Oct 2009

The kids have had a great time playing outside in the cool weather! Cosie even caught a butterfly in our wannabe garden!!!

Christian had his six-month check up and now weighs 18 pounds 14 ounces and measures 27 1/4 inches long. He is sitting up on his own and crawling all around the house! He loves to bounce and when he sees a piece of paper on the ground he crawls super turbo speed to get it and eat it!

Charlie still loves to push his dump truck all around our cul-de-sac and he asks almost every morning if he can take it on the plane to Papa and Kaykee's house. He also loves to play wedding and dancing with Cosie...he wants to wear her dresses and "click shoes" as he calls them which really upsets Adam.

Cosie is so fun and loves doing school! She asks me every day if she can learn to read so we are trying to teach her. She is so dramatic and the other day she rolled her eyes and said, "Charlie is totally weirding me out, Mom!"

Camera Shy

No, My Name is Char Char

Cosie loves to play dress-up and pretend that Charlie is some boy named John to which Charlie always replies, "NO, my name is Char Char!" It is very cute! Here you will see Charlie in dress-up mode and he has really got the "been-partying-all-night-at-a-wedding look down!

Then and Now

I can't believe our baby is 5 months old!

Here is his then and now!

Big Stories

Christian decided to tell some big stories in the middle of the night last night! I am soooo tired! My camera was full so I couldn't record too much of it but here are some clips.

Welcome Christian Berkeley Groza

Christian Berkeley Groza

April 26, 2009, 12:40 p.m.

7 lbs. 12 oz.

Adam and Holly were so surprised by his dark hair since the other kids had no hair except blonde fuzz and Adam was born a blonde! He looks like Adam with darker skin!

Cosie and Charlie meet their little brother!

14-Day Check-up at the Birth Center

Weighed 9 lbs. 12 0z.

Christian getting his footprints on the wall

More of Christian from May through July 4th

Easter 2009

Charlie's Second Birthday

March 20, 2009

Charlie's second birthday was celebrated at home,

the park and the Collins Family home for dinner!

Charlie opening his new tool bench from Grammy

and his Build a Bear doggie from Papa and Kaykee!

Charlie received lots of money, gift cards

and other special gifts - thanks to everyone!

Charlie doing his FAVORITE thing...pushing his Tonka truck around!

Cosie helping to make Charlie's double-layered chocolate cake

At the park

A whole new meaning to Barrel Rolling!

This is out at the Collins property

Singing Happy Birthday and eating the cake

that was mangled on the drive over!

PRAHA MISSION TRIP

Ok, so I went to Prague 2-18 thru 2-22 to take part in an IFES (that is IV in Europe) along with Matt and Valerie Beasley, old friends and IMB missionaries. Below are pictures from the trip:

Below is a picture of me and going counter-clockwise Matt, Valerie, and Whitney

Here is Tom, the IFES leader, and his fiance, Daniella:

During the day the students went skiiing on one of the local slopes in the western region of Karlovy Vary, which is right on the boarder with Germany. Check out the snow!

Some mountain pics:

This is the village of Jakimov where we stayed for the retreat:

Here are some pics of me on the town. Random thumb alert:

Double thumb!

Here is me with a group of students at the retreat. I forget the names, but the girl in the center (blonde hair) is Hanka from the south of Czech Republic near the Austrian border, sitting to her right is Valerie and then Marushka.

Name escapes me, but another college student:

This dude slept next to me, and I mean to say, RIGHT next to me. Good bro, named Vetak (not sure of spelling, but pronounced Vee-tech):

Two awsome college students, Rut and Pavel. Rut works for the Canadian government in Praha and Pavel is a pastor's son and works at a bank. Both are part of the IFES Bible study, and Pavel might come to study abroad at UT, which would be cool:

Matt and Valerie:

The local slope in Jakimov is very inexpensive and so we went snowboarding with some students. I think the lift ticket cost $10 US! Notice the steepness of the slope and the town in the distance. It was Matt's first time snowboarding, and he did very well:

NEW YORK and RHODE ISLAND

New York, New York is a place I have always wanted to go to! This last month Adam had to travel for business to upstate New York and I was able to travel with him. We had so much fun!

New York from the car!

Times Square

First Meal in New York - We chose Indian - YUMMY!

From New York we drove to Rhode Island the first night and stayed in a hotel in Pawtucket. My Great Aunt Alyce and some of here children live in the area so we were able to see her in Lincoln along with two of her daughters, Jeannie and Ally on Sunday.

Holly and Aunt Alyce

Jeannie, Holly, Aunt Alyce and Ally

Holly, Aunt Alyce and Adam

Following an amazing breakfast with family, we worshipped at Hosanna Family Church of Pawtucket. Adam met Pastor Tory MacDonald and his wife, AnnMarie, last summer and they graciously invited Adam to preach. We loved fellowshipping with them and our only regret is that since it was raining we don't have any pictures of the church or this blessed church family. For more info see their website at http://www.hosannafamily.com/

From Rhode Island we drove to Schroon Lake, New York in the evening. The drive was fun except for one short part where we hit a little snow storm. Thankfully it was not too bad!

Adam woked an event in Schroon Lake at the Word of Life Institue and here are some pictures from Schroon...lots and lots of snow!

Maple Leaf Motel

Word of Life Buildings

Schroon Lake

An example of a house at Schroon Lake

After the event was over we decided to drive north to Lake Placid where the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were held. It was really neat to see the sites there. We had to drive on this tiny road and couldn't believe the whole world traveled to Lake Placid for the Olympics. What a neat town!These ski jumps are so impresive in person and we couldn't believe people

actually ski down these things!

Site of the 1980 Miracle on Ice Event where the US men's ice hockey team

beat the USSR team

Some cities have mall walkers but in Lake Placid they have Ice Hockey Rink Walkers!

Dinner in Lake Placid