So Long Ordinary

Without a whole lot of other perks or forms of entertainment, we get pretty excited about new restaurants opening in our city.  Even better is when the restaurant wants to cater to homesick foreigners as well as introduce fun local foods. Our neighbors recently opened a new restaurant and it's by far the best place in town now.  They make a pretty stinking amazing Mie Tarik  or homemade, pulled noodles that you can watch them make right in front of you.  Since we've eaten there, they've added fajitas, nachos, and burgers to their menu and we hear it's all good.  Can you say "giddy?!" When we first tried out the new place, we were surprised to see that they have a real, wood-fired pizza oven.  Their pizza has...real cheese!  In a town where the closest thing we've had to a order-out pizza was a weird pizza crust smothered in a sweet ketchup sauce and topped with fake cheese and hot dogs, this is a big deal.  We make pizza at home every week bu...

We had a wonderful  Christmas.  It was small and very simple, but just right.  After last year - which I not-so-affectionately label The Typhoid Christmas - we needed this year to be special to bring back the wonder of the holiday and God did it!  All week has been so restorative and fun.   Brooklyn reading from Luke 2 before opening presents.   After opening gifts we enjoyed a yummy breakfast (with bacon!  Thank you Centropolis Christian Church!), visits with our families back in Colorado over Face Time, and then we went out to visit our neighbors - a tradition in Indonesia.  Most families hold an open house on Christmas Day and everybody visits one another.  It feels like such a backward tradition to us since we grew up with Christmas Day being all about being home with family, but we've learned to really enjoy the chance to visit our neighbors and friends in their homes.  After more than two years in this house, we are slowly developi...

Happy Thanksgiving!  I thought of you all when I found this in the grocery store yesterday.  It gave me good chuckle anyway...  Not definitely, but probably the best in Indonesia!  No unattainable promises here.  Gotta like the honesty in the marketing department at Shira Potato.  By the way, these are diet potatoes, as you can see on the bar code sticker. Yes, diet potatoes! Probably. Nothing says yummy diet potatoes like the Tasmanian Devil, and I'm sure no copyright laws were infringed upon.  Probably? As you've noticed I've been on a sort of an unplanned hiatus from blogging.  Our October was crazy - very good, but indeed very crazy.  Apparently, the craziness continued through November and here we are nearly into December.  Oops! In my defense, I did attempt to blog several times over the past few weeks only to discover that Blogger and I were having technical difficulties.  Well, I think we've got those things figured out and ...

I'm just dropping in here between travel engagements  (I love travel!)  to share a huge praise - our house is rented!!!  We're relieved that it won't be sitting empty over the winter.  We'd still love to sell it altogether so please continue to pray with us that a buyer comes along ready to take that burden off our hands. I said I was "between travel engagements."  Yup!  I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Jakarta for more dental work this morning and tomorrow, our family is headed out for our first vacation in nearly two years. Hooray!  We so need this break.  I'm thankful to God for His provision so that we can take this time away to just be a family - with no responsibility other than making ourselves rest  and have fun together.  Can't wait to play the part of the tourist, to travel as a family, to see a new part of Indonesia, to get away from the smokey air, to take a break from homeschooling, to step away from all the responsi...

The other day, when Sean was cutting our grass, he came across this little guy.  Our animal-loving, tomboy-ish, fearless Blondie was really excited about it!  This was a cute little fella with a long, long tail and tiny little body.  Being an MK (missionary kid) is the perfect gig for Madison - she can hold, pet, raise, adopt, and smother all sorts of interesting creatures!

We're gearing up for what will be a very, very busy month in July.  Lots of guests, lots of big projects, lots of fun, too, I'm sure!    I'm so sad to hear about the fires happening in my home area of Southern Colorado. Some of my very favorite places to play in the mountains are in or near the fire zone.  So, selfishly, I'm praying for rain!  We are continuing on with homeschool.  It is going very well.  I love Sonlight - I'm sold.  I know the girls are enjoying it too.  Sure makes it easier to work through the summer, when you don't so much mind cracking open your books! Sean's sister's wedding is next week.  Sigh.  We're all just really sad we can't be there.  I never imagined we'd have to miss this special day when it came, but we're hoping to "be there" through Skype.  Missing these important days - graduations, weddings (even just birthdays) - gets harder and harder.  Big sigh. We'll also miss my uncle's wedding...

Well, hello June!  Can you believe it?  This year is nearly half over already.  Wow. We've had a really nice weekend...well, sort of.  The girls and I have had colds and to add to my misery, I got some food poisoning on Friday night.  Ugh.  I am ruined for Indonesian food for a while - and I will NEVER AGAIN be eating at the particular restaurant that I know made me sick.  I suppose it was our fault for trying someplace new!  Anyway, I was pretty worthless on Saturday but I'm okay now.   The highlight of our weekend was that we were able to take the girls to a movie on Sunday afternoon - something we rarely get to enjoy as a family since good kid-friendly shows seldom make their way here. What a treat to eat nachos and hot dogs while we watched "Epic."  Cute show. Also, today Sean and I got a wild-haired idea to move our living room to a different room where we could be in air-conditioning and also less spread out as we go about our days...

We've had a guest all week - since last Wednesday, actually.  Heather lived here for more than 12 years and now she and her husband continue to serve "remotely" with occasional visits to Indonesia.  (Isn't technology amazing?) She's been so fun to have around and I've really enjoyed our morning conversations over coffee. She'll be here till Tuesday and has been teaching a workshop all week.  Our whole household (including our very busy guest) is very tired on this Friday - looking forward to a movie night and sleeping in tomorrow!  Woo-hoo! English Club went well this week.  I always have fun when we have a fun craft to do with the kids.  They love it!  Our newest teammates will be here in just over a week! We're super-excited to get them here.  I can't believe we'll actually have a full 3-family team.  For so many different reasons, it has been years since that could be a reality in Palangkaraya.  God is so amazing a...

After a few weeks off for the holidays, we are back into the swing of things with English Club.  For our first day back, we painted ornaments of the nativity that had been sent by Centropolis Christian Church in Kansas - my Grandma's church!  Here in Indonesia, it is not unusual to celebrate Christmas through the end of January, so our late Christmas party was no problem for the kids!  The kids had a blast painting and took home their creations plus candy canes as a treat.  While there is a ton of candy available here, candy canes are a totally foreign concept, so that was fun to introduce to the kids!   Sorry about the not-so-clear cell phone pictures....these girls really made some beautiful ornaments.  I am always amazed at how careful most Indonesian kids are when doing arts and crafts.  Even the littlest girl who is around 3 years old did a great job.  The boys, however, were a lot messier! This isn't quite the whole group as s...

Well, just like that, 2012 is over and 2013 has begun.  I can't believe it! I'm finally feeling human again.  No, I wasn't the one that was sick, but life in our house was pretty much on hold for all of us for a good two weeks or more.  Today, though, Sean is all better!  He is back to work and seems to have more energy than I expected him to.  This illness really knocked him on his back.  Can't tell you how great it is to have him back to himself again.  I'd really be okay with never having to take him to the ER again - I did it twice in about a one-month span! (Once for stitches on his foot and then again to try to figure out what he was sick with.)  Thank you again for your prayers!  We had to miss our planned vacation to another Indonesian city and we did not join in with the usual visiting that happens on Christmas Day here due to Sean's illness. Our Christmas this year was not at all like we'd planned it to be, but we rested. A lo...

Things might look kinda funny here while I work out the kinks on my new look! Thanks for being patient!

This nine dollar slip'n'slide didn't come with much slip or slide, but it was still a fun day out in our backyard a week or so ago. The grass is coming in nicely and, man, are we enjoying all the SPACE. Last year at this time we had nothing but a concrete back patio. However, as I recall, the kiddie pool we had back there was very well-used! It was HOT in Oaxaca, Mexico! We're enjoying our first Fourth of July in the USA in several years. Having been outside the country most of their lives, our children are completely unaccustomed to this kind of celebration. We keep trying to explain it to Brooklyn and it isn't really sinking in. We enjoyed a cowboy pancake breakfast and parade in town. Pure Americana! Our kids don't really know what to do with it all. We're looking forward to taking them to the fireworks show this evening. They have seen fireworks - on New Year's Eve especially - but not on this level! Happy Independence Day ! "You ...

Homeschooling vs. Public School has been heavy on my mind for a few years now. As Brooklyn enters those school age years, I find myself...well, freaking out . Because Brooklyn is my oldest, she's had to be a guinea pig. She's also had to suffer through a Mom with separation anxiety and control issues. Brooklyn is the most independent and socially brave little person you ever met. I'm always trying to hold her back. It's a major cause for tension in our relationship - my need to control and her need for independence. This summer has been a rough one for me. Brooklyn will start kindergarten in the fall. I've been on a bit of a rampage about whether or not we could send her to public school. If I'm perfectly honest, I'll admit that with my rose-colored glasses on, I really, really, really, want to homeschool. I love the idea of being there when my child learns something new. I want to do all those fun projects. I want to see the light of understanding...

I have no idea what to say here. No idea.

We got this bouncy thingy for Paige a few weeks ago. It's been a real hit! She loves jumping and standing and playing with all the toys. This kid can move! I can't believe how fast she's growing up. It wasn't long ago that she was a tiny little bundle...now she's a lump of soft baby chunk. She's by far my "chunkiest" baby. I love it. Love squishing those chunky legs! Paige is a joy. She's such a happy-go-lucky little thing. Truly, she barely ever cries. And when she does, it's almost always because she was startled by a loud noise. Sneezes are the worst! Poor baby puckers out that lip and makes a face that would melt your heart before she lets loose with the crying. Breaks my heart every time. But it's awful hard not to sneeze when you need to. Paige is already getting her first tooth and, okay, she's cried a tiny bit more lately. I'm devastated. Utterly devastated. My baby can't be getting a tooth already! Beca...

I should be in bed...but I'm savoring this nice little quiet moment. All. By. Myself. ......well, me and the kitten who is on her nightly rampage and is attacking her own shadow all over the living room floor. I don't mind it so much unless her shadow lands on my leg. Ouch! Life is never dull here folks. Or completely still. Ever. The good news is that we seem to be all well and over that yucky...whatever it was. We went to a library at the park event today. It was a lovely, lovely day to be out. The park was beautiful. The games were fun. Everyone was having the time of their lives. And we got to watch it all! Unfortunately, my children refused to participate in all those fun games. So we watched. Not what I was going for. I can't say I blame them - it was a little overwhelming and they didn't know any of the other kids there. Okay, okay, I NEVER, EVER, EVER liked playing those silly get-to-know-you games with strangers. And I never liked it when our youth...

Brooklyn had it last week. This week is Maddie's turn. She honestly scared me today when her temperature got up to 103.5 degrees. Called the doc, he suggested some different medication and it went right back down. Phew! She's still not herself....yeah, she goes about the normal pace now instead of 100 mph. I prefer the real, wild, hyper Maddie to this little weakling. She gets up from a rest and does her best to play and then crashes hard. Then we do the same thing over again. Poor thing. I hate to see her laying so quiet with a washcloth over her head while she watches Blues Clues. I'm not feeling quite right either. It makes me mad. So far I mostly just feel...ick, tired, achey, weary, and scratchy-throated. Didn't know that was a word didya? Paige is still fine. I really, really hope she doesn't get this. The high fever thing is scary enough with the older girls. Thanks for praying!

You may have noticed that things look different. How very observant you are! I wanted to change things up....but in the meantime, I lost what I already had. Now I'm stuck in a not-so-very-creative slump and a blog to match it. Ah well. Someday, I'll work on this. Not today! We've been a little on the ill side the past few days. Brooklyn is still not quite herself and I feel myself succumbing...either that or I need to eat dinner. Either way, now is not the time to mess around with blog design. In my head, I'm brewing up an idea...stay tuned. Bu-Bye now!

Backyard camping and hot dog roast. They were forced to come in at 1:00 a.m. because of rain. Sean was glad...somehow we lost his sleeping pad in the past umpteen moves and, well, he ain't 17 anymore. I slept great in my nice soft bed, though! One of these days, we are going camping. At this stage, it's a rather daunting task with three little people under 6....this was hard enough! But it must be done! Working in the garden. This has been FUN. We have no idea what we're doing but we look good doing it! Paige's first solids. Yeah, she liked it! Lots of rain and cooler weather. I had just caught those girls licking the rainwater off of the swingset. And we wonder how they get sick so often. I could have at least cropped out the clothesline and lovely makeshift clothespin bag...but then you wouldn't see the awesome new clothesline my hubby and daddy made for me!

We had an excellent weekend. Most of our time was spent here at home, doing all manner of things around the house - peeling wallpaper off the bathroom walls (ugh.), finishing our garden fence, preparing the garden for planting, shopping for and planting some seedlings (yay!), planting a couple of crabapple trees (love 'em!), cleaning house, having friends over for a meal (awesome fun, we're so glad they're here), putting out the hummingbird feeder (they're already coming around), getting our new boots and hats (see post below)....you get the point. It was a really full, really great weekend. On Monday we went on a little drive up to Clear Creek Falls. It was a beautiful, slightly wet, cool day. I LOVE being in the mountains. We stopped for lots of pictures, of course, and had lunch in Creede. (Creede is one of my favorite places to visit. It's a tiny old silver mining town in the mountains. I remember going there as a kid, and for as long as I can remember I...