Baby Emus!!!

Are they too cute or what?? Last weekend the Jacobs family headed south for a family reunion in Pine Mountain, Georgia (pronounced "Piehhn Mownnn Joja"). While there we also toured the Animal Safari!! We saw a momma Emu with these babies walking the trail! McGee Family Reunion
My dad's mother's side of the family - the McGees - organizied the reunion. It was nice to see some cousins and aunts and uncles that we haven't seen for a long time, as well as to meet lots of new little cousins.:) (And of course, we had fun showing off Kaden too!) I always enjoy spending time with the McGee family....partly because we see "eye to eye" on a lot of things. :-) The McGee side is where the height comes from. So my uncle George who was 6'6'' and my dad who's 6'5'' owe their great stature to the McGees. I, too, have been told that I exhibit above average height, but I feel right at home when talking with fellow McGees. It's nice to not have to look down on people (ha, ha, ha).

Wild Kingdom!
Some of these shots from the safari are a little hard to make out. We were trying to take shots while IN the van so it was hard to get much distance between us and the camera. In this first one, a gregarious Giraffe is happy to put her head in Jim's lap while getting some treats.I've never seen my mother hop so fast as when this steer stuck his tongue in her window. It's hard to tell but she is more than half way OFF her bucket seat. My brother and I were quick to offer some support so she didn't fall on the floor. I'm not sure why mom was so jumpy! It looks like a very friendly steer to me!! :-D Kaden wasn't too sure about this safari thing at first, but before long he warmed up to the idea. He even fed a llama, an elk, some deer and some goats! (Llama pictured below).
Lastly, my dad got some good shots of a colt zebra prancing about....


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Dirty Laundry??

Kaden was a big help around the house today!


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My GOLB Part 2 and Save the Seagulls!!

Okay, I think if I share a couple more updates and some video, I'll have you all caught up!

Update #5 is it?? Okay, here goes...
Update #5
On Sunday, March 30th, Kaden was baptised and Mike and I were chrismated into the Orthodox Christian church. It was a great day. As most of you know, Mike and I have been Christians most of our lives. We were fortunate to grow up in loving homes that taught us the importance of church and a relationship with God. We've both been to many different Christian churches, found things we liked and didn't...things that seemed to fit and others that didn't. So why the Orthodox church? Well....I guess I'd say you'd have to ask God. :-) We both feel that God has led us to this place and that this is the church where we should be worshipping Him and raising up our children. :) Many of you already know "the story", but Mike was reading some ancient Christian writings (I'm talking stuff from hundreds and hundreds of years ago) purely out of interest/amusement. But then he stumbled on some things about the Orthodox that really stood out to him....like this was the original church that the disciples and their disciples and their disciples were part of. I'll spare you the details, but over time we both found that we needed to pray, research, and seek God's leading about this church. It was not something to be ignored or forgotten.

So here we are. Its been over 2 1/2 years of praying, researching and waiting. Now it's time to commit or "fahgetaboutit". So we've been committed! I mean uh.... :-D Its been quite a journey to get to this point, but we are very thankful to God for how He has led us to this place. Our prayer and hope is that this will compel us to humble ourselves, be more mindful of our own failings, and seek God with a fierce love and faith until the end of our days. :-D

As always, Kaden did great. He wasn't that crazy about the baptism but our priest, Father Peter, did a great job (and he loves Father Peter :) ). Here's a picture after the baptism: And now for some video!!! Here are some shots from our recent trip to Destin. Enjoy!!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksLooking for a hot babe on the beach...


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And last but not least, Seagulls, run for your lives!!!

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Tippy Toes and my GOLB Part 1

The past several weeks have been quite busy! Sorry I got a bit lax on the blogging!! To make up for it, I have several updates. Today I'll post pictures and tomorrow I'll try to get some video posted. Notice that these updates will be backwards and therefore, my GOLB (that's Blog backwards for you slower types... :) )Update #1
A couple weeks ago we went to Destin, Florida for a long weekend with my parents. We met up with some friends who are adopting a beautiful little girl from Guatemala named Kylie (Please pray for her to come home soon!!). Our friends noticed that Kaden only seems to use his tippy toes when walking on the beach. I thought it was quite cute as well as artistic of him!

We had a great time at the beach. Kaden has NO fear of the sand, water, or seagulls. In fact, he tried to catch a few to keep as pets... Update #2
Kaden continues to grow and flourish.....despite his parents subjecting him to some uh...pain. It is not customary in Guatemala to circumcise infant boys, but we decided it was best for our little guy so the deed was done yesterday. He's doing great and singing "the wheels on the bus"...(or at least his "la la blah blah" version) as I write this. :)

Update #3
Jumping back a week, we had Easter!!!! Say what?? Yes, that's right...we celebrated Easter on April 27th and it was great! In update #5, you will learn that we recently joined the Orthodox Church of America (OCA). The Orthodox calendar is different from the Protestant/American calendar. Don't ask me to explain it...but one thing I do know is that Orthodox Easter will ALWAYS come after Passover, never before.

SO , anyway, our church had a ton of services, it got tiring at times, but it was also one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. Kaden was quite a trooper, lasting through so much. They do an amazing job of honoring Christ's crucifixion and ressurrection. I'm thankful God gave us the endurance to participate and celebrate the Easter services. I even read some scripture in french! Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is risen!! Le Christ est ressuccite!!

Update #4
About a month ago, we did a play date with some Atlanta friends who also have an adorable son from Guatemala. Jadon graciously shared his toys with Kaden and even let Fezzi lick on him some! :)

Kaden and Jadon

Jessica and Jadon (and Fezzi)

More to come with my GOLB updates...