Enchanted Forest

We hiked yesterday with our friends Harry and Lucie, and all our kids, and Steve and Sarah Kuhlman, and their short people.  We finally ended up at this awesome labrinth of sand stone.  The stone is soft enough that it has erroded a bunch, and some stones are 40 feet high, and then hallways between.  As you can see, it was cold, but we had warm tea and good friends, so it didn't seem so bad.  The kids got to pick blueberries, which to me is a highlight to any day. 
Picking black berries just isn't the same as blue berries, though I'm guessing if we had blue berries wild in California, I'd like black berries better.  Justus couln't stop imagining.  Between the forests and the castles, he is in imagination heaven!  We have been enjoying his ideas, until it gets about 10pm.
Our friend Harry is a budding photographer, and he took all these fun snaps.  Hope you enjoy them.

Silas was asked to share what was the most meaninful part of Engish Camp this year. I didn't know he was asked to share at church, so I felt panic for him when I heard his name in Czech. Fortunately he didn't have to improvise, as I would have. This photo is of him sharing, and our friend Petr interpreting.

You know he is sharing about Mother Theresa in this photo. About how she did a lot of small things that added up over a lifetime. Silas said that there was nothing more important at camp than the small things we did with great love. I agree. I was in such agreement, I was a bit tear-y when he got back to our pew.

I thought it was a good photo to share today.

It's a Brick House

Here is Justus near Wenceslaus Square in Praugue. He and Scout painted a brick that will be used to build a house for people here with special needs. We paid for the bricks, painted them, and they will be used to build a real house.
Scout was disappointed not to be able to bring the brick back with us to California. I was not disappointed.

Eleven!

Today is the anniversary of my life truly getting interesting.  Amazing and adventurous things are always happening to/for me, but the human experience of having a child, has been divine intervention.  I see folks post that their kid is having a birthday on Facebook, and quickly move to the next post.  Actually it is a very profound thing, celebrating the birth of a person.  I realize that when it is my baby.

Today something is changing beyond that.  It seems the more I am a mom, the less my kids' lives have to do with me.  I am reminded: that is the point of it!

Eleven!  Eleven is when we meet Harry Potter, and Anne Shirley of Green Gables.  Eleven seems to be the age where our adventure starts to have more to do with us, and less to do with who our mom and dad are.

It is my wish for my boy on his 11th birthday, that his adventure will be full of wonder, adventure, redemption, creation and magic!

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy!