Retreat!

Last weekend, we went on a retreat with our team. It was a special time, as it included both the Thai and farang (foreigners- that's us!) staff. We went to Khao Lak beach, which is a 45- minute drive from Phuket. Kim got a great deal on a really beautiful place, so we were so blessed to be able to spend time all together, away from Bangkok, in a lovely setting. Asa had his first flight at 7 weeks old, and he did great. We were thankful it was only an hour long!

Khao Lak is one of the areas that was hardest hit by the tsunami. It was sobering to stand on the beach and contemplate the disaster that had occurred there. On a lighter note, Irene told me that Emmy had talked to her very seriously about how scary the "salami" that had happened was!

Emmy enjoys a tropical drink...

Hangs out by the pool with Gracyn...

Enjoys the water with two water wings on each arm-
she feels quite secure this way...

And we're not sure what's going on here, but it's pretty funny!

There was a great water slide, and the kids couldn't get enough of it. Out of all the water slide pictures, this on was my favorite, of Paul and PJ having a great time!

Asa is becoming so responsive, smiling and vocalizing...

Asa's first time on the beach. He slept through the whole thing!

We're Back!

Life has been full the past month! But it's been great...hosting grandmothers, being together as a family, and getting to know our little boy. Things have picked up again, as Tim has started back to language school and I'm learning how to care for two little ones on my own during the day- not a unique task by any means, but one that's a new challenge for me! Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks...


We love this picture of Asa! He's almost 6 weeks old here, showing his newfound smiling skills, and his dance moves, too! He's wearing a sleeper gown that was Tim's when he was a baby.

One huge blessing from this month was that Tim had some time off of language school, and he spent some great time with Emmy. It helped her so much in the transition. Here, she's getting ready to go on an "Art Walk" with her Daddy, looking pretty funky! He always thinks of the best things to do!

We celebrated Tim's birthday at the beginning of October, and we gave him the new Thai version of Monopoly. Instead of "Park Place" and "Boardwalk", it has different Sky Train stops and places around the country... I wonder how many other countries have their own editions of Monopoly? It would be interesting to find out...

This is a main street downtown on a Monday night, the night we went out for Tim's birthday. The traffic is amazing. We sat in it until we were sure we knew where we were headed, then we got out and walked. We walked a long way, but we could have been sitting in a taxi indefinitely!


We've been wanting to take a picture of this guy for a while- Ronald McDonald doing the "wai"- the traditional Thai greeting. When you say hello to someone, this is what you do to show respect. Isn't it fun that Ronald does it, too?