These are a few of my favorite things . . .

Traditions are a wonderful thing. During Christmas time, these traditions from the past flood most of my memory. However, since moving to the Czech Republic, these traditions have mostly come to a halt for the soul reason that the people I shared these traditions with are still in America, not here.

For anyone that’s ever moved to a new country, you can relate with me in that you basically start over . . . with everything, including traditions. Thankfully, some of my new traditions are such traditions that I could have only experienced here with my Czech family.

Most of you have heard or seen pictures of our Czech family, the Bartoškovi. If you ever come to visit us in Brno, you will most likely spend a dinner with them in their house or a sunny summer afternoon in their backyard enjoying an amazing BBQ. They love meeting any of our friends and family. They have filled many voids over the last three years. They have taught us many things about the Czech culture, including language, about Christians, and what really NOT to say. They are great and certainly one of my favorite things about this Country. However, they are also responsible for introducing me to something that is also one of my favorite things, but is also now a new tradition.

This will be our 4^th Christmas in the CZ. With the exception of our first December here, I’ve helped them put together many of their Christmas cookies. Now, I know Grandmas around the world do this every Christmas, but you’ve never seen Christmas cookie making until you’ve experienced it with the Bartoškovi. They make a box of assorted cookies for everyone they know, plus have enough to last them until the next year. This has become a fun tradition for me and a priceless learning experience as well.

Anyways, Saturday was the kick off to our Christmas cookie making extravaganza. Sid and I arrived around 9:45 am and left at 4:30 pm. We made gingerbread cookies, which are by far the best gingerbread cookies in the world. No trust me, they are. You don’t know! I can’t count how many cookies we made.

Maybe this story seems a bit long, a bit random, but I tell you this because I’m thankful for the things God has given me to make life here a bit more like “home.” I will surely miss this tradition next Christmas when we’re back in America because it truly is one of my favorite things.

We do a few things of sign language with Sidney. He's showing me in this picture that he wants milk (by squeezing his hands together).

Waiting for a few available pans. (We work really fast)

A boy after his mom's own heart. Sid is dancing to Christmas music here. Who knew my son would love Christmas music and dancing, and together.

Okay, Mirka will kill me for this picture, but it makes me laugh. It has all of us in the picture, which is the most important part. Other then that, it's not my favorite picture.

Sidney is learning young this new tradition and breaking his mom's arm in the process.

Almost done. I'm organizing the finished cookies into the boxes.