are looking forward to sharing our pictures and stories soon, so keep checking back.

Since Tobi's birth our guest room has gotten quite the workout. It started with my parents, who came to help out shortly after Tobi was born, followed by Andrej's sister, Marina ("Tet Mina"), who spent 7 weeks with us. My parents came back during that time also for Kaiya's birthday. We were so blessed to have the extra hands and help as we transitioned from our family of three to our family of four. Then a few days after we got back from our Labor Day trip to South Carolina, our dear friend Lenka, from Slovakia, came to visit us for a week. She spent the summer working in Alaska, and since she was so close she decided to pop over to Michigan for a visit :-). We had the best time catching up as it had been over three years since we last saw Lenka. I thoroughly enjoyed the "girl talk" and it took me back to the many conversations we shared during the time I lived in Slovakia. Kaiya fell in love with Lenka immediately and it made the transition from Marina leaving a little bit easier. (Read more …)

At Tobi's four month well-baby check-up, he weighed in at 16 pounds, measured 25 inches long and had a head circumference of 40 1/2 cm. He is one healthy, happy baby!