Since Christmas

As it turned out, Christmas was a blur. Of sickness, canceled plans, and, even so, joy.

After the wacky New Year/Christmas apartment party, fever joined up with achiness and it took a week to feel normal again. We had a Christmas party for our new church plant group, and a good time was had by all, although I was home in bed. Because I still had a fever, we couldn't have people over as we'd planned on Christmas day, and it was a quiet day where I felt well enough to mostly enjoy the day but not well enough to really enjoy the cinnamon rolls I made. But I really, really enjoyed my sweet family and it was a day of celebrating The Gift that is the reason for our gifts, and basking in the excitement of our children, who are in the very best stage of childhood for enjoying the fun of Christmas.

A perfectly captured "choo"- enjoying a newly expanded train set

Late on Christmas night, we welcomed Granna and Papa Jeff for a long-anticipated two-week visit. Granna almost immediately got sick, but managed to lift her head periodically and have some big adventures- she was really a trooper and we had such a good time with them in spite of our obstacles...

 Ayutthaya, an ancient city full of amazing ruins

riding a long tail speedboat on the Chao Phraya river

Happy New Year! Traditional black eyed peas and...kale

Em treated us to a concert, with her faithful little brother as announcer. She's showing much more interest in and enjoyment of her piano endeavors this year, and that's good for everyone involved.

This skateboard was a favorite gift for our little man. He's faithfully learning to ride and holding his own with the big guys at the skate park at our local park...

...including this big guy!

We celebrated a very special 4th birthday during the visit. Here's the birthday boy basking in the glow of his traditional birthday cake in bed. He is a treasure.

 

We had a fun birthday exploring a place we'd never been- a lesser known and lesser developed island of sorts just a hop across the river, known colloquially as 'the Green Lung', as its verdant landscape helps to absorb the pollution of busy Bangkok. We hired rickshaws to go across the island to a beautiful park. Several times during the ride, the birthday boy looked up at us and stated, with a grin, "This is so much fun!"

We found a spot that was our home base for the day, and had the train cake that his daddy decorated for him. This picture captures his complete happiness and contentment in being celebrated by his family.

Just two days later, we celebrated 14 years of marriage- it passed in a blur of adjusting to life after Granna and Papa Jeff, getting back into the swing of regular life and taking down Christmas decorations. We have a plan for a real celebration soon, and hopefully will have opportunity to process this milestone and our growing friendship and love. So thankful for the many years God has given us together.

And as we began the new year with a fresh perspective, we were able to spend a day with our friends/teammates in prayer and planning. We are planning to begin a weekly meeting of our early church small group this Sunday, and are excited to see how God will continue to build His church here.

And finally, Tim was able to partner with this visiting musical ensemble and arranged for them to perform a concert at our local park. (This is the park that is our new yard...our building is one of those in the background.) These people are amazing musicians with a heart to serve God with their music, and it was a beautiful night, perfectly timed in the short break of lovely weather that has since been eclipsed by the hot and humid status quo.