The Czech Republic with Kids

You hug your husband very tight at Paris' Airport.

And while he flies back to the USA, you take your children home to the Czech Republic to visit babi and deda, cousins and family and everything feels okay because your God is bigger than your fears and worries and you are covered with faithful prayers of your family and friends.  

And the things you do at home are awesome.

You walk a dog every day. Twice a day. Three times a day. And you cannot wait to do it again the next day. Because you are THREE and you LOVE dogs. 

And you hold your grandparents hand and it feels so much better than looking at them through cold computer screen.  

And you are 12 and you get to ride a go cart out in the field. And give your little sister a ride, too. Because you are "da man" when daddy is not around. 

And you are 9 and get to ride a four wheeler all by yourself and pass everyone on the track, older cousin included!  Because you are totally fearless and ready for any fun. 

You are six and wild and full of life and do not want to stay behind. Ever. Period. 

And then you have fun on small boats with your siblings and a cousin and you feel like life is so good. It actually is!

And you help your little sister to get on a zip line and encourage her and she feels like she can do anything!

And you have the best rotisserie chicken in the world, done by deda (papa) in a real fireplace. 

And then you all jump into a hot pool and have fun just being together. 

You take a walk around the village you grew up in and show your children around. Like the pond you used to swim with your friends. No. Not quite like the ocean water. 

And then you visit castle Nove Hrady "Czech Versailles"  and you enjoy it so much better than the real Versailles because there are virtually no crowds.

  

And you can get a bowl of deer goulash in the castle garden restaurant. 

And when your stomach is three size bigger than your mom's. You get roasted pork with dumplings and sauerkraut and you eat it all.  You are in the Czech after all and half Czech yourself.  

And you get lost in a castle maze and found a statue of Stalin. Only in Czech. 

And there are stables and a kind man lets you in to pet the horses. 

You visit a museum of bikes and you find one on display that you remember riding and you are not absolutely sure how to feel about it. While your kids only care about free balloons. 

 And you get to have a nice dessert in a castle sweet shop. Because they are everywhere!  

And you stop on the way back home to feed the deer. 

And then you drive 3 hours North to visit your brother Fanda and his amazing place that is every kid's dream. Because  you get to ride  horses every single day. Bear back or not.  

And play on hay bales and have fun. 

And you get to have your favorite Czech meal in every restaurant you go to. 

And you go fishing for trout in a lake and catch 8 fish for dinner. And you are very proud of yourself and your sisters as well. 

Remember the sweet shops. Yes. On every corner here. Not bad when you are a kid on vacation!!!

And you get to visit ruins of  two castles in one afternoon. And the entire time you cannot wait to be back and ride horses again.

And you roast the trout and apples like your mom did when she was little and you wish this summer would never end. 

And you get to ride horses to the water in the evening. 

And you drive 3 hours on a hot day to visit your only grandma and take her to a graveyard since she no longer can walk there by herself. And you show your children where their ancestors are buried and they rejoice knowing their great grandma knows the Lord. And her heart melts when she hugs the children and she is overjoyed even though they ate all her cake and a crate of fresh pears. Because, you know, we don't get them in Hawaii.

 And it is so hard to say goodbye because you are not sure if you see each other again. 

Then you are back at the ranch and you put yourself to work because every fun costs something. 

 The girl and her horse. Love at the first sight! 

You have absolutely no problem sleeping at the ranch. 

Saying goodbyes are the hardest. 

And  you are back in the highlands and you visit another castle because they are everywhere and that is what you do when you are on vacation. You are castle-wholic after all. This time your brother and his family joins you on an adventure.

And you walk once again through lavishly furnished "I Can Live Here" rooms. 

And you take family photos in rose gardens.

With your funny cousins.

And you visit another sweet shop and have your all time favorite cake. 

This! It's called a Parisian Cake. Yum! 

And you visit a friends' farm and feed the cows and pet millions of cats and you get to ride in a bumpy carriage and you feel like a princess and are totally scared (Lucie).  

And you visit an outdoor museum with old houses showing you how people used to live 100 years ago.

And you try a Czech made violin in 1920 and it sounds so beautiful. 

And it makes you so hungry you have to have another piece of cake. 

And then you have to say goodbye once again and you cry on the way to Prague's airport. 

And you have one last dinner in Paris before flying out back to Hawaii the next day. And you eat like king because you know the next 24 hours will be, you know,  airplane food. 

And you lend and get beautiful leis from dad and are so thankful you made it back home where you can have purple sweet potatoes once again (Charlotte). 

And you thank the Lord for his provision and for this amazing trip. 

Japan 2019 here we come!