Books and Birthdays and Babies

The whirlwind that was language school finished up this week, and it was a relief to take my test and realize that I did manage to learn all 44 consonants and the long vowels, and I can read and write sufficiently well (albeit VERY slowly). There's more to learn in the next module before I have the entire body of literacy knowledge, but I'm happy to wait a while on that. For now, I get to go back to entire days of the cuteness you see above (isn't he so cool in his ladybug sunglasses?), and in only a few hours our friends John and Brea will arrive! They are amazing friends to be traveling across the world with an 18-month old to visit us, and we plan to soak them up and have some long-awaited down time while they're here.

Here's my language class. They're from Korea, Indonesia, America and China. I got attached to them, of course. And you can see The Greatest Thai Teacher of All Time, there in the middle in the purple shirt.

In other news, we had a birthday in the house a couple of weeks ago. Those Pull 'n Peel Twizzlers are excellent in a pinch for decorating a cake.

Celebrating Daddy's birthday

And another celebration, for Crystal and Baby Girl Henry who may arrive any time now! These women are my team and my friends, and we had a great time celebrating Crystal and how special she is, and the gift that God is giving to them (and all of us!) very soon.

Can't wait to meet you, little girl!

A Little Bit Famous

I was in the newspaper this week, strangely enough! The Bangkok Post, Bangkok's major English newspaper, did an article on Thai language schools and took this picture in our classroom last week. So here I am playing a game with my buddy Esther from Korea. So funny! Of course, my name is forever destined to be misspelled. If you're interested in reading the article (which, sadly, is not all about me and my adventures in Bangkok, but rather about learning Thai), you can find it here.

Language school is intellectually challenging and very effective, although it has been incredibly stressful for our family. Tim and I have been switching off home duty and studying takes up every available hour of every night for both of us. But, this module is over next week and I can now read and write such highly useful phrases as, "My big sister puts on the white shoes", "He buys rice for his friend", and "The doctor says she cannot exercise". I'll miss my class time and my new friends from all over the world, but not the early mornings, long commute, and late nights!

PS- I just have to share...Emmy just ran in and said, "Mommy, you know why I love coming back from the pool, don't you? Because my bellybutton is here and ready for me!"

Better Late Than Never

Finally, our Malaysia photos. It has taken quite a while to find the time to sit down and share them, as our current schedule is dizzyingly full. This was an amazing trip, so enjoyable, relaxing and encouraging, but it all seems like a distant memory now! The purpose of the retreat was to gather with the other workers from our missions agency who work in Asia/Australia, enjoy and learn from each other and others who came to share their wisdom with us. We had excellent lectures from scripture, very good sessions on everything from raising third-culture children to aspects of Asian culture, and some time to relax. And one of my personal favorite aspects- meals provided and no dishes to wash.

The hotel where we stayed in Kuala Lumpur was across the street from the magnificent Blue Mosque, which is where the children are above. We were there during Ramadhan, and we could hear chanting at all hours of the day and night!

The Twin Towers, the architectural pride of Kuala Lampur, which is the capital of Malaysia and the most developed city in the country.

Asa is loved by women of every faith and culture. Say cheese!

Our boy was thrilled with his first time in a swing. We've never encountered any baby swings in Thailand, so he's never been on one!

Wrestlin'

Where Emmy spent every afternoon!

And she got to participate in her very first children's program! A wonderful children's ministry came to take care of our children and did an excellent VBS-type program with them. They had a program at the end of the week and it's hard to say who was more excited about the performance- Em or Mommy!

Readin' and Writin'

We've just arrived home from a retreat in Malaysia, and it was refreshing. We'll write about it soon. I will say now that it was good to come back to Thailand. Tomorrow morning I head out in a taxi at 6:15 to begin language school! I'll take a taxi to the Sky Train, and the train to school. Tim will, meanwhile, get a good dose of fatherhood at home with the children all morning, then head to the office when I get home. A new and daunting adventure, but I'm excited and thankful for the opportunity to go.

This is Melanie, my new buddy and school-traveling-partner. Melanie just arrived in Thailand and I'm thankful; I can see that God has given me a friend in her. She makes me think in some ways of you, Nells (some mannerisms and the way she speaks and verbally processes), and you, Emily (great wit and a keen way of commenting on the world around her). So I am truly blessed!

This picture is from the day we went downtown to register. I was tested to see which module I should begin, and tested into module 3, where I'll begin the process of learning to read and write. I'm super excited about being able to decipher the squigglies all around me, as well as growing in my ability to communicate and relate. And, I purchased some intelligence-glasses for school. I've always wanted some fun, non-prescription glasses and I figured if I have ever needed a smart-boost, now is the time!

Little Man

Asa went for his one-year appointment on Friday. Because he doesn't walk yet, he never wears shoes, but we decided to go all out since this was such a special big boy occasion and since Cousin Trevor sends such adorable shoes. He was fascinated with them. He weighed 22.8 pounds and was 31.1 inches tall. That's just above median for weight and just above 90th percentile for the height. He's happy and healthy, praise God. We took his beloved Dog for comfort during his shots, and his doctor was amazed and amused to observe his level of attachment to his canine comfort object, and to hear the barking/whining that commenced when Dog made his appearance.

His appointment was on our day off, so we made a family outing of it. It's a great time for everyone; Emmy loves the indoor playground in the waiting area (and Asa was thrilled to get his first trip down a slide), and I love it that the hospital is close to a nice grocery store with a number of imported items that we don't have access to on a regular basis. My big treat this time was Wheat Thins!

And here's our little man just out of the bath. Daddy wrapped this hand towel around his little waist and we all found it quite amusing.

Happy Birthday, Baby

Our boy turned one last weekend. So hard to believe! It was a joy to celebrate this precious child who is such a gift to us. It was also much harder emotionally for me than I had anticipated. The lack of fanfare surrounding his special day was really difficult for me, and I felt the distance from many loved ones keenly. Tim was good to remind me, though, that what he needs right now is for us to love and celebrate him, and it's true that he was delighted at the three of us beaming at him and singing happy birthday multiple times! So I dried my tears and we had a wonderful day. The picture above was taken the night before his birthday, his last night of "infancy". I'm so sentimental!

We began the celebration with cake the day before his birthday at our team's pray and plan meeting. Everyone sang happy birthday and he got his first taste of sweet...the surprise and approval that passed over his face was quite amusing! For Emmy's first birthday, I made an organic-whole wheat-applesauce kind of cake, and, contrary to what the books say, it tasted pretty bad. We had to put Cheerios on it so she would touch it! So we bypassed that this time and he got the real thing...



We went to lunch on his birthday at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. The birthday boy was a big hit...
Here are his two ladies-in-waiting, one to feed him his pumpkin and green beans and one to wipe his mouth. And don't miss the seven other women gathered to watch him eat his lunch! These children do not lack for attention!

That evening we had a nice dinner, then apple crisp with yet another round of the birthday song, and opened a few gifts...

A few notes about our boy heading into his second year...As you can see, he still loves his dog. That's putting it mildly. Sleeping does not happen without one of Dog's paws in his mouth. He loves to stand, but is not interested in walking yet. His confirmed words (at least approximations) are: mama, dada, dog (he also makes a barking/whining sound when he sees a dog), bath, brush, bye bye (with accompanying wave) and more (with sign). We don't know his weight or height yet, as we'll go to the doctor this week. He loves to read, especially when the books have flaps to open. He loves to play in the curtains- we have some that go to the floor and he is delighted to hide in them and peek out. He smiles and laughs a lot, and he's cuddly as can be. He loves to explore, bang things, climb stairs, and play with his sister. He is generally adorable.

Happy birthday, baby. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
We love you.