mr. caterpillar?

yeah...we are still waiting...how long? the leaves are all dry and i wonder if he is still alive???

hard at work

these kids...i tell you...they just love to work and study! (at playing :D) you can see that paul is face painted to look like spiderman...this was the day greg and i painted faces on the kids at the school and he didn't EVER want to wash his off :D ...they are making...???? something very important! good times hammering with your toes so close to the nail paul!

an inside shot

this was taken by hazel and i thought..."oh...maybe people would want to see a shot from the inside of our house?" this is sitting at our computer desk in our office looking out to the dining room. we keep pictures of you friends and family on our doors so we see you everyday... i will try to put some more "inside shots" on here in the next few days. i know my mom has been asking :D sorry to delay those but the inside is soooo daily to us

Ladies

the ladies from our org went out for a 4 day retreat and had some great times together. we were given the pleasures of eating amazing food, talking in full complete sentences (in english) and without children to interrupt, and sleep all night long in air conditioning! we had some relaxation mixed with spiritual deepening...so all in all...it was truly a "retreat" and i discovered i am very blessed to have so much wisdom to glean from and grow with.

Martha teaching how to make earrings

yeah...i'm not so crafty but ladies really enjoy learning how to make earrings...or anting-anting as you would say in Indonesian. everyone is surprised at how easy it is! it's all good!

Field Days at school

with it being April, Gavin has had a lot of activity at school.
Field day with the entire school. it's a FREE day for the students and an extra hard day for the teachers but a whole lot of fun :D there are maybe 10 teams and there is almost one student in every grade on each team. Gavin was carried around the whole day on Mr. Jay's shoulders and then when it came to track and field day i asked Mr. Jay if Gavin would have to run his own races? :D he did and it was good competition! he came first in the frizbee throw...my favorite part was the long jump...most of the kinders ran, stopped and hopped. after 3 or 4 jumps and watching others...they caught on pretty quick. then he had a field trip...and paul and i got to go along with :D we went to the train station and road a little train through what seemed to be national geographic! it was amazing all the things we passed and if we stuck our hands out we could touch it all. men were digging up mud that would be bottled and shipped to places to put on people's bodies all over the world. men were fishing, herding ducks, plowing the rice patties with cows, smoking, carrying huge loads on their backs, talking with neighbors about the load of foreigners in the train and the women were doing a lot of laundry! it was a great trip and then afterwards they got to climb on a bunch of old engines that were parked there cuz the train no longer runs through there. good times this mr. gavin has had!

Miss "I DON'T WANT TO"

we knew that she was a loud child when she was born. we knew that she liked the sound of her own scream since she was born. we DIDN'T know that in all that screaming she was just trying to tell us "I DON"T WANT TO!" cuz now that she talks...it's all she says :D so we have to be very creative in how we ask her to do things and how we suggest things. even when she obviously has to go to the toilet, it has to be her idea to go. so we don't ask otherwise she waits for the last second! i don't know who she gets this from????

diligent children

we have hard working children. they are studying all day long and we can hardly tear them away from their studies. (i wish i could be more like them :D)

Jan (yon) and Greg

this is Edith's husband, Jan (showing how tight his shirt is)...he is also a good friend...and so edith and i thought that since they are such good friends...they should enjoy wearing the same shirts...and they got into it. they wanted the same drink, the same pizza, the same the same the same! it's good to have "the same" in foreign places :D

so much going on

we have had a busy time on our hands here lately. does that mean it's spring? we can't tell any difference in the weather other than it's not raining EVERY day :D. we have had a lot of workers at our house again.
+hazel had a bed made that has stairs up to it and she can play underneath...ohhh soo big!
+the kids had a long table and benches made to hold them while they draw and eat with friends and what not...then we are painting them all fun...so it's good! then we had little step stools made i am going to go check out a local furniture factory here and see if he would be interested in started some painted furniture and then we could teach and employ those who need better work? if anyone knows or needs this kind of thing stateside...let me know :D. this guy already has a lot of connections...it's just a matter of him wanting to take us on :D
+we are making our driveway cuz we reached the 6 month mark and we can get a car! but friends in our org are going to be stateside for 6 months...maybe a year...so we can borrow their car until they return. we just have to wait till may 20 to get it...no problem! even our fence is being painted and we are adding a lot of plants around...feels very good to be getting these things done! and the fence in our front yard is pretty cool...i have to take a picture when it's done.
+school had a fun day last week where we painted faces on the kids and next week is an elementary track and field day...i'm excited to see Gavin race for that!
+we end unit 4 this week in lang...so that mean we get out of school on thursday and friday! and then we start unit 5 on monday again. i am still not a very good lang. learner but somehow i am able to communicate :D this week i will be teaching about 20+ ladies how to make earrings in our neighborhood...they are all so excited...so i hope my lang. holds up for that :D they are calling me "Guru Marta" which means "teacher Martha"
+then i also hope to meet with a group of prostitutes that i met with back 7-8 years ago. i used to help teach them art to make for money instead of being on the streets. i don't know if it will work this week, but hopefully by next week! that is exciting for me cuz they want someone to help them learn English...I KNOW English...:D hopefully i can help again :D
+the kids have been pretty sick all week. fever, bad coughs, throw up, the big D...now they just have bad coughs...hazel might still be sick and still sound the worst...but she rests the least...so naturally she will take longer...poor girl is trying to learn potty training as well...she is doing great though! no diapers back on her anymore!
+Greg has been really improving in his lang. and has long conversations with almost anyone. i am glad i married him...he can get us through anything! He is also growing so much with His relationship with God right now...it's a bursting time for him where he is seeking and finding in a way he has never known God before. we are blessed to know a God who cares so much for our details in life...and HE never gives up on us!
+i too have been having a lot of exciting things going on in my relationship with God. He is showing me so much in picture form that i will treasure it always...and i have been asked to give my testimony to the school here before it ends in 5 weeks. i did that 7-8 years ago as well and i think about what i talked about then...in comparison to what i have to ADD to it now....and it's amazing how far God has brought me in that time. i too am blessed here.

and while i can list all the amazing things going on...somehow even after 6 months...it remains hard to be here. somehow we will always be foreigners in this land and we will always long for the road where people can at least understand what is coming out of our mouths. where people understand why i doctor my children the way i do. where i can sit with an old friend face to face. where i don't get stared at for walking down the street. where i can do things like shopping, getting from point A to point B, seeing a Dr. and getting all projects done quickly and efficiently. i guess culture stresses will always be here and sometimes i will have a great attitude about it and sometimes i will have a rotten attitude about it. lately...it's been getting rotten again...but I know we are here for bigger reasons than Culture Barriers...there are TREASURES to be found in our own hearts as well...so please keep praying for our attitudes to see the treasures.

i know i haven't been keeping up with the blog as good but i will keep trying...thanks for reading!

Potty Party Day for Hazel!

"mom, there's a cecuk on the wall. mom...look..." anything else to talk about instead of what is going on...
"can i have some more grapefruit?" (actually jeruk bali...a HUGE sweet grapefruit) she just gets hungry after sitting there for so long...chit chatting

this is all just too much fun!

well...it wasn't like gavin's day...i followed the book (potty training in less than a day) to a tee (and he has hardly had an accident since!)...then with paul...i didn't so much but still got the idea across but he had already learned from his brother. (he had accidents cuz gavin wouldn't stop playing to "let him go to the bathroom" so he just continued in his play and would change his pants when it was more convenient) now hazel has figured this all out on her own and didn't need to be taught...or so she thought! (her brothers have enlightened her on the bathroom world and she mourned the fact that she isn't made like them but seems to get along fine now.) she would not do the 'practicing' and only told the doll to go "pee" and that was over for teaching the doll. she wasn't going to have it. so she then got on the pot and went herself. she didn't need this instruction! so we were all happy! we went on with the day and tried to just play it her way and she had a few accidents but she doesn't like them so i don't think it will be a rough road for her. she just takes FOREVER sitting on the pot...she actually likes it. but she doesn't really like the thought of #2 because she kept saying "but it will smell stinky!" and i wondered why this mattered now? she has only been 'sitting' in her stink for the past 2 years! but she did come through a couple of times already and had to run as soon as she was done! funny girl! but i am rejoicing cuz i have no more diapers to contend with! we made it!

Before and After shots

Before in her big ol droopy diaper that the neighbors could never understand. they were always telling me she needed it changed. they don't use diapers...they use nothing but the clothes they wear. we think it's gross yeah? but they think we are gross for letting our kids walk around with it attached to their bodies...



but here she is in her all her panty glory! she has such a hard time deciding "which one" she will wear...maybe that is why she is having accidents...just to pick out another pair!!!

mr. caterpillar

well...we said we hoped that he would make a cocoon...and he must have heard us! the next morning we woke up and couldn't find him in the bug box...he had, overnight, made his cocoon! greg caught him just in time...now we just have to wait...how long? the very hungry caterpillar had to wait for 2 weeks...

dad and daughter naptime

after a half days work, there is only one thing to do....so they can make it for the rest of the day. normally it's just hazel who takes a nap but if dad is the one to put her down...it usually turns out this way...so irresistible!

the very hungry catapillar

yes...greg has found him! we are so lucky to have a dad with great eyes for bugs! i don't know if you can really get a sense of his size by these photos but he is pretty fat and big! we are going to see if we can't see him make a cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly! later on him...

Adults helping at Gavin's party

Gavin's party wouldn't be complete without an 'auntie' around :D Miss Ashley loves to come and play and be a part of our lives and we love her being around as well :D it's nice to have people who are willing to step into roles that our kids are missing so much...
Greg was trying to give instructions on how to play "dodge ball" only he didn't know they had all just had a week of playing it at school and loved it so much that they wanted to have a tournament...
so instead of getting a lot of talking done...he had to go after the boys...unfortunately i cannot post those pictures...ha ha ha...just kidding...there just aren't any...its was so funny i missed it with the camera

Gavin's party part TIGA

so many times i look at this kid and i can't get over that he is as old as he is. it was just yesterday that i was sitting at home trying to figure out how to nurse, how to sleep, how to keep this little guy smiling all the time and how to take a shower without waking him up! oh the good times of being a new parent...and somehow we are parents of a 6 year old boy! now i am trying to figure out his mind and heart and help him understand the world he lives. he seems to understand so much but he keeps his thoughts to himself most of the time. his sensitive heart helps him have compassion and empathy for people. he loves to challenge himself and others to be 'doing' all the time and it's hard to keep up with him. the art he creates is framed and on our walls...we ar proud of him! recently, he is getting out more in the community with riding his bike. all the time he is growing up and i love to watch and be apart of this...only it's all going so fast for me...we love Gavin and how he ventures out to try all the new things coming his way. What an awesome big brother he is as well...always looking out for Paul and Hazel...sometimes too much :D
circles have been made by the 100's here in our driveway! i think i would get dizzy!
under the stairs...we made a little doghouse of sorts under our back stairs...but so far the kids like it more than the dogs...

Gavin's party part DUA

here is the gang(missing the girl)...all painted up...some wanted to do themselves so we have a big display of fun on their faces...
Gavin getting his power rangers pinata...they all got a turn...and then some...greg and i have to figure out a way to not make them so strong but yet hold a lot of candy????
it's so hard to be the little 4 year old at a 6 year old party. his bag wasn't near as full as he wanted it to be of the candy from the pinata cuz he bumped his head. and gavin's little friends had pity on paul and most all of them put one piece of candy in his bag...how sweet!
sorry i did this backwards but i am trying to add more than one picture at a time to one post. the connection is sooo slow that i don't know if it will happen. but these shots are just for seeing a little more of the day before you see the beginning :D we had a good time and the kids were great! i think the parties get easier as the kids get older. but now we are done with birthday parties for awhile...it's fun to have them all close together but now we have to wait so long for Hazel's to come around again! thank you all for helping us celebrate by sending little blessings...it's fun for him! and he really misses America...or as they say "english"

Gavin is 6!

can you see it? no? power rangers cake? we had no power...so 1/2 of gavin's party was in the dark!
ahhhh...but luckily camera's have flashes! here is his "power ranger cake" we had a hard time deciding between a skateboard or a power ranger...

Monday was another celebration at our house as Gavin had been WAITING FOR SOOOO LONG to be 6! He wore his T-shirt that says "6" on the back and went off to school but he returned for a party with his 12 friends from Kinder and 1st grade. only one girl in the whole bunch, but luckily Miss Ashley brought a girl friend for Hazel and her. The boys had a great time even though we didn't have electricity at first (from 9am-4pm) so our ice cream was a little on the drippy side. and the weather didn't cooperate...it rained...but then these boys didn't care about such things so they were still happy to play a little outside while the house was still dark :D.