the kolonich casa

Josiah's Pre-School Christmas Program

2009-12-24T12:28:00.000-06:00

Ordination & Installation

2009-06-15T07:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a humbling day. Eric was ordained as a pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Immediately following his ordination, he was then installed as pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. We felt very blessed to have so many family members join us for this momentous occasion. You can check out some photos from the service here or in the side bar!

We Made It!

2009-06-12T07:31:00.005-05:00

We have made it to Manitowoc, Wisconsin! Eric will be ordained and installed on Sunday, June 14 at the 9 AM service. Check out the pictures of Redeemer Lutheran Church in the side bar! Josiah got a kick out of trying on a "cheese head" in one of the local stores! I think he will fit right in! Our home is coming along nicely. We feel very spoiled to have Lake Michigan views from our living room and bedroom!!! We are enjoying our close proximity to the lake shore, and the wonderful pleasant weather. Pictures will be coming soon!

New Digs...

2009-05-30T06:55:00.003-05:00

Well, we are getting ready to move.... AGAIN!!! We will have been married 8 years this August and in those 8 years we will have moved 8 times! However this move has us beginning a new chapter in our lives, and we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to put down some "roots".

If you would like our new address and phone number information, send us an email and we would be happy to share it with you. ejkolonich@gmail.com

We decided not to buy a house right away in Manitowoc. We want to get to know the area before we make that kind of decision. We feel blessed though, to have found an awesome rental/duplex with a view of Lake Michigan thanks to some new friends! It will be smaller than what we are used to currently, but it will be adequate for our needs at this time.

We have 3 more days until the moving truck arrives... so perhaps I should stop blogging and start packing!

A Chapter Closes...

2009-05-24T13:29:00.005-05:00

Seminary is complete! On Friday, May 22 Eric graduated from Concordia Seminary. In the morning, they held the theological diploma service. At this service, Eric received certification from the seminary to serve Redeemer Lutheran Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin as an Associate Pastor. Later in the evening, commencement services were held. At this service, Eric received his Masters of Divinity degree. It has been a long road to finally get to this point in our lives.

Pictures have been posted! See them here!

We are now gearing up to close this chapter in our lives. Tuesday, June 2 is moving day! We will be heading up to Manitowoc, Wisconsin to begin the next chapter of our lives.

Eric will be ordained and installed at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Sunday, June 14 at the 9:00 AM worship service.

We would like to thank all family and friends who have prayed for us and supported us in many and various ways throughout the course of our time here at seminary. You have all been a tremendous blessing to our lives! May God Bless You All!!!

Redeemer Lutheran Church: Manitowoc, Wisconsin

2009-04-23T06:29:00.003-05:00

Last night, Eric received his first call into the pastoral ministry. He will be serving as an associate pastor for Redeemer Lutheran Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. We are extremely excited and are eager to begin this new chapter in our lives.

However, graduation is still a month away... May 22!

One Week Away!!!

2009-04-15T09:57:00.002-05:00

The past few months have been extremely busy. The month of March was spent preparing our house to sell. We moved things to storage, worked on some minor repairs, and painted virtually every room in our house. Our house was officially on the market on April 1. The trick now is keeping the house clean and ready for a house showing at "anytime"! We have had 5 house showings and a realtor showing. So far no bites on our house yet. We trust that God is in control, and will bring forth the right buyer in his perfect timing.

Meanwhile, another HUGE event is coming up in our lives: CALL DAY is April 22 at 7:00 PM CST! Merely a week away now!

For those of you unfamiliar to the process: Call Day is the day at the seminary when all concluding year students receive their first placements for the pastoral or deaconess office. This is the culmination of my seminary education. During the past year we have undergone several interviews with the seminary placement office and various churches across the country. The seminary placement director works specifically with churches and LCMS District presidents to find matches for all the candidates, and of course they all spend a lot of time in prayer seeking God's direction. If you are interested you can read the press release on the Concordia Seminary webpage.

You will also be able to listen and/or watch the service LIVE via the Internet. Simply tune into the seminary web page. http://www.csl.edu/Resources_CallDay2009.aspx

As you may be able to tell, we are very excited for this day to come. We are excited to find out where God will be using us in His ministry. We are also very excited to be able to settle down somewhere and put down some roots. In August, we will have been married for 8 years. In these 8 years, we have moved 8 times!!! In fact just the other day, we were imagining what it would be like to be in the same place for several years without an "end date" in sight!

A Sad Day....

2009-01-21T07:26:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to a long-time friend and companion, Toby. Over the past 6-9 months he had been struggling and would get sick frequently. We discovered that he was suffering from pancreatic issues, either cancer or acute on chronic pancreatitis. We decided that it was time to say goodbye. We did not want him to suffer any longer, nor did we want to watch him slowly deteriorate (he was always a very fastidious dog).

We are all coping and adjusting to the loss of our friend, including our younger dog, Nyah. Josiah is slowly understanding. One of Josiah's questions yesterday was:

"Does Jesus have hands to pet Toby?"

Toby was a wonderful, faithful, loyal companion and friend.

He will be sorely missed.

(4/15/1998~1/20/2009)

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T21:22:00.003-06:00

Christmas 2008-- It is hard to believe that it is already here!

Josiah is at a great age for Christmas. He has waited very patiently to open the presents under the tree. It has been very exciting for him with Christmas cards and packages coming in the mail. You can begin to see the excitement bubble over.

Tonight, we went to a Family Christmas service. Josiah enjoyed the children's message and we are proud to say that he could have (and he did) answer every question the pastor asked about Christmas. He knew that the baby Jesus born on Christmas is the same Jesus who later died on the cross to pay for all of our sins. After the pastor mentioned this, he proceeded to point out to us every cross he saw in the sanctuary.

We are very proud to see that the things we have taught him have actually sunk in!!!

On a different, yet similar subject...

While in Japan, we came to love a tradition that we learned about our first Christmas in Japan: Christmas Cake. All of the bakeries would have Christmas Cakes in the display windows and they always looked so delicious (even if they were made out of plastic!). We could never afford the really nice cakes you bought at a bakery, but we began to make our very own Christmas cake. Virtually all the Christmas cakes came decked out with strawberries.

Today, Jennifer and Josiah made our very own Christmas Cake. And now Christmas cake has another meaning for our household: it has also become a birthday cake for Jesus.

After church we came home and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. Josiah loved the cake--mostly just the homemade icing and strawberries.

We wish our family and friends all over the world a Very Merry Christmas! We pray that all of you are able to celebrate the joyous and miraculous birth of our Savior Jesus Christ who came to this earth to save us all from our sins.

God loved the world this way: He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life. ~John 3:16

神を愛し、この方法は、世界：彼は誰もが彼の死にはしないだろうが、永遠の命があるだろうと考えている彼の唯一の息子だった。〜ヨハネ3:16

Recent Videos...

2008-12-15T10:37:00.002-06:00

Here are two recent videos of Josiah... enjoy!

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-05T20:29:00.002-06:00

Josiah was eager to start decorating for Christmas, so we began this evening. We really liked this picture we took of him, and thought we would share. More pictures can be found in our photo gallery. Look for the link to the right.

Jedi Josiah

2008-12-03T09:03:00.005-06:00

We are safe and protected here in St. Louis. We are now in the presence of a Jedi--Jedi Josiah. However, he prefers that you just call him "Jedi". I guess we need to respect his authority!

It is hard to believe that it is already December. Winter quarter began on Monday for Eric. This means that we are now 140 days 8 hours and 51 minutes until Call Day, and 169 days 20 hours and 51 minutes until graduation.

Cowboy Josiah

2008-10-31T20:12:00.002-05:00

Josiah went trick-or-treating tonight for the first time. He had a blast, and was looking forward to it all day.

All on his own, he decided he wanted to be a cowboy. We are unsure where the idea came from, but he was determined to be a cowboy. He even got a treat from a fellow trick-or-treater for his "adorable" costume. :-)

So what else is new, you may ask... it has been a while.

Well, we have been a "sick household" over the month of October. Josiah began the month with one ear infection, and soon after came down with a double ear infection later on in the month. Then, Jen came down with bronchitis and a sinus infection. Now, as Jen is recovering, it is Eric's turn at the cold. However, Eric does not seem to have it as bad though. We hope that November will be a more healthy month for the Kolonich Casa.

Last week, we had our placement meetings at the seminary as we get ready for Call Day on April 22, 2009. Those of you who are unfamiliar with the process--Call Day is that day that we find out WHERE Eric's first church will be. (172 DAYS TO GO in case you were wondering!) YES, this means we have ONE MORE MOVE in our foreseeable future. We are anxious to find out where we will be, and we are anxious to stay-put for a while!

Pictures from Josiah's 3rd Birthday

2008-09-21T20:13:00.002-05:00

Below you will find some pictures from Josiah's 3rd Birthday party as well as some photos from a great day at the Missouri Botanical Gardens on Saturday.
You can also view these photos if you click here.

Happy Birthday Josiah!

2008-09-19T08:16:00.003-05:00

Today, Josiah is 3 years old.

Happy Birthday Josiah!!!

Is Mommy Home?

2008-09-10T19:03:00.009-05:00

We wanted to share with everyone two of our favorite pictures of our kids. The first picture was taken today, September 10, and the second picture was taken May 31, 2007. As you can see, Josiah is growing up to be a big little boy. In fact, in 9 days we will be celebrating his 3rd birthday. (You may also be able to see that Nyah has lost some much needed weight from this picture as well!)

Everyday, Josiah takes his vitamin so that he will "Grow to be tall and strong so I can ride Papa's motorcycle" This is a direct quote from Josiah every time he takes his vitamins. Papa Schwan has visited us since our return to St. Louis on two different occasions and both occasions he came on his motorcycle... thus Josiah's motivation to take his vitamins. In fact, when Josiah saw these pictures he was very excited to see the progress towards riding the motorcycle.

Classes started on Monday for Eric. Only 29.5 weeks of classes left!!! But who is counting??!? He is taking 4 classes this quarter that works out to be 11 credits: Systematics IV, The Holy Spirit, Biblical Theology and Marriage and Family Counseling.

Josiah is adjusting well to his daycare situation. It is only part-time, while Eric is in classes. He enjoys the change of scenery and the time to play with the other children. He also enjoys the quality time he has with momma when she gets home from work - he tells her all about the adventures he had that day with Daddy, and then shows her the new play games they've come up with while she was at work. For her part, Jen loves this time with her boys every evening!

Playing Church

2008-08-12T13:49:00.000-05:00

Over the past few days, Josiah has been playing church. It is complete with the bells ringing (doyng, doyng doyng) which calls everyone to church. He dresses up by putting his tie on and sometimes a vest; he sings his own song "Savior Jesus" which is just that refrain over and over again; we receive communion, he receives a blessing, and we give the peace of the Lord, and he actually says "Peace of the Lord". In this picture Josiah is playing church with "mommy tiger" in his bedroom.

When Josiah plays church, his house is next to the church. This gave us the clue that this is probably a coping mechanism for him.... as our "old house" was right next door to the church.

Josiah is adjusting to our "new/old" situation very well, but there are some days when he is just sad, and cannot verbalize his feelings. I say "new/old" because everything is back to the same way it was before we moved to Connecticut for vicarage: same

house, mommy working full-time and daddy staying at

home.

God has been good to all of us in these times of adjustment and c

hange. We have been showered with many blessings from God. We could not ask for anything more!

The second picture is Josiah all dressed up this past Sunday, ready to go to church!!!

8-8-08 ... Beijing 北京 Olympics

2008-08-08T20:30:00.006-05:00

For those of you who watched the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, you might remember the opening piece of the 2008 drummers. Josiah really enjoyed watching and participating with the drummers... to make 2009 drummers!

Today was also a special day, Grandma & Grandpa Kolonich arrived from Michigan for a visit. They came bearing an "early" birthday gift for Josiah: a Radio Flyer Wagon. He loved going for a spin in "his park" otherwise known as ou

r backyard.

"Josiah's Park" AKA our backyard is currently a huge haven for mosquitos. Only a few minutes in our backyard will warrant several red spots around your ankles. On the list this weekend, we will be searching for some remedies for this situation.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

2008-08-04T08:48:00.003-05:00

In Japan, the traditional summer wear is a yukata. Here you see Josiah modeling one of his yukatas. Josiah has a few yukata's thanks to "our family" in Japan. Today in St. Louis, the temperature is going to reach the triple digits: 100 degrees F or 37 C! Sounds like a day to stay in the Air Conditioning! St. Louis is a great city for "free activities". Yesterday, we took Josiah to the St. Louis Zoo, which is one of those free activities. He had an agenda: giraffes, zebras and elephants. We were able to see all three... plus some extras along the way!

Back in STL!

2008-08-03T08:16:00.004-05:00

We made it back to St. Louis! We are getting settled in quickly. Josiah has done well at what he calls "our new house". Earlier last week, Josiah was upset that his play guitar was at the "old house". We made a trek downstairs to search for his guitar in one of the many boxes filled with his toys. He was very happy to discover that all his toys traveled with him!!! He is adjusting quite well--a few rough patches here and there, but nothing to write home about.

This picture is of Josiah sitting in our new Hitchcock rocking chair, a gift from our vicarage congregation: St. Paul's in New Hartford, Connecticut. It fits perfectly in our living room.

Jen began work on Wednesday, and is happy with her new job as physical therapist at a sub-acute rehab facility. It will be filled with many new challenges. Her commute, however is a little challenging--3 minutes!

Classes for Eric do not start until September 8.

God has blessed us in many and abundant ways.

Moving Time Again!!

2008-07-25T21:12:00.002-05:00

Yes, you're seeing correctly - Josiah is in a boxful of packing peanuts. Mommy was working hard at packing, sorting and, as always seems to accompany moving, throwing things away. Josiah wanted to play, and Mommy asked if he could play by himself for a little while. Shortly, Mommy heard subdued chaos and went to investigate - the photo captures what she stumbled upon. Josiah was thoroughly entertained, and had great fun UNpacking all the packing peanuts! It was a great moment of brevity for Mommy and son... :-) Although this time, preparing to move has been fairly low stress, as Mommy and Daddy finally learned to ask our Lord to help sustain us during this week... amazing how long some lessons are taught before being learned!!

Josiah also discovered (as seen with him in the box) several water guns. Daddy, of course, had to introduce the fact that they actually HOLD and SQUIRT water to Josiah, who then had a blast soaking Daddy thoroughly (albeit while being soaked himself). The dogs ran for cover, as water seems to be akin to acid to them... :-) They will eagerly brave any water, though, once they are confident of their place in the moving truck, right beside Daddy!!

Eric's vicarage is officially complete on Sunday. He will give his final sermon on Sunday, and we will head out of town Sunday afternoon. We are hoping to be back in St. Louis Monday evening. Jen will be starting work on Wednesday, while Eric and Josiah begin unpacking the boxes. (But it looks like someone is already practicing that one!)

Hong Kong Highlights

2008-05-15T15:25:00.002-05:00

After almost a month, I have finally put together a slideshow of pictures from our Hong Kong Mission Trip.
I hope you are able to enjoy them!

How Beautiful The Feet...

2008-04-23T05:19:00.005-05:00

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" ~Isaiah 52:7

On Monday, April 21 Eric returned from Hong Kong after leading an 11 day mission trip. Eric led a group of 6 others from St. Paul's to Hong Kong. Their mission was teaching English as a Foreign language (EFL) and relationship building to High School students at Ma Chan Duen Hey Memorial College in Hong Kong. The experience was amazing and uplifting. The team had the pleasure of witnessing the work of the Holy Spirit in many amazing ways. One of the many highlights to this mission trip was watching the hearts of the team members change in many and various ways.

It was difficult to leave all of our newly made friends in Hong Kong, but it brings me comfort and joy to know that we left them in the care of our Savior Jesus Christ. His hands are more capable than our own.

Me Awake! Church?

2008-03-23T17:39:00.003-05:00

Josiah woke up at 3:30 AM this morning saying: "Me Awake! Church?" Let me first fill in the back story: before he went to bed, mom-mom read him an Arch book with the Easter story, telling him that when he got up in the morning, we would go to church to thank Jesus for what he did. Well, he must not have heard or understood the "morning" part; he just understood the "when he got up" part. So, at the wee hour of 3:30 AM, he is proudly and loudly declaring as noted above: "Me Awake!!" and when I went in to his room, he smiled and added: "Church?" He was certain Dee was already at work (what he calls it when Eric goes to church to prep for a service), so I had to let him in on the fact that Dee was actually still asleep, it was still night-night time, and we would not go to church just yet. I finally got him to lie back down and drift off toward sleep once more. But wow! What awesome excitement in someone so young to go to church to thank Jesus! What an example to emulate...

Splish Splash!

2008-02-18T17:02:00.003-06:00

Today was a mild and rainy day. The temperature was 55 degrees (13 degrees Centigrade). We got out Josiah's rainboots that we picked up last year on clearance, and he had a great time splashing around in the puddles.

2007: Our Year In Pictures

2007-12-31T08:43:00.000-06:00

We have compiled 100 of our favorite photos from the year 2007. It has been a year of many changes. We began the year in St. Louis, Missouri and we are ending the year in New Hartford, Connecticut. Josiah began 2007 just barely walking, and now he is walking and running everywhere! Josiah began 2007 saying very little, and now he is talking all the time.
2008 promises to be a year full of even more changes!

Happy New Year!!!

A Winter Wonderland

2007-12-14T19:30:00.000-06:00

Greetings from a very snowy New England! Yesterday we experienced our first New England winter storm. Apparently, when they dump as much snow as this one did, they decide to name the storms. This particular storm was named Alexander. We had about a foot of snow fall between 11am and 7 pm yesterday.

To add to the adventure, Jennifer's parents flew in yesterday morning. They landed just as Winter Storm Alexander was beginning to hit full force. It then took us almost 3 hours to get back to New Hartford, a trip that should only take 30 minutes.

Josiah has been asking for snow for over a month, so he was very happy to see that the snow was finally falling from the sky. This year, Josiah likes snow. He enjoyed riding around in his new sled (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Kolonich), clamoring around the piles of snow, and eating snow. Unfortunately, the snow was not good for making a snowman--which is one of Josiah's favorite things right now.

Another highlight of today was that Eric was able to go snowboarding for the first time. He and Dad Schwan went this afternoon. They had a blast, and spent a lot of time getting to know the mountain on a personal basis. (at least Eric Did) They are proud to say that their last run down the "learning hill" which was a very decent hill was successful and resulted in no falls. Eric did have one rather painful fall, that people heard from quite a distance. No broken bones, but a very sore neck. (whip-lash) Thankfully, Jen with her PT background and experience should be able to help with the recovery process. Hope you all are having a blessed Advent Season!

A Blessed Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T12:34:00.000-06:00

Hello to all, and a blessed thanksgiving to each of you. We just finished cleaning up from our meal, of which Josiah readily partook this year - yeah! He discovered that EVERYTHING tastes better with a little gravy on it. :-) He is now napping, and we might follow suit soon. First, though, we wanted to take a moment to reflect, as you probably all are doing as well, on the many blessings in life.
Of course, family and friends are at the top of the list... the church family we are surrounded by here in New Hartford... all of the daily items that are so richly provided from our Lord's hand... but most of all, for the forgiveness and hope that we have in Jesus, so freely given through his death and resurrection! Thanks to Jesus for the peace and joy we have now, knowing that what we can experience here in this life is but a taste of what awaits us in heaven with our Lord. We pray that the reassurance of life eternal may also rest with you, and top your Thanksgiving list!

Josiah's Speedy Descent

2007-10-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

Josiah has a speedy way of descending down the stairs in our home. Check out these short videos to see how he does it!!! At the end of both videos Eric calls Josiah a "little thief". The reason is that he likes to steal the tab from Eric's clerical shirts.
By the way, today is Josiah's 25 month birthday!!!

Fun in the Foliage

2007-10-18T08:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we had a spectacular day to go out and play in the leaves. We had unseasonably warm weather, hitting above the 70 degree mark with clear, sparkling blue skies and warm sunshine. It was a perfect afternoon, and we all wanted to be outside (dogs of course included). We found a rake and built up a huge pile of leaves, almost as tall as Josiah! He cautiously forayed into the fringes, then grew bolder (with encouragement from mommom [translation: mom] and dee [translation: dad]) and finally ended up jumping in, throwing around leaves, lying down and allowing himself to be buried, and generally having a blast! He enjoyed burying mommom (one of mom's many names) in the leaves, and throwing them with (and at!) dee. It was a wonderful time, and, as always, a joy to watch our son explore and learn about his world. We now have some more photos from which we will choose his "2 year old" photos... we were able to catch some of his very typical expressions, be they thoughtful, uncertain, happy... we just thank God for Josiah and the opportunities He gives us to watch our son flourish. May you all have blessed fall days as this was for us!

A gorgeous fall day...

2007-10-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

It is, simply put, a gorgeous fall day here in New England. The breeze is cool with a slight bite to it, the sunshine yet warming, a sweatshirt perfect... what could be better?
I am working on Josiah's baby book, and want to elicit any memories from the past year that you would like included in the book. I have decided that our memories are not fool-proof, and, in order to have a well-rounded book for our precious boy, would like input from our family and friends! So, ponder and then please share... Thanks!!

Josiah's 2 Year Photos

2007-09-24T16:52:00.001-05:00

Today was a gorgeous day! Perfect start to fall - happy fall, everyone! The air was cool, the sunshine brilliant and warm. The sky was the blue we dreamed of during the hot humid days in St. Louis when the sky was a pale, milky version... :-) We took a short trip north of us to a reservoir in Peoples State Forest. The dogs were indescribably ecstatic to get to go along, and Josiah had a blast running after them, and even managing their leashes (albeit when they were quite worn out)! You can see their fatigue in the lengths of their tongues...

In between spurts of running, Josiah discovered a new passion - climbing! Well, OK, that isn't really new, but he discovered that those funny-looking things poking out of the ground (otherwise known as rocks) can be quite the conquest to climb, and then slide down! Eric was quick with the camera, and managed to capture some great moments that we will be using as his 2-year-old photos. Being able to get up to the reservoir renewed our determination to get out and about more this fall while the weather is still agreeable. It is such a blessing to be so close to some great parks, trails, and picnic grounds! There will also be some wonderful Kodak moments later this fall, I am sure, when fall color peaks. We are looking forward to the glorious exhibition of God's handiwork that will be!

Of course, this afternoon's adventure wiped out our boy, so bedtime was 7:30 this evening... and mom and dad's isn't too far away! :-) ha! We hope that these photos give you a glimpse of the joy of the afternoon, and the wonderful refreshment to our souls and bodies that it was... may you likewise find a place of refreshment in our Lord's gorgeous world!

Happy 2nd Birthday Josiah!!!

2007-09-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

Today, we celebrated Josiah's second birthday. In the morning, Josiah got to open up all his presents and he did a very good job doing so. He enjoys ripping all the paper off the presents. After church, we had a small party and people from church came to our house to celebrate. Jennifer made two cakes, and worked very hard at decorating them. She did a wonderful job.
Josiah is growing by leaps and bounds. He is saying more and more words that we can actually understand! He has a mouth full of teeth and has made many friends here in Connecticut.

Life as a vicar is going well for Eric and has kept him very busy. He is preaching every Wednesday night at the mid-week services. He is also preaching about 2 times a month on Sundays. He has a lot of other responsibilities, but we will not bore you with the list. All we can say is that God has been very good to us, and our vicarage placement has been a perfect fit for us.
Jennifer is enjoying the opportunity to stay at home with Josiah. She has already tried her hand at cooking ethnic cuisine. She has done very well with both Thai and Greek dishes! (Not to mention Josiah's birthday cakes, as you can see...)

All is well...

2007-08-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

We have been in Connecticut for almost three weeks now and we are all doing well. We have settled into our home and have figured out some routines. The first couple weeks were a challenge with Josiah and adjusting to new surroundings, but now he is doing very well. Jen is really enjoying being able to stay at home with Josiah. Soon we will post photos of our church and home.

Vicarage is going great thus far for Eric. He preached his first sermon on August 19, and is now in charge of the messages for the Wednesday night services. Eric has a great supervisor, and looks forward to learning many things from him this year. They have already developed a very good relationship with each other.

On Friday we took a little road trip to Kent, CT where we visited Kent Falls State Park and toured some of the scenic roads in Litchfield County. Connecticut is a very beautiful state. When fall arrives in all its splendor it will be breathtaking. You can see photos from our trip on our photo web page.

Long Island Sound

2007-08-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

Below are pictures of our first excursion in Connecticut. We went to Long Island Sound. This was also Josiah's first time at a beach and his first experience at the "ocean". Technically this is not the ocean, but it is still salt water!

No longer Eric, but Vicar Kolonich

2007-08-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today, Eric was installed as Vicar at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Hartford, Connecticut. Pictures from the installation service are below. Eric begins regular duties as Vicar Kolonich tomorrow (8/13/2007).

Everything is going well. We are moved in; boxes unpacked; and we are settled into our new home. Josiah is doing great. He was excited to see that his toys made the move and were unloaded off the truck. He was also happy to have his crib again...he slept until 9am our first night here!

Ah Man!!!

2007-07-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

Whenever something goes wrong, Josiah likes to say "Ah, Man!" Here is a short video of him doing just that! Enjoy!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2007-07-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

Josiah attended his first baseball game yesterday evening. One of Jen's co-workers gave us some great tickets right along the first baseline! This was also our first time to visit the new Busch Stadium since it was completed in Spring of 2006.
We had a great time and really enjoyed actually being able to see the action happening on the field, rather than being in the nose-bleeds. The Cardinals won the game versus the Arizona Diamond Backs 3-2. You can view the pictures from the game on our picture web page, or below.

Worn Out...

2007-07-05T13:14:00.000-05:00

All this packing sure has us all worn out.
Over the past few days, we have been working hard at getting things ready for our move to Connecticut. Josiah has done his best to help out, and the dogs have just been faithful companions. Toby never leaves my side and is always near by. Nyah has her own agenda and goes where ever she desires. However, this morning everyone was all tuckered out.
We have made excellent progress on the house in just the past couple of days. In less than two weeks most of our possesions will go into storage, and the rest of the stuff that will remain at our house will be going with us to Connecticut.

Jen has been working hard recently and is now in the process of transitioning a fellow co-worker and friend into her positon as lead therapist at her hospital. The weather here in St. Louis is extremely humid. We walked outside earlier this morning and the air was very thick with humidity. Yuck! We hear Connecticut is much more pleasant weather wise and we are looking forward to the change!

My Turn!!!

2007-06-22T14:01:00.000-05:00

I finally convinced Daddy to let me get on the computer to give you my perspective on life. The past month and a half has been great. Daddy is home with me everyday, and we get to play together a lot. They tell me that when we move to Connecticut in 6 weeks Mommy gets to stay home with me while Daddy works.

I was thinking that I would share with you all about the things I like to do and the things that I can do now.

I like to help daddy take Toby & Nyah for a walk in the morning by adding an extra 27 lbs to his back. (I ride in the backpack, and Daddy & the doggies do the walking) I like to point out the birds and squirrels we see on the walk. I also get excited when the school buses drive by. I like to watch Handy Manny on the Disney Channel while I eat my breakfast. I like to play outside when its nice outside.

Outside I like to play in my sandbox, and with my water table. However what is the most fun is playing in the dog's water dish outside. I like to chase the dogs around the backyard trying to convince them to play with sticks. I like to pick dandelions and blow the seeds all over the yard spreading the pretty weeds. I also like to blow bubbles, and dump the bubble juice on the ground!

Inside, I like to play hide-and-seek with Mommy and Daddy. I even cover my eyes like I am supposed to! I love opening and closing doors. I like to play "Hurricane Josiah" (This is when Mommy and Daddy build towers with my foam blocks and I get to knock it down.) I like to play tug-of-war with Nyah with her big snake. I like to help mommy and daddy give the doggies treats when we come home. I love to spin around in circles and get really dizzy. I like to dance to good music in the living room.

I can now climb up on the couch all on my own. I have a booster seat that I can carry around the house to help me get up onto things. Yesterday, I realized that my booster seat can also help me to get up in the big people chairs at the dining room table. My toys also make for great steps when I am in a pinch!

I talk all the time, but Mommy and Daddy haven't completely picked up on my language. I have no idea why it takes so long for them to figure out what I am saying. They are the older and wiser ones, right?? They seem to understand me when I say "up" "juice" "duck" "I did it" "no" "please" "dog" "bird" "more" "down" "Bob"(Veggie Tales) "Manny" (Handy Manny) "Ah Man" (when I fall down, drop something etc. I also like to hit my head and say it at the same time) "Da" "Ma" (my morning ritual is that when I wake up I just start saying "MA" until someone comes to get me out of my crib.

I love to talk on the phone. A couple days ago daddy let me talk to mommy on her way home from work. I got to talk to her for about 15 minutes. I walked around the house just like they do and I talked and talked and talked. I told mommy all about my day.

I like to give hugs and kisses. I even know how to blow kisses, and it always makes me laugh when Mommy and Daddy catch them. At night I like to watch "Bob" (Veggie Tales) and cuddle with mommy on the couch before I go to bed. I like to help mommy and daddy mix things and wash dishes in the kitchen. I also like to help them throw trash away. I also like to wrestle with daddy and push him over. Occasionally, I will play "Physical Therapist" with mommy and daddy showing them how to stand up or how to exercise their legs.

Well, Daddy is telling me that I have been on the computer long enough and that when you visited our blog you didn't intend to read a novel. Therefore I guess I will end this post for now.

In another word I know mommy and daddy understand: "Bye"

Happy We Gotcha Day!

2007-06-13T13:56:00.000-05:00

A year ago today, Josiah Josue David was welcomed into our arms & our forever home. It is hard to believe that a year has already passed us by. As you can see from the photos, he has become quite the little man! Everyday he makes us laugh and he is always learning new things. It is such a privilege to watch him grow!

Mommy is Home!

2007-06-01T14:37:00.001-05:00

Here is a snapshot of what life is like in the Kolonich Casa at or around 4:30 p.m. when Mommy comes home from work. Nyah, Josiah and Toby all will go running to the door to have a peek and see who can see Mommy first! We thought these two pictures were absolutely adorable.

Josiah is now talking all the time, however we may not always understand what he is saying to us. He loves to play outside in our backyard. Anything that involves water is a sure-fire hit with him. He also enjoys helping daddy mow the lawn. Eric will put Josiah in the backpack carrier that we have and then they will both mow the lawn. He has also started helping us in the kitchen. He likes to help mix things for mommy and daddy. The second picture shows that Josiah and Toby are best of friends. Josiah loves to pet the dogs. He also likes to play tug-of-war with Nyah with one of her toys.

15 Months, No School!

2007-05-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

School is officially over for Eric for a total of 15 months! (that is classroom/lecture education) As you can probably tell Eric is really excited about that! However, these months will be filled with much learning and education, it will just be hands-on learning!

We are beginning to make preparations for our move to Connecticut. We will be leaving St. Louis the beginning of August. St. Paul's is providing a fully furnished, 4 bedroom home, complete with fenced in back yard for us for the year we are in New Hartford. We will be living in the church parsonage which is 30 feet from the church! The commute will be a drag, but we will get used to it!!!:-) We will also be able to bring Toby & Nyah with us as well!

Jennifer is looking forward to the next year as she will be able to be a stay-at-home-mom and care for Josiah full-time.

Eric will be installed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in New Hartford, CT on Sunday, August 12. We are learning more and more about St. Paul's and the ministry which they are involved. They have an active relationship with a sister church in Kenya. Eric has learned that one of his biggest responsibilities as vicar will be helping the church with its missions program. We feel so blessed to have this opportunity to serve at St. Paul's in New Hartford, Connecticut.

St. Paul's Lutheran Church: New Hartford, Connecticut

2007-04-25T19:26:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, today was our vicarage placement service. We were placed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in New Hartford, Connecticut. We are extremely excited about our vicarage, and are eager to begin this new adventure in our lives. We will post more details as we learn more!

Vicarage Placement: April 25, 2007

2007-04-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

A week from today, I will be receiving my vicarage placement. The service is Wednesday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. You can listen to the service over the internet. For more information, please click here. We will also post our placement on our blog that evening.

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

2007-04-08T18:05:00.000-05:00

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!"
~Luke 24:5b

We want to wish all our family and friends a very blessed Easter. If you would like to see pictures of Josiah in his snazzy Easter outfit, click on the album to the right, or go to our photo web page!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2007-04-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

There are some new things happening here at the Kolonich Casa Blog. I am slowly taking advantage of the new features here on blogger. Our photo web page has changed. You can either click on the pictures to the right to be taken directly to an album, or you can go to the photo album home page from the links section. Just click on Kolonich Casa Photos.
If you have any problems, please let us know!

Learning Early

2007-03-29T13:17:00.000-05:00

We are in the midst of a landscaping project for our front yard. We were at The Home Depot yesterday getting some pea gravel to finish off the project.

First of all it was quite humorous for us to be loading 20 bags of pea gravel into the back of our Saturn station wagon. Not exactly the ideal vehicle for hauling rock around, but it got the job done albeit ever so low to the ground!

Anyways, as I was loading the car, I gave Josiah my wallet. (Josiah always likes to grab my wallet when I get it out at the store etc.)

After I loaded up the stone into the car we were on our way. Josiah wanted to give me back his wallet. I took it back without a thought. Jen never saw Josiah open the wallet, only saw him hold it. (he was pretty tired)

Today, after chapel, I decided to go to Kaldi’s Coffee House for some real coffee. The seminary coffee offered after chapel is typical American fare of tainted water. As I was standing in line, I figured I should get out my wallet to make sure I did have the $6 that I remembered I had.

It was gone. No cash. No debit card. No credit cards!

I immediately thought back to last night and giving Josiah my wallet and I just laughed. I knew exactly where everything was… in the back seat of the car!

It appears as though Josiah has learned very early on what to do. Ask for Dad’s wallet, take the credit cards, debit card and cash out and give it back to him. Now, Josiah needs to master the art of putting things in his pockets and the mischievous act would be complete!

I didn’t get my coffee or snack, but I did get a good laugh!

Check out our picture page for some more recent pictures from our ohanami (pronounced oh-ha-na-mee literally translated as “flower looking” but specifically geared toward cherry blossom viewing) at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full bloom and it was a beautiful day to be at the botanical gardens on Sunday (3.25).

Happy First Day of Spring!!!

2007-03-21T18:26:00.000-05:00

Spring has come to St. Louis and our front walk is decorated with daffodils. With spring we also have invited sickness into the Kolonich Casa! Last week, Josiah was battling a cough, runny nose and watery eyes. Medicine wasn't touching his cold so we finally went to the doctor. Turns out he had an ear infection. Josiah is much better now, and back to his normal self.
Jennifer came down with a sinus infection around the same time Josiah was sick. Hopefully she will be doing better by the end of the week. Eric has your standard cold, nothing to sneeze at.

Josiah's 18 month check up was today. Josiah was officially 18 months old on Monday (3/19). He is 32 inches (81.28 cm) tall, and 23 lbs 13 oz. (10.89 kg). The doctor says that he is right on track developmentally. He is average for his height and in the 25th percentile for his weight.

New photos have been added to our photo page. So if you have a chance, please check them out!

Happy First Day of Spring!

It's Official.... He's a Climber!

2007-03-10T10:23:00.000-06:00

We made a bet last night, we wondered how long it would take before Josiah climbed on his new table. We got the table last night, and Eric put it together after Josiah went to bed. Josiah woke up at 6:30 a.m., and was climbing on the table by 9:30 a.m.!!! Jen won the bet. Eric thought it would be a couple days before the climbing happened!!!

In other news....

Eric started Spring Quarter on the 5th and already counting the weeks before it's over. (10 weeks left!) This quarter will fly by with a few milestones inbetween. Easter break at the beginning of April, and Vicarage Placement service on April 25.

On April 25, Eric will recieve his vicarage assignment and we will know where we will be next year. Vicarage is like an internship. Eric will be assigned a church somewhere in the USA, and he will be working closely with the pastor.

If you want to learn more about placement service, follow this link: Call Day 2007.
When it is closer to April 25, I will post a link on the blog for you to listen to the placement service live (3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time)

Best Friends

2007-02-19T09:54:00.000-06:00

Josiah has made a new best friend. The other morning, Josiah and Nyah were cuddling together on our bed. Usually Josiah wakes up around 5 am every morning and is wanting to come to bed and cuddle with us. This is a special time for all of us as he usually just snuggles right into us. As you can see from the pictures, Nyah has also taken advantage of these times with Josiah. She snuggles right into him as well.

Josiah gets along great with Toby and Nyah. He does like to pester them a lot, especially when they are trying to sleep. Toby is less tolerant of the pestering, but he deals with it. Josiah loves to play tug-of-war with Nyah. We have a long stuffed snake that he will carry around and Nyah will follow him as he leads her around the house.

Winter quarter ended on Friday for Eric. He is now going to try to enjoy his 2-week break before classes start up again on March 5. The weather here in St. Louis is warming up, so he hopes to spend some more time outside over break.

By the way, today is Josiah's 17 month birthday!!!

Josiah's First Snow!!!

2007-02-13T17:18:00.000-06:00

We finally have snow here in St. Louis. That is, snow that is not covering ice. We took Josiah out in the snow for a few minutes this afternoon. His boots are a little large, and the poor guy was so bundled up he resembled the little boy on the movie A Christmas Story. However, as you can see from the video he was enjoying himself. Even if the temperature outside felt like 10 degrees F (-12 degrees Centigrade) We hope you enjoy the video!!!

Champions!!!

2007-02-04T22:06:00.000-06:00

Congratulations Colts!!!!

SuperBowl XLI Champions!!!

SuperBowl XLI

2007-02-04T14:46:00.000-06:00

GO COLTS!!!

GO COLTS!!!!

Will This Ever Go Out-of-Style??

2007-02-02T15:10:00.000-06:00

We knew that Josiah had an ear for music, and was good at recognizing a good beat when he heard it... But we had no idea what his true aspirations were!!!:-)
Josiah has shown off his dancing talents to a select few, but has not honed his talents enough to allow for it to be video taped! Perhaps someday he will be satisfied with his moves to debut it on camera.
Stay tuned and see Josiah exhibit his talents when America votes him as the 23rd American Idol. His self-titled debut album will be available in stores September 2030.
In other news....
Jen got a promotion!!! She is the new lead therapist of the therapy department at her hospital. She is really excited to start this new role at her job and is eager for the challenges that await her.

Her old-school husband, and new-school son are very proud of her!!!

Oh, and by the way- Happy Groundhog Day!!! We have been promised an early spring-- that is if we can trust the prediction of a rodent...not that we can trust a trained meteorologist either, so who really cares where the good news comes from... as long as its good news!!!

GO COLTS!!! (more on that later)

Josiah's 16 Month Photos

2007-01-26T13:30:00.000-06:00

We recently had Josiah's 16 month photos taken. If you would like to see them you can visit our photo web page. Josiah did pretty good for the pictures. We did have to dance and do all sorts of crazy things to get him to smile. Finally he loosened up and we were able to get some good pictures of him. I think after the photo shoot we were more tired than he was!

It's Cold Outside...

2007-01-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

Winter has finally arrived in St. Louis. With high temperatures in the 20's it is nice to finally have a real winter. It would be nice to have some snow on the ground, but I guess we will take what we can get. We would love to be able to take Josiah out in snow for the first time, but we don't see that happening anytime soon! (Because we don't have any snow!)
Josiah is doing great. He walks all over the house, and we are beginning to learn the meaning of child-proofing. Basically it seems to mean that nothing is safe, and nothing is sacred. Josiah's latest enjoyment is getting a book out of his room and bringing it to us in the living room so that we can read it to him. It is so cute because if we are sitting on the floor he turns around in front of us and backs into us to sit on our laps.

Happy New Year!!!

2006-12-31T18:43:00.001-06:00

We wish all our friends and family around the world a Happy New Year!!! May God bless your new year!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2006-12-27T09:50:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!!! We had a wonderful Christmas. This year we traveled to Michigan and spent the holiday with Eric's family. It was so wonderful to celebrate Christmas with Josiah for the first time. Josiah is walking all over the place, and we are quickly learning what is Josiah-proof and what is not!!!
We wish all our family and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Our Christmas Photos are now viewable on our photo web page.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2006-12-15T13:45:00.000-06:00

We just thought this was a cute picture, and we wanted to share it with everyone!
Merry Christmas!
There are new pictures posted on our photo web page. Including a long series of trying to get the perfect family Christmas picture with everyone smiling!

Video of Josiah Walking!

2006-12-11T22:04:00.000-06:00

Josiah has realized that he can walk on his own, without assistance! You can watch a short clip of him walking! We are so proud of him! Even a couple days after this video was shot he is already so much better at walking. He has a lot more control, and he is not so wobbly!

Lights On, Everybody Home!

2006-12-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

Sometime this afternoon our power was restored!! This evening we "moved" back into our home. The temperature in the house had gotten down to 37 degrees. The house is slowly warming up, but we are all happy to be back home. We are thankful that nothing major happened like pipes freezing etc. We do have some damage to the house from tree limbs, but nothing major.

No Power!!!

2006-12-02T16:40:00.000-06:00

Perhaps you have seen the news regarding the major ice storm that passed through the midwest. Well, we were right in the middle of it here in St. Louis. We lost power around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night, and we are still without power. Thankfully, we are staying at the home of a friend of Jennifer's from her work. Our house is getting pretty cold. We were there this afternoon to retrieve some more of our belongings and the temperature in the house was down to 45 degrees. It appears that around 500,000 people are without power in the St. Louis Metro Area. We have no idea how long our power will be out....

Tomorrow is December??!!?

2006-11-30T16:30:00.000-06:00

It is amazing to think that tomorrow begins a new month, and the last month in 2006! What a year it has been. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jennifer's parents who came down to St. Louis to celebrate the holiday with us. We have a lot to be thankful for this year, especially the arrival of our son, Josiah.
Josiah is walking quite a bit now. He still needs to have the security of "one steady object to another". He prefers to walk rather than crawl if he has the choice.
We are amidst the first winter storm of the season here in St. Louis. It has turned pretty cold, we went from 70 degrees on Wednesday to 20 degrees today!
Winter quarter began for Eric on Monday. He is taking three more classes: Acts and the Pauline Epistles; Systematics 2 (primarily studying Christology); and Pastoral Counseling.

And for those of you keeping track I accomplished 2 of the three tasks I set before myself during by break from classes. We were able to paint the bathroom and the kitchen. The home movies are still in progress.

First Steps!!!

2006-11-13T11:05:00.000-06:00

Josiah has taken his first steps. The big event happened on Friday, November 10...for any of you who are keeping tabs on those sorts of things!!! The picture is from Halloween. You can see that Josiah dressed up as a dragon - or maybe it was a dinosaur. Either way, he enjoyed helping us pass out candy to all the kids.
In other news, Eric finished Fall Quarter also on Friday and is going to enjoy his two weeks off. He has a few projects he wants to work on. One of which is finally transferring home movies to DVD. We also are hoping to paint our bathroom and kitchen. We shall see what actually gets accomplished!!!

I Love the Pumpkin!!!

2006-10-30T19:33:00.000-06:00

Today, we carved our first pumpkin together. Josiah enjoyed taking out (and putting back in) the goop! As you can see, he loved the finished project!!! Today, we also enjoyed the fall colors at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Josiah enjoyed sleeping in the stroller at the botanical gardens! You can enjoy our pictures from carving the pumpkin and of the fall colors on our photo web page! Happy Halloween!!!

Long Time, No Update...

2006-10-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, we know it has been over a month since our last post. Time certainly has a way of getting away from us! Josiah is doing great. He is cruising all over furniture, walls and anything else that might give him a little support. He is days away from taking his first steps unassisted! His one year doctors appointment went well, he is healthy and growing like a weed! He grew 3 inches from July to September! It is such a joy to watch him grow and discover new things and abilities!
Josiah is doing great with Toby and Nyah. He is learning to pet the doggies nicely... The dogs are quickly learning where they can go to get some P & Q away from Josiah!
Josiah is saying Da-Da; and Dog; he can say Ma Ma, but it isn't as frequent.
Classes for Eric are going well, only 2 more weeks left in the Fall Quarter. Jen has been working hard... literally. She has been working a lot of weekends since the hospital is low on their PRN staff. Thankfully, she gets days off during the week to compensate for the weekends but they are not as restful as having a full weekend with 2 days off in a row!
There are a lot of new pictures on our photo web page, make sure you check them all out if you have the time. I think I uploaded 3 or 4 new albums full of pictures!

Happy Birthday Josiah!!!

2006-09-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

Today, we celebrated Josiah's First Birthday!!! We had a wonderful day. We had brunch at IHOP (International House of Pancakes). Josiah really enjoyed his pancake with a smiley face on it. We spent the afternoon at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This is one of our favorite places to go here in St. Louis. The area is so beautiful and peaceful. Josiah enjoyed looking and touching many plants and watching the children feed the ducks and koi fish in the Japanese garden. He especially enjoyed the time we spent in the grass where he was able to get out and explore on his own!
We finished off the evening with a birthday cake. Jennifer's parents were here one night last week so this was his "second" first birthday celebration. The birthday festivities will wrap up this weekend when Eric's parents come to St. Louis to celebrate. You can check out our pictures from the past few weeks including today on our picture web page.

A New Routine...

2006-09-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

Well, its been over a month since our last update. August flew right by us! Josiah is now crawling all over the place and getting into everything he can. He loves to get into the bathroom and play with the toilet paper roll, and loves to get into the fridge whenever it is open! Josiah is pulling up and standing on his own. He is also beginning to creep along furniture. His top two teeth have FINALLY made an appearance. He is now sporting 4 teeth, two on top and two on the bottom.

Jennifer went back to work today. It was a hard adjustment for her to make. She loved the time off that she had and is thankful that she was able to take her full 12 weeks of maternity leave.
Tomorrow, Eric starts classes again. He is taking 9 credits this term. We have arranged for some good friends of ours at seminary to watch Josiah while he is in class. Thankfully it will only be for about 15 hours per week. They have a little boy who is around 18 months, so he will be a great playmate for Josiah.

Please keep us in your prayers as September is going to be full of adjustments as Jennifer gets back into the swing of things at work and Eric gets back into the swing of school and learning the ropes of being a stay at home dad.

Josiah Crawled!!!!

2006-08-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

Today, Josiah crawled for the first time!!! We were so happy that both of us were home to see this huge milestone. He has been working on crawling for the past few weeks and had figured out how to scoot backwards. Today, he was really interested in the cooling vent on the wall, and decided to crawl over to it!!! In another week we will be chasing him all over the house, which means that this coming week we will be busy "baby-proofing" the house with gates etc. :-) We will work on getting part of the video of him crawling on the web, but that might be a while before we can get around to it!

We also received his first professional photos today. They were taken at 10 months. They turned out really good. You can see all of them if you visit our photo web page. The weather here has been blistering hot. The temperature has been hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). YUCK! We cannot wait for cooler weather. Our time consists of racing from the Air Conditioned home to the Air Conditioned car, to the Air Conditioned store!! No lingering outside!!!

Josiah is an official US Citizen!!!

2006-07-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

Today we recieved our paperwork from the USCIS office with his official certificate of citizenship to the United States of America! It is official now, and we even recieved a letter from President Bush himself! Well, it was a form letter.... but still a great keepsake for Josiah!

We are all doing better now. Many of you may have heard about the big storms that ripped through St. Louis. We were one of the fortunate ones to have electicity and water. We did not lose any of the amenities to modern life. Our house and yard remained unscathed. There was one branch that broke off our one tree, but it did not do any damage. Others here in St. Louis were not so blessed. Traffic is still iffy in parts of the city, where traffic signals are four-way stops.

Josiah is just about crawling. He scoots himself all over the place and gets up on his knees and in the possition to crawl. Only a few more days before we are chasing him all over the house! He is a happy healthy boy!

Sick...

2006-07-11T15:50:00.000-05:00

NO, not Josiah!! His parents!!!!

Ok, so when we arrived back from Guatemala, Jennifer was diagnosed with acute pneumonia the next day...
A couple weeks passed, family has come and gone and Jennifer recuperated... only for Eric to be diagnosed with bronchitis!!! Thankfully, our bouncing baby boy is still a happy, bouncing baby boy!

Josiah is as happy as can be. He is always smiling and is always able to bring a smile to his proud daddy and mommy's face.

We Welcome You Into The Lord's Family...

2006-07-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening, Josiah became a member of the family of God. Through the Water and the Word in Baptism he became God's child. It was a very special day for our family.
We have a "full house" this weekend as Eric's family came into town for the baptism and Jennifer's parents and one of Josiah's godparents, Kari Klatt was here for Josiah's baptism.

Josiah is rolling all over the place. This morning, he was making full use of his "play mat" (our old futon from Japan) and was rolling over and over and over!!! Also, yesterday during church Josiah said his "first words" DA-DA. He was reaching for Eric as he was saying it, so that was a really special moment for us.

We have a lot of new pictures from this weekend on our photo web page, so please feel free to check it out!

A Busy Week....

2006-06-24T09:39:00.000-05:00

Josiah is doing very well here in his new home. For those of you who do not know, we moved into new house. Josiah has made the adjustment very well. We occasionally have some issues with eating, but other than that he is doing well. He has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom, and that has probably been part of his irritability.
As far as catching up on his motor skills he has rolled over completely for us, and has made huge improvements in his standing strength. His intellitainer from his Aunt Barbie and Uncle Dan has been a huge help in developing leg strength. He has already changed so much in this first week that he has been home. Josiah will eat just about anything. He is not a fan of peaches and apricots, but he loves carrots, peas and green beans.

Jen is also doing MUCH better. Each day this week she has been better and better.
There are lots of pictures on our photo web page, and we will try to take more soon now that things have settled down some-what for us.

happy fathers day!!!

2006-06-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

we have arrived safe and sound to st louis. we apologize for the lateness of this blog and this update, but as i am about to tell you this weekend has been an adventure.

we arrived in st louis on time, and all our luggage arrived with us, which was nice. our flights were pleasant enough.... however thursday evening jen was beginning to feel ill. we thought it was a reaction to the smog of guatemala city, and that it would get better as we made our way home. on the flight to houston, jen started to run a fever and was chilling. she was off and on ok by the time we got to st louis. saturday morning she woke up still with a fever, so her mom took her to the ER.... turns out Jen has pneumonia!
Jen is on antibiotics and doing better.... still not 100%.

Josiah is doing well. These first few days have been difficult in adjustments for him. He is eating well, and tends to look for me (Eric) when he is not happy. It is nice to be his safe haven. It is amazing how much time this little guy takes.... And amazing how much we love him...

cleared for departure...

2006-06-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

today the us embassy issued josiah´s IR3 visa, which means that we are cleared for departure and entry into the United States with josiah. we have a big thick envelope filled with paperwork that we will need to give the immigration officers upon our arrival in houston tomorrow. and as soon as we are in the united states, josiah is officially an american citizen. no more paperwork to file!!!

Hip, Hip, Hooray..... NO MORE PAPERWORK!!!!

today we took a walk down to the marriott hotel where we stayed back in february. we knew of a good pharmacy over there that had some things we were in need of.... specifically some vegtebles for josiah to eat. in the area of our current hotel we have only found fruit. he loves just about everything.... except apricots, thus far. he esspecially enjoys any fruit juices so we have stocked up on some for the flight. we are planning to have him drink juice for our take offs and landings tomorrow for our trip home. that should help him and his ears from popping too badly. he is not too interested in the pacifier. he loves to play with it though....

we were able to meet with another couple from detroit, michigan who were on our flight from houston to guatemala on Monday. they adopted a baby girl and are going home on saturday with her. we had lunch with them and had a nice time visiting with them.

we have had a really great day here, and we are getting anxious to get back to St. Louis so that we can establish some sort of routine for josiah.

we leave our hotel at 10am tomorrow and we will be back in st louis around 920pm. it will be a long day, but it will be good to be home.

signing off from guatemala city....

embassy appointment

2006-06-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

today was our embassy appointment. we were there along with 3 other Bethany families who were adopting. we all went as a group and had our appointments at the same time. we were at the embassy for about 2 hours. it wasnt bad at all.

josiah is 180 degrees different today. he was much happier today smiling, cooing and giggling with us. he is much more comfortable with us now and we had a lot of cuddling moments. it was such an awesome day with him, and it was so nice to see him connect with us again. Today we met with a missionary here and she took us to a market and we were able to do some souvenier shopping. it was very nice to get out of the hotel and walk around outside of the hotel!!!!

tomorrow at 345 or so, we will recieve our visa. our social worker here in guatemala will be going to the embassy for us and delivering josiah´s visa to us at our hotel. once we have the visa we are clear to leave guatemala and once josiah is in the united states, he will be a u.s. citizen. we were able to apply for this type of visa because of our we visited him in February....

that is all for now. our plan for tomorrow is to do some exploring of the area on our own and checking out this part of guatemala city together. we should have a grand time!!!

finally a family...

2006-06-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

we are finally a family. at 1030 am, we were reunited with Josiah Josue David Kolonich, never to part ways again. The whole situation was surreal and wonderful. we have a hard time believing that it has actually happened, and we are finally a family forever. it was heartbreaking watching francisca and her family say goodbye to josiah. they have loved and cared for him so much. they all love him very much and will definately miss him being around. thankfully, we have francisca´s mailing address and we will definately send them pictures and updates because they were the first ¨family¨ that josiah had. they will always be a part of our hearts.

josiah is adjusting well. given his age we are guessing he is going through some stranger anxiety and misses francisca and her family. francisca & family left while he was sleeping and when he woke up he was very sad. he was pretty fussy today but at the end of the day things got better. he love bananas and enjoys eating with a spoon. he enjoys eating while we are eating... he is still taking formula but enjoys eating other foods more.

tomorrow at 730 we meet with 3 other families and we will all go to the US embassy together to apply for our children´s visas. they say that it will take a majority of the morning waiting as they go over our paperwork.

finally a family, finally together.... thanks be to God!

We're leaving...!

2006-06-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

the time has finally come... we are at the brink of bringing our son home! it is hard to believe at times, and life feels it is going by "as normal", and then it hits - and wow, does the excitement come! two days from now, josiah josue david will be sleeping safely in our care - as he will be for the next who-knows-how-many years!!!! we thank God for the kind, caring foster mother he has had in Francisca. we know that this wait would have been even more difficult if we feared for his safety and well-being, but thankfully that is a worry we did not have to address. thanks be to God! a difficult time will be tuesday morning, when our hearts will overflow with joy at welcoming our son into our arms, yet my heart will feel for Francisca, as she has cared so deeply for josiah josue. please pray for the transition for all of us: Francisca, josiah josue, and eric and i. but... whoo-hoo, we are so excited!!!!!!!!!!! He's coming home at long last!!!!!!! what a joyous week this will be.... we will try to keep you posted via this blog throughout the week. may our Lord watch over all of you until we meet again!

FOUR DAYS!!!!

2006-06-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

This morning we received our Pink Slip!!! Our appointment is on Wednesday, June 14 at 7:45 am!!! YES, that is less than a week away!!! We are going to be leaving on Monday afternoon for Guatemala. We will be receiving Josiah on Tuesday morning. Our embassy appointment is on Wednesday morning, and Thursday afternoon we pick up Josiah's visa documents from the embassy. We will be leaving Guatemala Friday afternoon, and will be arriving back in Saint Louis later that evening.

PRAISE GOD that we are finally bringing our son home!

NEXT WEEK??!!

2006-06-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

This morning we learned that our case has been submitted to the US EMBASSY in Guatemala, and that we will receive our Pink Slip this Friday (6/9). The appointment that is scheduled will be approximately 7 days from this coming Friday.

Therefore, we will most likely be traveling next week to Guatemala to bring our son home!!!

On Friday, June 2 Josiah's birth certificate was issued. His legal name is now: Josue David Kolonich. We will add Josiah later on after he arrives home.

Stay tuned for more updates....
Praise God!!!
Our son is finally coming home!!!!

Step 1 Completed!!!

2006-05-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

We learned today that the Adoption Public Deed has been signed. Our attorney in Guatemala was anticipating to submit the paperwork to the Civil Registry today for Josiah's new birth certificate. We also have been told that the Civil Registry in Esquintla (where Josiah was born) moves faster than most Civil Registry offices in Guatemala, so that is wonderful news!!! Stay tuned for more updates!!! :-)

The Final Steps of the Process...

2006-05-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

We thought we would let everyone know what the final steps are before we are able to bring Josiah home. Here they are in order, and the estimated time that it will take to be completed in parentheses.

The Adoption Public Deed is signed (3-5 days)
A new birth certificate is issued (typically takes 1-2 weeks depending on work load at Civil Registry)

this is when his name is changed to Josue David Kolonich
After he is home, we will add Josiah to his name, making him Josiah Josue David Kolonich

Applies and Obtains a Guatemalan passport (1-2 days)
Documents are translated. (Adoption Public Deed, new birth certificate, passport as well as other documents that have been prepared prior to PGN) (2 days)
Translated Documents are submitted to the US Embassy in Guatemala City for Final approval. This is when the Embassy issues what is called a Pink Slip. (2 days unless they request additional information or corrected information, then it could be longer)

The Pink Slip is our scheduled appointment when ALL 3 of US need to be present at the US Embassy to apply for Josiah's visa. Usually appointments are scheduled 7-10 days in advance

After the Pink Slip is issued, we are able to book our final travel arrangements to bring Josiah home!!!

That is the timeline that we are looking at as the process is completed. We will post updates as to where we are in the process as things are completed!

PGN APPROVAL!!!

2006-05-19T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today, our case exited the PGN (Proccuaduria General de la Nacion--Attorney General's of Guatemala) with an Approval!!!! YEA!!! Words cannot express the great joy that we feel as this great hurdle has passed! The final paperwork brings us to a timeline of 4-8 weeks before we can travel to bring Josiah home. What better day to receive this news then on Josiah's 8 month birthday!!!! Praise God! (And also Praise God that Spring Quarter is over... And... SCHOOL's OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!:-)

New Video of Josiah

2006-05-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

Today we received a new video of Josiah! We have set up an account at YouTube.com and so you should be able to view the video online. If you go to our "Links" section here on our blog and click on "Our Videos" it will send you to our page where you will find the video.

Otherwise, we are waiting on Pins and Needles for more news... Praying that the next update we get will say that we are out of the PGN... Because that means only a couple more weeks until we can bring Josiah home. :-) Please keep us in your prayers, because the waiting is getting harder and harder...

Medical Update!!

2006-04-21T18:50:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Today we received a medical update on Josiah. At 6 months, he was 16.5 pounds; 26 inches long, and had a head circumference of 16 inches. We are still in the PGN (Attorney General's office of Guatemala). Theoretically we should be hearing from the PGN very soon. Please pray for patience for us and for quick and accurate processing as we anxiously wait for news from the PGN. After the PGN approval we will have only a few short weeks before we can travel to bring Josiah home. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Our Photo Web Page

2006-04-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

We have created a new photo webpage of all our pictures. The web page is:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/kolonichcasa
You can also find a link to the page here on our blog.

New Pictures of Josiah!!!

2006-04-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

Today we received some pictures of Josiah.
You can view them here. Or go to our NEW PHOTO WEB PAGE! They were probably taken within the past few days. We did not receive any other updates regarding our case and where it is in the legal process.

Our Hearts and Minds in Guatemala...

2006-03-30T15:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we received an email that our case is still in the PGN. At first we were not sure whether to consider this an update or not. However after some thought we do consider this an update. It assures us that our case is moving and not in a stand still. March has been a difficult month for us. Partly because of all the time of waiting and not knowing what was happening. But most of all because we left a part of our hearts in Guatemala with our son. It is hard for us to focus on daily activities when our minds are constantly thinking about Josiah. And speaking of Josiah, we have finally figured out a way that we can post a gallery of pictures that is easy to see. CLICK HERE if you would like to see our favorites from our visit to Guatemala.

Back to the Grindstone...

2006-03-06T12:52:00.000-06:00

After a relaxing and emotional break from classes I (Eric) am back in classes. Today is the begining of Spring Quarter. I have a lighter load of classes this term--only 3 classes. Today started off with a bang when Jennifer headed off to work with all the car keys!!! Of course I didn't realize it until about 7:40 as I was ready to head out the door! Thankfully, I was able to bum a ride from a fellow seminarian to get to class... even if I was 30 minutes late. Oh well!!!
This last week was difficult for both of us. Trying to get back into the grind of life while missing our beloved son, Josiah something terrible. I spent a lot of my break either working at the bank, or working on our DVD's from our trip. Thankfully, last night I was able to finally finish them.
God's blessings to you all!!!

Hasta Luego, beloved Josiah Josue!!

2006-02-23T17:35:00.000-06:00

It's 5:35 p.m. on Thursday, and Josiah Josue is no longer in our arms. His foster mother, Francisca, and our attorney's assistant came at 5:10 p.m. As I write, tears are in our eyes, as we knew they would be. It is just so hard to describe the impact Josiah had on our hearts - a piece of our hearts will remain with him until he is back with us again!! Please pray with us that things go quickly and smoothly from here on out - the assistant told us things should be to the attorney general's office by next Wednesday, which is basically the last big step in the process. As hard as it is, and as many tears as we've shed over his return to his foster home, we know that Francisca cares greatly for Josiah Josue... and, even more important, we know that God our Father is watching over him, protecting his paths until he can be with us, his forever family!

Eat, Sleep, Poop...

2006-02-22T21:53:00.000-06:00

That is seriously what today entailed. We hit a milestone today, our first poopy diaper!!! We were so excited. We could tell that we are truly parents...getting excited about bowel movements!!
Josiah did a lot of sleeping today. He took 2 naps this afternoon, one of which was almost 3 hours long!!!! The first nap was very special for Jen. It lasted about 45 minutes, and when he woke up he looked at her mouth, and eyes and smiled... FIRST THING. I got the 3 hour nap. He was sleeping in my arms for about 2 hours of it!!! He attempted to wake up on two different occasions and would fall right back to sleep. Finally I laid him down, and he enjoyed stretching out.
All these naps by the way follow a night where he slept 10 hours, uninterupted or disturbed!!! When Josiah wasn't sleeping he was eating. Today is the first day with us that he has drained his 4oz bottles in one sitting. Over the past few days he has just ate a few ounces at a time.
Needless to say, we had a lot of extra time on our hands today, and became artistic in the photos that took. 120 photos, to be exact!!!
This day has also been a great day for bonding as well. Today is the first day that he has been wanting to cuddle with us. Normally, he always wanted to be held face out... so he could look around. But this morning he began to enjoy looking over our shoulders and cuddling. One of the ladies who operates a gift shop in the hotel made this comment to us today: "Now, he is your baby". We first spoke with her Sunday evening and she was anxious to meet Josiah. We introduced her to him on Monday and she has seen us walk around the hotel ever since. Today has been a wonderful day, and it breaks our hearts that we will have to return him to Francisca tomorrow evening and return to the USA without him. We are trying our hardest not to cry and to enjoy every last minute with him, but tonight after we put him down we both broke down. We can honestly say that we have never cried that hard in our lives.
Tomorrow is going to be one of the hardest days of our lives thus far. We know that he is being cared for in an exceptional way, there is no doubt about that. We ask for all of your prayers for us. At 5:30 p.m. we will be returning Josiah to Francisca.
Our time here has been spectacularly amazing. Words do not express what a wonderful time we have had. As hard as it is going to be to leave tomorrow, we would still never trade this time that we have spent with him in a million years. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated for us over the next few days. God's Blessings to you all!!!

Words cannot express

2006-02-22T13:35:00.000-06:00

Here we are, Day Three, with our son. The routine is settling in, and we are better anticipating his needs and wants. We are all three relaxing and enjoying our time together. He has been laughing, giggling, smiling... and we just cannot get enough. He loves snuggling, and there is nothing better than his eyes smiling at us when he wakes from a nap. Our hearts are full beyond words!!

A message from Josiah...

2006-02-21T20:06:00.000-06:00

Hola Family and Friends! I have had a really good day with my mommy and daddy. I woke up kinda early, so mommy and daddy fed me and changed me and then I went back to sleep until 8am. I really like to kick when I sleep. I think I might play football when I grow up (you guys call it soccer).
After a mommy and daddy had a late breakfast they took me on a walk around the hotel. We found a nice courtyard where I could listen to waterfalls and look at the pretty plants. Mommy and Daddy met another couple who are here for their final visit to bring their little boy home to Indian River, Michigan.
Anyways, so I fell asleep by the pool while they were visiting. It was nice to spend a lot of time outside today. I am soaking in the good weather here because I here that St. Louis is cold and sometimes really hot. From what I know the weather is always perfect here. Then mommy and daddy gave me a bath, the first time with them. We had a lot of fun, and then they dressed me up in this robe that they thought was really cute. I am still deciding what I think about it. For dinner, mommy and daddy orderd "Pollo Compero" a famous fast food resturant that serves fried chicken. I guess its a lot like KFC in the USA. They ate it really fast, so I think they REALLY liked it! This evening we went for a walk again outside around the hotel property. There sure are a lot of places to go in this place. I got really tired, so I came back to the room early and fell asleep while mommy was feeding me my nightime snack. It has been a really good day.

Buenas Noches de Guatemala

2006-02-20T21:55:00.000-06:00

Today is the end of our first day with Josiah. It has been a wonderful day for all of us. Josiah is a very laid back little boy. The only problems we had today was trying to feed him at first. After we finally found the right position for him all was great!!! The picture here is of him in a "paddington bear" outfit that Eric had when he was a baby. Talk about an antique!!! :-) Please join us in thanking God for this wonderful time that we are having with him.

Hola! Mucho Gusto Conocerle!

2006-02-20T12:30:00.000-06:00

Josiah is finally in our arms!!! What a wonderful feeling it is to finally be able to hold him and get to know him personally. We met with the social worker, Karla, Francisca and the attorney's assistant at 10:30 a.m. Josiah is a very happy and laid back baby... and he is just beautiful. We played for a while, took a lot of pictures and he finally decided it was time for a nap.

Guatemala, Day 1

2006-02-19T21:04:00.000-06:00

Day 1 is over here in Guatemala. We had a good day. We attended church at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church here in Guatemala City. We had our first few bouts with Guatemalan cuisine. Homemade tamales after church and then we had Guatemalan Tacos and Enchilada's at a Resturant with the Talsma's (missionaries here in Guatemala City). Everything was very good!!!Our hotel room is unpacked and everything is waiting for Josiah to join us tomorrow morning!!!

We Have Arrived!!!

2006-02-19T07:50:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that we have arrived in Guatemala City. Everything is here-- all our luggage made it through the 2 connections in Chicago and Los Angeles... Today, our plan is to attend church with Dale and Cheri who are LCMS Missionaries here in Guatemala, and try to catch up on the rest that we did not get on the flight (s). LATER!!!

On Our Way!!!

2006-02-18T07:50:00.000-06:00

In a few short hours we will be leaving the bitter cold weather of 4 degrees F (-16 C)here in St. Louis and arriving in 75 degrees F (24 C) in Guatemala City!!! :-) We are so excited to finally be able to visit our son, Josiah!!! YEA!!!!! We will keep you posted here on the blog of the happenings while we are in Guatemala! Stay Tuned...

Josiah Update!!!

2006-02-13T16:40:00.000-06:00

On January 14, 2006 Josiah was 3 months, 3 weeks old.
Weight: 14.5 lbs <6.6>.
He is currently in the 50% percentile for growth.
Height: 59.5 cm <23.4>
He is in the 25% percentile for growth.
Head Circumference: 40 cm <15.7>
He is in the 25% percentile for growth.
The Doctor noted that he has Allergic Rhinitis and is currently being treated for that.This is a fancy term to say that he has some allergies.
We do not know if they are seasonal or not, but thankfully it is being treated!
Only 5 short days until we leave to visit Josiah!!! We can't wait to hold him and get to know him!!!!