craft day

2nd week of school

Eva lOVES going to Lao school each morning. She's just there a couple hours every morning, but that's a lot of time being the only little foreigner there. She's a silent observer type, and when she gets home, she can't talk fast enough telling me all about the kids, the teachers, the school, all that she saw.

She tells me that she's very shy at school and doesn't talk much, but she must be learning something because after she's home, the rest of the day she's trying to use all the Lao that she learned. I'm super proud of her for stepping into a classroom w/ 30 other kids, all speaking Lao, all looking different, and giving her all when she's on her own. She makes me proud, that little girl!

Elijah has a hard time seeing Eva go off to school each morning. It's hard for him to see Eva leaving with dad and hard for him to lose his outdoor play buddy. To compensate, he'll get to head to work w/ dad on occasion for a couple hours and then lunch w/ dad at the river. I'm super proud of Elijah too... he's braving it out at home and being an all around awesome little guy with his younger brother. He makes me proud, that little guy!

The Provincial Hospital's New Drinking Water Stations

it's 100 degrees and HUMID!

a new cave to explore!

There was a little river (big in the rainy season) running through the cave, just shallow enough for the kids to have fun with a canoe!

2 seconds before the canoe went under...

No one in the boat was expecting that one! Just the kids' heads were above water as they sat in the boat that had sunk. Very shallow water. :)

Zach wanted to get in that water more than anything.

Everyone got their turn

Perfect day off

Travel'n Down The Narrow Road

Heading out to the caves for an afternoon! Beautiful drive eh?

The road got quite narrow, but still beautiful.

And then sort of a path across the fields...

fun together

Eva's first cut out

Working with a scissors is very novel for Eva... she's only used them a few times before. I understand we're a little behind the eight ball here in just now getting into scissors and all that. Most days though, I watch the kids running around outside, hacking away at the banana trees, dumping sand on their heads, and swimming in the wheelbarrow, and I think how awesome it is to be a kid. Should I really be calling them in to sit down for some time learning how to use things like scissors? Now that she's had her chance, though, I imagine there's no going back. She'll be all about cutting up the paper as well as running around outside. Choices, choices... how great is it to be a kid?

pictures for the grandparents :)

up the hill

This is the view of where we live from the highest hill in town. If you drive down the hill, our house is at the bottom... where the view is gone, the mountains are gone, and we blend into all the other houses and happenings in our small town. This is why I love to drive up the hill, to lift my eyes to the mountains, to look out over everything and see a bigger and greater perspective. Life is so much bigger than anything my little mind can begin to understand, and God is even more infinitely greater than anything my small mind can understand. I love the things in life that make me look to God!

view from the sala

We live in a town that is changing dramatically. Dirt roads are on the way out and new cement roads replacing them. More buildings are being built, larger buildings are coming in, and for kids who get excited about construction and all the dump trucks, tractors, and machinery involved, there's nowhere better to live! This morning, the dump truck and tractor were busy at work in the neighbor plot, and the kids got the fun of watching from our very own sala.

no one left behind

Normal morning here... Eva and Elijah head outside to play as soon as their breakfast is done, and poor Zach is left standing at the door watching as they leave him behind. Thanks to Nathan, who watched the kids while I ran an errand the other day, being the fabulous dad that he is and not at all worried about all the possible dangers out there for Zach, put all 3 kids out to play in the yard together. And for Zach, instead of his usual habit of stuffing all the little rocks he can find into his mouth, he began playing right along w/ his siblings! Like a big kid! Digging in the dirt, letting Elijah spray him with the house, getting as dirty as he possibly could. And now he wants to go outside even more! So our morning routine here for the kids now gets even better as I am now turning all 3 outside to play together. That's just one of the reasons I love Nathan... if it was up to me, I wouldn't have let Zach out until he was so much older... safety and all that. But the 3 of them do a great job of looking after each other, and I can always trust Eva to give one of her older sister yells if Zach begins eating the rocks or climbing into the wheelbarrow. It's a monumental moment in my life as a mom... all three kids outside together at the same time.

hanging out w/ dad

100 degrees in the shade

When the kids woke up to see a sky full of clouds, they could hardly contain their excitement and dashed off to find their rain jackets! After four months of the dry season, they are ready for rain and the great fun that they'll have in the water. Usually the rains don't come until May though, so these guys have a while to wait. In the meantime, even after the sun came out in full tropical force and the humidity was thick in the air, the kids still kept their jackets on hoping for rain!

the new bridge!!

Up until a few months ago, crossing the river to Thailand was always done by ferry, either a car ferry or passenger ferry. But no longer!! The new bridge is up and running!! I have the tiniest bit of sadness in seeing the car ferry go, but much more sadness in saying goodbye to the passenger ferry. I always always loved jumping on the small boat w/ all the people and crossing the river. I could cross the river and be back in half a day, though I had to carry everything with me... and usually at least one of the kids too. :)

So goodbye to the passenger ferry. I will miss you.

The new bridge means a fast border crossing and now allows us to cross the river, shop for supplies, and get back all in the same day.
Standing in Laos, facing the new bridge. Bittersweet... but mostly sweet. :)

Standing in Thailand at the border, looking across to the mountains of Laos. Aren't those mountains beautiful?