By Amy
Well, we’re still here in SE Asia. We’ll head home on Friday. Our time out of country has been really refreshing for me – especially this last week in the beach town. Brad and I have had a chance to attend some meetings while our kids were in “VBS.” Once again, our kids are thriving in the kids’ program. Savannah is especially loving it! She’s made several sweet friends that it will be fun to see on an annual basis. All three kids have loved getting to go swimming almost every day. And, their swimming skills have grown incredibly! Savannah is part fish (I guess you could call her a mermaid!) She is doing great swimming on her own! And, Alex has grown as well. We have little arm floaties for the boys. In the past Alex has tolerated our trips to the pool as long as he had a ring around his chest. But, the minute I pull him out of the ring, with only floaties on, he flips out! He literally screams hysterically. This just happened 10 days ago when I took the kids swimming in the capital city while Brad was in serious pain. So, on Friday night, we eat a fast dinner so we can take the kids to the pool. In the large kiddie pool (just under 3 ft deep) where both boys can stand up, I saw Alex using the floaties and kicking his feet out behind him. Brad and I both were quite impressed and cheered him on. But, I about flipped when Alex cheerfully slid into the 12ft deep end (where I was) with only little floaties on his arms. He kicked his way right over to me with a huge smile on his face! I was so proud! Pedo has always been pretty comfortable in the water and still seems to be loving it.
Having happy kids that ask every night if they’ll, “get to” go back to VBS the next day has made leaving them every day for the last 8 days, not as challenging as I expected. While our kids were playing, swimming, doing crafts and singing songs, Brad and I have been enjoying times of cooperate w-rship, pr-ching, testimonies, and seminars. (We got to choose 6 from about 60 options.) And, I am thankful to report that the Father has been so faithful to refresh and encourage me spiritually during these times. I have really felt near to Him as the old message of forgiveness and freedom has seemed so new and fresh to me. We sang so many songs about the cross and my heart was pierced anew as I reflected on what my Savior accomplished for me there. As I pondered that again, I am filled with a new resolve and power to live the life we are all called to live! PTL!
On a different note, I am also pleased to report that Brad is feeling so much better! After having a slipped disk causing back pain then intense leg pain, he is walking and moving almost normally again. The Dr. seems to think the swelling has gone down and the disk is back in place, no longer pinching nerves. What a blessing!!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Back Update and More
From Brad.Well, problem found. After lengthy examinations and consultations with highly trained medical professionals, we discovered why I have back problems. Of all people, the answer came from an airline ticketing agent (See the picture to the right).
Yep, lifting Peter is obviously what did me in. Just kidding, as many of you know, I have some sort of problem with a disc in my lower back (compression failure, slippage, etc.). This has rendered me ineffective in doing just about anything (except for asking my wife for things :). Besides being a single parent of three small kids, she’s got nothing better to do than to serve my every whim…which usually consist of can you get me my phone, remote control, more coffee, more cream for my coffee, another pillow, PILLS!. Honestly, I cannot imagine being married to a more selfless and loving woman. She’s been at the end of her rope all week, and has juggled so many things so well…she very impressive with how much she loves her husband and children.
But now we are at our large conference where there is VBS for the kids all week long while the adults have their conference. A welcome relief for her, no doubt. Today while I was catching up on the latest woes for the unfortunate Chinese travelers on CNN (pls pr for them), she was having fun with our kids at the beach. Here are a few picts to capture the scene.
To conclude, I will share this has been my best (back) day in a while…Praise to Him! I was off my Tylenol w/ Codeine all day and was able to get out of my wheelchair and walk while pushing it. Hopefully I’ve turned a corner and the disk is sliding back into place b/c of the rest and anti-inflammation medicine. If this is so (and a Dr here will help me determine that soon), then with some physical therapy and stretching, I should be ready to return home on schedule (in 2 weeks). Moreover, I will hopefully get to enjoy some of this conference instead of being laid up in bed all week. Thank you all so much for your prayers.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Conference update
by Amy
Brad and I just attended this 3 1/2 day home schooling conference. It's geared towards people living in Asia, home schooling their kids. There were probably over 100 families attending. We are really thankful for the opportunity we've had to be here! Some of the sessions were more helpful than others, but overall, it was a really great thing for our family to be apart of. Savannah thrived in her "VBS" class. She loved playing with kids her age, and a little older, that speak English! Alex and Peter caught her excitement and were also thrilled to head to class each day.
I most enjoyed the conversations this conference encouraged Brad and me to have. Since we're not really home schooling right now, we've postponed a lot of those conversations, waiting for this conference. The other day we sat down for two in a half hours and talked through our goals for our kids, and what educational decisions we need to make in order to make that happen. As a result of that conversation, we've decided we're going to try to see if Savannah can attend her kindergarten again next year, while homeschooling US kindergarten at home. (She's so eager to read, we may actually start that homeschooling before next fall.) Savannah's language is coming along, but not well enough that we feel like she'd understand if she attended a local school with other kids 6 and 7 years old. We feel giving her another year of part time kindergarten would be really helpful. Then, in 2009-2010, in order to help her feel comfortable and at home in our culture, we plan on sending her to a local elementary school, part time. (That is providing we can find a school that we feel good about.) That was a hard decision for me. I never pictured my kids attending a local elementary school, even for a few hours a day. But, as we talked though our goals, we really want our kids to feel at home in Asia. Part of that will be giving them the tools they need to read the sign on the building next door, and talk to the kids on the play ground without sounding like an uneducated 2 year-old (like their mama!) And, I came to realize that playing at the kindergarten won't give her that. In America, we teach our kids English for 12 years. What they learn at home and in pre-school doesn't provide enough grammar to communicate clearly. So, even though we don't plan on our kids attending an Asian university, (and don't need to be able to read college level literature) they would probably be most comfortable here if they could speak fluently and read on a basic level. Not to mention, we want our kids to have friends here and attending a school should promote that.
So, I'm thankful that Brad and I had some great conversations and were able to talk through a lot of these ideas. We also enjoyed bouncing our ideas off an education consultant. She provided some positive feedback and encouraged us as we raise our kids here.
Brad and I just attended this 3 1/2 day home schooling conference. It's geared towards people living in Asia, home schooling their kids. There were probably over 100 families attending. We are really thankful for the opportunity we've had to be here! Some of the sessions were more helpful than others, but overall, it was a really great thing for our family to be apart of. Savannah thrived in her "VBS" class. She loved playing with kids her age, and a little older, that speak English! Alex and Peter caught her excitement and were also thrilled to head to class each day.
I most enjoyed the conversations this conference encouraged Brad and me to have. Since we're not really home schooling right now, we've postponed a lot of those conversations, waiting for this conference. The other day we sat down for two in a half hours and talked through our goals for our kids, and what educational decisions we need to make in order to make that happen. As a result of that conversation, we've decided we're going to try to see if Savannah can attend her kindergarten again next year, while homeschooling US kindergarten at home. (She's so eager to read, we may actually start that homeschooling before next fall.) Savannah's language is coming along, but not well enough that we feel like she'd understand if she attended a local school with other kids 6 and 7 years old. We feel giving her another year of part time kindergarten would be really helpful. Then, in 2009-2010, in order to help her feel comfortable and at home in our culture, we plan on sending her to a local elementary school, part time. (That is providing we can find a school that we feel good about.) That was a hard decision for me. I never pictured my kids attending a local elementary school, even for a few hours a day. But, as we talked though our goals, we really want our kids to feel at home in Asia. Part of that will be giving them the tools they need to read the sign on the building next door, and talk to the kids on the play ground without sounding like an uneducated 2 year-old (like their mama!) And, I came to realize that playing at the kindergarten won't give her that. In America, we teach our kids English for 12 years. What they learn at home and in pre-school doesn't provide enough grammar to communicate clearly. So, even though we don't plan on our kids attending an Asian university, (and don't need to be able to read college level literature) they would probably be most comfortable here if they could speak fluently and read on a basic level. Not to mention, we want our kids to have friends here and attending a school should promote that.
So, I'm thankful that Brad and I had some great conversations and were able to talk through a lot of these ideas. We also enjoyed bouncing our ideas off an education consultant. She provided some positive feedback and encouraged us as we raise our kids here.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
We're Here!
By Amy
Well, after a LONG day of traveling yesterday, we made it to warmer weather! I forgot how blue the sky could really be! It’s absolutely beautiful here! We’ve had fun being reunited with friends that we haven’t seen in a while, and are looking forward to taking advantage of the great shopping that’s available here. (Sue – We’re t-shirt shopping this weekend!) We had our first day of the home school conference today (a half-day), and it looks like it will be really helpful. Our days will be pretty full, but I expect, full of good stuff! We even get a PNO (parent’s night out) on Thursday! Our kids seemed to really have fun in their program. Savannah’s been calling it VBS J. Today she made Olympic rings and sang lots of fun, familiar Sunday school songs. But, our kids were wiped out! On the way home from dinner, Alex fell asleep in my arms, which is nothing new for him. But, even Savannah forgot about the promised treat waiting for her at home, and crawled right into bed – with her clothes on! Because of the time change, they were up an hour earlier than usual this morning, and because of VBS, they missed nap/rest time, so they were ready for that bed!
We will be here for about 5 more days, before heading down south a bit to the capital city. We don’t have Internet access in our room, so we’ll try to post when we can, and may be slow to return emails.
Well, after a LONG day of traveling yesterday, we made it to warmer weather! I forgot how blue the sky could really be! It’s absolutely beautiful here! We’ve had fun being reunited with friends that we haven’t seen in a while, and are looking forward to taking advantage of the great shopping that’s available here. (Sue – We’re t-shirt shopping this weekend!) We had our first day of the home school conference today (a half-day), and it looks like it will be really helpful. Our days will be pretty full, but I expect, full of good stuff! We even get a PNO (parent’s night out) on Thursday! Our kids seemed to really have fun in their program. Savannah’s been calling it VBS J. Today she made Olympic rings and sang lots of fun, familiar Sunday school songs. But, our kids were wiped out! On the way home from dinner, Alex fell asleep in my arms, which is nothing new for him. But, even Savannah forgot about the promised treat waiting for her at home, and crawled right into bed – with her clothes on! Because of the time change, they were up an hour earlier than usual this morning, and because of VBS, they missed nap/rest time, so they were ready for that bed!
We will be here for about 5 more days, before heading down south a bit to the capital city. We don’t have Internet access in our room, so we’ll try to post when we can, and may be slow to return emails.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunshine, Here We Come!
by Amy
The weather in our city has been cold -- I mean in the teens cold! (Our house has been toasty warm, though -- no heat needed here! Brad and I still sleep with the window cracked!) And the wind has been blowing. Savannah and I went shopping on Sunday and we were both chilled to the bone when we got home! So, it makes us all so excited to think about heading to sunny, warm SE Asia for a few weeks! We have several things on our agenda while we're there. First of all, we'll attend a homeschooling conference. I think it will be really helpful for both Brad and me together to think through our goals for our kids' education and how to accomplish them. We also plan on spending several days in a big city playing. I've been doing some research on this city lately and I'm so excited! It looks like such a fun place to take kids! They have a great zoo, hands-on discovery museum, tons of indoor & outdoor play areas, a huge aquarium, and a Toys R Us! Although we haven't decided what we'll try to see this year, I'm sure it will be fun! I'll try to post pics, if we have reliable Internet access!
After we spend about 5 days in that big city, we'll head to a beach town. We plan to splash and play a for a day or two before attending some meetings with like-minded friends. Our kids will be in a VBS-type program. They're really excited! All and all, we'll be away from home for about 4 weeks!
And, since we're heading to such a warm and sunny place, I decided it was time for haircuts -- again.
AFTER
The weather in our city has been cold -- I mean in the teens cold! (Our house has been toasty warm, though -- no heat needed here! Brad and I still sleep with the window cracked!) And the wind has been blowing. Savannah and I went shopping on Sunday and we were both chilled to the bone when we got home! So, it makes us all so excited to think about heading to sunny, warm SE Asia for a few weeks! We have several things on our agenda while we're there. First of all, we'll attend a homeschooling conference. I think it will be really helpful for both Brad and me together to think through our goals for our kids' education and how to accomplish them. We also plan on spending several days in a big city playing. I've been doing some research on this city lately and I'm so excited! It looks like such a fun place to take kids! They have a great zoo, hands-on discovery museum, tons of indoor & outdoor play areas, a huge aquarium, and a Toys R Us! Although we haven't decided what we'll try to see this year, I'm sure it will be fun! I'll try to post pics, if we have reliable Internet access!
After we spend about 5 days in that big city, we'll head to a beach town. We plan to splash and play a for a day or two before attending some meetings with like-minded friends. Our kids will be in a VBS-type program. They're really excited! All and all, we'll be away from home for about 4 weeks!
And, since we're heading to such a warm and sunny place, I decided it was time for haircuts -- again.
BEFORE
AFTER
Brad knew haircuts were coming, but he had no idea we were going with the "Summer-Dos!" So, I'm happy to report I have just been fired from Family Hair Cutter Position! YIPPEE!!!!! I may occasionally be called in to do some contract work when Brad needs a hair cut, but he's agreed to take the boys to a real barber from now on!
Poor Pedo! It's a good thing he's too short to see himself in our mirrors! :) It'll grow, son!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Very Thankful
From Brad.
Today when I went to get online, I realized that my wireless router wasn't working. We brought it over from the States and it has worked great. However, not today. I suspected that the cord might be the problem due to problems in the past, but I wasn't sure. Well, this left me with no Internet since I couldn't just plug the Ethernet cord directly into my computer since it wasn't configured correctly. So we called the Internet company and they were shocked that we had a problem. Well they came, and I was able to explain what had happened.
Now a quick aside. I have complained before that many workers/servicemen in this country tend to take a minimalist approach to their work. For whatever reason, they want to do the quickest, easiest fix possible, even if it means they must come out the next day to 'fix' it again. This is not the case with the Internet guy (who came to our house today for the 3rd time since we moved in). In the first place, he doesn't speak much English at all, but was willing and able to work with my computer and get it online when we first got here. Today, he was willing to come out although it probably wasn't his job to. When he found out the problem, he got right to work and was able to configure my computer so I could surf without the router. Then, I asked him about replacing my router cord here in China. I mentioned it wasn't his job to do this and I would gladly pay him to check into it. He said he would do what he could. Thirty minutes after he left, he called me and asked if he could take the router and cord to a local store. He picked them up, went to the store, and returned with a cord that worked and the whole thing only cost $5 (the cost of the cord). He dedicated his whole morning to me and absolutely would not take a $5 tip, and mentioned that friends don't charge friends to do things. All this to say, I am very thankful for him and the kindness he showed. I'll hopefully remember this the next time a plumber comes to my house, grabs a brush, swashes it around in my toilet for 1 minute, tells me my toilet is fixed and asks for his $12 fee. :)
Today when I went to get online, I realized that my wireless router wasn't working. We brought it over from the States and it has worked great. However, not today. I suspected that the cord might be the problem due to problems in the past, but I wasn't sure. Well, this left me with no Internet since I couldn't just plug the Ethernet cord directly into my computer since it wasn't configured correctly. So we called the Internet company and they were shocked that we had a problem. Well they came, and I was able to explain what had happened.
Now a quick aside. I have complained before that many workers/servicemen in this country tend to take a minimalist approach to their work. For whatever reason, they want to do the quickest, easiest fix possible, even if it means they must come out the next day to 'fix' it again. This is not the case with the Internet guy (who came to our house today for the 3rd time since we moved in). In the first place, he doesn't speak much English at all, but was willing and able to work with my computer and get it online when we first got here. Today, he was willing to come out although it probably wasn't his job to. When he found out the problem, he got right to work and was able to configure my computer so I could surf without the router. Then, I asked him about replacing my router cord here in China. I mentioned it wasn't his job to do this and I would gladly pay him to check into it. He said he would do what he could. Thirty minutes after he left, he called me and asked if he could take the router and cord to a local store. He picked them up, went to the store, and returned with a cord that worked and the whole thing only cost $5 (the cost of the cord). He dedicated his whole morning to me and absolutely would not take a $5 tip, and mentioned that friends don't charge friends to do things. All this to say, I am very thankful for him and the kindness he showed. I'll hopefully remember this the next time a plumber comes to my house, grabs a brush, swashes it around in my toilet for 1 minute, tells me my toilet is fixed and asks for his $12 fee. :)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Pedo-isms
by Amy
Amy first...So the other day, the boys had both been having a hard time doing what I asked them to do. I gave Alex the job of picking up all the balls in his room. About 10 min. later he was in the living room playing with Savannah, balls still scattered all over the floor! Then, I asked Peter to pick up the puzzle pieces he dumped out in Savannah's room. Again, about 10 min. later I found him playing in my room, with only about half the puzzle pieces put away. So, that day, as we sat down at lunch, I began a semi-lecture on diligence. I told them they need to listen to me and do what I tell them to do. Being diligent is not stopping the job until it's completely finished. They need to say focused on the tasks I give them. Peter looks right up at me and says, "Focus, I am speed!" He's quoting Lightening McQueen as he's preparing for a big race! Clearly, I had lost him in my diligence lecture!
Then, a few days before that, we had read the story about Jesus calming the wind and the waves. We talked about the amazing power Jesus has that even the wind and water obey Him. So, as we prayed in response to our reading, Peter said, "Dear God, thank you for helping the wind obey you -- Good Job, Wind!..." I'm not sure he caught the intended meaning of the story!
Amy first...So the other day, the boys had both been having a hard time doing what I asked them to do. I gave Alex the job of picking up all the balls in his room. About 10 min. later he was in the living room playing with Savannah, balls still scattered all over the floor! Then, I asked Peter to pick up the puzzle pieces he dumped out in Savannah's room. Again, about 10 min. later I found him playing in my room, with only about half the puzzle pieces put away. So, that day, as we sat down at lunch, I began a semi-lecture on diligence. I told them they need to listen to me and do what I tell them to do. Being diligent is not stopping the job until it's completely finished. They need to say focused on the tasks I give them. Peter looks right up at me and says, "Focus, I am speed!" He's quoting Lightening McQueen as he's preparing for a big race! Clearly, I had lost him in my diligence lecture!
Then, a few days before that, we had read the story about Jesus calming the wind and the waves. We talked about the amazing power Jesus has that even the wind and water obey Him. So, as we prayed in response to our reading, Peter said, "Dear God, thank you for helping the wind obey you -- Good Job, Wind!..." I'm not sure he caught the intended meaning of the story!
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