Forecast: 87 degrees and sunny

While Prague is enduring single-digit temperatures right now, Phil is leaving on Tuesday for Kenya for a week-long leaders retreat with World Harvest Mission. It felt strange packing shorts and a bathing suit, but it is literally in the high 80s there.

Shanna and the kids are staying in Prague, which is quite a shame for the beach- and sun-loving California girl to be stuck in these icy conditions. I've promised her a fun trip of her own in the near future - details to be forthcoming.

The retreat in Kenya will hopefully be a great time for Phil to meet and strategize with the other team leaders of World Harvest's locations. This is an annual conference and the first one that we've been able to participate in.

Lucy says that Daddy is going to Purple, because that's the color of Kenya on her world map placemat that she has.

Future Thelma and Louise

The Stone family (Jon, Emily, Eloise, and baby Lillian) came over last night for dinner and hanging out. (See their blog on the link on the left) Eloise and Lucy had fun, as always. Girls just wanna have fun...

Care Package

One of the two packages that awaited our return was from our old Bible study group in Charlotte. Every Christmas they have a "White Elephant" gift exchange, where the gifts are not exactly the things you'd want to get. This year the group must have decided they really didn't want any of them, because they sent us an entire box full of White Elephant gifts!

You can see here that one person's junk is another's treasure...

We love to wear our reindeer antlers, listen to William Hung's CD of songs to relax to, play with the small rubber Crazy Chicken, look at our Starbucks card that we can't use, read our book about "How to Train Your Man" (Shanna likes that one), and eat on our new Smiley Face paper products.

Feel the love!

Phil the Grinch

We're now back in Prague, still re-adjusting to the time change, traffic, snow, and stairs. We were welcomed back with a fresh casserole in our fridge thanks to Laura, a pile of Christmas cards, and 2 packages from our friends - more on this later.

We had already cleaned up the house from Christmas, but we've been wanting to post this picture. No, Phil has not turned sour at the commercialization of Christmas in Prague. We had heard that people got rid of their trees by throwing them out the window after Christmas, to be eventually picked up by "people." Although this was never really confirmed, it sounded like a good idea, especially for lazy people like me. Making sure no one was below, I shoved our tree out the window, watched it fall 3 stories, and then quickly covered up the evidence (dragged it up the street to the nearest trash can in the cover of darkness).

The mysterious "people" must have come by, because I've seen lots of Christmas tree needles on the sidewalks but no trees. Three cheers for lazy people! (Rather, just make that one cheer.)

Mimi's house

We went to see Mimi one more time before we left, at her retirement community. After convincing Lucy not to run in the halls so that no one was knocked down, we found her room. Mimi had two teddy bears ready for Lucy and Clark to play with, but they enjoyed the giant shoe horn and the "grabber" much more. Lucy tested her grabbing skills by picking up items off the floor with this claw-like device.

We also sang our family rendition of "This Little Light of Mine," and Mimi counted Lucy's ribs, a Davis tickle tradition.

Fastest Drawer in the South

Our friends the Shoemakes came over last night for a late Christmas celebration. Padgett, pictured below next to Lucy, had already baby-sat for us once. She is now officially Lucy's hero as Lucy received from her this handmade crayon apron, already stocked with crayons. Very cool.

The boys and the girls

Family picture time outside. We've loved our time in Richmond!

Sit and Salad-Spin

The biggest hit at Papa and Yaya' s house? Not the new Christmas toys. Not the hundreds of children's books. The salad spinner. I guess that's why we've been singing, "O Come Lettuce Adore Him."

Yaya's birthday

Lucy helped Papa bake a cake (i.e. just add water and mix) for Yaya's birthday. It was almost as fun as eating it.

Hanging with Mimi

Lucy and Clark's great-grandmother Mimi came over for dinner last night. Mimi is about 92 times older than Clark is, but they walk at about the same speed. Lucy let Mimi wear her plastic ring during dinner.

Friends and Foos'

Our close friends from Charlotte, Lindsey and Kara, made the big drive up to Richmond to see us while we're here. Lindsey is an assistant pastor at Uptown Church, like Phil was B.P. (before Prague). They came with their newest family member, Marion, who is 3 months old. Clark has already started the courtship process with her. Lindsey and myself picked up right where we left off - competing against each other in mostly non-athletic sports. We played several DOZEN games of foosball, before Lindsey acknowledged my domination and went home crying. It must be all that soccer I've been watching in Prague.
It was truly great to see them while we were here.

More train pics

Come on ride the train

The mall also has a nice train for kids - but it's much slower than the Prague trams.

Shop 'til you drop

We've taken full advantage of the familiar shops and malls here in the States. Target, Gap, Old Navy, Target, Banana Republic, and Target have been our favorites.






We went shopping for shoes a few days ago and got Clark some of his own big-boy shoes. Miss Peggy, who helped Phil get some of his first shoes when he was a wee little one, still works at the same place - she hooked Clark up with some cool ones. They seem to be magical because his walking has improved exponentially since he got them, and he walks all the time now. And we mean ALL the time. The boy is Forrest Gump.