Bits and Pieces

There's no rhyme or reason here, just some happenings of late with some baby pictures thrown in for cuteness...

Lots of water around here lately. The rain has been incessant. We're very fortunate not to have it in our house; plenty of people around here do when it rains like this. It's made the drive to and from school quite an adventure. I took these photos from the songtaew on the way home from the church yesterday...



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This is for Granna; I thought you'd like to see how Ju has grown into his Disney shirt!

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We have a mom's group that has been meeting for a year and a half or so now...I envisioned it as sort of a playgroup when we began, but it has become a meeting time for mothers without their children, and primarily women with older children. We're studying the Bible with these ladies now, which is very thrilling, and a great opportunity for me to practice reading Thai...They like to incorporate cooking, too, so we've done a lot of baking, and this week Pii Peem taught us to make spring rolls. They were amazing! They took me back to our vacation in Phuket with the Robinsons, toes in the sand eating fresh spring rolls and pad thai, drinking fruit shakes...






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Look at how this silly boy likes to sleep...

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And finally, to top off the random nature of this entry...

We went to dinner with some friends on Sunday night. We didn't know where we were going (only vaguely understanding a situation has become a routine part of our lives), but we knew we were going to eat when we got there. As it turned out, we ended up at a radio station where our friends gather often with other friends, all of whom are from Isaan, the northeastern region of Thailand. So we sat on the floor and ate sticky rice, somtam and satay while the station broadcast Isaan music in the next room over. The radio was on in the room where we were, and we heard him say at one point, "Farang gin kaaw neaw" (the westerners are eating sticky rice...)

the DJ at work

That's this week in a nutshell!

Our Boys

One morning this week...

Bug, Baby, By Thiaw*

The first graders at Emmy's school just celebrated "Bug Day", an annual occurrence coinciding with their study of insects. Em was a dragonfly, thanks to some serious curtain-bending by her Daddy. The red hook is holding a mosquito, which dragonflies eat, making them an admirable species, indeed. Oh, dratted mosquitoes, attacking me while I do the laundry outside, buzzing into the house at the slightest opening of a door, terrorizing my children! But I digress...

As you can see, there were some very ornate and very adorable costumes. The most memorable one was a butterfly with unbelievably large and highly decorated wings. Her wingspan was quite impressive. She's not in this picture because she couldn't get out of the classroom to go outside for a picture!

I was also partial to the horned beetle. There was a costume contest planned, and Emmy's teacher, being familiar with the erratic emotions of 6 year olds, very wisely ended up awarding each child for his or her endeavors. Good call, Ms. Kim!

These pictures are for the benefit of our moms and dads who can't come in to wake this sweet baby in the morning...oh, how I long for you to hold him now! He's practically edible. He's so sweet and his cheeks are so round, he's saying "da, da, da" on command, and he grins and laughs easily. I find myself holding him close and saying out loud (to no one in particular), "I love having a baby!"

This picture was taken yesterday morning; see how much better his cheek looks? I have high hopes that we might be on the way to healing there.

And here are a few fun photos from one of the gardens at the King's Park...






*By Thiaw- to go on a fun outing (I needed another 'B':)

8 Months Old

Our Boy's Birthday

Look at this big 3 year old. Here he is ready to head off to get sister from school, armed with his cool new backpack (thank you Granna and Papa Jeff!) and his sword. He had a good birthday and I think he felt very loved, which is what we're going for on birthdays...


He helped me make his cake the day before- a 'wacky chocolate' cake that has become our standard because it's dairy free. It's also egg free, which is a huge advantage, because you can lick the bowl without worrying about that pesky salmonella issue. While I went to my new book club (!) that night, Tim was home turning our rectangular cake into this work of art...

I know I'm biased, but is that an awesome cake or what?!

Asa's birthday fell on Tuesday, our day off, so Tim was home. He took Asa out for an 'adventure', just the two of them. They rode the songtaew over to the King's Park for a swimming excursion, but never made it to the pool...they found a stand selling sticky rice, somtam (spicy papaya salad) and grilled chicken, and had a leisurely lunch by the lake. Then Asa asked to ride the paddleboats, followed by ice cream and into a taxi just before the afternoon monsoon began. That night after a pancake dinner (the birthday boy's request), we had cake, opened his last gifts, and watched his first year video, which is a birthday tradition for us.

He told me several times that night, "Thank you for my birthday." He really is the sweetest child. We sure do love you, Asa Bear. Thank you for giving us 3 years of laughter and joy.