Happy...New Year?

I haven't laughed this hard in a while. Allow me to explain. This weekend is the Thai festival of Songkran, a major Thai holiday and the traditional Thai New Year. It has religious and astrological roots and involves paying respect both to Buddha and family. It also involves a whole lot of water. If you're on the streets during Songkran, you'll likely be doused by people crowding the backs of trucks, armed with buckets of water and water guns. In more rural areas, elephants even get in on the action. It's interesting to read about the holiday, and if you'd like, you can do so here.

So the children in our neighborhood have been preparing for the festivities, soaking each other with water guns. Emmy's interested in the fun, but getting wet is not her favorite thing, to put it mildly. She told us the other day she thought she could do it if she put on her bathing suit, rain boots and goggles. We added the shorts, for modesty's sake. And this is what resulted. She is just so cute. So she was ready, and timidly marched into battle...

As anticipated, she didn't last long in the fray. She ended by hiding behind a pillar, saying, "Please, don't!" And the other children were gracious to cease the water torture. So then Daddy stepped in to fight her battle for her...

As you can see, he was no match for the heavy artillery they possessed. How sad that he's armed with a pink and white spray bottle. He was drenched from head to toe in no time. But, he did do a little damage himself when he resorted to use of the water hose!

This should be an interesting weekend. Tim and our friend Paul are off on a beach adventure, so we'll be left to celebrate on our own with our friends Crystal, PJ and Calvin. I'm sure there will be some photos to share. Happy Songkran!