the princess gang

here's hazel and all her princess friends. they all sat together for the christmas pagent and had good times giggling and sharing candy...until hazel decided she needed something to drink and had to be taken out while the bell choir played. everyone here has learned she has a set of lungs on her.

milk

every monday and friday morning we are brought fresh milk that our pimbantu then heats so we can have it all nice and clean from whatever is in the milk that shouldn't be. there is a nice cream that comes off the top and this gets in the drinks and what not...and all of this is suppose to be just the best milk around! but i just can't stomach it yet. i almost get sick pouring it over the kids cereal in the morning!

our first ever elementary christmas pagent

Gavin played the part of a cow...i mean bull...in this year's "christmas around the world". in the picture he is the third one over from the left. dog, sheep (this little guy was soo hot by the end! and this is one of gavin's good friends at school...always planning how they are going to have social interaction after school), then gavin, the bull, a horse, another horse and she is the little girl in the class, frog (my first time to see a frog in a christmas pagent!), boy in pink bunny suit (my first time for this too!), and a mouse(played by Levi...our dutch friends...he was quite the ham on stage and gave everyone reason to sit and chuckle the whole way through :D). gavin's head was on lopsided the entire time but it was very cute to see his whole class stand up there. they did very well singing 4 songs with the whole elementary and then just as a class they sang "away in a manager". brought back memories for me singing in these things and wearing costumes. but i think i was usually an angel. ???? i think an angel is easier to make than a cow...i mean bull. but he was very proud and excited for this night...a first of many to come!

horse back riding and flowers

yesterday we went up the mountian and found some horses to ride. the trek was pretty rough as we climbed high...fast. we went with our dutch friends who all rode their own horses but greg and i opted to hold paul and hazel. this was not easy to hang on to them while also riding with no handle to hang on to. there was a saddle...but no handle!!! anyway...my lack of love for horses did not grow this day but we had a great time. the view was gorgeous, the fresh air was good, the day was full of laughs. this lady you see in the middle walked all the way up the mountain with us just in case we needed a drink when we got to the top. so we did drink even though we were not thristy :D. after stopping at the hindu temples and the natual hot water springs...we headed back down the mountain and it started to rain...making it a slippery ride for the horses. we all made it in one piece and we are praising God today for the beauty He has put on this earth! amazing! after our trek we checked out the local nursery's for some plants to bring home. both edith and i bargained very well and were happy with our 6 kids...two husbands and 15 plants in the car on the way home. it was only an hour! good thing indo doesn't require carseats!

Circus and Bad guys

Saturday we thought we would go to town because there was to a be grand performance. some guys from america have been traveling the world on their bikes for 7 years... giving towns and cities a circus act of sorts. i would like to see how they get the elephant on a bike!!!!...and that is why i wanted to go...this would be an amazing show to see! we were told 5 pm at the Ramanyana. we (greg, edith, yon and i) showed up at 4 with our 6 kids who were eager for a circus show. we thought there would be many many people who would want to see this and we wanted good seats or standing space. but no one was there. the parking lot was empty...mostly. so we thought we would give them the hour and we went inside the store to the top floor where they have arcade games...a kind of "chuckie cheese" if you will??? and we thought if the circus didn't show...we could at least call the games "the circus." so at 5:20 we went back out and no...nothing. Edith called our rep who told us of the event and the rep said...it had been postponed until 7...or maybe tomorrow? nothing here is for sure until after it happens! :D so we began to go to the car and the kids were only a little bit frustrated. a fairly normal looking man approached me. he said something about "black hawk" and i repeated trying to understand for my indonesian isn't THAT great yet. i figured he was talking about the circus. no. he turned his cigarette around and bit the burning end off--- chewed it up and spit it back at us. ok...so this guy is not happy. then he gets in my face a little more, and yes, he is indeed angry. we are all trying to figure out how are we going to get out of this...with our kids watching. he turns to edith's husband and yells something of which if i could have understood, i'm sure i wouldn't have wanted to...then he turns back to me and yells some more of that i COULD understand. this was getting a little intense. then he decides to leave on his own..."whew!" i was thinking when BAMMMMM...the guy had come behind me and punched me from behind. yes...this is martha talking...he punched a GIRL! this was in public...maybe people were around. i can still feel the blow today in my shoulder...he meant it. i don't know why...we didn't do anything. i was grateful an indonesian woman and her husband came over to apologize for him. she said he was bad and we should excuse him from "indonesia" - i agree but i am just shocked. at first i was scared. then i was hurt. then i was mad. now i don't know?! what is culturally appropriate to do in cases like this? what do we say? what do we do? what do we NOT do? what can we do just because we are humans and what do we do because we represent Jesus? turn the other cheek? or shoulder? hmmm...i am thinking through so much...culture is a lot to process...Christianity is more of laying it all out and giving it to Jesus. when we got home Paul said "mom, why did he want to be mean?... i don't want to go there ever again...i don't like it when people hit you." and my heart sank... i know this is one instance that he prob. won't even remember but i didn't want him to have to process this too...i want him to be able to trust this country...and yet...everything happens for a reason...i trust that...so together we processed and it even helped me to take it to a 3-year-old level... we shouldn't hit anyone cuz it hurts their feelings and makes others around them feel scared too. fists...and even words too...paul added.

it has already been christmas here!

with it being December we thought we should put up a tree even though we were sweating while we did it. i went downtown to the local "christmas shop" and bought a fake tree and some fun little ornaments to go on it. when i returned home, the boys were shocked that the tree was in the bag and not "on top of a car" like the real ones SHOULD be! i have been asked to go back out and buy a REAL one. what to do...anyone? yeah...so we also received many packages this weekend and instead of putting them under the little tree...cuz they just wouldn't fit...we opened every one! thank you thank you KJ, Kelly, Dustin, Andrea, Grant, Mari, and Trey! it was truly Christmas morning when we were through! and i have more faith in the postal system now...maybe things are looking up here anyway...

Edith...pronounced A-det

here is my new found friend, Edith. She keeps me encouraged as she inspires my heart and mind....we have so many things in common... she has 3 kids...i have 3 kids...she has lived in amsterdam...i have lived in amsterdam...she is dutch...i think i am dutch from all the dutch i have hung around...but she is true dutch...speaks it more than english! we have same heart ministries...i don't like coffee and greg does...she doesn't like coffee and her husband does...all these similarities add up to a good friend and i am sharing her smile with you so you can be encouraged as well :D

kids and pavers

we recently put some pavers down in our backyard to make a patio. we had some leftovers so the kids have been busy for several days creating and recreating with friends and neighbors. they are making kitty/puppy house and track for the two to run in. the funny part...the animals actually like it :D slide and all! the animals are fitting in well to the family but they are "extra" for mom and dad...if you know what i mean! i'm potty training the dog now BEFORE hazel!

just so you don't forget what we look like as a family

it seems we don't get a whole lot of family shots these days and our good friends the gadberries took this photo just before we left the states...so it's a little old...but it's a good memory!

scorpion #2

this one was pretty long...pretty flat...pretty still...but Greg managed to save the day once again! but it is ME who is taking the picture...i was only a foot away...i am getting more brave too !!!!

3 happy kids

yeah! we received 2 packages on the same day! just look at how happy they are to see what grandma and grandpa packed inside! thank you to grandma and grandpa...it didn't take so long and everything was inside...we think? dustin and andrea...thank you also for your packages...they will be put to good use! this is exciting for us as we hear many horror stories of packages never coming or things missing or lost for 7 months...so we praise God that He helped these smiles arrive safely!

our new kitty!

oh what a cute kitty! this was a stray kitty that we cleaned up pretty good and then she ran away. maybe because she didn't like being strangled by hazel? who knows...but then as all hope was lost and paul was convinced that we would go through 5 kitties before one would stay with us...she came back home! she had been in a fight we can see...but we were all so excited to see her come in the yard. so...keep reading! cuz the same day she came back...

here's our puppy...

i think his name today was charlie? or fetch? the kids couldn't decide yet. but this little puppy was given to us by our neighbors. what a cutie! we couldn't resist. and he seems to be so fat yet that he can't walk...or maybe it's just that he is 6 weeks old and a little unstable. anyway, the kids are loving this little guy. he seems calm and really already potty trained! he whines to go outside to do his bigger duty anyway. so our family grows....

hazel and her puppy

she is such a mother to the animals...they let her do whatever she wants with them :D

this keeps getting better!

we have been on google earth here for a bit and have discovered that you can see actual pictures of places. people have downloaded their pictures to see from ground level what you are looking at. so now...if you are serious about coming...or you just love looking around the world...you can go look at Gili Air-Lombok, Indonesia (we have walked right there)...and on the island of Lombok there is a sweet volcano that you can look into and then also see the 3-D shot of it. i don't know if you will be as excited as we are right now, but just thought it would give you more visuals cuz we can't download pictures at the moment...again!

this is what you have all been waiting for!

you could google earth us! yeah!
here are our directions.
school. 7*19'57.52" S and 110*29'20.61"E
our house is close by.
7*19'57.10 S and 110*29'05.08 E

(the little *'s are really degree marks...)
let us know if it worked for you!
and let us know when you are coming to visit :D

thankfulness

i am thankful
-for little people in my life that make me laugh so hard that it hurts
-that i sit here and type with a very full stomach
-for turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, real mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit salad, fresh veggie salad, pies, pies and homemade peanut butter cups! top it all off with caramel apple cider and we have a great reason to be thankful for our forefathers!
-for my husband who keeps us here in indonesia with all the paper work he has to do (and i don't)
-for tile floors, cuz they let the skitters ride in the house with a nice rhythm
-for guys who work on our house with the most simple tools ever made.
-for a safe home
-for a husband who is willing to go after and KILL the scorpions, spiders, cockroaches, ants, flies, mosquitoes, termites, and anything else that we keep finding in our house
-for forgiveness...it feels us from hanging on so tight to lies and deception
-for friends...new and old...i have been greatly blessed
-for family...it's nice to have a great support network
-paul, who can tell a story so anyone would listen
-hazel, who hugs me so tight...i don't want to let go
-gavin, who's mind is so creative and colorful...it's fun to watch
-for a God who puts me here...to struggle with things i wouldn't struggle with, if i weren't here
-for a God who sees me just as i am...today...and He likes me! even when i forget so much.
-for cell phones, and internet and calls from home (i just got a call from my mom- 'happy thanksgiving mom!')
-and i am so very thankful that we have been provided for in so many ways. i never wonder if we are going to eat, or how will we sleep, or what will we wear...it's all taken care of!
thank God for what He has done in your life today...let me know some too! it's so good to hear what He is doing in your lives...

we had a day off today from school

what did we do? many things.
1. didn't sleep in cuz our children do not understand "days off" yet
2. found that we had many emails to catch up on and that was fun!
3. organized and put things away as we have more places to put things now...we are so american in that we have "more" than what we need at the present moment 'stored' in our house. we also had one of paul's friends over to play. his friend, Niko, thought Hazel screams too loud.
4. after we picked gavin up from school, he and i went with my new dutch friend to the market. gavin found a prized item. fly paper. you lay it down (we have seen it all over) and the flies just attach themselves to it and you don't have to go around swatting at them...which we are all getting really good at here :D i saw hazel get one with her hand today! (yes...we washed her hands) so anyway we bought 4 packages...3 papers per package. for 20 cents a package. we open it up right when we get home cuz we are soooo extremely excited to see how this works...we wait for an hour...no flies...we have had constant flies, mosquitoes...you name it...flying around inside our house for weeks...and now today there are none? hmmm?
5. so we leave again to go to the dr. cuz gavin has his 3rd ear infection. this was an event i will remember! no one spoke english in the waiting room. it was apparent that we arrived just after nap time. for everyone. i was thinking "this is going to be great to hear indonesian words from an indonesian doctor...do i know ANY medical terms? i don't even know the word for EAR!" so we sat there and i was practicing in my head as gavin whined about not wanting to do this whole dr. thing. could we leave now? no...they called us in. so we began the visit and dr. here use the same instruments on everyone...i didn't know how to ask if they were clean! something i have been told from other moms..."make sure you ask for a NEW needle...and watch them open the package" ---so i am looking around the room and thinking it's not going to be bad. gavin is thinking otherwise. i get out in my best indonesian our situation and she takes a look in his ears. yes...one ear is very sick she says. and to make a long story short, she had a tube that sucked out all the green stuff in his ear. he loved that. we went home with medicine and we have to go back on monday. the whole thing cost $17...including the meds.
6. we get home and the sticky fly paper has been turned over on the floor somehow. (kitty? hazel? paul? or greg? i pull it off with great distress. it really sticks but...no flies. but the glue is on the floor. while i go get a paper towel and fingernail polish remover...the cat runs into it and is now all over her feet. gavin comes and does the same. i tried to get the glue off the floor but it ended up all over me??? now i am even sticking to this computer! all of this...and still not one single dead fly! we paid way too much for this stuff!
7. you ask what did greg do today? he did his best to understand finances on this end. it's difficult for everyone on our team...not just the artists :D. he and paul went to one of our indonesian teacher's house. and his brother is an artist...a very good one...we hope to buy some of his stuff??? he came home and took paul and hazel to a soccer game that he is now playing in. we are waiting for them.
8. ok...i just remembered something from the REAL SIMPLE magazine. corn oil, olive oil, any of those oils will take the sticky stuff off your item that you bought and tried to pull off the sticker price tag....but it just wouldn't go. so i thought...yeah...same stuff...and i just tried it and it worked...our feet...our hands and our floors are free from stick...and are now extra slick from the oil! :D we should have a great night!

pauls letter to mom and dad on friday nov. 16, 2007

mom and dad,
i love you, but i don't want you to spank. when are we going to go into everybody's houses in the whole wide world? how do you talk in english and how do you say "this is our house- like Paul and Gavin's and Hazel's and Greg's and Marfa's house." let's never lose the Batman costume or the superman one. i don't like Indonesia, and sometimes we make a mess. By tomorrow, i want to see grandma and grandpa.
love
paul

it's been so long

we have a lot of life that has passed over the days that have gone by. our internet has been down. we were barely able to receive emails. and we had to wait days for our emails to be sent. we had the internet guys in our home several times and they finally decided they would put our tower a little higher to reach above the trees instead of going through them...soooo...now we have internet again! yeayheeehahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we very much appreciate technology but we do not know what to do when we don't have it.

today greg and i had our evaluasi untuk unit satu...evaluation for unit one for all you english speakers :D and we passed!!!! we get to go on to unit 2! another reason to celebrate! man? what am i doing sitting at the computer when we have all these things to be celebrating???!!! :D we are amazed at our level of understanding and ability to talk already. after sitting in class all day i can close my book and say "what did i learn?" and think nothing soaked in...but as the days go on i realize...yes...it's working! kind of like the tide at the beach...you know it moves...but you just can't see it making progress...we have much more hope today than we did earlier...we have come over a big hump in the culture shock.

gavin now says "i sometimes want to go back home." this is improvement over him saying "i don't want to be here...i just want to go back." he has been invited to many friends houses and he is getting a "california boy" reputation at school with his faux hawk and his leaf green converse shoes.

we also adopted a new little kitty into the family. her name is orangy rose. paul is especially happy with this "model of cat" -- he says "it comes with those things that go in AND OUT (interpretation...claws) and that way it just sticks to you while you walk around." she was a stray but we have cleaned her up pretty good and she will be on the blog soon. hazel carries her around by the neck mostly and the cat just takes it. funny thing about cats here...the genetics are sort of different...they don't have tails...but ours has a half tail...so we like that!

work keeps getting done on the house little by little so we feel more settled all the time. this week they are leveling the backyard and putting in a patio area. soon we might have another place to play! i couldn't quite believe they just leveled over all the garbage in the backyard. it's like we have our own dump now. our fruit trees consist of two types of banana, papaya, orange, lemon, mango, and durian...but we are cutting down the durian...is smells bad :( blah! i guess you can acquire a taste for it...if you can get past the dirty sock smell!!!!

thursday is thanksgiving! we get to start class again on that day. and we even have class on friday...isn't that suppose to be the biggest shopping day of the year? yeah...so a bunch of ladies are leaving their families behind on sat. and going to yogya to shop all day!!! and i am one of them!!! but first for celebrating thanksgiving, we will gather with our org. to dine in style with real turkeys!!! quite a treat! even homemade cranberry sauce. i am bringing carmel apple ciders...(i just buy the juice and add cinnamon right? and then to make caramel you heat sweetened condensed milk over a flame and it becomes caramel! ) and i am also in charge of chocolates...what more is there to be thankful for!!!!!!!!!

greg has started to play soccer on tuesdays with the jagas (the indonesian guards at the school) and he really likes it. he feels so tall and big going up against them. it's full on team though...they have jersy's and everything....it's good for him to get out there and learn some more indo words too...he always is yelling out his Spanish words for hurry! go! here! and all that!

we are missing friends and family. it's hard here for many reasons. we go up and down so fast emotionally. but we keep knowing why we live---for Jesus...not for me. we just have so much to learn on this side!

i have just a little encouragement for the "moms" out there. i know many who are full timers at home with their kids. i used to be that! and there were days that were sooo hard...soooo long and sooo far removed from the real world!!! i love being with my kids...but i had to grow into that. i have not been a typical mom. God taught me a lot about what it means to be a mom and how to do it and the high calling he puts on it. so i figured that i must be learning all this so that when i go to Indo i will be better equipped to REALLY stay at home with them. nope. he just needed me to know all of that so that when i now have to leave them for most of the day and gavin goes off to kinder...i can miss "staying with them" and i miss not knowing their every tear that falls...and their laughs and funny comments and the ways they are learning and discovering this new world. i miss out on the joys of life...the simple things...that only children can really show you...i know being a mom will never leave me...that i am still a mom ---just the same---only it's different...so no matter your situation or your stage of being a "mom"...i just wanted to say...it's the best thing ever and i love the sweetness it brings to my life. please enjoy your kids every day... God has so much to teach us through them...it's so far removed from the real world! and to those of you who do not have kids yet...take this as encouragement for what may come. God knows just what you need, when you need it and how to get it to you. he can't be limited to the real world either!

a little embarassed

i told Paul that chrissy wanted his new hair cut posted on the blog. he said ok...but he couldn't stop being embarassed...
"is she going to see me?"
"yes paul...she and all those who want to look...will see you"
"can i see me?"

Spider IN OUR HOUSE

yep...this is a spider...you all know...but it's size and quickness is what is so alarming to me! these are what they call banana spiders. so far, this is the only LARGE on i have seen. but they do get bigger. i just hope those ones do not come into my house. it's funny....as i write i want to insert indonesian words...language school must be working! yeah!

this is how humid it is here. when you open a bag of M&M's...they are already slightly melted and have that shiny look. when you open a can of playdoh and drop it somewhere so your mom won't find it...it doesn't dry out...it stays just how it would in the can! when we put our clothes on...they are a wee bit damp...

greg and i painted a mural this weekend. love it! it's in OUR HOUSE! it's in our front "guest room" which is a place that you always have clean and picked up so that when guests come over, they have a place to sit and have tea...pronounced tay. and we hung our first piece of something on the wall and so yeah! feels more and more like we are getting somewhere! painting a mural made us feel so good... we were actually GOOD at something...this wasn't something new we had to figure out!...we didn't have to talk to do it...it seems we can't talk in indonesian the way we want to and we can't speak english anymore either...when we first get out of class everyday greg and i walk to get gavin from school and we will be talking in broken english to each other "we go home now" "you want food?" "what we do today?" ha ha ha ha...these are the things that help us every day to see that we can laugh...we can live in this place cuz God has us here...and we got to paint a cool mural in the first month...and it was easy to get the look we wanted. so yeah for the little itty bitty steps we make each new day...telling ourselves that we are right where we are suppose to be...TODAY

paul

this is his big news...it's a little old since i haven't been keeping up as well as i had been :D
but paul had a great big fall on our tile floor...cuz daddy was chasing him and he had really dirty, dusty feet and went around a corner like a cartoon character would and his cheek was the first thing to hit the floor. skin rubbed off onto the tile...but i am glad that is all that happened...it sounded way worse! he had a pretty nice size scab but it's already pretty much healed cuz he kept a huge bandaid on it for a couple of days...good for paul! but he wanted you all to know this....now you do! and i finally got him to agree to cut his hair. it was getting really long...but i didn't have clippers so i just cut it with a scissors...we'll have to take another picture for you to be the judge of what it looks like...he is happy...so i am happy!

our downpour

not really, i changed pictures to see if it would download yet! this is just a nice rain that we had today. the kids love playing outside in it. it cools everything off so it's not so hot. the road was steaming today as it rained. this is our front yard. and yes...hazel is just in her diaper most days!

our first halloween

we had some kids and parents over to carve pumpkins...i have pictures but they aren't down loading but in order for the rest of the pictures to make sense...i thought i had better tell you what we were doing! you are missing a picture here where we have all the pumpkins lined up...so cute...we were just doing "american" things as Gavin and Paul still want to be showing off their American ways...rather than the culture they reside...but time will tell...the time was good...and then...

BAM!!! DOWN POUR

yes...you are suppose to be looking at our backyard again but something is down with the blogger and their picture downloads???...i don't think the picture does the down pour any justice anyway...but this was our first tropical storm...one huge burst of lightening and thunder let us know it was here...i have never heard such a loud noise!!! the tile and lack of cloth in our house create no sound barrier! the rain lasted for like 5 hours(which is not typical...usually just shorter amounts every day at the same time)......we didn't have power for 4 hours of it...and we didn't have candles...matches...or an umbrella and we had all these kids and some parents and a dark house...what to do? aunt karren saved the day and ran out to buy us what we needed! (everyone here becomes AUNT or UNCLE)

some trick or treaters

this is how they sat for the rest of the time...fearing the loud BAM...BOOM BANG! as they watched CARS on our laptop...cuz it didn't need electricity!

Night of the swarming termites

yes...another bug story...after the first BIG rain...which we got last night...the termites come out of the ground and find all the lights...we have an outside light in our driveway and so the neighbors thought this was a prime spot to catch their termites...they came over as we were huddled in our house but the kids got us to go out and see what was going on...this was amazing stuff! i don't knwo if you can see the spots in the photo but there are hundreds flying all over the place...gotta love it...right?

Gavin caught our first termite

yes...he was the brave one of us...out in his underware...earlier he had been begging to catch them as we sat inside our house with the lights off so they wouldn't come in the house as maybe 20-30 had already entered before we could get all the windows closed...and lights off...

then they put them in a bowl

and keep them for two days...to make sure they are REALLY dead before the EAT them! yes! indonesians think this is a delicacy! they fry them up and eat them...rubbing their tummies...yummy they say!

paul wanted nothing to do with it

he said...ugh! mom! dad! they are all over me!

the catching of the termites

this is how true indonesians do it...

oh my hazel

this little lady loved tonight...she loves bugs! what is up with that? and i can't believe that i just witnessed our first large spider crawl out of this room and into the next RIGHT NOW... this night is creepy! and greg wants to keep the spider...i am fighting for a "no way!"

gathering more

e
the whole 15 mins. we were out seemed to last forever as they were swarming around my neck and arms and hair...even as i write...i can still feel them!

it's fall and many things are changing

so because i miss the fall colors...i am going to change the colors on the blog...maybe according to season so that i have it in my own head of the time passing! and it's not so HOT everywhere in the world! we just had friends stop by...they have 4 kids...8, 5, and twin 3 years olds...great fun! we are so glad they are here...cuz gavin has found his BEST FRIEND...i need to get a picture of the two of them. he is homeschooled for this year but next year he will join gavin in 1st grade. but today all the kids had our dress up clothes out and it was fun to see so many happy faces parading around...this weekend has been harder...gavin is really missing "normal home" and so that gives us heartache as well...but he has many high points in his days...like his BF, his name is Prade, and right now they are riding their skitters down a pretty nice hill and all the neighbors love to watch this...but this is what he and paul are getting a little tired of...being watched...but give this a week and i am sure he will have another change of heart...he has been out of school for a week cuz they had a break...so that doesn't help him any right now. just letting you know that our little Gavin is growing and processing this whole world too and it's just not easy...

tonight we will go to our first neighborhood meeting. it's actually for all the christians in our local neighborhood. it will be good to meet all these new people. the custom is that it starts at 6pm...but things won't get going until about 7:30 or 8...we will have to try all the food and we will be the "guests of honor" because we are new and they will make sure we have a place to sit and food in hand and drinks to wash it all down with. the kids get to be honest and "not like the food" cuz their faces really give it away (we have already been in some neighbors houses where hazel has tried a cookie and didn't like...so they just put it back in the cookie jar...and everyone laughs when the kids faces turn sour) whereas we have to pretend we love it...and some of it...we really do like but there are some parts we would rather leave...but can't. times are interesting and we are learning so much about so many things that our heads spin and it's hard to get just one thing right...but we know we have a Father who sees us and we are confident that each day will bring some progress...if only in one area...

pretty butterflies

not everything here is squirmy and scary! i hope i haven't intimidated anyone to NOT come...it's just that all these living things are so cool and different!

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." - H. Truman

this is the quote they have in the KFC. it's in big gold letters right above the hand washing station. you can't miss it. we wonder, "are they talking about the chicken?" ..."is it really chicken?" or "is this just the way of indonesia and harry truman knew it as well?" we seem to understand that as a whole...indonesians like to be vague so that they do not get into trouble with anyone and they can always make their answer so YOU like it... and so YOU do not get offended... hmmmm...this is something to think about....

scorpion

yes...in our bathroom...it's really little...like a 50 cent piece??? but it can move fast and furious...and all is well...we killed it...so it's gone...

future muralists

yes...we let them paint on the walls of their walk in closet...playroom...and we aren't done so i don't know how it will stay but they loved "being like mom and dad"...

our neighbors house to the right

we have taken interest in this whole family...seems to get bigger every time we talk with them and we aren't quite sure how everyone is related yet or exactly where everyone is living but they are so helpful in helping us learn our new language...i am grateful for them and will get pictures soon too i hope...but this is their house...dirt floors and all...but some very happy and unstressed people who love to have time at night to sit and talk to one another...

kids playing

i am not even sure of the names yet...but cute as can be huh? hazel really likes sitting with the girls and enjoying being a girl with them...she has also recently gotten into carying her baby around so they all like taking turns with the baby care....

the preschool across the street

this is why we have so many kids over...cuz gavin and paul and hazel will go over and play and when they all get bored over there...gavin invites them to play at his house...and our toys are different and new to the kids...so we have quite the parties...and it's fun to see our kiddos running with the whole neighborhood up and down the streets...other moms ask me..."do you care that they are dirty?" "do you care that they are playing at your house?" and i say no no no...and they say "oh..you need a bigger house then!"

yep...forgot to wait again for the motorcycle shot

yep...they ride too

it's a scary thing here...but sometimes necessary that we have had to put the kids on the bikes...
with and without helmets...i know my heart hurts yet to do this...i don't like motorcycles in the first place...more to pr for!

the internet is slow and i have a hard time waiting

so here is the jungle :D

the view looking our our front door

we do have a little jungle! but not as lush...

hot...panas

indonesia is proving to be hot! maybe not as hot as our home in LA as it sounds like you guys are on fire...we are so sorry to hear this! we will continue to lift you up...let us know more if you have personal situations...

language study is more difficult than we thought it would be. i can't believe how dumb we feel each and every day. but at least we both tend to get the giggles (so far) as to how dumb we are sounding. a lot of people have said they just sat and cried and cried this first year...so keep thinking encouraging thoughts for us! we find that it is easier to talk with our neighbors than with our teacher...cuz then we don't have to be soooo proper! and the village people do not use proper indonesian...they are more laid back as well. our little community is very curious about us. there are about 20 kids who keep coming over wanting to play all the time and it's good fun but a little overwhelming at times. we try talking to them and they just stare at us. but the boy's are learning how to tell them their names...that they can play "later"...how to greet people for different times of the day and how to say thank you...they like being able to make people laugh at this! even hazel has some javanese words down...which is another sub-language off of indonesian that our village speaks..."mongo-mongo" means hello and goodbye in javanese

the days are also more frustrating than i thought too...we have big ups and big downs...but that is life! we were in chapel for indo class and the man was talking the whole time in indonesian. i was frustrated cuz i wanted to hear something that i could get and take with me...and all of a sudden he says in English, "God sees you!" oh thank you! i needed to hear that! and then a little later he says, "don't worry...be happy...God is taking care of you!" and it's those little words that got me through class that day! and still today i am encouraged that He cares enough to look at me and help me...we are blessed in many many ways and i am confident of His power.

moving day...last time...i hope

we successfully moved yesterday! hooray hooray! paul told a friend who came by to visit "this is our home...and we get to stay here a LONG time! and you don't have to live with us!" i don't know exactly what the last part was about but i think he is excited to have a place of his own! yeah! praise God! we are happy to be unpacking...even though we don't have anywhere to put most of it yet :D can you believe we have every piece of luggage and so far nothing broken or ruined! no shampoo spillage even!

little by little...that is the term that is used here...cuz it really is...little by little...and slow by slow.
patience is not my virtue! but we will find things soon enough and all is well!

so much to say about many little things but not too much at all! just learning the ropes again. we found a wasps nest...they tell us they don't sting...so we are suppose to leave it? it's huge! we have teacher conferences for gavin tomorrow...we also start language school tomorrow! i am not feeling like i am ready for this...so many people have told me how hard it is...yidda! my brain is still mush...so much to do and so much time it takes to do it here...we are needing prayer for peaceful rest and sleep and endurance for the days.

i'll send out more pictures soon...

our kitchen

this is pretty empty without all the furnishings but this is what i thought you might like to see...our floors are all tile...walls all cement...nice windows with screens....screens are a big deal here! and no running water yet! and no hot water...only in the bathroom...but we will be glad to have that for a shower...the house we are in does not have hot water so it's only cold showers so far!

the back yard

this is going to be fun. lots of potential and soooo big! we have a lot of banana trees back here now and lots of dirt...rainy season is going to start very soon so it will be a big mud puddle but we really like the bamboo fencing!

one view of our street

this is looking one way on our street.

our new house!

here it is. the outside still needs a lot done but it's going to be a great little place for us!

Ibu Joseph

pronounced E-Boo Yoosuf.
this is our helper and she is fun. we have a good relationship. this is taken from the front porch at our new house! she is there cleaning for our move tomorrow! yeah!

kids swinging

in our temporary house we have a swingset. both gavin and paul have had black eyes from the heavy boards and metal on the swings...but they love to get cooled off by the air running through their hair!

motorcyles

here they are...some where helmets...most don't...they ride like they own the rode and the driving here if very complicated cuz you can't expect anyone to follow the rules of the road...it's all a school of fish moving along and people fitting in best where they can. i took this at a stop sign from inside a car. paul loves pulling up to all the motorcycles

praying mantis

yes...look at our toothbrushes...this little guy has been with us from the beginning...just hangs out around our toothbrushes and eats the ants that come to eat the leftover toothpaste...kind of weird to leave a bug but i figure he is helping us out! :D

basketball court

the school has added a lot and this is one feature!

the school

this is the school eating area. kids bring lunches from home or a delivery man brings them some hot rice or sate you are also looking at the doors to the elementary...where gavin is in school! it is still weird to think!

the kids

right now gavin is in school. paul and hazel are playing at a friends house for 2 hours this morning. i think you can see they are happy!

becak

pronounced bay-chuck. this is what we hire a man to pedal us if we are downtown. i don't know that we could all go on one. we have not yet done this with the kiddos :D

save your fruit

because fruit trees are all over here...you can pick your fruit as you go...if you do not want people to take your fruit...you bag it like this so everyone knows it's been "spoken for"

guy with grass on his bike

so many things ride on these bikes...chickens just hanging by their feet...water bottles that are huge...kids sleeping in their mothers arms...

gas station

although this is not what they all look like, there are some that look pretty "american"...this is one that is by our house and i thought it looks kind of cute. we walk all over the place so we are noticing all the details around us that we would maybe not see if we were driving.

big shiny bug

pretty cool...so the kids thought...just showing you more of our world

third times a charm

ummmm

i think i forgot to wait for the picture to upload?

Chrissy and Hazel

sooooo cute...we miss our friends! thanks for all your "last day pics chrissy!"

wood factory

this is where many things you can buy in the states are made. this open air factory. a lot of furniture that you might see at pier one or some of those places are made here. luvvets (did i spell that right?) furniture is made here in salatiga as well!!!