Morello Madness

Seeing the Light!

2012-02-01T22:11:00.000+08:00

by Amy

While we've been in America, Brad has been working on his dissertation. Knowing that it would take some serious time to research and write 250+pages, we planned to be here for almost a full year. Well, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! About 2.5 weeks ago, Brad finished writing! Since then, he's been reviewing, rewriting, adding more quotes and changing things around. Last week he handed me a 53 page chapter to edit! Last night, he handed me another one. So, things around here have been a little unusual. . . . Homeschooling has taken a back burner to editing. (My kids are enjoying extra days with Grandma or Papa.) So, pray for us! Pray for Brad. Pray he'll finish strong and have perseverance as this is not the most enjoyable phase of writing. Pray that he'll sleep well each night. And pray that this paper will be used to further the Kingdom! -- His deadline is Feb. 14.

A fab Vacation!

2012-01-19T08:43:00.018+08:00

by Amy

In October, we needed to head to Virginia for some meetings, so we decided to tag a DC Vacation on before the meetings began. It was so AWESOME!! -- All that I hoped for, and so much more! We have dear friends that are on staff at Capitol Hill Baptist who let us stay at their home for the five nights we were in town. They live in a parsonage on the church's property, 5 blocks behind the Capitol building, so it was perfect!

We spent Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday on the Mall and in museums. We walked -- A LOT! I live in Asia. I'm used to walking. That is NOTHING compared to what we did in DC. Thursday night we came in and I was so tired -- my feet were throbbing, my hips were aching, my calves were sore.... It was pitiful! I soaked in a hot bath before crawling into bed and sleeping so soundly! My kids were amazing! I was shocked at how well they did. There was one time we were walking back to our friend's house, up hill, and my feet were killing me, but I held my tongue! I decided if my 9 and 7 year old kids can get there without complaining, I could too! What a great example of cheerfulness they were!

So (mainly for my records) this is what we hit:

Wednesday: (our plane landed at noon.)
Museum on Natural History
Union Station for dinner
Modes of Transportation:
Feet, Subway

To make our museum tours more exciting, before we went, I made a scavenger hunt for our kids to complete in each place we planed to visit. (They had to do activities, answer questions, and take pictures.) I based most of my questions/requirements on the movie The Night at the Museum Part 2. (I think that is our all time favorite movie!!) In the above picture my kids are pretending Rexy is attacking them!

Thursday:
Air and Space Museum
Washington Monument (Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside it because of the earthquake!)
World War 2 Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
White House (both sides)
Roosevelt Memorial Park
MLK Memorial
Modes of transportation:
Feet, pedi-cab (a bike with a trailer on the back)

Above: The kids are "flying" planes at Air and Space.

He's holding the monument!!

Check out that blue sky! Oh, it's good to be in America!

Can you say GREEEEEN grass? WoW!

I think this was my favorite picture from our scavenger hunt! They had to do the "Freeze Abraham" pose! If you don't know what I'm talking about, rent the movie!!

This day was exhausting, but SOOO awesome! My favorite thing we did on this whole trip was hire a pedi-cab driver to drive us around DC for an hour+ at night! The city was absolutely beautiful! We actually met the driver on our way to dinner. So, he gave us a lift to our restaurant, then we called him to come pick us up for our night tour.

Because it was nighttime, our camera wasn't taking great pics; so you don't see any of the memorials in those shots, but I figure that's OK. My kiddos are pretty cute!

Friday:
Supreme Court
Capitol
Library of Congress
American History Museum
Old Post Office building
Modes of transportation:
Feet, taxi

President Pedo

Saturday it was rainy or misty all day, but we planned to hit the National Zoo. Since it wasn't really raining hard, we borrowed a few umbrellas from our friends and took off. Because of the weather, the zoo wasn't crowded at all. (We also didn't take any pictures!)
Modes of Transportation:
City Bus, Subway, and of course, feet!

On Sunday we went to church in the morning and evening, and spent time hanging out with some dear friends in the afternoon. It was a prefect way to bring our vacation to a close. When we were heading to Union Station to catch a train to Richmond on Monday morning, our host commented on how easily we got around the city. He said he had never seen any one maximize the various forms of transportation DC has to offer like we did. :) I guess living overseas has made public transportation seem normal to us. Within six days we rode an airplane, taxi, subway, public bus, minivan, pedi-cab, and train (as well as walked a ton!)

For your final viewing enjoyment, I'll leave you with some pics of our breakfast at Union Station before we boarded the train.

Christmas Countdowns

2012-01-16T09:28:00.000+08:00

by Amy

I stink at celebrating Advent with my kids. At our home overseas, we have 3 things that we do to count down to Christmas. All three are numbered 1-25 and intended to be enjoyed on Dec. 1-25. Even though we start the day after Thanksgiving to give us a little wiggle room, we don't usually finish most of them by Dec. 25.

1. We have a "Rejoice Banner" that I made before I had any kids. (Thanks Anne Marie!) It's made of felt and doesn't require a lot of time each day. Basically, we have 25 pieces that come together to create a nativity scene. Day one, we put up a stable. Then there are trees, animals, angles, a star, and finally Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. My kids love it! They were actually disappointed that I didn't bring it back to the States with us. Every year, we do get all the pieces up on the banner -- even if that means I let my kids arrange after Christmas, before I put it away.

2. Jesse Tree. I love the idea of a Jesse Tree. It traces Christ from the creation to the resurrection. There's an ornament to represent the Scripture reading for the day. My kids love the Jesse Tree, too. They think it's fun to look at the ornaments hanging on our little tree and re-tell the Bible store that goes with it. The only problem is that it takes time. In the version we have, the Scripture reading is often a chapter or two. That's fine for one night, but when we get behind, I feel overwhelmed by trying to conquer 3 or 4 in one evening. Then, it becomes rushed, and stressed, not sweet and worshipful. Last year, I just decided we'd do one or two a nights that we were home, and see how far we got. It was definitely less stressful, and we got further than ever before - maybe day 18.

3. The "Door Bible." It's an advent book with the Christmas story hidden behind a door on each page. Up until 2011, the Door Bible was our favorite Christmas activity. Our kids take turns opening each door, and trade off going first each night. And, since this is the one we used in place of famiy devos, we always finish it on time. (if we miss a night or two, it's easy to catch up!) I was given this book when I was pregnant with Savannah, so we've used it every year since she was 1. Unfortunately, it's now $55 on Amazon. If you ever find a cheaper copy, I'd highly recommend it. The pictures are fantastic!

But, this year....My dear friend Krista recommended we read Jotham's Journey.

It was so awesome!!! The only problem we had was drawing it out over 4 weeks. Every time I finished our nightly reading, the kids were begging me to read one more chapter! It was usually Brad who had to insist I stop reading so our kids could go to bed! We all really loved it! It is the story about a 10 year old boy who through a series of events (including meeting Elizabeth and the Wisemen) ends up at the stable when Mary gave birth to Jesus. The author did a great job paralleling the boys life with Israel and building the anticipation for the coming Messiah! I highly recommend this book! The author has has 2 more advent stories about two other children that also end up at the stable the night Christ was born. We haven't read them yet, and I'm not sure we'll be able to wait unit next Christmas!

Another Pedo-ism

2012-01-14T06:40:00.001+08:00

by Amy

When we lived overseas, my boys would walk in to the room where Brad was watching/listening to a sporting event and ask, "Who are we rooting for?" They were happy to cheer with Brad and support whoever he liked. Now, they seem pretty capable of making their own decisions....

On Jan. 2, we were watching the Stanford vs Oklahoma State football game. Brad was rooting for OSU. But, instead of pledging his allegiance to his father, and OSU, Peter declares that he's for Stanford. Assuming (correctly) that he had never heard of Stanford before that game, I asked why. He said, "I like the name....it has a 'ford' in it, like mine - Peter Bradford." Really?? Yes, really. He rooted for Stanford until the bitter end -- well, until he had to go to bed. Crazy!

My Green Husband

2012-01-11T08:57:00.004+08:00

So, a couple of months ago, as we were leaving Starbucks (yes, we have 3 within walking distance of our home – and we actually walk to them!!!) we noticed they had bags of used coffee grounds, free for the takin’. The sign next to the bags encouraged people to help the environment by sprinkling the used grounds on their gardens and flower beds. We don’t have a garden. We didn’t take any bags.

But, since then, most mornings Brad chooses a potted plant or some flowers in front of our townhome to bless with our used coffee grounds. I do not have green thumb – or pinky or any other digit, for that matter. So, I’m thankful that my husband is diligently guarding the life of the poor plants that became my responsibility when we moved in here. (We have 3 potted plants – one inside and two outside.)

Where we come from (on the other side of the world) they have other methods of protecting plants. They basically don’t let anyone touch them – even the grass! They don’t let you walk or sit on grass. There are signs in every park that read:

Yes, the grass is sleeping, so DON’T walk on it! I’m not willing to confess how many times I’ve told the “keepers of the grass” that I couldn’t read the sign and therefore didn’t know we couldn’t _______ (play baseball/ picnic/ run on/ walk in) the grass. – Fortunately most signs are not translated so beautifully into English, so I can usually get away with that. The funny thing is that the Asianese really says that the grass is sleeping!

Back to America: One day Peter saw Brad in action and asked why he was putting coffee on the grass. Brad responded with, “It’s good for it; it helps it.” Peter nodded knowingly, and said, “Oh, it keeps it awake.” Because, ya know, where we come from, grass is usually sleeping!

New Smiles

2012-01-08T11:03:00.001+08:00

by Amy

A couple of days before Christmas (and two days after we had professional pictures taken) Peter’s front tooth fell out! Well, actually, Brad helped it out a bit because I couldn’t handle it dangling! Peter was a little disappointed it came out before Christmas. He had a friend tell him that if he lost a tooth on Christmas Eve and put it under his pillow, then tooth fairy would bring him $600! I assured him that since I was his tooth fairy, he wasn’t getting $600 any day of the year!

Then, on New Year’s Eve, Alex lost his front tooth. I’m so glad Brad was around for both of the extractions. For some reason, I just can’t handle loose teeth!!

They’re cute, but I’ll be glad when their permanent teeth come in!

Must Save Memories!

2012-01-05T08:33:00.000+08:00

by Amy

Yep, I’m back…. I’ve taken a blogging sabbatical lately. Why? I don’t really know. It just seems that life has been going along so quickly, that I haven’t had time (or taken the time) to slow down and blog about it. But in December, a friend emailed me asking for some game ideas for a Christmas party she was hosting for Asian women living here in America. I vaguely remember hosting a few Christmas parties in the past, but I have no idea what games we played! So, what did I do? I read December blog posts from the last three or four years to help with the recall. And, that’s when it struck me….I’m not going to remember anything about this year we’re spending in America because I’m not blogging about it! So, get ready…. We’re going to take a few strolls down memory lane….

Play Ball!

2011-10-30T11:57:00.002+08:00

From Brad.

Well, I guess being a single dad for a few days has got me in the blogging mood. Amy's been in Louisville for the past few days attending a retreat, so I've been going solo...and really having a great time with it. I know we haven't blogged for a while, being here in the states can really keep you busy. I guess the main reason I wanted to blog was to share my joyful little league baseball experience with you.

In Asia, it was not uncommon for the boys and me to venture outside with a baseball bat and a few balls in hand. We'd turn the tennis court into a makeshift baseball diamond (a bit lopsided at that). Peter and Alex have always enjoyed taking some swings, and I've always enjoyed helping them understand and like the game I loved as a little guy (and even now although I've dropped the adj 'little'). So when we knew we'd be back in the states for a while, I really wanted to get them involved in little league baseball. I found a Fall league that would allow me to manage my own team (a requirement of mine since I've heard of a few horror stories of overzealous parents/coaches). We've played 8 games so far and I must say it has been a great experience for all. It is a coach pitch league for 6-7 year olds.

When I drafted the team, I requested to be the Rangers (Astros were taken, Rangers are a fun, exciting team with Texas connections). They initially said ok, but then switched us to the Blue Jays b/c of a lack of Ranger uniforms. Uggg, not even an American team! :) We missed the first 2 games b/c of a family business trip to the East coast. Our team tied our first game 3-3, and lost the second 6-0. Games 3 & 4 were the first for the three Morello guys (with Savannah being our ever faithful ball girl). We lost 8-6 in the third game (first for us). I was pleasantly surprised that Peter and Alex both hit quite well and our team scored double the runs from the first two games. However, I was the pitcher the whole game and there's nobody more nervous on the field than me! I'm 40 feet away from the hitter and its overhand pitch with a hard ball. Throw it too soft and its diving straight down as it crosses the plate (hard to hit). Throw it too hard, and its too fast (also hard for these young guys to hit). Throw it inside and risk hitting a kid which at this stage would mean the end of his baseball career (they're already afraid of 'death-by-hit-batsman'). You get the picture...a perfect pitch and the kid has a shot of making contact. Anything else, it's a swing and a miss and disappointment everywhere.

Our 4th game we lost 13-2. I had lots of strikeouts, really lowered my ERA. :) Not what I wanted. We got killed and I started wondering if our team (now 0-3-1) was going to win a game all year long. But to keep things in perspective, Peter and Alex (2 of the better players) missed games 1&2, two other boys (2 of the better players) missed games 3&4. Game 5 rolled around and we Rocked! We won our first game by like 10 runs. Peter and Alex continued to hit well, and even made a couple plays in the field. However, I had never taught them baserunning. So Peter rounds 2nd base as the 2nd baseman is holding the ball right there, and Peter has no clue IT IS NOT GOOD TO STRAY OFF THE BAG. He fortunately got back to the bag because his Dad YELLED, 'get on the bag!!!'. Okay, not mean, but definitely competitive. Yikes, its not as easy as it looks to stay calm out there.

Games 5 & 6 we both won and now are on a 4 game winning streak. Now some of the 'late bloomers' who previously were joyfully watching planes fly by overhead are actually paying attention to the game and swinging in the general vicinity of the pitch :) and every now and then running into one. Peter hit a ball under the second baseman's glove last game which rolled to the fence. Due to an overthrow, he made it all the way home. According to Peter, he hit his first home run. I just couldn't bring myself to give him the facts. "Yes, Peter, you really crushed that ball!"

And were also finding some opportunities to share with some of the parents, which has been exciting. Last week, one of the Moms shared with Amy that she's been under so much stress with work and life, she just went and bought a Bible to see if it could help her. "Do you know anything about the Bible?" she asked Amy. How neat to be in that situation at that moment.

Here are the sluggers:

There's no smiling in baseball!

Ah, maybe after a HR!

Finally got one in his wheelhouse!

Aging Faster than Expected!

2011-08-05T20:53:00.006+08:00

by Amy

When the Goodins were in town for two weeks earlier this summer, we all bought a Houston City Pass. So, we had tickets to 5 or 6 Houston Attractions that had to be visited in a 9 day time frame - Great for people who vacation in Houston, not so great for Houstonians. But, since the Goodins were vacationing in Houston, we decided to pretend we were vacationing as well. So, we did fun things like go to NASA (absolutely amazing!), the Houston Aquarium (quite disappointing), the Children's Museum (AWESOME), the Zoo (way to Hot to visit in June), and the Museum on Natural Science. One day, I may actually blog about all of those great places, and the fun time we had vacationing with the Goodins, but that day is not today. Today is about Alex.....

When we were in the Museum of Natural Science, we all entered the Gem Room. (we all = 4 adults, 3 girls and 3 boys.) It was a dark area with several rooms and halls. All along the wall were beautiful, well lit glass cases displaying all sorts of gems (and maybe some rocks?). The overhead lights were out so as to highlight and magnify the sparkly gems. Near the entrance was an interactive computer display. Alex ran right for it. The rest of us separated and walked through the display. So, I'm guessing when Alex turned around, he couldn't see anyone he knew. My kids are trained to just call out for me, if they can't find me. "Mommy! Mommy!" (It works better in Asia when they're the only ones yelling "Mommy!") But, because Brad and I had entered the VAULT and were admiring the lovely sapphires, rubies, and diamonds, and since some crazy music was BLARING in there, we could not hear the cries of our son. I'm assuming some other kind person heard those cries and took Alex to the "Lost Kid Headquarters." And, since we were in the Vault, could we hear my name over the loud speakers as I was being paged.... Thankfully, the girls were not in the vault, so they came running to find us, thinking I was in trouble. About this time we all realized we hadn't seen Alex in a while.... So, being the bright mama that I am, I concluded I had lost my son -- (Such a bummer...I just about had the Mom of the Year Award in the bag, until this unfortunate event.) So, I raced downstairs to find my son behind the security desk, waiting to be claimed.

He hugged me and promised to never leave my side again; I hugged him right back and reassured him of my forever love. I was a little surprised the security guard let Alex leave with me -- He didn't even ask my name. Then Alex said, "It's OK. I told them what you looked like, so that's how he knows your my mamma." "Really? What did you say?" Alex responded, "I told them you have curly hair and that Daddy looks like a grandpa."

Oh my! We laughed so hard! A. my hair is not curly (see picture above). And B - well, what do you think? Does Brad look like a grandpa to you? Of course not! You know that security guard was so hoping the "Grandpa-looking Father" would be the one to claim the kid. Too funny!

PS -- Alex held my hand the rest of the day!

First Impressions

2011-07-31T00:26:00.001+08:00

So, we've lived in Asia for over four years. My boys were 2 and Savannah was 4 when we moved there. We came back to the States for a 3-week vacation about 2 years ago, but that's it. Needless to say, things have changed since the last time I had a home here. These are some of the fun/funny things we've noticed:

You can pause your TV. Yes, you're watching a TV show, (not a DVD) and you can pause it to run and get a drink. That's crazy! I've heard of this TEVO thing where you can record your TV shows w/o a recorder (I've never done it), but I didn't know you could pause it. Crazy!

Peter was out riding his bike one day and came in to ask me for a towel. When I asked what he needed a towel for he replied, "I was riding on the sidewalk and those things that are cleaning the bushes outside got my bike wet. Sprinklers....I guess we don't see sprinklers in Asia!

Laundry Detergent....Oh my! In Asia, I don't buy my own laundry detergent. My helper always did that for me. So, after not buying detergent for over 4 years, I was overwhelmed. They have liquid and powder, tons of scents, and lots of sizes! I literally spent 20 minutes in laundry detergent isle, trying to decide what was the best value, what flavor I liked, and if I wanted energy saving detergent - what in the world?!

Sidenote: On our first morning in America, I woke up at 2am. After laying in bed for an hour, I got up and was out the door by 3:30, on my way to super wal-mart! By 6:45am the only people I had seen in the store were the stockers. How strange for the grocery store to be open, but not full of people! Then, I went to through the checkout, with my 199 items (I had 2 carts!), and they rejected my credit card. I gave them another one, and it was rejected. Then, I pulled out a check (I hadn't written a check in 4 years) and they rejected that too. I borrowed my checker's cell phone to call my dad, but he couldn't come help me. Finally, I called the number on the back of my credit card, and got it squared away. I told my checker that if I had to walk away without my groceries (after shopping for 3+ hours) I was going to cry. Thankfully, no tears were shed that morning!

The sky is blue and clouds are lovely!

Finally, I think the most surprising thing is how people drive! They notice my kids!! Parking lots and streets, are safe! People driving cars stop way back to allow us to cross the street. When my kids are riding their bikes on the sidewalk, drivers slow down to a crawl. It's amazing! I really don't think I'll ever get used to that!

I'm sure I could go on and on....but I won't! Maybe I'll write about a few more things we've discovered in another post.

My boys are 7!!

2011-07-25T23:58:00.001+08:00

Yep, on June 8, 2011, my little, baby boys turned SEVEN YEARS OLD!!! Oh, my, how time fly! Their day was fun! We started off by meeting their cousins at Shipley Donuts. Mmmm! they're the closest thing to Krispy Kreme in Houston. Then, we piled the girls (Savannah, cousin Emily, almost 5, and cousin Amanda, 6 1/2) in Grandma Sue's car. They boys, (Peter, Alex, and cousin Travis, 10) hopped in our car, and we all headed downtown to a free production of Camp Rock 2 at an outdoor theater. It was a warm June day in Houston, but we were sitting in an open-air, covered theater and it was perfect! (My kids all love Camp Rock 2 and loved singing along with all the fun songs!)

Emily, on the left is my brother's daughter, and Amanda, on the right, is Brad's sister's daughter. Aren't they cuties?!?

Then, my dad met us at a yummy Mexican restaurant for lunch. (I tried to talk him into attending the play with us, but I just couldn't convince him!) Mexican food.... you gotta love it! We had 10 people, and including tax and tip, the whole meal was $60! Granted, we weren't at Pappasitos, but it was pretty great! After will filled our bellys, we went down the street to Chuck-E-Cheese. My boys played and played and played! They had a blast running around with their cousins and collecting tickets.

After playing for a few hours, we pulled out the birthday cake. This is the first year in their whole lives that I didn't make their cake. We had been in America for a week and I just couldn't get my act together. ( Last years cakes took about 8 hours to make and decorate.) Peter was crushed when I told him I couldn't do it this year. My husband assured me time and time again that he'd get over it. He was right. When Sue took him to Sam's and let them pick out what ever cake they wanted, there were smiles all around! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the cake they picked! It was a small Toy Story themed circle cake with cupcakes around it.

So, there you have it! Alex and Peter are really seven years old! I praise the Lord for each of them! They are unique and fun! What a blessing they are to this mama! May they have many, MANY more birthdays to come!

I've fallen....

2011-07-22T23:57:00.000+08:00

and I'm trying to get up!

Yes, I know it seems as if I've fallen off the face of the earth! Technically, I just relocated on the face of the earth. And, even though WiFi and Internet are FAST on this side of the world, so is everything else. I tell you, we got off the plane on May 30 at 6:30pm and I have hardly stopped running since! These last two months have been full! And, I plan on blogging about it and posting fun pics, at some point, but the next 6 weeks are FULL as well. So, here's a quick recap and preview:

Recap:
June 8, Peter and Alex turned 7!
June 9, we drove to OK to spend a long weekend with dear friends before they moved half way around the world, again.
June 14, precious friends from Colorado came to spend 2 weeks with us! We did: NASA, Aquarium, VBS, Children's Museum, Dates, Swimming, Boating, Zoo, Cars 2, and much, much more!
July 4, Fun with family!
July 8, 9, and 10, Brad and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary, without kids, thanks to my awesome mother-in-law!
July 12 (and 13), Savannah's Brithday ~ Splashtown and circus
July 15, we went to Bryan/College Station to see friends, share about out life in Asia, baptize our boys, and preach.
And, this week, my kids have been at a rockin' VBS each morning.
On top of all that, my mom has been in the hospital twice, Savannah's had an ear infection, I've joined a women's Bible study, kids have been trained in chores, Brad's been writing his dissertation, and we've loved seeing our family as much as possible!

Preview:
Next week, I'm attending a Homeschooling Conference in the Woodlands (north Houston).
Next Saturday we'll spend the day at Lake Conroe with one of Brad's friends from 20+ years ago.
Sunday we'll share about our Asia-life at a local church.
Then, on Aug 4 we'll take off for Louisville where we'll spend almost 3 weeks re-connecting with friends there, while Brad meets with professors and continues working on his dissertation.
At the end of August, we'll travel to South Carolina to participate in a conference, and head back "home" to Houston sometime after Labor Day.

Whew! Life has been rich! And, the next month will be full as well! So, my goal is for you to hear from me again before Sept. 15, but I can't make any promises!

Now, for a few pics.... These are from my boys' first Astros game! (Savannah was 3 weeks old when she attended her first game!)

Something's Wrong With This Picture

2011-05-20T22:17:00.000+08:00

Last Friday night, we went to some friends' home for dinner. When we were leaving their home, I was so confused because only one of each of my flip flops were sitting by her door. How did that happen? Kevin said he noticed my feet right as I walked in and he figured I was wearing some special orthopedic shoes or something (Thanks, Kevin! I'm only 6 years older than you!) No, I was just too scatter brained when I left my house that I didn't notice I had put on two different shoes!

Yes, things have been a little crazy around here these days! We are deep in to packing mode. In one week from tomorrow, movers will come to collect most of our earthly possessions and put them in storage. Then, on Monday, May 30, we'll hop on a plane (or four) and 26 hours later, Lord willing, we'll land in Houston. I'll do my best to wear matching shoes from here on out!

Photo Fun!

2011-04-26T08:58:00.000+08:00

Recently, the kids and I have gone on a couple of photo scavenger hunts. We've been looking for letters. Can you read this?

Home - part 2

2011-04-22T16:03:00.001+08:00

When we moved here, Savannah was four years old, almost five. Now, she's eight, almost nine. She's lived almost half her life in this apartment. She remembers a few things about our apartment in Louisville, but nothing our time in Colorado. Most of her memories have been made while we lived here. She knows what to expect when she goes to school, and when she comes home. She loves her bed and her room full of her favorite things. She has friends and feels safe here. The fact that her room currently has 30 packed boxes stacked in the corner has been a bit unnerving to her. It's a reminder that she's leaving home and going somewhere unfamiliar. What will her new room look like? Who will she play with? Will the kids laugh when she can't remember the right English word? Will she get their jokes? Will they get hers?

We've been talking a lot about "home" in our home these days. Not only do I want Savannah (and the boys) to understand that they'll never feel completely at home until they're in Heaven, but I want them to hold tightly to the most important truths -- truths that are familiar and not changing. Our God is our God, here and there (in the US). Our sins are forgiven, here and there! I'm their mama, here and there. Our family will be together, here and there.

Ever since Savannah was little, she's had a hard time with transitions -- often having a physical response (getting sick, sleeping poorly, etc.) So, pray that through this transition, we can encourage her to keep her feet firmly planted on the Rock of her salvation, and help her find peace as she trust in her unchanging Lord!

Home - part 1

2011-04-19T14:59:00.003+08:00

by Amy

What is home? Is it the place you sleep every night? Is it the place where your stuffed animals are (like a hotel room)? Is it where you feel safe? Is it somewhere familiar? Is it where you grew up or where you currently live? Is it where you passport was issued? Is it where you understand the people and love the food? Is it where you feel loved and accepted? Is it where you've spent the longest amount of time? Is it where you really belong, where you fit in and don't stand out? Is it where you need to be, even if you don't want to be there? Is it defined by a place or a person/people? Is it all of the above, none of the above or some of the above? Does everyone have the same answer? Should everyone have the same answer? Does the answer change depending on where you are?

These are some of the questions I've been asking myself lately.... You see, as we're packing our belongings, preparing to move everything in storage, so we can go back to the States for a year, I'm excited! Part of me feels like I'm preparing to go home! Home to America. Home to my extended family that knows me so well. Home to my precious friends that have loved me from a distance so faithfully these past four years. Home to good Tex-Mex and baseball games! Home to where I can read every sign on every building. But, the other part of me feels like I'm leaving home: The home where I first began homeschooling my kids. The home where some of my closest friends live. The home where I have the kitchen table of my dreams. The home where my baby boys grew into little boys. The home where I learned to make tortillas and homemade bagels. The home where I experienced the joy of seeing my daughter baptized and introducing many others to their Creator.

Can both of these places be home? I don't really fit in here. Locals comment on what funny shoes I wear or how how few layers of clothing I put on. They think my cookies are too sweet and my dinners are too cheesy. And, yes, my language has come a long way, but sometimes they speak too fast and I can't understand what they're saying. And, I'm afraid, if I'm totally honest, that I won't really fit in back in America either. My clothes and shoes are completely out of style. I haven't listened to the latest music or watched the most recent movies. And, I've forgotten many basic English words. Here, it's totally common to sub in a local word or two when speaking English. All my friends do it, so it's not a big deal. Meaning is not compromised. But in America, I'll sound silly as I search for the right word.

So, if home is defined by being where I fit in, then I guess I'm homeless.

Homeless... The Word says that I'm a citizen of Heaven. But, since I'm not in Heaven right now, I'm a stranger and an alien walking around on Earth. Sometimes I really feel like an alien here. I have a feeling I'll be quite a stranger in my Homeland as well. So where does that leave me? Longing for Home. A place where I'll completely fit in. A place where I'll be completely known and understood. A place where I can understand everyone around me. A place of peace, rest, and pure joy -- and great food!! Oh, the day is coming, and not so far off, where I'll be Home! Until then, I'm going to keep-on persevering, seeking to make the best of this alien-life I have. I'm going to find fellowship with other strangers and invite those around us to join the alien-life as we keep our eyes fixed on our Home.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-04-17T14:17:00.061+08:00

by Amy

April 17, 2007, will forever be ingrained in my memory! It's the day we got off the plane and began our life on this side of the world. In so many ways, it seems like it was just yesterday that Brad and I drug 3 small children (at that times, ages, 4, 2, and 2), a double stroller weighted down with our 10 carry-ons, 11 trunks, and 4 rolling suitcases and 1 over-stuffed duffel bag half way around the world. Side note: by the time we got to LAX, we were convinced that my brilliant idea of packing our most heavy items, like books, in our carry-ons that had no weight limit, was a very bad idea!

But, on the other hand, April 17, 2007, seems like a million years ago! It's encouraging to think how far we've come in the last 4 years - especially in the area of language. Oh, how many times did I have to call a friend and have her tell my taxi driver where I wanted to go? Now, I'm the one getting calls and talking to my friends' taxi drivers! How many times did I pay way too much for something at the market? Now, I'm familiar with reasonable prices and enjoy doing a little bargaining. Oh, and I remember feeling so discouraged about cooking four years ago. I had a huge stack of recipe cards, and I could find what I needed to make exactly three recipes. Now....there are probably about 3 recipes I can't make, (thanks to my husband's awesome use of the local ebay!) When we first got here, I couldn't even express my most basic needs but, now I can, by God's grace, point my friends to the One who can meet all our needs.

These last four years have not necessarily been easy, but they have been blessed! We praise the Lord for bringing us here and pray that we have many more years in this place!

Feelin' the Love -- And...

2011-04-02T19:00:00.016+08:00

REJECTIN' IT!

So, the other day I was leaving the grocery store and flagged a taxi to take me home. This is the conversation I had with my driver:

Driver: Where are you from?
Me: America
Driver: Oh! American women are so beautiful!
Me: No, Americans are big. (People here often comment on weight. =) )
Driver: Oh no, Americans are so much more beautiful than locals. You are beautiful. How old are you?
Me: uh... this year I'll be 36. So, are you a local?
Driver: Yes, I really like Americans.
Me: Really? Do you know many Americans?
Driver: No, but I really like them. Americans seem so friendly.
Me: So...(thinking, that I need to change the subject) are you married?
Driver: Yes, but before I was married, I wanted to find an American bride. American women are so beautiful.
Me: I bet that would be difficult since there aren't many foreigners in our city. How long have you been married?
Driver: 11 years.
Me: Oh, I've been married almost 12 years. My husband's great!
Driver: I was way too young when I got married.
Me: Really? Do you not like your wife?
Driver: Not too much....Do you like your husband?
Me: Oh yes! I love my husband! He's a Christian, like me, so he is faithful and kind, quick to serve. He loves me and is a wonderful father to our 3 kids.
Driver: I really want to kiss you.
Me: Ummm Excuse me?
Driver: I want to kiss you. You know (smacking sounds)....
Me: Uh NO!! NO! Impossible! My husband would not like that! No. You. may. not. kiss. ME!!!

Thankfully, we were almost home at that point! When I tried to pay him, he didn't want to take my money. I threw the money at him, yelled, "Keep the change!" and ran into the building!

That kind of love, I'm definitely rejecting!!

Anyone Hungry?

2011-03-31T19:00:00.000+08:00

So, the other day, I was planning to take Peter on a lunch date. Brad was out of town, so that left Leigh (my helper) here with Alex and Savannah. Since it was just the three of them eating at home, she decided not to cook lunch, but let the kids pick some leftovers to eat. I guess leftovers didn't sound too appealing to Alex because when I walked in the kitchen to say goodbye, Leigh was fixing him a honey and mayo sandwich. Yes, honey on one side and mayo on the other.... nothing in the middle. I don't know who came up with that idea, but I promptly overruled it and told Alex he could have a ham and cheese sandwich. Oh my!

Feelin' the Love -- Again!

2011-03-25T10:38:00.001+08:00

My kids are just precious! Last week Savannah said she wanted to plan a birthday party for one of her stuffed animals, but she couldn't decide which animal Peter and Alex would be most excited about. After suggesting one or another, she continually shot down all my ideas. So, I joking suggested she celebrate my birthday instead. Well, she took that idea and ran with it! I tried to emphasis that my birthday is in December, not March, and I was only joking. But, she couldn't be deterred!

So, this last Saturday, my sweet daughter planned a birthday party for her mama! The night before she prayed the Lord would help her to be a good hostess. He definitely answered that prayer! It was a great party! We had special snacks consisting on caramel popcorn, marshmallows, strawberries with whipped topping, and (iced) tea served in my real tea set. Brad was even on hand to participate in the snack portion of the party! How thoughtful of him! ;)

(Aren't their outfits cute? They all picked special clothes to wear for the party. Savannah's a bride; Peter's Spiderman; and Alex is Batman! - Oh, I love those kids!)

Then, my kids each agreed to read a story with me. It has been especially fun for my kids to read to me the picture books I used to love to read to them. So, after the snacks, Peter read Kiss Good Night to me. Oh, it was so cute to hear him read it to me with the same intonations I always use reading it to him. And, of course, he kissed me "once, twice and twice more!" I had a huge smile on my face the whole time he read!

After Peter read to me, we played Pin the Tale on the Donkey. Savannah made a lovely donkey and 5 tails. Oh, the fun! And yes, the daddy was recruited once again.

I love Savannah's expression in the pic!

This is typical in our home...Alex entertaining and Peter cracking up!

Clearly, Brad didn't win!

Then, it was Alex's turn to read to me. He read Guess How Much I Love You. That too was absolutely precious! He reached up high just as Little Nutbrown Hare reached up high; He yawned as Little Nutbrown Hare got tired; , and he leaned over and kissed me just as Big Nutbrown Hare kissed Little Nutbrown Hare. So fun!

Our final game on the agenda was 7up. Savannah just learned how to play this in Thailand, so she was eager to teach her brothers. With only five of us playing (yes, Wonder-Dad came back for another game), we decided to have 2 people with heads down and three people walking around to touch thumbs. It wasn't quite like I remembered from my elementary days, but Savannah was thrilled, and therefore, so was I.

Next we read Savannah's book, Love You Forever. She asked me to read to her instead reading it herself. I love that book! We have a special way that the we "sing" the song together. And, once again, I got choked up at the ending. It's amazing how quickly time flies! My little girl used to be so tiny, and now she's almost 9 years old! Thankfully, I don't feel like "selling her to the zoo!"

(Insert: Pic of Savannah....oops, I forgot to take one!)

Finally, all three kids presented me with fun homemade cards declaring their love for me! I could not imagine a better birthday party, and I'll gladly volunteer to be the recipient of one of Savannah's fun ideas in the future! I'm so feelin' the love around here!

Simon Says

2011-03-21T19:11:00.000+08:00

So, sometimes when my boys need to get a little energy out during homeschooling, I have them put down their pencils and get up for some activity. This tends to especially happen on Tuesdays, since my kids don't go to local school on Tuesday. At local school they have a 10 min recess every hour. We're going to have to figure something out when they don't go to local school while we're in America. Any tips?

Today*, my activity of choice was Simon Says. Simon says, touch your toes. Simon says, stand up tall. Simon says doing jumping jacks. And, today, Simon said to jump up and down on one foot. I told Alex that if he had any issues doing this particular activity, he could just ask his brother for help -- since he plans on teaching a whole class on this topic. Peter promptly replied, while jumping very well, I might add, "I cannot do this for a whole hour! I will only be able to do that when I'm an adult! Then, I'll teach classes!" Well....at least he has a goal.... I guess that's a good thing.

*Yes, I realize that today is actually Monday, not Tuesday. My boys' teacher called me early this morning telling me something was going on at the school, so if Peter and Alex arrived for second period (as usual) their class wouldn't be in the room. I didn't exactly catch what was going on, but I did understand when she recommended they stay home for the day. Woo-Hoo! We finished school by 2pm and went to the park to ride bikes! There were no attack trees this time!

Movin' Up

2011-03-18T17:22:00.002+08:00

Before our trip to Thailand (that I plan on blogging about someday), my kids all finished their homeschool curriculum for the year. So, when we got home we started a new school year. (I love the flexibility of homeschooling!) At the beginning of the month, Savannah started homeschool 3^rd grade and Alex and Peter started 1^st grade. I can hardly believe how fast my kiddos are growing up! Savannah’s favorite subject is definitely English! She still loves to read and is becoming quite a writer. She does great in math, but does not really like it. Alex also enjoys reading, but his favorite subjects are math and science. Peter is my math-stud! He just figures things out – like how many pieces of candy everyone should get if we have 15 pieces. He hasn’t learned multiplication, much less division. It’s fun to see his little mind work. He claims his favorite subject is science (we’re studying Astronomy), but I think it’s really math!

So, at this point in their lives, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, these are the answers I get:

Alex 6 ½ years old:

“I have 3 options: 1. Fireman 2. Rock Star 3. Policeman. I don’t know which is my favorite. Fireman is my ‘worst favorite.’”

Peter 6 ½ years old:

“Maybe an artist or a teacher. I want to have a family and be a daddy, and go to school, like my daddy does. I want to teach people how to jump on one foot for an hour.” -- is that what he thinks his daddy does? =)

Savannah, 8 ½ years old:

“A mom, an artist, a book writer, and an engineer.” I asked, “all at the same time?” “No, I’d be a mom, and do the other things one at a time, while being a mom.”

Wow! It's a good thing they don't have to choose their college major for a few more years!

Phonics Fun

2011-03-15T19:52:00.002+08:00

by Amy

So, I was doing a phonics lesson with the boys the other day.... I asked them to think of a word that has a short 'i' sound in it. Peter was quick to say the word 'it.' Then, I asked Alex to tell me one. "Is it OK if I say a word I'm not allowed to say?" he asked so innocently. "Uh, no....think of another one." I quickly respond. So, while he's thinking and thinking, I'm thinking too.... and I can only come up with one word that sounds like 'it' that he's not allowed to say. Now, I'm wondering where in the world he heard that word! So, finally, I tell him he can say the word he's thinking of. Idiot. (We had just watched Night at the Museum and Larry Daley calls himself an idiot after making a silly mistake.) He was thinking of the word idiot. Whew! He's not allowed to say that word either!

My American Girl

2011-03-12T19:52:00.000+08:00

by Amy

Some friends of ours are renting a new apartment and needed us to take a few measurements for them. So, Brad busted out the measuring tape. Savannah went to help him. This is the conversation I overheard:

Savannah: Daddy, it's 39 3/4 inches tall.
Brad: Oh, thanks, sweetie, but I need it in centimeters.
Savannah: I like inches better. Why do you need centimeters?
Brad: Most people all around the world use centimeters; only Americans use inches. Annoying huh?
Savannah: Yeah, everyone should change and use inches. They're better.

I guess you can take the girl our of America, but you can't the American out of the girl!

Feelin' the Love!

2011-03-09T10:32:00.000+08:00

By Amy

On Sunday, our kids (instigated by Savannah) decided to give Brad and me a “Home Date.” They insisted that we eat dinner alone at the kitchen table while they ate dinner at the school table. Savannah even wanted to fix dinner for us, but since we had eaten mac’n cheese the night before, (that she made), I decided to whip up some quesadillas with leftovers. (They were super yummy!!) Savannah made us a love tea-light candle holder, so we had quite a romantic candlelight dinner!

But, that’s not all!

The next day, Brad came home from dropping the kids off at school and gave me over 2 dozen beautiful roses! The florist said they had just arrived by plane that morning. They are so full and red and lovely!! I tell ya…. This mama is definitely feelin’ the love these days!

What a sweet blessing my precious family is!

Wipe Out!

2011-03-06T12:06:00.000+08:00

So, the other day, it was beautiful here. We finished our home school lessons early so we could go ride bikes at the park. Alex and Peter were riding on some paved paths through the trees and one tree jumped out and grabbed Peter, scraped up his face, and broke his bike! Oh MY!!! Alex came racing back to get me! It took us about half an hour to get home, but we made it! Savannah walked Peter’s broken bike while I put Peter on Savannah’s bike and walked it; Alex rode his bike slowly next to us. Peter's leg was a little sore, and obviously his face was scraped up, but we praise the Lord it wasn’t worse! A broken leg would not be fun – especially on this side of the world!

Next time we go to the park, we’ll be on the lookout for attack trees!

Special Visitor

2011-02-20T21:43:00.007+08:00

Last month we had a dear friend from the States come visit. It was such a sweet and encouraging time! Not only do I love Rachel, but my kids are crazy about her as well! We were all so excited about her visit! (Brad likes her too, but he was out of town when she came to stay me.) And, she came bearing gifts…. One of our favorite things that she brought was a gingerbread man shaped cookie sheet. It’s perfect for making cookie cakes! So, while she was here, we had to test it out!

We baked two cookie cakes and let Savannah make a gingerbread girl and Peter and Alex decorate a gingerbread boy. But, we didn’t actually use gingerbread. We made chocolate chip people – they were YUMMY!!! So, here are some pics…

Savannah did most of this all by herself! She loves using the icing tips and does a great job!

In my world, when it comes to a cookie cake, the more icing the better. (I especially enjoyed eating the dress on Savannah’s girl.) In my boys’ world, the more candy the better!

Clearly, they had Aunt Rachel’s creativity on their side. Just look at that hair! Isn’t he cute!?!

Rachel’s trip here was great! We had such a sweet time of sharing and getting caught up. (We didn’t get a ton of sleep, but really….sleep is over rated anyway!) I am so thankful for this precious friend!

Last, but not Least

2011-02-17T20:44:00.001+08:00

So, now it's time for Peter's modeling pics.... He's definitely not as animated as Alex, but we still got some great shots of him. This is my favorite...

That reminds me of a Calvin Kline ad or something!

Too funny!

And of course, put a bat or ball in his hand

and he's a happy camper!

Just look at this picture for a minute. I had nothing to do with dressing him or selecting his prop.

Clearly the photographer is a little confused about sports... Peter's wearing a soccer uniform, a baseball hat and holding a basketball! Crazy!

Yep, I think he's a keeper!

It's OUT!

2011-02-14T20:34:00.001+08:00

Alex Finally lost his tooth! He's so excited! The funny thing is that he swallowed his tooth at breakfast as well! I guess we need to teach our kids to chew better, then maybe they'd notice when there's a tooth in their mouth!

My Alex is a crazy guy! There’s not a shy bone in his body! He loves to dance and entertain those around him. He has a sensitive heart and is always aware if someone is sad. He loves babies and generally makes everyone smile. I’m so thankful that this little guy is in our family!

Here are a few more recent pics of Alex lately. He's always quick to pose for a pic.

Savannah Lea

2011-02-11T11:10:00.000+08:00

My Angel

(yes, they put mascara on her -- why, I don't know! She clearly doesn't need it!)

Alex

2011-02-08T21:22:00.000+08:00

It was so funny to see him go from being silly and crazy, to serious and focused when he put on this army outfit. It cracked me up! We could hardly get a smile out of him!

And here's a glimpse of who's coming up next: Savannah.

1 Year Old Fun

2011-02-06T12:26:00.000+08:00

From Brad. My friend here in town reminded me of a Christmas letter many years ago when I remarked that my twin boys loved to throw things down the stairs. One day many years ago we captured this phenomenon on video, its one of our favorite memories.

Thankfully, they never got a hold of my cell phone or other small electronic gadgets :) They're many years older now, but they still love to smash things (me too). Its easier to do living on the 13th floor.

Modeling Pics

2011-02-04T20:49:00.002+08:00

by Amy

So, several months a friend of our asked me if I'd be willing to take my kids to her friend's photo studio. I think they wanted to use my kids' pictures as advertisement for their studio. So, since my kids were up for it, I decided to take them. Three hours and over 400 pictures later, we left the studio. It was crazy! They had my kids try on all kinds of outfits with different backgrounds. I hadn't been to a photo studio since my boys were 2 years old. Thankfully, this was quite a different experience! They could actually look where they were supposed to look and smile on command! And, since I wasn't paying any money for these pics, I didn't really care how they turned out. So, there was no pressure from the mama!

Have no fear... I do not plan to post all 400 pics, but I thought I'd take a few entries and post the best pics of each kid. I'll start off with a few of my favorites with all three.

Check back in a few days and I'll post some great pics of Alex!

My Pedo

2011-02-02T13:48:00.000+08:00

Is he cute or what! I love this kid! Peter is hard working, diligent, quick to share, a sucker for details, and just plain fun to be around! I'm so thankful that the Lord placed him in our family!

No, it's not his birthday....So why am I singling Peter out? Because on Christmas Eve he took one of many steps towards becoming a man....

He lost his first tooth! He had been wiggling it for a few days (and grossing me out! I can't handle wiggly teeth!) So, on Christmas Eve he went to brush his teeth and came running into the living room rejoicing that one tooth had finally fallen out! His bottom, middle two teeth had been loose for a few weeks.

Then, just a few days later at breakfast, Peter smiled at me as he was eating his gingerbread house cereal and I noticed the second bottom one had fallen out too! That one we didn't find, so I'm assuming he swallowed it! Oh well! I don't like to keep teeth anyway!

He's quite proud of his missing teeth and is always sticking his his tongue through the hole they left when he smiles. It's cute to hear him talk, too, because he has a hard time saying a few words! Alex now has fun grossing me out with his wiggly bottom tooth, so I'm sure his will be falling out any day now! We'll keep you posted!

One more pic.... This is from the Christmas Night service. Look at that crazy HEAD!

My Husband Rocks!

2011-02-02T13:43:00.000+08:00

It's true! Brad is so great for a number of reasons, but today he's great because he made my son so happy!

More Christmas Fun!

2011-01-27T19:46:00.001+08:00

So, even though the tree’s down, the lights are packed away, and the decorations have been put up, I though someone (like my dad) might still enjoy seeing the play-by-play version of our Christmas.

After spending the Christmas Eve morning at the kids' school, we came home to some yummy hot chocolate and let the kids open a couple of gifts. Then, while they played, Brad and I both hit the kitchen! My only responsibility for our yummy Christmas meal was dessert, and asking Leigh to make the bread. Brad handled the main course by making some rockin’ alfredo sauce that we poured over angel hair pasta! It was lovely! This is one of his “specialities” but since it requires quite a bit of heavy whipping cream, we only allow him to make it once a year! For dessert I made some vanilla malt ice cream. Special thanks to the awesome ice cream maker my dad gave us last year for Christmas, and the malt milk powder some friends from the States gave us. It’s definitely Brad’s favorite ice cream these days. And, we made a chocolate crown birthday cake for Jesus. For birthdays, I’m usually the one that handles all the decorating of the cakes and it takes several hours. At Christmas, my kids join in the fun! It goes way faster and although the final outcome may not be as “professional” looking, I’m sure Jesus is pleased with the joint effort!

This year everyone had their own point on the crown. (Savannah helped with a few other parts as well.) Peter’s point is on the left; Alex's is on the right. Then, Savannah's was left of the middle and mine was right of the middle, leaving Brad's point in the middle. (Brad’s goal was to be simple; my goal was to use up the icing in left in the bag. Both goals were accomplished!)

After eating our yummy dinner, we moved to the living room for our family candle light service. We enjoyed reading, praying and praising the Lord for the precious gift of the Christ born to bring us life, over 2000 years ago! Then, I divided the gifts and let the kids take turns opening. One of Savannah's favorite gifts this year was a real microscope! She has had so much fun looking at hairs, flower pedals, grains of salt and sugar, and several other small things.

Unfortunately, being the slacker mom that I am, I didn’t take any pics of Savannah with other gifts. She did get quite a few books, a quilt making kit, a science kit, a few radio dramas, and several other things.

Peter and Alex also had fun opening gifts! One of my favorite things they received from my parents were these cute PJs..

Dad, do you like how I labeled these packages from you?

Oh, those are some cute little men!

On Christmas morning, after dumping our our stocking and eating breakfast, we all worked together to prepare 60 baggies of Christmas cookies. We bundled up, as it was super chilly outside and went to pass out cookies and booklets to our neighbors and those that work near our home. We have done this every year since we've been here and it's one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Then, we came home in time to do a video call with Sue! She enjoyed seeing the kids open her gifts. She gave Savannah a set of 10 books, some Polly Pockets, and several crafty things. She gave both boys a special set of legos. They were in Heaven!

Here Peter is helping Alex put together his new Toy Story Train Lego set.

Woody, I mean Peter, is so proud he put together his Airport!

Christmas evening, we went with several friends to a special Christmas Service. It was great! And, I was excited because Brad and I were able to understand so much more this year than last! That's always encouraging! And, as usual, they asked us to sing a song for everyone. (The service had a bit of a talent show feel to it, so some white people singing in English wasn't anymore strange than the grandmas singing and dancing with ribbons.) We had two other American friends with us, so they were good sports and joined in the fun! We sang Hark the Herold Angels Sing. I'm sure it sounded awful, but oh well!

Notice Peter's hair! We left the house right after he got out of the shower, so he put his hat on over wet hair. By the time we got there, it was dry, but CRAZY! All of our friends commented on it! Oh well!

The funniest part was when Brad asked each of our kids to say something in the local language. After introducing us, he passed the mic to Alex first, and he said, "Merry Christmas, Jesus love you!" Everyone thought it was so great to hear this cute kid speaking their language, so they politely clapped a bit. Then, Alex said, "Oh, no need to thank me, you're welcome," in asianese of course, and that cracked everyone up....including me! That kid is such a ham!

So, all that to say, we had a wonderful Christmas 2010 and are so looking forward to spending Christmas 2011 with our family in the States, Lord willing!

Alex the Hutt

2011-01-11T20:27:00.000+08:00

From Brad.

The beauty of digital cameras is that you can instantly identify bad pictures and delete away. However, sometimes we forget to do this. When Alex was born, he was 6 lbs 13 oz. This is compared to his brother Peter who came out a mere 6 lbs even. I always had Alex pegged as a power slugging first-baseman who struck out too much, but also led his team in RBIs (a good baseball website will help you ladies make sense of that last sentence). As just a 2-month old baby, he was a chunk. A healthy chunk. So much so, when I took this picture below...

It was named the “Alex the Hutt” picture. Why you ask? Let’s switch from baseball to Star Wars. In Star Wars episode 6, we are introduced to a spacelike slug creature named Jabba the Hutt.

Can you see the resemblance? I guess Jabba isn't wearing any diapers, that's an obvious difference.

But how times have changed. Alex loves to run, laugh, play baseball, ride his bike and anything else that's active. He does love to eat but you wouldn't know it from this picture...

He's a skinny one. We often get ~~criticized~~, ~~admonished~~, encouraged (let's assume the best with our local friends here) to feed him more. "he's too skinny! Let him eat more!" Well, he's a Morello, we're not too worried about him. :)

Christmas at School

2011-01-07T07:33:00.001+08:00

by Amy

The last few years at Christmas time I've gone to my kids' preschool to teach the Christmas story. But, this year, I don't have any preschoolers! So, I asked the teachers at the elementary school if Brad and I could come to our kids' classes to share about why our family celebrates Christmas. They seemed to think it was a bit of a strange request, but they were willing to oblige. So, on Christmas Eve morning, we packed up 140 cookies and 140 coloring books, bundled up, and walked to school. The kids seemed really excited to see us!

We went to Peter and Alex's class first, then up to Savannah's. We spent about 30 minutes in each class.

This is Peter and Alex's class. Can you imagine the classroom management challenges that come with having over 60 kids in one class?!?!

Since Brad had just done Christmas parties with his students at our English school the week before, (and because he's awesome) he was willing to take the lead in teaching! First we went over new vocab with the kids. Since this story is unfamiliar here, he was not only introducing the kids to new English words, but also new words in their local language. So, that led to the kids repeating both the English and Asianese words after Brad. It was pretty cute. Then, we gave each child a coloring book and read a simple version of the Christmas story with them. (Brad read English and their teacher read it in the local language.)

This is Savannah's class. I think it's sweet to seem them focusing so intently on the story.

Next we taught the kids how to sing Go Tell It On The Mountain, complete with hand motions and all! Finally, we wrapped up the class with giving each kid a Christmas cookie. The following week Savannah came home saying that all of her friends kept on asking if her mom would bake more cookies, so I guess they liked them.

What a sweet privilege we had getting to share this story with over 180* kids and teachers, many of whom thought Christmas was only about Santa Claus!

Where's Waldo, I mean Savannah? Can you find her in this pic?

* I said 180 people, because we also had the opportunity to step into another first grade class and teach them the same story and song while we were waiting for Savannah's class to finish their lessons. Too bad we didn't have enough coloring books and cookies to give to them as well.

Party Logistics

2011-01-04T09:58:00.004+08:00

by Amy

Ok, so this post is written more for my benefit than yours. Since I'll be in the States next Christmas, I won't be hosting parties like this until December of 2012. And, I'm sad to admit this, but my memory is fading. I don't trust that I'll remember what I did this year, but if I write about it here, there's a good chance I'll come back and read it. So, feel free to skip over this post! I won't be offended!

Although we had over 75 locals in our home over a period of 5 days, I made a few intentional decisions that helped it go smoothly. First of all, when it came to food, I baked early, I baked simply, and I baked small! Christmas cookies freeze beautifully, so I didn't feel like baking early compromised the taste. And, I decided this year I was going to only bake two kinds of Christmas cookies: Sugar cookies and mint chocolate cookies. And, I made them SMALL! So small, in fact, that for the chocolate cookies we used my cookie dough scoop and broke each scoop into two small balls of dough and could place 24 on my cookie sheet. Locals aren't crazy about sweets, but they'll usually try whatever I put out, so small is great. My sugar cookie dough, I made into slice & bake logs, and froze them for easy slicing. Each batch produced well over 100 cookies. So, when my helpers got hungry, they could swipe a cookie or two without making a dent in our productivity. Also, I was more concerned about my kids having fun in helping me than I was about the final product. Clashing icing colors and sprinkles isn't a big deal -- if they liked it, I was fine with it!

I also decided to use a box of cake mix to make mini-chocolate cupcakes. I don't usually like to use imported goods when I serve locals for two reasons: 1. Imported goods are expensive and/or hard to find. My local friends don't know what chocolate cake is supposed to taste like, so they're just as happy with a homemade version (that isn't as tasty) as they are with the cake mix doctored version. 2. My local friends can't reproduce it. I love to feed them things that they like and could make with local ingredients. If they want me to, I'll teach them how to make it! But, for this Christmas season, I set my reasons aside. Cake mix freezes beautifully, and is good, reliable, predictable and FAST! (And I had several boxes Brad found our our local eBay for less than $1.50.) So, mini-cupcakes (un-iced) made all my parties this year.

The other reason my parties went smoothly was that I had a plan that I could use each time.... I picked portions of the story to read, found songs to sing in between the readings (in both the local language and English), I asked someone to share a testimony, and had two games that helped reinforce the story. This party could be tailored to any audience - adults or college students, English speakers or non-English speakers. Furthermore, my kids were included in not only the prep but also in the party itself. They were time keepers, judges, artists, and even soloist throughout the event! Our guest loved having them around; they enjoyed it, and it helped me a ton! (Just think what they'll be able to do in two years when we're doing this again!)

So, apart from the Lord's sweet grace, I think this is why our parties went well, were relatively low stress, and all around enjoyable.

More Christmas Parties

2011-01-02T07:47:00.002+08:00

by Amy

Everyday when I go pick my kids up from school, I stand in an alley with about 6-8 other stay-at-home moms, waiting for the kids to be dismissed. I guess it's like a chaotic carpool line, minus the cars.... Anyway.... these moms are always curious about my American ways, namely: why my kids and I shower so often and wear so few layers in the winter; what kind of food I can bake and why my kids obey when I tell them to do something. Needless to say, we've had quite a few interesting conversations! So, this Christmas I invited "my ladies" to my home for a party while our kids were at school. I decided to make this a kid-free party thinking that we would all be more relaxed if we weren't worrying about the kids running all over my house. Plus, if the moms were focused on their kid, then they couldn't focus on what I wanted to share: why I celebrate Christmas.

So, the morning of the party, I set out all sorts of baked goodies and made some hot apple cider and pot of coffee. One woman arrived 10 minutes early, the rest (5 more) came together fashionable 10 minutes late. So, after taking a tour of my home and marveling over the fact that I allow my 6 and 8 year olds to sleep on top-bunks, all alone, the party officially began! Thankfully, Leigh (who also chats with these ladies when she picks my kids up from school) was by my side the whole time! I was able to share why we celebrate Christmas, and Leigh shared how this Baby born 2000 years ago has changed her life. What a precious story! Then, I had them each read a section of the Christmas story from The Book and taught them a couple of Christmas songs.

After that, I had them divide into two teams and play a version of pictionary where they had to draw pictures of words that came right out of the story, ie- manger, angel, Mary, Son, Joseph, shepherd, flock of sheep, etc. They were a little timid to begin with, but soon, the room was filled with laughter and hollering! Finally, I gave each team a set of 6 pictures from a coloring book that my kids had colored, representing the Christmas story . I asked them to put them in the correct order and retell the story. It took each team over five minutes to put them in order! (My kids are so familiar with this story they could do it in 20 seconds.) Although they forgot some names here and there, it was great to hear them tell their version of this most important story.

Overall, I'd say this was the party I was most nervous about hosting, but, by the Lord's grace, it went really well!

We had another party here the next night. Brad was home for this one, so my responsibilities were much less than the previous two. I only had to handle food and help with the gift swap game. No problem! Actually, we told our friend Joe we'd host a party for him and his fellowship group, so he handled most of the details and planning, not Brad. That week we had some American friends from Mississippi in town, so as they met people on college campuses, we encouraged them to invite them to our house for this party, as well.

I thought my home felt crowded the previous Saturday when we had 33 locals here. That was NOTHING compared to this one! We had 43 people, all in my living room! It was absolutely INSANE - or Hot and Loud, (renao) as our local friends would put it. But, it was great! I was so encouraged to see Joe and the people from his group take responsibly sharing the Christmas story, getting to know new people, and doing the things Brad and I try to do when new people come to our home! What a blessing having them pursue people as well,. There's no way Brad and I and the four gals from Mississippi could have made personal contact with everyone on our own! And, I had enough food! I had baked enough cookies expecting to have one more party, but it was cancelled. So, I put it all out for this crew, and I'm glad I did!

Christmas is a great time to meet people and share our culture and beliefs! What a sweet blessing to have the opportunity to share with so many this Christmas season! I pray it bears fruit for years to come!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T12:17:00.001+08:00

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as you celebrated the birth of our Savior!

May the Lord draw you near during 2011!

Happy New Year!

Return of the Gingerbread Houses!

2010-12-29T11:10:00.007+08:00

by Amy

Two years ago, Brad went out of town for a week in December. So, in an effort to distract us from missing the daddy all week, I decided to make a gingerbread house with my kids. It was hard and my kids were little, so that meant I did all of the baking, cutting, and building and most of the decorating. But, my kids loved it, so we did it again last year as well. In November, my kids began asking if we could build houses again this year. And, with Brad's promise to handle the actual building of the houses, I cheerfully agreed! I had learned a few things not to do over the last few years, so I had had high hopes that this would be the best year yet -- and it was!

In our house we have a rule - No School on Birthdays - so, I decided my birthday would be a fun day to decorate our houses. (Little did I know, that this would be just the beginning of our three week Homeschool Christmas Vacation! We haven't homeschooled since! Jan 3, we're starting back up again!) That meant on the Monday before, I needed to bake the pieces and have have Brad build the houses. My engineer husband is awesome! He took his responsibilities very seriously!

Clearly his creativity is coming out as he used can goods, boxes of soup mix, and tape dispensers to hold the pieces in place as the icing hardened. For last year's houses I asked my dad to mail me some meringue powder for making royal icing. It is great! Royal icing is usually not edible since it requires raw egg whites to make the icing dry hard and fast. When you use meringue powder, though, you get the hard and fast effect, but can still eat it. So, last year we used royal icing to make the houses, and just thick sugar cookie icing for decorating. But that icing took too long to dry and would run easily. So, this year we used royal icing for everything! It was fantastic! I also used a new gingerbread recipe that worked really well and didn't break my kids' teeth when they ate it! (I used light corn syrup and added brown food coloring.) I only ate a few bites, when it came out of the oven, but I think it tasted better than anything I had made in the past.

And, although I was busy the whole time helping Peter and Alex squeeze icing, we were done with all three houses in 2.5 hours -- in time for Brad to take me out for a birthday lunch at our new Starbucks! Here are the final results!

Aren't they great!?! Although these houses have gotten easier and easier every year, I will say, I’m honestly looking forward to be in the States next Christmas where we can buy a kit with everything already baked, cut and made!

Christmas Reflections

2010-12-27T11:10:00.000+08:00

by Amy

I never got around to posting any Christmas pics last week.... Sorry! So, three parties and 500 Christmas cookies later, I thought I'd take advantage of the couple of hours I have while my kids are at school this morning to share a few pictures and thoughts....

Since mid-October, I have been teaching a class in my home every Saturday. The class is geared towards young, single women, and it's purpose is to encourage these women to take advantage of their singleness to develop or grow in their relationship with our Father as they wait for Him to provide a husband. And, since I'm teaching this class in the local language, it requires anywhere from 8-12 hours of prep each week! So, while my kids are in school four mornings a week, I prepare for my class. That means many of the optional activities in my world (i.e. blogging) have been put on hold for a while. That being said, with both Christmas and New Year's Day falling on a Saturday, I'm in the mist of a three-week-teaching-break! Hence this blog post being written now.

Anyway.... my first Christmas party of the year was with the ladies in my class. When I first began teaching this class I had 20 women attending, but as the semester wore on, the numbers began dwindle. I had about 10- 12 women who wanted to come every week, but often something would happen to prevent them from making it (work, exams, etc.). So, in November and December I averaged about 8 women each week. On December 10, I encouraged these women to invite their friends to our party the following week to learn why we celebrate Christmas. I expected about 15-20 people to come. Twenty people in my living room is crowded, but doable. So, the week before, the kids and I baked cookies and made 'easy candy' to prepare. (Cookie baking pictures below!) On Saturday morning, Brad and the kids helped pull extra chairs in the living room, light candles, and set out snacks. Then, Brad went to work. My first guest arrived 40 minutes early, with four more arriving 10 minutes later. By 2:30, when the party was actually supposed to begin, we already had over 20 people in my home! And, the door bell kept on ringing! By 3:00, we had 33 locals, plus me and my three kids! Crazy!!

I will say, though, I was super encouraged! I did not know over half the people that came, and the majority of them had never heard the Christmas Story. So, we were able to share completely and boldly, on several different levels (reading the Word, a testimony shared, singing songs, explaining why we have certain Christmas traditions, etc.). Then, while people were mingling, so many of my local believing friends were engaged in good, meaningful conversations. What a sweet thing to see happening in my home!!

My kids were WONDERFUL as well! They were still and not distracting while people were sharing or reading; they were quick to help by uncovering the food, taking coats, and answering the door. They also didn't eat anything since I was concerned about not having enough food! They helped with our game and were just a delight to have around! And, since Brad was gone, I really needed their help with a number of things! I'm so thankful for my sweet kiddos.

When my last guests left about 6:45, I was wiped, but so thankful for the many new friends I met, the many Books we were able to give away, and the sweet memories that were made. Unfortunately, I didn't take one picture, so the memories will have to live on in my head! (That's what happens when Brad's not around for the party!) And, for the first time ever, ALL the food I put out was eaten, even the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes! (They think eatting raw veggies is strange!)

So, as promised, here are some pictures from our cookie baking and decorating.... This year, all of the cookies I served at parties were just round (read: easy!), but the kids and I had fun rolling out dough and making shaped cookies for our eating enjoyment!

Obviously, Peter had been sneaking a few licks of icing, and missed his mouth!

Mmmm! Those cookies were good! We and fun making the dough, rolling them out, cutting them, and eating them! Savannah was quite a cookie helper this year! One day, while the kids were at school I made some dough, but didn't have time to bake them. So, after lunch, Savannah assured me she could handle the baking on her own. She did great! She baked over 100 cookies, all by herself! Leigh and I weren't even near the kitchen to offer a word of advice! She rocks!

Well, I have many more stories of Christmas fun to share, but they'll have to wait for another post. I need to pick the kids up from school!

Crazy Christmas Hats

2010-12-19T19:54:00.000+08:00

by Amy

It’s December! Life is a little crazy! Why not have crazy hats to go along with it?

A sweet friend mailed these hats to us from the Capital city. My kids love them! Aren't they cute?!?!

We’ve had lots of fun these past few weeks and are looking forward to this next week of baking and parties. I hope to have a few spare minutes this week to post more fun pics. Until then....Merry Christmas!

Fall is Falling

2010-11-30T20:59:00.000+08:00

Well, actually....Fall has fallen and

winter is moving in!

But, since this is the last day in November, I still consider it officially fall, so I thought I'd share a few fall pics with you.... Tuesday is my favorite week day because my kids don't go to the local elementary school at all that day. So, that means that we have time to complete our homeschooling and do something extra fun as well. So, one Tuesday a few weeks ago, the kids and I went on a leaf-hunt! After drawing our bare tree, we walked down to our favorite park and collected leaves of various sizes, shapes, and colors. Then, we came home an made this tree! We taped the leaves down under the paper and rubbed crayons on top of the paper to pick up the leaf imprint. It's simple, but I think it turned out pretty well!

Can you believe how old my boys look? What's happened to my babies?!? And, look at this pic Brad snapped of Savannah just this morning as she sat at the kitchen table doing some school work.... She too is growing up!

Amazing Grace!

2010-11-19T15:37:00.000+08:00

by Amy

Can I just say I'm once again overwhelmed by grace! As most of you know, my husband has been traveling this week. His trip has gone well; we'll tell you more about that later. What's amazing to me is not that he did well while he was away, but that I had a great week with the kids! My kids are awesome! I LOVE being with them, homeschooling, etc., but being a single parent for a week could be challenging, even when parenting the best kids in the world! ;)

So, I went into this week praying that I would not want to drop everything and run out the door when Brad walks in. Thankfully, with him scheduled to walk through the door in about three hours, I feel great! Other than bathing this week in prayer, I did a few things that contributed to a peaceful, fun week, enjoyed by all!

First of all, I decided not to school while Brad was gone. My kids still went to school each day (and I studied while they were gone, as usual), but in the afternoons we were free to play -- and play we did! I had several special things planned like going on a photo scavenger hunt, doing a 300 piece puzzle together, and going to Dairy Queen and a play area. I also let each kid plan a dinner. Peter chose pigs in a blanket; Savannah wanted meatballs and mac'n cheese; and Alex wanted cinnamon rolls and eggs. Two out of those three dinners were eaten on trays while watching a new movie. (G-Force and Toy Story 3.)

Another thing I did was plan to have time away. I have a house helper, so two afternoons this week, I asked her to watch the kids for a few hours while I went out. On my first afternoon out, I went to a market I enjoy walking around. I didn't buy anything, but it was nice to be able to take my time looking around. The second afternoon out I went to the grand opening of STARBUCKS with Rachel! Yes, our city now has a Starbucks! Ahhh...... We waited in line for almost 2 hours to get in, but it was wonderful! After purchasing our drinks - Toffee Nut Latte for me and Caramel Macchiato for her - we sat in big, cushy seats and chatted for almost another 2 hours! Lovely....

The time away was helpful in giving me a break from being "on call" for 9+ hours straight, for days on end. When Brad's home for dinner, he's quick to answer questions, handle discipline, and solve whatever problems that may arise! Therefore, I don't feel as drained by the time bedtime comes around. But, with two afternoons out, I got the break I needed and evening times seemed to go smoothly.

So, all that to say, if you were praying for me and the kids while Brad was gone, thanks.... Your prayers were heard and answered! We made sweet memories together, didn't have any discipline issues, and I'm not dreading the next trip he has planned in early January!

Fire Fighting Filter Type Self-Saving Breather

2010-10-19T22:08:00.000+08:00

by Amy

We went out of town earlier this month and our safety conscience hotel provided a lovely can of "Fire Fighting Filter Type Self-Saving Breather." But, just in case the name doesn't say it all, they were kind enough to provide some English instructions.

1) Take out Fire Fighting Filter Type Self Saving Breather.

2) Tear at the package bag of Fire Fighting Filter Type Self Saving Breather.

3) Wear helmet and pull contractive belt fast.

4) Choose way and flee for your life decidedly.

Point for attention:

Once find fire condition, tear at the packaging bag of breather immediately, wear helmet of breather imperturbably and correctly and get away from fire field as quick as possible.

Thankfully, there were no fires in our hotel, so we did not have to flee for our lives decidedly.

**Special thanks to Beck for posting this on your blog! After we laughed so hard reading this together, I just had to steal your pic! **

School Days

2010-10-15T13:02:00.000+08:00

by Amy

Well, it's mid-October and my kids have been attending the local school for 6 weeks. But, if you recall, when they started school, I wasn't in a blog-postin-mood. So, now I'll tell you the story.... You may or may not remember from my posts last September talking about Savannah's first grade, that schools here are a little different than they are in the States. There's lots of differences, but the one that causes this routine-lovin'-mama the most issues is the way they schedule classes. No two days are alike. And, no two classes in one grade are even alike. (Each grade has 6 classes.) It was challenging when I was taking one kid to school; I knew the challenges would multiply when taking three kids to school. Sidenote: Peter and Alex started attending the local first grade this year.

Every grade and class either has local language or math for first period and the other for second period. Since I teach my kids math at home, math class isn't a priority for us. But, the local language class is top priority. And, since we have to leave the house at 7.30 to walk to school for first period, I'm happy to let them skip math class so we can have a less-rushed morning routine. Last year, Savannah's first grade class had local language for first period on Mondays and Tuesdays, then it was second period on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

When we decided last May that we really wanted to send the boys to first grade (instead of doing one more year in a local kindergarten), I began praying about their schedules (and other aspects of school). About two weeks before school started, Brad sent the principal a text message, asking if they could get together to discuss our boys attending first grade. He never replied. Come to find out, he was out of the country, so couldn't receive texts. A week before school started, we tried to call and were told to call back several days later. On the Friday before classes would begin on the following Wednesday, Brad and I went up to the school. We weren't actually allowed in to see the principal, but we were able to talk to him by phone, from the front gate. He asked Brad to come back to the school on Saturday morning. Brad went back.... The principal said he'd have to wait and see if there was enough space in the school before he allowed our boys to registrar. Local students pay a large sum when they enter first grade, and that is their tuition for all 6 years of elementary school. He knew we were not willing to pay that large sum since our kids will not be attending local school for 6 years. He asked us to come back an hour after school began on the following Wednesday morning. FYI- Savannah's been attending for free, but we knew we couldn't expect that for our boys.

All along, I had planned on asking to see the class schedules and pick the schedule that was most similar to Savannah's class schedule. (She has the same teacher and classmates as last year, so her schedule is set.) So, finally, after approval was given and a price agreed upon, it was time to choose which class they'd be in. I had given up on having them in separate classes, like I originally planned. He wanted them in the same class, so I didn't argue that. The principal and assistant principal were talking about all the different teachers and their English ability. I piped up and asked if I could see the class schedules and chose the best class that way. They both stared at me, then each other for a second. Neither one decided to respond, so they went back to talking about teachers and how many students were in each class. Again, I interrupted and said that the teacher's English ability wasn't so important to me, but that I really would like to have all my kids on the same schedule. The principal responded with, "The teacher will give you the schedule after we pick the class." -- Not helpful. But rather than push it I prayed. The Lord knew Savannah's schedule and the schedule of each first grade class. If He wanted my kids to take math at the local school, then I'd be OK with that. I had no intentions of taking Savannah for first period and the boys for second period, or visa versa. They were all leaving together each morning.

One that first day of school, after they attended the second half of the morning classes, I picked my kids up for lunch. At KFC, Savannah pull out her notebook to show me that she had copied her class schedule off the back board - using characters! I was so impressed - I couldn't even read it and my 8 year old could write it! Amazing! One schedule down, one to go. I decided that the kids should go back to school, just in case any important rules or information were covered in the afternoon of the first day. So, when I picked up my boys, I asked their teacher for a class schedule.

Would you believe it's EXACTLY the same as Savannah's! I was absolutely amazed! It sounds crazy, but in my world, that was a miracle!

And, another equally miraculous part of this whole things is that I wasn't worried about school all summer long. Last summer, I struggled with not knowing if Savannah would be admitted or not. I was constantly handing my fears and concerns to the Lord, only to pick them back up again the next day. This year, I prayed about their school situation all summer long, but I had complete peace as I looked ahead at the unknown future. Even my house helper, Leigh, noticed and commented on how differently I handled school this year. Praise the Lord for his grace!

I'll share more about what a normal weeks looks like and how my kids are doing in school in a later post, but for now I'll share that they're doing well. I'm especially thankful for how my boys are doing!

A Peter Funny, from Brad

2010-10-12T12:49:00.003+08:00

Last night I read the story of Shadrack, Meshak and Abed-nego to my children (you know, they refused to worship the King's idols so they were thrown into the blazing fire). Knowing the importance of this story, this morning I wanted to further impress it upon Peter who was the first one awake. So I asked him, “Peter, let’s talk about last night’s story. What happened to Daniel’s three friends Shadrack, Meshak and Abed-nego?” Peter looked up as if this question was just too easy and replied, “They got fired!”

Of course I laughed and it reminded me of what I often do over here. I take a noun like ‘fire’ and in the middle of speaking, sometimes I’ll need the verb form. If I haven’t studied it or don’t remember it I simply improvise. Often I’ll get it right since this language can be simplistic in its grammar, but there are definitely times I end up misusing a word or saying it incorrectly (like my son). It’s a good thing I’ve learned to laugh at myself, because sometimes the result is quite funny.

The Man

2010-10-11T09:56:00.000+08:00

by Amy

A few months ago, Brad and I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding again. We hadn't watched it since moving overseas and found it to be even funnier than we remembered. It was hilarious watching two cultures clash! We could relate in so many ways!! Soon, after we watched it, our friends Kevin and Becky re-watched it as well. That movie is full of some classic lines that the four of us often quote any time we're together. This is our all time favorite scene:

So, two Greek sisters are working together, trying to figure out how to talk Sister #1's husband into letting their daughter work at Sister #2's travel agency instead of the husband's restaurant. So, as they approach the husband, they completely manipulate the conversation until the husband comes up with this "great idea": Daughter should work at Sister #2's travel agency! As the sisters are ohhhing and ahhhing over how smart the husband is to come us with such a plan, he leans back with a smug look on his face, takes his finger, lightly taps his right temple and says, "the man, the man."

So now, anytime Brad does something I couldn't do or know something I didn't know, he looks at me, taps his head and repeats this line. It's pretty funny, but not nearly as funny as when my kids do it. Here's a recent recap of a conversation I had with Alex yesterday:

Me: Alex, run into my bathroom with me. I’ll get some cream for your face.

Alex [he had entered the bathroom before me]: Look, Mom! I opened the medicine cabinets for you.

Me: Thanks, but I don’t think it’s there; it’s still in my make-up bag from our trip.

[I close the medicine cabinet doors so I can dig in my bag without banging my head. But, low and behold…. The cream wasn’t there. So, I open the medicine cabinet doors again.]

Me: Alex you were right. It wasn’t in my bag; it’s right here in the cabinet like you thought.

Alex, without missing a beat, looks right up at me with a smug look on his face, uses his pointer finger to tap his head and says, “The Man, Mama, the man!”

I laughed, hard, of course. Then, I asked:

Me: What would I say if I were right?

Alex: You’d say ‘the woman,’ but you’ve never been right before.

Hong Kong Fun -- Part 2

2010-09-30T17:09:00.001+08:00

by Amy

When we're at home we take taxi's everywhere. Occasionally I'll hop on a bus if the one outside my gate will take me directly where I want to go (without having to change buses.) But, since there's been construction, there's bus outside my gate, so that means I don't do buses anymore! Most places I go (my friends houses, Brad's office, the square, etc,) can all be reached for under $2 USD. Occasionally I'll have a $3.50 taxi ride in traffic when we go all the way across town to the new Dairy Queen, but that's rare and so worth the $3.50! In Hong Kong, though, we NEVER do taxis! They are super expensive, comparatively speaking, of course. So, we ride buses or subways everywhere. The flat we often stay is near a big bus stop and subway station, so it's super convenient! For some reason, on this trip, we took pictures while we were riding the subway. I'm not sure if it was a way to provide entertainment for the kids or what, but we did get some pretty cute shots....

Here we're coming home from swimming somewhere...

and here we're heading out to dinner one night....

But these are my favorite...

So, first Brad snapped a shot of Sue and Savannah, then Peter and me. Then, he decided to get all four of us. But there was one problem ... the dude between us... Oh well, maybe he'll smile, too -- or not!

And now, this last subway pic will prepare you for the rest of the post. We're on the Disneyline heading out to HK Disneyland. You can barely tell that this train has Mickey Mouse shaped windows. It's really cool! We were all so excited!

HK Disneyland is the only Disneyland/world I've been to (that I remember.) So, I can't compare it to the others, but as far as I'm concerned, it ROCKS!! It is so clean and everything they do is top quality! This was our third trip and we still loved every show, every ride, every minute!

Alice walked by us about 5 hours after snapping this picuture and she waved and said, "Oh, hello, Savannah!" I was shocked she remembered her. Savannah promptly said, "She must remember me because I'm so pretty!" Clearly, she hears that a lot! We've got to work on teaching modesty!

Those three pics above were taken as we waited to meet Belle and Aurora. (Can you see why people tell her she's pretty all the time?)

And, of course, we rode Space Mountain! It's my favorite! The kids each wanted a chance to ride next to Sue, so we did it three times. (Good thing the lines weren't long!) So, even though she was ready to be done after second ride, she was quite the trooper and made my Peter a happy guy!

(Brad made Sue a nervous wreck as he held her camera over her head snapping pics behind him through the whole ride. It was hilarious riding between the two of them as she hollered at him!)

That was taken at the end of a long, fun day at Disneyland! We were tired, but it was great!

Here are a few random pics that were taken while we were there, but I can't remember where we were or what we were doing. So, just in case your not pictured out, here's a few more....

We also went swimming twice. I had a blast watching my kids jump of the diving board -- too bad the pool wouldn't allow us to bring cameras in -- and slide down water slides. We also spent several hours playing in Toys R Us with all the cool toys that are out there now! And, thanks to my parents birthday money, the kids each got to choose a few toys to bring back home. And, Sue and I did some shopping at markets around town. It was a really great trip! We loved having Sue there to share it with us!

Hong Kong Fun -- Part 1

2010-09-28T21:20:00.004+08:00

by Amy

Rather than give the day-by-day playback of everything we did in HK, I'm going to let the pictures speak for me.... But, since I selected over 30 pictures to post, I think I'm going to divide it into two posts! So here we go....

Starting at the beach:

We spent 2 days at the beach. Notice how calm the water was! It was crazy! This beach is our favorite because it’s never crowded - look at the wide open space behind the boys! Compare that to our Tuesday morning beach pics from my Vacation post.... Crazy! We were even there over the weekend, and it was empty! My boys especially love this beach because there's a play area on the sand.

We also spent a day visiting a life-size replica of Noah's Ark. It was really cool!!

As we walked from the ferry to the ark, we saw this precious dog. My kids instantly fell in love!

Several morning, we walked over to a great park that was near the place we stayed. Brad had fun jogging while the kids played. It was hot, but we had fun! (Notice that BLUE sky!!)

And, we spent an evening at The Peak. We rode a tram up a really steep mountain side so we could look down over the harbor. What a great view! The pictures don't do it justice! (that's where the family pic I posted yesterday was taken.)

So, I guess that wraps up the first round of our HK pics. Sorry there weren't more pictures of Savannah. I think she took a lot of the pictures above. That will definitely change when I post the Disneyland pics! I got some cute snapshots of her!

Bloggin' Blahs...

2010-09-27T21:20:00.000+08:00

by Amy

I've been in a blogging funk lately. I haven't felt like there's been anything blog-worthy happening in my world, so I just couldn't come up with anything to say. Finally, we went to the beach town last month, so I decided I could at least post some pictures for my dad to see. But, he since has informed me that those pictures were nice, but now they're OLD! So, we just got home from Hong Kong, so I promise to post some new pics soon....

I have not only been in a blogging funk lately, but it seems my whole life has been in a funk. If my mom could see me lately, she'd say I've been frumpy. As Brad and I were talking about it last night, I think there's been a combination of things that have affected my outlook on life. One of the main factors has been the weather. I've never really thought of myself as one who is affected by the weather, but I think it's played a huge role in my attitude over the last couple of months. I don't mean to complain, but our skies have been gray for almost 2 months straight (maybe more, actually.) Not cloudy gray where you can see cool designs in the sky, but heavy, low, solid pollution gray. There have been many days that I could not see the store half a km away from my 13 story window. (I have no idea how to say that in miles - maybe half a km is 1/3 mile - I don't know.) And, on top of that, the street in front of our apartment complex has been under construction since early June. The gray skies of the last few months often gave way to rain which turned our "street" into a muddy swamp. It was smelly, slimy and yucky - and couldn't be avoided if I needed to leave my apartment complex!

Thankfully, the Lord knew what I would need long before I did. Back in February, when Sue bought her plane tickets to come visit us, we planned a trip to Hong Kong. Right as I was at my breaking point, we got on an airplane and flew away.... After being in HK for a few days, seeing blue skies and big puffy clouds, the tension began to drain from my neck and shoulders. I was able to laugh and have fun with my kids - outside! I wasn't trying to hold back tears as I opened the curtains each morning. It was a great, much needed break. And, as we drove home from the airport, (through the thick, hazy pollution) I almost shed tears of relief when I saw that the mud was covered by concrete outside my house! I'm sure that was arranged just for me by my loving Heavenly Father, who promises never to give me more than I can handle. =)

Now that we're back to normal life here, I'm working hard to getting my heart and attitude back to normal as well. I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was before our trip. The Lord is faithful. He will draw near to those that draw near to Him. Thankfully, my joy isn't found in blue skies and clean streets!

Now, for all those who only read my blog to see pics, here's a preview of the HK post that's coming soon....

Vacation

2010-08-24T21:08:00.001+08:00

by Amy

My idea of a vacation has definitely changed over the last few years. I'm not sure if the change is due to having kids or living overseas (or some of both.) I used to think of vacation as relaxing, sleeping late, reading a great book, doing a little shopping (Brad used to always let me pick something special to buy to remember our vacations by), and maybe getting in a little sightseeing. Now when I plan a vacation I have two top priorities: 1. Fun things to do with kids. 2. Good Food! (not necessarily in that order!) Relaxing isn't on the radar screen anymore!

So, after having a good, but super busy summer, we decided it was time for a mini-vacation. We packed up the kids and headed to the beach. Our dear friends Kevin and Becky decided to come along for the fun! We were on the train by 7:30 am one Tuesday morning earlier this month and were checking into our hotel by 11am. We were there for two nights and almost 3 full days. Four out of six of our lunch/dinner meals were Subway Sandwiches (Becky ate Subway 5/6 meals!). It was lovely! I miss lunch meat! (Sometimes I can find Hormel ham here, but NEVER any Turkey!) The other two meals we ate were at Papa John's Pizza with lovely bread sticks, and a pricey, but authentic Italian restaurant. We also hit Starbucks a few times in between meals!

After eating Subway for lunch on Tuesday, we were off to the beach. Keep in mind, I live in one of the most populated countries in the whole world! On a Tuesday afternoon, this is what it looked like....

Imagine how crazy it is on the weekends! I was thankful that my kids were not super tan and don't have black hair. They weren't too hard to find! Although you can't tell from this picture, the waves were pretty big. There were several times that even Brad was knocked down by the crashing water. It was fun watching my kids try to out-run the incoming waves. Sometimes they were successful; sometimes they weren't! They also had a great time digging in the sand.

Tuesday night our kids were wiped! So after dinner, we put them down and headed to Kevin and Becky's room next door to watch a movie. On Wednesday morning, I took the kids to Starbucks for breakfast while Brad watched a real, live baseball game on the TV. Granted, it was a Yankees game, but he was still happy to watch! Then, we hit the hotel pool for a couple of hours. That afternoon, our family went back to the beach while Kevin and Becky took a nap and hung out at Starbucks (Vacation still equals relaxing in their world!). After dinner (Subway again) we walked down to the boardwalk. It's such a fun place to walk around at night. Since it's dark, lot's of people can't tell we're foreigners, so we don't get stopped to take 1000 pictures! We did snap a few shots of our own, though....

Becky's recently been trying to overcome a drinking problem. Just ignore the stains on her shirt!

Now, it's summer time, so obviously, summer = hot. How do typical men here deal with the heat? They hike up their shirts....

Thankfully, local women battle the heat by seeking shade under an umbrella.

After eating a late breakfast at McDs on Thursday morning, Brad took the boys swimming while I took Savannah to a local zoo. The weather on Thursday was hot, overcast, and muggy, but since Savannah was dying to go to the zoo, we went! It ended up being a sweet mother-daughter date! She got to pet bunnies, ride a horse, and eat cotton candy. We laughed a lot and had a great time together! Then, we met up with everyone else just in time to enjoy one last frappuccino before heading to the train station to catch the 5:30 train home. (Of course, we ate Subways on the train on our way home!)

It was a fun trip! We were so thankful that Kevin and Becky came with us! They love on our kids so much and just make everything more fun.

Caramel and Chocolate -- What a Combo!

2010-08-02T14:59:00.004+08:00

(Way better than fruit and fungus!!)

by Amy

I love to bake! Thanks to my favorite Cake Mix Dr. cookbook, I've been come pretty bold when it comes to tweaking a recipe.... So the other day I even tweaked one of Cake Mix Dr recipes. It was so yummy, I just have to share it with you! (This is for you, RC!)

Nut-less Turtle Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup instant chocolate pudding mix (half of a 3.4 oz box of mix)
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 eggs

Place all of the above ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Then pour HALF your batter in a greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes in an oven that's been pre-heated to 350 degrees. You'll know it's done when it begins to puff around the edges, but the center is still soft. While the cake bakes, place 14oz of vanilla caramels and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat, stirring continually until fully melted.

When the cake's finished, pour most of the caramel mixture over the cake. (Save back about half a cup or so.) Then, sprinkle with one cup of chocolate chips. Carefully pour the remaining cake mix on top of the chocolate chips, making sure that it reaches the edges. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes.

When the cake is finished baking, make a lovely chocolate ganache to pour on top. Pour 3/8 of a cup of heavy whipping cream in a small sauce pan an bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. (This last time I warmed the cream in my microwave. It worked fine, but if you do that, keep an eye on it as it began to boil earlier than I expected it to!) Then, pour the hot cream over 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until the chips are completely melted and the ganache is smooth.

Pour and spread the ganache on top of the cake, then drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce. (You may need to re-heat the caramel sauce to make it pour-able.) You can serve this cake warm or room temperature. We like it along side a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

If you like nuts, you could sprinkle the ganache/caramel with 2 cups of chopped pecans, toasted.

Enjoy!!

Fruit Fungus Anyone?

2010-07-30T14:35:00.002+08:00

by Amy

So, the other day we had a sweet friend come over for lunch and to learn how to make chocolate chip cookies. As is pretty normal here, she brought us a gift. It was a box of what looks like little fruit cups. The English on the box says, "White Thick and Frutifungus Soup." Mmmmm!

Supposedly you pop a straw through the lid and drink it cold. So, the other day at lunch I served it to my kids. (We didn't have any guests that day. I've learned to avoid feeding my kids the "treats" friends bring in front of the giver!) Alex took one sip and reported that it was pretty good. But, after another sip, he asked for water and said he didn't want to drink the rest. Peter and Savannah tried Alex's before opening their own cup -- their own cups never were opened! Fungus and fruit.... that combo just didn't do it for us!

sidenote: my precious house helper drank Alex's leftovers. She loved it! She took home a box full of 8 more that afternoon!

Summertime Symmetry

2010-07-27T22:42:00.000+08:00

by Amy

This summer, since our kids are not attending local schools, we can spend all day home schooling, instead of just 4 hours in the afternoon. That has meant my kids get to spend extra time reading, playing educational games online, and doing other fun activities. This past week I taught them about symmetry. We had fun doing a different activity each day. On the first day, after having some fun with a mirror, I had my kids paint on half a sheet of paper, then fold it so the wet paint could rub off on the clean half of of the paper. This is what we got..

On another day, we pulled out LEGOS and used the block to create symmetrical walls. Then, they thought it was extra fun to make something almost symmetrical and have someone else find the flaw. Our third day, I gave them a sheet of graph paper and had them use markers to draw symmetrical designs. But, on the last day, we made butterflies! I thought they turned out really well! I gave each of the kids a butterfly and some foam pieces. They could chose to use already cut shapes to to cut their own. Here's the final result:

I'm so thankful to have this extra time with the kids in the summer! This week we have friends from America visiting, so I'm not sure how much "extra" fun stuff we'll be able to do, but next week, we'll be back on track! Here's one more cute pic I snapped this morning!

Savannah's Day!

2010-07-13T21:36:00.003+08:00

by Amy

I can hardly believe my daughter is eight years old!!! I remember exactly where I was when I found out I was pregnant (finally!). I remember how swollen my ankles got as I traveled to Louisville, Nashville, and Texas a month before she was born. I remember being 38 weeks along and going to a youth retreat at the YMCA camp in Estes Park and falling down because I slipped on some loose gravel. We ended up at the hospital just to make sure everything was still OK. Then, I remember holding her for the first time on July 12, 2002 (after working for over 15 hour to get her out!)

Although I could go on and on retracing Savannah's eight years of life, I won't. I'm afraid even her grandparents would get bored! So, we'll move on to this year's festivities! When we were in the States last year, I found a crown cake pan to use on Savannah's eighth birthday! So, that what we used. This year she asked for a yellow cake, not chocolate (crazy, if you ask me!) And, she wanted to help me ice it, until her hands grew tired of squeezing, that is!

I think it turned out OK. I prefer brighter, bolder colors, but this is OK too.

On the morning of her birthday, after eating coffee cake for breakfast, we opened a few gifts. Then, while the kids played, I packed a picnic lunch so we could head to a local swimming pool for the day. This pool is about as good as it gets here. It's outdoor, so the water's not freezing (like most hotel swimming pools here.) But, being outdoors means it's pretty dirty. (One pool was so cloudy that even though it was less than 3 feet deep, we couldn't find the goggles Peter dropped.) But, my kids don't seem to mind the dirt or hazy water! They love it! Savannah's favorite part is the big "speed slide."

They only turn the water on the slides for about 10 minutes every 2 hours, but Savannah was quick to run over there and slide as many times as she could in 10 minutes! Peter and Alex did it a few times too, but they definitely didn't love it as much as Savannah did. They preferred the smaller slides. These slides didn't have water running on them continually either, but when they came on, they usually stayed on for 20-30 minutes.
They enjoyed making a "train" on the way down, but all three kids' favorite way to ride down was....

Yes, my boys are each sitting on Brad's back, riding down the slide. Crazy! What a great daddy! After sliding they had fun trying to catch the ring or ball as Brad threw it and they jumped in.

I think we stayed there for over four hours. Clearly fun was had by all!

When we got home, we showered up and ate nachos for dinner - Savannah's choice. Then, we enjoyed birthday cake and opened a few more gifts. I praise the Lord for my dear Savannah Lea. She's growing into quite a godly young woman!

Love is in the Air....

2010-07-10T20:33:00.000+08:00

by Amy

For the last several months, we’ve had a budding romance on our hands…. Actually, one has turned into two.... As I look back, I’m not exactly sure when it began, maybe around Christmas? I began to notice Alex and Emma often choosing to sit together; Alex would tell her how pretty her clothes were and hold her hand as we walked places together. Then, he began to make comments like, “Mom, I really like Emma….I like to protect Emma, like I’m her big brother….Emma’s pretty….” And, from what I understand, Rachel was hearing quite a few comments at her house as well! (At first Emma claimed she liked to sit close to Alex because he had warm skin! -- it's true, he's my little heater!)

Over the last few months, as Emma and her family were preparing to head back to the States, our families have been spending extra time together. You know, we gotta get the play time in while we can! About two months ago, Rachel and I took our kids to a play place and out to lunch. I began to notice that not only were Emma and Alex walking and sitting together, but Samantha was calling after Peter, asking him to hold her hand, and sit by her. It seems that while the girls were at home, Samantha wanted to write notes and color pictures for someone special like Emma was doing for Alex. So, naturally, she chose Peter. (Thankfully, Savannah is taken with helping Aunt Rachel watch one-year-old Abby, so it all works out.) Peter happily went along with it all.

I cannot even begin to explain how many times the four parents have sat back laughing so hard as we watch our kids together. I guess the fact that they're all between the ages 4 and 6 make this kind of behavior funny, not concerning. Give them a few more years, and we'd have to set up some serious boundaries!

So when Rachel took pictures at the birthday celebration, she got quite a few cute ones of our kiddos together. These will give you a glimpse of what we've been seeing over the last several months..
This is our favorite! She didn't even see Alex and Emma in the background as she snapped this shot of Peter and Samantha! What cuties!
While most of the other kids sat on one row together behind the parents, Alex and Emma decided to sit together in front of us.

Even when we went to the park with all the kids, our kids chose to play together. It was sweet seeing them all laugh so hard together!

I know it's a long way off, but if I could somehow sign on the dotted line right now to insure that these are the girls my boys would marry, I'd do it in a heartbeat!

Birthday Fun

2010-07-07T19:56:00.005+08:00

by Amy

On Monday, two of our dear friends went back to America. One family will be there for a year or so. The other family will come back in a few months, but then just a few weeks later, they’ll move to a new city. So, before everyone parted ways, we decided to have a party! This party was actually in honor of all the kids’ summer birthdays. We celebrated Peter and Alex turning 6, Savannah turning 8, and Chloe and Samantha turning 4. Makaria’s also turning 2, but she opted for a nap instead of the party!

The party began last Tuesday afternoon when we all met at a movie theater that was showing a 3D version of Toy Story 3 in English! What a great flick! All 10 kids and 8 adults thoroughly enjoyed it! I think Becky gets the reward for laughing the hardest! It was a super cute movie! Peter, Alex, Savannah and I enjoyed decorating brown paper sacks for each of the kids and filling them with movie treats before we met together! Fun times were had by all!

Here the kids are doing their best, Buzz Light Year imitation!

To Infinity and Beyond!

After the movie we headed across the street to play at the Five Dragons Park. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon, the park was fairly empty. This park is super fun because the kids can play in shallow spring water. (Our family went here last year to celebrate Peter and Alex's birthday.) After singing Happy Birthday and eating some rainbow cupcakes, the kids (and a few brave adults) enjoyed spraying each other and splashing around!

Here are a few pics of some precious kiddos! Our lives are so blessed by these families!

It was a super fun day! I’m thankful for the sweet memories we were able to make before our friends left town.

**All pictures on this post are complements of Rachel and her fancy, high-tech camera. I guess I'll have to start using my own camera now that you're back in the States.... ;)

The Things Kids Say.....

2010-07-02T10:39:00.004+08:00

by Amy

So after taking our kids to see Toy Story 3 earlier this week, Brad asked each of our kids, “If you could only take one toy with you to college, what would you take?” Savannah thought long and hard, and finally decided on Amanda. Amanda is a baby doll that Grandma bought her when she was 2.5. Savannah named her Amanda after her newly born cousin. Alex decided he’d take Ringo the raccoon, his favorite little beanie baby. Peter had a hard time deciding and finally said, “I think I just want to take Alex. I like playing with him best!”

And, just a few minutes ago, when Peter finished playing with Legos, he came to tell me that Legos are his fifth favorite thing. Intrigued, I asked what was first, second, etc… This is the list I got:

1 1. God

2. 2. Snuggles

3. 3. Samantha

4. 4. Astros

5. 5. Legos

6. 6. His bike.

I’d say that’s a pretty good list!

Happy Astros Day!

2010-06-22T21:24:00.005+08:00

by Amy

....Or should I say, Father's Day?

Brad always gets the shaft on Father's Day. We've usually done so much celebrating right before Father's Day that he's ready to be done. After Mother's Day (which never gets shafted) we have Peter and Alex's birthday. Two days later is Brad's birthday. Then, June 19, is our wedding anniversary. So, by the time Father's Day rolls around, we're all celebrated out, and he insists on not making a big deal out of it!

But this year, we did celebrate with more than our normal homemade cards. We had an Astros Party! A sweet friend in the States mailed us tons of fun Astros stuff for the summer birthdays in our family. (My birthday's in December, and I still got a t-shirt - and lots of other fun stuff!) But, instead of revealing the Astros goodies on their birthdays, I saved it for Father's Day. My kids thought it was pretty cool to get to open presents on Father's Day. :)

Clearly, Alex needs to get a few hat-wearing-tips! His ears don't normally look like that!

After eating breakfast and opening presents, we went outside to play baseball! - As everyone should when having an Astros party!

Then, we went down to a new restaurant that opened. It's called Dairy Kiss. They sell hot dogs and ice cream! So, once again, when celebrating Dad's and Astros, everyone needs to stuff a few hot dogs and enjoy some tasty ice cream! When we finally got home and took showers, everyone was pretty beat. After the kids played Astros UNO, we finished off our celebrating by drinking homemade lemonade in our new Astros cups, while watching the Astros Championship Season DVD!

It was a fun day and a great way to celebrate a such a wonderful daddy!

Happy Day!

2010-06-12T09:51:00.007+08:00

by Amy

This past Tuesday we celebrated the SIX years of life the Lord has given my two boys! How in the world did they go from this:

to this:

It just doesn't seem possible that so much change can happen in such a short period of time! We praise the Lord for the ways our boys are maturing and growing in godliness. They have brought so much joy and fun into out lives! What sweet gifts from above.....

Enough reminiscing.... Let's get on to the celebrating part! I spent the better part of Monday (and some of Sunday) preparing for the fun! When we were in the States last October, I bought some red and black icing so I could make their cakes. (True red and black are hard to make on your own. My red either turns our pink or else I used so much dye that it tastes horrible.) The cakes didn't turn out perfectly, but my boys didn't seen to notice. They were thrilled! I didn't let them see me working on the cakes, so even though they knew the theme of each cake, they weren't sure how they'd turn out!

After looking at the cakes and enjoying a breakfast of cinnamon rolls, we moved on to opening gifts. Typically, gift opening is an all day event in our home. My kids don't like to rush it. They like to open, then play, open, then play.... So, that's exactly what we did. We opened a few gifts, then played until lunch.

After doing a Webcam call with Brad's mom and letting her see the boys open the gifts she sent, we ate lunch. I let Peter choose our lunch menu. He asked my househelper to make Sweet and Sour chicken. Brad and I had decided we'd let the kids eat a little cake after lunch and a little more after dinner. But, since my kids ate SOOOO MUCH lunch, they didn't want any cake! No problem.... we moved on to the next event of the day.....

Buying bikes!! When we were in the States, both Peter and Alex learned how to ride a bike (w/o training wheels.) So, since then, Savannah has been happy to let them ride her bike. Three kids -- one (pink) bike.... We decided that with summer here, it would be fun to let them all three have their own bikes. So, we took the boys to Wal-mart and found two fun bikes, just their size! Then, we walked over to the local square to ride around. It was super fun! They had a few spills, and Peter even ran into one old man, but all in all, they did pretty well!

After riding bikes and playing with a new SUPER COOL boomerrang, we headed home for showers, a few more presents, a dinner of spaghetti (Alex's choice!) and CAKE! Mmmm!!

We all had a great time celebrating Peter and Alex and praising the Lord for the life He's given them!

Playin' Hooky -- Again

2010-05-26T07:39:00.007+08:00

by Amy

I'm not sure that I'm well suited for homeschooling. Don't get me wrong.... I love to teach and I love my kids BUT....I'm a sucker for a pretty day. When it's a nice day outside, I can't stand to be inside! So, I'll throw school out the window and go play! That's exactly what we did yesterday. It was sunny and relatively cool (not in the 90s yet), so it was the botanical gardens for us! We played, explored, climbed rocks, rode a few rides, ate a picnic lunch, and had a great time! Aunt Becky even came along for the fun! Since it was Tuesday, the park was not too crowded - always a bonus in my world!

So, here are a few pics for your viewing enjoyment!

I like this picture of Peter because he specifically called me over to take this picture. He's pretty cute, even if he doesn't show his teeth when he smiles. :)

Here's Savannah and Peter as their "roller coaster" is about to start moving.

I like this guy....

I didn't take this picture of Savannah while we were at the park, but it was too cute not to include on a post. I can't believe how my girl is growing up!

Do you live overseas?

2010-05-21T20:46:00.002+08:00

by Amy

Do you live overseas? If so, you gotta check this out.... The Book Depository. They ship anywhere in the world -- FOR FREE!! Yes, you read correctly.... free shipping! And, it really works! I've already received 2 orders and have 2 more on the way.

Their prices are pretty good. The books I'm looking at are usually at least 5-10% off the cover price. (But, if I were to find the book over here in an English book store in the capital city, they would be at least 20% above the cover price.) I've found most prices to be similar to Amazon's new book prices. They don't sell used books, so Amazon Marketplace often is a lot cheaper, but that discount is usually negated by having to get it mailed to me.

There's no limit on how few books you need to by to qualify for free shipping. They're all free. I did have a friend tell me that when she tried to order about $400 worth of books at one time for homeschooling, her order was cancelled b/c they weren't sure if she'd have issues with customs in our country. So, I've tried to limit my orders to 8-12 books at a time and haven't had any issues.

One tip.... if you like to read book reviews, you'll need to read the reviews on Amazon. It seems that no one has posted reviews on Book Depository. (I usually like to compare prices, so reading reviews on Amazon isn't too difficult.)

Happy shopping!

Everyday life....

2010-05-18T20:25:00.001+08:00

by Amy

So, if you check my blog somewhat regularly, I'm sure you're as sick of my HUGE face showing up as my dad is! (He's my dad...he likes me more than you do, and he's still ready for a change!)

The problem is that ever since Mother's Day I've been waiting for my kids to do something spectacular, something wonderful, or at least something worthy of picture taking. But, not much has happened. We've done school everyday - unless my kids were sick/throwing up or I deemed it a "too pretty to do school" day. We're still meeting with our tutor three times a week. Brad's running the English school with precision and excellence -- as expected, of course! Life just keeps on keepin' on.

Tonight, I played connect four with my kids (all three at different times, obviously.) Savannah was so focused on getting her four in a row, that she never played defensively. I beat her three times, so she gave up and decided to read instead. Alex just liked to put the coins in the slots without much rhyme or reason. He won once with a little help from his brother and sister, but also lost three times. Peter, on the other hand, beat me four times! And, I wasn't helping him at all.... It was so funny to hear him laugh hysterically when he blocked me. That boy has a good eye for detail!

OK, I'm off to bed!

Happy Momma's Day

2010-05-09T17:11:00.008+08:00

From Brad. Okay, I add to this blog once every couple of years, so enjoy (or skip :) ).

Amy is a wonderful hard-working Mother. I respect her in so many ways, but especially in the area of raising and training our kids. From day one she (we) set high expectations for their behavior and tried to consistently discipline them. Of course we have done this together, but the reality is (and this is true for most families), the Mother has quite a bit more 'face-time' or interaction with their kids. Thus their ability to impact their kids behavior/thinking is relatively higher. Plus, I admit my own temptation (maybe for many men) to somewhat 'check-out' or 'accomplish other things' when they are with the kids, rather than carefully notice the manner in which they are acting/talking/behaving around each other, and see it as an opportunity to teach/train/disciple. I'm thankful for a wife that LOVES this job and has done a GREAT job to this point. Our kids are certainly not perfect, but after almost 6 & 8 years of working with them, I see godly, submissive character being formed in them and they are the joy of their Father's heart. We see the need for disciplining them decreasing like Ted Tripp said should happen and thank our Father above for His Grace in their lives, especially as He has used their Mother.

I think the stereotype is that the Father is the strict, firm disciplinarian who cracks the whip and is feared by the kids, whereas the Mom is the softy who the kids know they can manipulate and get away with much more (than when around their Father). Amy is not soft and she is not easily manipulated. Her spankings have always been hard and effective. When the boys got a little older, and her spankings weren't as effective, she started giving two swats (or giving me the full-time job in this area). But although Amy has been a firm disciplinarian, she has never been a 'angry' or 'abusive' disciplinarian. For the most part, she has disciplined our kids with self-control and with instruction and reconciliation as the ultimate goal. She also saw the discipline process as a great opportunity to bring in the 'good news' from our Father above.

So since I've praised my wife and kids, I'll share a little of our Mother's day with you which will evidence the continuing need for parenting that our kids have. As you can imagine, since Amy is so busy with homeschooling our kids, and doing things with them, it is a real treat for her to get some time away. For Mother's day, the kids and I cooked breakfast for her and gave her the morning off. We went shopping for a new blender and went to buy some flowers for her, while she relaxed in a quiet home with a book. The flowers we bought were about $4.50 so I mentioned in passing to Savannah on the way home that she'll need to cover $1.50 of it (in the hearing of the other two) which she was happy to do (she expected as much). Well as we entered the home, Peter was holding the flowers. We all walked in and yelled 'happy mother's day'. After she thanked us, I mentioned to Amy that the kids bought these flowers with their own money. Peter (holding the flowers) quickly corrected me and said, "Savannah paid $1.50, but Alex $3.00". A little surprised, I asked him, "What? Peter you have plenty of money, don't you want to spend $1.50 to bless your Mom with these flowers?" "Nope," he replied with a straight, serious face, "really don't want to waste my money. Rather let Alex and Savannah buy them." Shocked (and slightly laughing) Amy said, "Peter, $1.50 is not that much, you just spent $1.50 at the park the other day riding rides." He replied, "I know, so I really don't want to waste money on flowers!"

Well, still lots of training to do, parents work is never quite done is it? Our kids are new to dealing with money and I don't suspect Peter had the slightest clue he was being rude. So he has now been 'educated' in this area, and hopefully this will not happen again. But I must confess, our first reaction was to completely crack up. The brutal honestly of a 6 year old can really be funny (at times).

Hope you enjoyed the annual post. See you in 2012.

I've been thinking....

2010-05-01T08:59:00.004+08:00

by Amy

Brad recently did a MAJOR system overhaul on my computer. It's about 5x's faster than it used to be, and I now have Windows 7 (a huge improvement over XP). Most of the things from my old hard drive have been put on this new hard drive, -- except 2010 pictures! So, this post will again be picture-less. I'm considering doing a flashback or two and posting some pics that never made it from 2009, but that will have to wait until another day. Today I'm feeling a bit reflective.... (scary, I know!)

A lot of our friends here are college kids. Our home is within walking distance from two campuses. College is a great time of growing and exploring. It's also a time of making decisions that will effect the rest of their lives! We have many friends that will be graduating in the next year to two. They are already looking for internships, jobs, or opportunities to continuing studying. Their future is uncertain. Uncertainty leads to anxiety and fear. What if they don't accept me? What if I can't get a job? What if my parents don't approve of what I want to do? What if...What if... What if....

I understand those fears and concerns. Being the planner that I am, uncertainty is difficult for me, too. BUT, peace can be experienced and embraced even in the mist of uncertainty. There's the cheesy saying, "We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow." It is so true! When take our focus off of what we don't know and place our focus on the One who knows all, then true peace can be found.

Brad taught a Jr. High retreat about 10 years ago. He used the example of a three-legged stool. If you remove one leg, it's not stable. But when all three legs are there together, the stool is completely trust worthy and able to hold all of our weight. The three legs are three aspects of our Father's character. 1. He is all-knowing, all-wise. When he looks at our lives, He knows what the best solution is. He knows what the very best plan is. And, since He's not bound by time, He knows how this will affect the future as well. 2. He is all-powerful. Knowing is one thing, doing is completely different. Thankfully, our Father not only knows what is best for us, but He is powerful enough to bring it about! 3. Finally, He is all-loving. Love is what motivates Him to exercise His power. He LOVES His children! He wants what is best for us because He loves us. He is the parent that I wish I could be! I love my kids; I want what is best for them, but I don't always know what that is or have the power to make it happen. Our Father does not have the limitations and frustrations that I do. He is all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving! When we remember these three aspects of His character (the three legs of a stool), we are able to sit on the stool with complete confidence. We can rest and find peace. We don't know what will happen, but we know the One who does know, and He is worthy of our trust.

Our immediate future is not too "uncertain." But, some things around us are beginning to change -- things that I wouldn't change if I were in control. Some friends are heading back to the States for 9 months. Some other friends are moving to another city. And, as those things happen, we will have new opportunities and responsibilities, and we don't know exactly what that will look like. Thankfully, by His grace, I can honestly say I feel peaceful. He has been faithful in the past, and I know He will be faithful in the future too!

History

2010-04-21T15:17:00.002+08:00

by Amy

Last, but certainly not least.... History. I LOVE history! I think it's so interesting. So, this year, we are using History Odyssey to study the ancients -- Ancient Mesopotamia, China, Rome, Egypt, Greece, etc. So far, it's been really fun! History Odyssey is just a study guide that tells you how to use other books. So, I needed to buy The Story of the World, Vol 1, History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations, A Child's History of the World, and an Internet-linked Encyclopedia, as well as several other activity books. The History Odyssey curriculum tells me when to read what in each book. Each lesson has way more activities than we could possibly do, so each week, I pick what seems the most fun and appropriate for my kids.

So far, we've marked on several maps, made stick puppets of Mesopotamian people, learned about how archeologist dig, made a hanging loom and woven some yarn together, as well as colored lots of pictures, and looked up new words in a dictionary. I think this curriculum offers the a great balance between reading/listening and doing. I've been encouraged at how much information my kids are retaining.

I wasn't too sure about studying the ancients. I don't remember every studying ancient history when I was a kid, but it's been really cool! We learned about Ur, where Abraham was born. We learned how big the wall around Jericho was, and we've learned other fun facts that complement and enhance our understanding of the Bible. This week we started studying Egypt. I think we'll spend a whole week on the plagues!

So, if you're looking for a fun history curriculum, I'd recommend looking into this one. (Thanks, Carrie, for telling me about it!) It provides 36 lessons that are designed to each take a week. It could easily be stretched out over two school years, though if you wanted to do a lot of the "extras." Some of the books she has selected present history from a Biblical perspective, and some do not. (I have not been offended by their presentation, though.)

Well, that's it for my curriculum reviews! (I'm sure my dad's happy about that!) :) Rachel just gave me a CD full of pics, so I'll be sure to post some in the next few days. There are some cute ones!

Bible

2010-04-19T09:31:00.002+08:00

by Amy

This year, I am not doing my own Bible class with the kids. Brad wanted to use our "school Bible" (the one I bought for school this year) for family devos instead. We have been reading The Children's Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos. We're about 30 chapters into it and have really enjoyed it. There are not many pictures in it, but my kids are fine with that. I like that it seems to basically tell all the stories, not just Noah, David and Goliath, and the other "famous" ones. It's also unique in the sense that the author does quite a bit of extra explaining and providing background info. So far, we have appreciated her explanations. It's clear to our kids that she is retelling these stories. (They know it's not God's words, but that the content is from Him.)

When Savannah does her own devos, she's been using the ESV Illustrated Family Bible. We like this because it gives her actual ESV verses without adding/changing anything. (We want to carefully monitor what's added - so we wouldn't give the Vos Bible to read on her own until we had read it all ourselves.) The only difference between her ESV and mine is that hers doesn't have all the verses, and it has some pictures. Each "chapter" is a good length for Savannah to read on her own in the morning. We've all been really pleased with it.

3 and Counting!

2010-04-17T16:23:00.002+08:00

By Amy

No, I'm not counting children.... I'm counting years! As of today, we've lived in this place for THREE years! That seems hard to believe. I think back to unfamiliar and strange this place was to me, just three years ago. My, a lot of things have changed!

I'll name a few:

-- I know where to go if I need to buy something.

-- I understand most things people say to me.

-- The sights and smells are familiar and even comforting (OK, so not all the smells are comforting, but a lot are!)

-- I have friends here.

-- I know how to cook here.

-- I'm comfortable going places all by myself (actually, I LOVE going anywhere all alone!)

-- I feel at home here (most days, at least.)

-- My kids are at home here.

What a blessing it is to think back.... The Lord has been so gracious to us! Three years ago, I never imagined I'd be able to honestly make any of those statements.

Now, look at this picture of my kids! We were sitting in a relator's office trying to find a place to lease when I snapped this shot! MY how they have changed! My boys look like toddlers there! (I guess they were toddlers....) Where has the time gone?!?

Easter Quiz

2010-04-14T20:08:00.001+08:00

by Amy

This year for Easter, the kids and I read the greatest story of all times and came up with 10 items to help us remember it. After reading and preparing, we had to put the items in the correct order. We also played this game with some friends that came over. We prepared several sets of "props." Then, after reading the story together, they were divided into teams and had a race to see who could get them in the correct order first! Can you do it? What about your kids?

C

D

G (bread and wine)

Answers:

1. F (donkey)

2. B (30 silver coins)

3. G (last supper - bread and wine)

4. E (praying hands)

5. C (Judas' kiss)

6. J (Crown of thorns)

7. A (nail)

8. I (the cloth His body was wrapped in)

9. D (the stone that was rolled away)

10. H (the angle declairng HE IS RISEN!)

The Rest of the Story

2010-04-13T20:27:00.003+08:00

by Amy

So, Brad just read my blog and said I should tell everyone why my eggs didn't turn purple when I mixed red and blue dye.....

The most common eggs here are brown. You can buy them in any grocery store, at any market, and often even at the gate of my apartment complex. But, white eggs....now those are a different story. I've never personally ever seen anyone selling white eggs, but I know they exist. Last year Leigh (my house helper) tracked them down! Last year's Easter eggs turned out really well.

This year, we asked another friend to help me buy white eggs. She agreed to buy 300 white eggs, boil them and bring them to me. (We gave each kid a plain egg and markers so they could decorate it in class. Therefore I only needed to dye 200 eggs.) But, my friend, like many locals, decided she knew what I wanted better than I did! Since she could save me 3cents a pound by buying light brown eggs instead of white eggs, that's what she bought. She knew I'd rather save a little money and have brown eggs instead of white. --- Right??? Wrong!!!

So, I took the brown eggs and soaked them in blue dye. They turned blueish brown. Then, I soaked some other eggs in red dye. They turned pinkish-brown. So, I hoped that when I mixed the red and blue waters together and poured them over the brown eggs, they'd turn purple. They didn't. The actually turned deeper brown. Bummer....

When we dyed eggs the second time around, Leigh found white eggs at a market (very near to where the brown eggs were purchased) for 30 cents a pound CHEAPER than the brown eggs. It's a good think the kids at the school didn't know how bright and vibrant Easter eggs are supposed to be!

And that's "the rest of the story!" (I love Paul Harvey!)

Red and Blue Make....

2010-04-12T20:27:00.005+08:00

** Curriculum posts are on hold. I have a couple more fun things to share, but my dad is tired of reading about school and wants to see pics of the grandkids! :) **

by Amy

Kindergarten 101: Red and Blue make ....

YUCK!! What happened to my purple!?!? These were the ugliest Easter Eggs I've ever seen! I tried to redeem them by putting those little plastic shrink wrappers on them. It didn't work!

Every Saturday Brad (and some other teachers) teach about 75 kids at our little English training center. We thought it would be fun to teach the kids about Easter. And, since Brad's in charge of the school this semester, the party planning fell to me. So, I had the privilege of dying 200 hard boiled eggs! Thankfully, I three eager helpers!

Since we were dying so many eggs, we decided to put 20-30 eggs in a bowl, pour the colored water over the eggs, and let them soak for about 10 minutes. Thankfully, these eggs turned out much better than the first batch.

Our lessons at the school went well. All the kids (and parents) were ooooh-ing and ahhhh-ing over the eggs! That made my kids feel pretty happy!

Here are some more pics for you, Dad....

The week after Easter we had another round of dying eggs. Since we didn't have 200 eggs that needed to be dyed, I filled paper cups with the different colored water and let the kids dye one egg at a time. They made some fun rainbow/tie-dyed eggs. Rachel brought her girls over to join in the fun. She took lots of fun pics, but I don't have them yet. Maybe I'll post them when I get them.

Math

2010-04-08T14:51:00.002+08:00

By Amy

For math we're using Horizons curriculum. Personally, I'm a big fan of the "spiral approach." [That means that there's continual practice of previously taught concepts.] I like the pace of Horizons. They don't spend so much time on a concept that my kids are bored, but they review often enough that they don't forget how to do things, either. Since one lesson (front and back of one page) usually will cover 5 different concepts, there's not enough space to have 87 addition problems! Although if there's a concept that my kids have definitely mastered, I have no problem skipping that section, or only having them do the odds or evens. The curriculum also comes with worksheets that I can use to supplement the workbook if I feel like my kid needs extra practice.

When I prepare for school each week, I look at each math lesson to see what new concepts will be introduced and to take away any problems I don't think are necessary. (I don't like busy work!) Each day, I usually walk my boys through their lessons together, but Savannah can often do her lesson completely on her own. I'd say I usually end up teaching her math once or twice a week. Even though I really like math, I'm thankful that it's not something that takes me half an hour to teach each day.

But, the best part of math is our Math Fun Day on Fridays. Sometimes I have all the kids together, and sometimes I do things with them to specifically apply what was in their lesson that week. For example, the boys were just introduced to tally marks. So, I gave Alex a pile of tiles in two colors. He randomly put them in a straight line. Peter stood at the white board and and made tally marks as Alex called out the color of tiles. ("Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Blue....") Next, Alex counted how many of each color tiles he had in front of him, and Peter counted his tally marks to make sure they matched. Then, they switched places. After that, I gave them Popsicle sticks and had them sit back-to-back on the floor with their trays. I called out a number and they had to make that many tally marks with their Popsicle sticks.

While the boys were playing with Popsicle sticks, Savannah was making a graph. We have a map of the US on the wall. Each state is one of five different colors. Savannah made a bar graph of the colors represented on the map. Then, she had to count how many she had in each color and add them together to make sure she had accounted for all 50 states. She did a great job! And, the following week, when my boys were introduced to graphs, I pulled out the graph Savannah had made to teach them how to read a bar graph.

I'm not creative enough to come up with fun math activities each week. So, I have some help. Two of my favorite resources are Scholastic's Shoe Box Math book and Primary (K-2) Idea Book for Cuisenaire Rods.

The Shoe Box book has fun little math games that my kids can play together or with me. And, it uses a lot of common items (buttons, dominoes, etc.). It also provides game boards or score sheets to photocopy. The ideas in there are simple, but fun! With my boys I can use dominoes to work on adding. With Savannah I can use a 10-sided-dice and 100 board. We have a race: Starting at 100 we take turns rolling the dice and subtracting what we roll to see who can get down to 0 first. Or, we can start at 0 and race up to 100! This book offers 40 different ideas. I definitely haven't used all of them (or even read all of them yet), but I haven't found one that I wouldn't or couldn't do.

I love Cuisenaire Rods. I think they can be used to help kids really understand and see math concepts. (Base 10 blocks are great too!) All three of my kids love playing with c-rods. For example, I can make a "train" of 3 rods (white (1), blue (9), and yellow (5)) Then I can ask my kids to come up with another train that is just as long, but doesn't use a white, blue or yellow rod. The Idea Book has lots of great ways to use c-rods to reinforce concepts like: addition, subtraction, number awareness, symmetry, graphs, greater than/less than, fractions, and much more!

There are lots of really great math curriculums out there! I've heard good things about Right Start and Math-U-See. Both are manipulative based and more teacher driven, and from what I understand, they're really great. Also, Singapore math has come highly recommend to me as well. So, I'm definitely not convinced that Horizons is the best thing available, but it has been great for my family. In my opinion, if it's not broken, don't fix it!

Science

2010-04-04T16:45:00.005+08:00

By Amy

This is my first year to teach science. I decided to go with Apologia: Exploring Creation Through Astronomy. It’s FANTASTIC! We all love it! It seems as if the goal of this curriculum is worship! The heavens declare the glory of the Lord, so let’s study the heavens and see His glory – and worship Him for it! As we study the different planets, again and again the author points us to the wisdom of the Creator. We all have so appreciated this curriculum! (Granted, I’m only 3 weeks into it!)

I also bought a Knowledge Box lapbook CD-Rom to help my kids record what we’re learning as we read. If you use this curriculum, I really recommend creating the lapbooks as well. They’re colorful and fun, and they can be adapted for kids of all ages. I have Savannah do more writing than the boys, and it’s not a problem at all. It’s a great way to “break up” the text book reading, as well. Since we only do science 2 days a week, I read several sections in a chapter each class.

The textbook is written to kids. Actually, I'm sure Savannah could read it on her own if I wanted her to. But, since I'm doing this class with all three kids, I do the reading. The author does a great job at capturing my kid's attention. The examples she uses and the ways she presents information is great. -- Way better than the science books I remember using as a kid -- I always thought science was boring. This is NOT boring!

At the end of the first chapter, after an introduction to our solar system and the eight (nine) planets in it, we made came up with a mnemonic phrase to help us remember the planets in the correct order. We came up with "Mary’s very excited monkey just spit under Nana’s pants." Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. It worked, too! Then, we created a visual representation of our solar system that is proportionately accurate (sorda!). We used balloons, beads, toys, and yarn to come up with this.

While the boys and I sponge painted the sun, Savannah wrote the names of the planets for us.

So far, my favorite section is entitled “God’s Light Shines Brighter.” After teaching us just how hot and how bright the sun is, the author reminds us that in Heaven we won’t even need the sun. "... You will have the LORD as an everlasting Light, and your God for your glory!" (Is 60:19) AMEN!!

The author, Jeannie Fulbright, has also written four other elementary science curriculums for Apologia that I look forward to trying over the next several years:
Exploring Creation with Botany
Exploring Creation with Zoo 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
Exploring Creation with Zoo 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day
Exploring Creation with Zoo 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day

English and Phonics

2010-04-01T20:52:00.001+08:00

To teach all of the language arts-type classes (phonics, English, writing, handwriting, spelling, and reading,) I’ve decided to use Bob Jones University Press curriculum. I love it. If you know me, you know I tend to be a pretty structured person, so this curriculum fits me great. They provide clear lesson plans for each day and many activities. Their workbook pages and books are colorful and engaging. They teach phonics using word families. Personally, I like that approach, although I’m sure other approaches are also effective. And, since I’ve used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, my kids can read okay, but they have a hard time decoding new words. That curriculum doesn’t teach phonics rules very well. BJUP curriculum fills in the holes left by 100 Easy Lesson beautifully.

I also really appreciate the stories in the BJUP Readers. They do a great job at providing a variety of types of literature. They have fiction and non-fiction, historical and modern stories, as well as poetry and Biblical stories. The questions they provide for the teacher really help guide the reader see good and godly character traits in the story characters. They also use a variety of mediums to illustrate each story. For example, one story may have clay animation; others may have cartoon characters, while others still have photographs or sketches. Savannah loves art, so she loves seeing different ways to illustrate stories.

When it comes to independent reading and read-alouds, I lean heavily on SonLight. With Savannah inhaling books right now, I haven’t been able to read everything before she does. But, I trust that if came from a SonLight reading list, it’s probably a “wholesome” book. One time, she brought me a book, and said, “Mommy, I don’t think this is a very good book for me to read. The first grader in this story is selfish and mean to other kids.” It was a book I had purchased (on sale) because it was about a first grader. I had read another book by the same author in my Children’s Lit class in college (almost 15 years ago!) so I figured this one would be OK. After I read it, I realized Savannah was right! It was not a very uplifting book. I definitely would not want my daughter speaking the way the main character did!

We also have fallen in love with BJUP’s Journey Books. They have wholesome stories that are entertaining and uplifting. If you have any good booklists, will you pass them my way? What authors do you let your kids read?

Well, that’s about it for the language arts recap. Obviously, we do handwriting and spelling too. I use BJUP stuff because it goes along with the phonics/English lessons. I haven’t been disappointed with them either!

Check back in a few days to hear what we’re doing for science!! It’s out of this world!

I love school!

2010-03-28T22:35:00.001+08:00

So, we’ve completed our second week of our new homeschooling year. It’s been so fun!! I guess it’s a good thing I majored in teaching language arts. Savannah’s favorite part of school is English and the boys love Phonics! (They love math, too, though.) Even on the weekends or family day, the kids often ask if we can do school. The other day we had a trip to the Children’s Museum planned, and Peter and Alex begged to do a phonics lesson before we left. Brad keeps asking when my kids will figure out they’re not supposed to like school. :) (I guess he didn’t like school too much as a kid.)

We plan on heading back to the States in about a year. We’ll take some vacation, see family, and Brad will finish up his degree. Then, we’ll come right back to this side of the world. But, since we know we’ll be heading to the States in a year, we decided it would be best to try to stretch this home school year out and make it last until next March/April. There’s no use in having next year’s curriculum mailed here, just to use it for a couple of months and carry it back to the States.

So, in my opinion, that’s one of the greatest things about this year! I feel free to do projects, watch educational films and do other things that make school extra fun! So, even though we do school five days each week, I we only do four lessons in each subject each week.

So, just in case you’re wondering…. Here’s a glance at our typical week….

Mornings:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings: Brad and I meet with a tutor while our kids are in local school.

Tuesday is family day.

Thursday: Brad is at work all day and I spend time preparing for an English class I teach in our home on Saturday afternoons.

Homeschooling:
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday look pretty similar. I teach English/phonics, math, and reading to Savannah and the boys separately (Peter and Alex are together.). Each class is about 30 minutes, so that takes from 1pm – 4pm. Then, from 4-5 I teach science (Wed) or history (Mon & Thurs) to all three kids.

(Thankfully Leigh is here to do a lot of my dinner prep!)

On Fridays our homeschooling day is cut short because we get together with other foreigners for worship every Friday late afternoon/evening. So, I teach reading for an hour, then we have Math Fun Day for second hour. For Math Fun Day we may play a game, play with cuisenart rods, base 10 blocks, make a graph, put together a store, etc. Depending on the topic, I may do something with all three kids together, have Savannah teach the boys, or split the time between them. We all look forward to Fridays!

Then, we do school one day on the weekend. Brad works at the English school all day Saturday, then, he tries to do some work at home on Sunday. (That way we don’t have to fight the weekend crowds on family day.) So far I’ve done school once on Saturday and once on Sunday. I think Sunday is better because that keeps us busy and out of Brad’s hair! But at this point, I’m still thinking I’ll take it one weekend at a time…. On the weekend, we do English/phonics, math, and science.

I have to say….. I love homeschooling!! I know it’s not for every family. But, I’m so thankful that it’s the Lord’s plan for our family! Over the next few posts, I’ll share about the curriculum I’m using.

Feelin' the Love!

2010-03-17T02:48:00.001+08:00

by Amy

In the last month, we have received quite a few boxes (a real treat in our world)! My dear friend Krista handles all my home school materials. I make all my purchases online and have them mailed to her house. She opens all the boxes up, checks the condition of all the books, gets rid of packing materials and unnecessary stuff, repacks it and mails it to me. Krista is AMAZING! The US post office has some flat-rate global priority boxes. They allow you to pack whatever you want in that box, up to 20lbs, and pay $56 to mail it overseas. But, the box is not big! It's difficult to fill one of those boxes and get it over 8 lbs. Well, it's difficult for a normal person.... Not Krista! All of the boxes were 18-20lbs! If we had paid $6/lb (the normal rate) it would have cost us twice as much to get the books we need. And, if we would have had them mailed directly from the curriculum companies, it would have been almost three times as much! Thank you, Krista, thank you! Your time and energies saved us tons!

One reason Krista's able to get the boxes so heavy is because she maximizes every square inch of space! She fills corners and extra spaces with treasures (stickers, tissue paper, ring pops, etc.). What a blessing!

This picture was taken on the morning the boxes were delivered. Clearly there are smiles all around!

Other boxes that came were from some sweet friends that live in Houston, the Browns. We actually just met them when we were back in the States this past fall. Ashley and I found that we have many things in common and quickly hit it off! So, they wanted to bless our family by sending lots of clothes for my kids and fun snacks for us all to enjoy! What generosity:

I mentioned to her that my boys love baseball, so she sent these precious jerseys! They wear them every chance they get! Aren't they cute!

While we were in America in October, one thing I couldn't find for Savannah was a bathing suit. (Even in Houston, people don't swim in October!) So, Ashely mailed a couple of suits to us. Savannah looks so cute in them!

What a blessing these two families are to ours!

Saturday Morning Fun

2010-03-14T09:03:00.004+08:00

by Amy

This month Brad started teaching English at our training center every Saturday. So, that means Saturdays the kids and I are on our own. I'll probably home school on Saturdays in the future, but that hasn't started yet. So, this morning, feeling inspired by being low on milk, I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. (Plus, Brad doesn't really like pancakes, so I like to make them when he's gone.)

And, being inspired by my friend Rachel and her love for chocolate, I decided to make chocolate chip pancakes. Then, I busted out some whipping cream and strawberries to create a happy happy face for each kiddo. Needless to say, there were smiles all around.

I forgot to take pictures, of my creation, but when they started creating, I pulled out the camera. Savannah decorated her second pancake on her own....

(Yes, she opted for Hershey's syrup instead of maple syrup. ....Thanks Uncle Kevin....)

Alex was too fast. I just caught him taking his last bite.

Clearly, fun was had by all!

Puzzle Fun

2010-03-12T16:00:00.001+08:00

by Amy

This week we're not homeschooling. I'm trying to get everything ready and organized to begin teaching second grade and kindergarten next week. So, that means my kids have been left alone to play together more than usual. Thankfully, my kids get along really well, so this has been a treat, not a burden to them!

Two days in a row, Peter and Alex have have spent several hours putting together puzzles. (Savannah helped them when she wasn't busy reading.)

They were so proud of their work, they wanted me to snap a few shots before they had to put them away. So, here you go....

Truth be told, I think it's a little funny that they put all of these puzzles together, took them all apart to put away, then put them all together again the next day! But, it kept them entertained and busy, so I was happy too!

Our Graduate!

2010-03-09T15:45:00.000+08:00

by Amy

Last Friday, my precious girl finished her first grade home school curriculum! (I can't believe she's growing up so fast!) So, we had a family celebration! That afternoon, Savannah requested that we go play at an indoor play area. Think: Big McDonald's Play Place times six. It's not huge, but big enough to spend an hour or two running around it. (And small enough for them to hear me when I call them!) So, that afternoon, that's where we went. Then, we came home to eat hot dogs and Cheetos (thanks to the Browns!) for dinner. Then, we topped it off with a mint cheesecake pie. Finally, we each gave Savannah a homemade card expressing our congratulations.

Little did we know.... while I was helping the boys make Savannah's cards, she was in her room making thank you cards for her brothers.

I am really proud of Savannah. As I look back over the last 9 months of first grade, I see so much growth! Obviously, she knows more than she did when we began, but she has also really grown in diligence and perseverance. She's not as easily distracted as she once was. She has also learned how to manage her own time. Each Monday I would give her a list of things that needed to be completed by the end of the week. She was faithful to work hard, especially at the beginning of the week, to make sure she'd get it all done. She also has fallen in love with books! For some reason, it just blesses my heart to see my daughter wrapped up in reading! At the beginning of first grade, she liked to read, but she didn't love it. Now, a good book is right up there with Adventures in Odyssey on her list of favorite things to do.

First grade was fun.... Second grade, here we come!

The Best Purchase I've Ever Made

2010-03-06T09:24:00.003+08:00

(at least that's what my kids think!)

by Amy

When we hit the big city up north last month, I went to IKEA. (I never went to IKEA when I lived in the States, but I love going there now!) While I was there, I found some trays. They were about $5 each. Not, bad.... I thought my kids might think it was fun to set them up occasionally for dinner and a movie; or, when they all need/want to be separated for school, they could take their trays to their beds to work. I had no idea that these trays would be used every single day! My kids LOVE them -- especially the boys. They read books on their trays; they color on their trays; they do water colors and playdough on their trays. And, they love to eat dinner on their trays (which has happened a few times, since they think it's soooo fun!) When I was in IKEA I went back and forth... Did I really want to drag these trays back home on a train? Would my kids ever use them? Would I ever want them to all be separated for school anyway? Thankfully, since they were relatively inexpensive, I made the plunge, and I'm so glad I did! I have some happy kiddos! And happy kiddos make this mama's heart happy!

Fireworks in My Room

2010-03-03T10:15:00.001+08:00

by Amy

When we first moved here almost 3 years ago, my boys were 2 1/2 years old. There were many nights where they would cry out an hour or two after they had gone to bed, "Daddy! There's fireworks in my room!!" At two years old, it was loud and scary! (Now they sleep right through them!) Fireworks and and blackcats can easily be purchased on any day of the year and lit at any location, any time, day or night. Locals believe (or, did believe years ago) that the fireworks scare off the "bad spirits." So, often, when a new store opens or someone gets married, fireworks explode! When people have a party, fireworks explode! When people are happy, fireworks explode! When someone dies, fireworks explode! And when there's a holiday FIREWORKS EXPLODE!!

As I mentioned in my last post, we celebrated the lunar new year at home this year. When it comes to holidays, this is definitely the BIGGEST one of the year. Everything (except for Wal-mart) is closed for at least 3 days, and many stores are closed for 7-8 days. Most workers have 7 days vacation and students have anywhere from 3-5 weeks off. So, I now realize that I thought I had experienced holiday fireworks around here since I had been in town for many other holidays.... I was wrong! It was absolutely insane! On the eve of the new year, in the garden area out our back window, there were a steady stream of fireworks from about 5 pm to 1am. They were so loud that we had our TV volume set at 56 as we watched ET with the kids. We usually have the volume set at 23-30. And, they still asked often asked us to repeat what was said! When I say fireworks, I don't mean little bottle rockets... Think downtown firework display on the Forth of July. That's what was happening in my backyard! Debris was hitting our windows!! Since we live on the 13th floor, we're at the perfect height! They explode right in front of us! It was cool...for the first couple of hours, then, it was just loud.... The kids and I slept right through it... Brad woke up all night long....

And, the next morning, we looked out our window and this is what we saw....

This picture was taken from the 13th floor. Notice the bench on the top right corner to help with size. All the red stuff is the trash/debris from the fireworks! Crazy.... I tried to take pics of the fireworks exploding, but between the window glass and the flash, I couldn't make it work!

Skip February

2010-03-01T09:31:00.001+08:00

by Amy

Whoops! Where did February go? It's already March, and I'm not used to writing 2010 yet! Time is flyin' by! This February was good. For the first time ever, we were in town during the Lunar New Year celebrations. (In the past we had always traveled out of the country.) Savannah was out of school for 5 weeks! It was great! I love having her home all day! We were able to do lots of home schooling, as well as some extra crafty stuff and schoolish games. Unfortunately, we had about 2 weeks where one or more of us was sick -- Brad was the only one who didn't get it -- but we're all well now. We also took a trip to the big city up north. We had a great time playing, eating and swimming! I'm convinced my kids are half fish. They LOVE swimming, so it was great to stay in a hotel with a nice pool.

Also, over the last couple of months I've been ordering lots of homeschooling books & supplies. (Now you know the real reason I haven't been blogging! I've been organizing, sorting and planning!) Savannah's last day of first grade will be this Friday. Then, we'll take a week or two off before we'll begin second grade. (I school year-round and take breaks when we travel or have guests visit.) I also will begin officially teaching Peter and Alex kindergarten. They are SOOO excited to use their new workbooks! Everyday they beg me to teach them math! (Right now I'm just doing reading and handwriting with them.) I have given in a few times, and it's been fun! When our new school year begins, I'll teach math, reading and Phonics/English twice (once to Savannah and once to the boys.) Then, I'll also teach history, science, and Bible to all three together. I've never taught science before, but I'm really looking forward to it! We're going to study the planets.

Well, that's about it for the February recap.... It was busy, but fun! Today, we're back to a normal schedule again. The kids are all back to school, and Brad and I are meeting with our tutor three times a week. I'll try to post again before April rolls around!

Language Learning

2010-01-30T08:11:00.001+08:00

by Amy

Brad and I have started using a new method for studying the local language. Three to four mornings a week our tutor comes over for two hours. (Our kids are at their schools.) We have a wordless-picture book in front of us. Brad and I spend about 3o minutes going back and forth describing what we see on the page and asking how to say different words. For example....

When we looked at this picture, these are some of the things Brad and I could say, or learned how to say....

The farmer is going fishing. He has a goatee and is wearing a hat. He's carrying a fishing pole on his shoulder. The fishing line is wrapped around the pole. He's wearing overalls with big pockets, a plaid shirt and black boots. His pants are rolled up and he has a long seam down each leg. There's a chicken following the farmer, staring the can of bait the he's carrying. The chicken's legs are short......

As we talk, we make a list of the words we're learning. Then, our tutor will record a description of the page, including all the things we said. Then, he'll record our new words, and review them with us using a listen-and-point method. I've been amazed at how many words I'm learning and how much more comfortable we're getting with speaking off the cuff.

This last weekend, I had some girl friends come over to study a Good Book with me. I usually teach in English. But, one of my friends had brought a non-English speaker to join our group. At the same time a couple of guys came over to hang out with Brad. Since some of the girls knew Brad's guy friends, at the last minute we decided to combine groups. Brad took my non-detailed notes (in English) and taught/lead a discussion for 90 minutes in the local language without any prep! I was amazed! He is progressing so well! We both still have a long way to go in mastering this language, but it's encouraging to see growth.

For Katie

2010-01-27T21:34:00.002+08:00

by Amy

My friend Katie commented on my bread sticks post and asked me to post my peanut butter fudge recipe. So, here it is.....

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
½ cup milk
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow crème

In a saucepan, bring sugar and milk to a boil; boil for three minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat then add peanut butter and marshmallow crème; mix well. Quickly pour into a greased 8-inch square pan. Chill until firm.

This would be a nice finish to the soup and bread sticks meal, Katie. It's so super easy and quite tasty! Enjoy!

Bread Sticks

2010-01-18T12:26:00.001+08:00

by Amy

So, if you're going to make Minestrone Soup, you gotta have bread sticks to go with it! And, since I don't have an Olive Garden down the street, I make my own in a bread maker. (Well, truth be told, Leigh makes them for us!) My friend Rachel found this recipe somewhere, and we've been making for the past couple of years. They're pretty tasty! So, if you have a bread maker, dust it off, and serve some bread sticks with dinner tonight!

Place the following ingredients in your bread maker in this order, or the order recommended in your instruction manual:

1 1/8 cup warm water
2T oil
3 T grated Parmesan cheese (cheddar or mozzarella are also OK)
2 T sugar
3 1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t minced basil
3 1/2 cup flour
2 t yeast

Set your maker to the dough cycle. When it's finished (about 1.5 hours later), divide into 20 portions and form into"stick" shapes. (Feel free to add some flour if your dough is too sticky.)

Place the sticks on greased cookie sheets, cover and let rise 40 min. (I cover
with saran that's been sprayed with pam/oil).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min. (recipe calls for 18-22 min, but
that's too long in my small oven.)

Enjoy!

Brush with garlic salt/melted butter after baking, before serving.