2nd cave

There was a waterfall inside this cave! We were able to walk through, though not always on dry land. This is our chemist friend Bruce, who is here helping us with our water lab 

Nathan and Eva. The water here actually had a surprisingly strong current
At the entrance to the cave, cool air pouring from the inside. Natural air conditioning! 

Caves in Tha Kaek!

Tha Kaek has some AMAZING caves, but until now, we haven't had time to see any of them. Over the weekend, our coworkers from the south came for a visit, and our big chance came!! Because of the rainy season, this first one was only accessible by boat. So we all climbed into two very wobbly and very small boats, including eva and elijah. What a blast! Some days I just can't believe that this is where eva and elijah are growing up.

Heading towards the cave


Dan and Anna, some of our coworkers in the south


Here i am, amazon woman in the boat.... never ever ever thought I'd be nursing a baby while floating through a cave in a wobbly boat like this one!


We passed a couple boats of Lao going about their day as we were passing through the cave


Leaving the cave

one more

The roads here during the rainy season are crazy!! Because they're mostly dirt in our city, they get huge pot holes and some are even too difficult to use! This picture is looking down into a section of Tha Kaek.

Roads around here

Elijah

This little guy is now 9 weeks old and his passport is almost full w/ visa and border crossing stamps. After his arrival in Thailand, we drove to Bangkok (16 hrs) to get his emergency passport then drove back one day later (16 more hrs). The next day we crossed into Laos, then 5 hours south to our town. When he was six weeks old, we were back on the road again, 18 hrs through Thailand and 18 hrs back. He is the happiest little traveler you ever did see. 

Here is what I've learned about Elijah in his short 9-week lifespan.

He wrinkles his brow when he's scared, and that's almost always. He loves to bury his face in my arm... it's like he's trying to shut out the world. He sleeps through Eva's poking, grabbing, banging, and trying to shove the pacifier in his mouth. He hates to be left in a room by himself, even when he's sleeping. He loves to watch me as I work. His ears are big like mine. He has a dimple on his left cheek like Nathan. He has major difficulties with burping and this frustrates him horribly. He isn't nearly as excited about eating as Eva was. And is. He has never been to the states, and while I will probably always call that home, he just may never do that.

Eva Joy Cole

Eva just turned 18 months!!! 

She is growing at lightening speed and learning Lao so fast I'm trying hard to keep up. The other day, I heard our house helper (who only speaks Lao) ask Eva if she'd like her hair done and then told Eva to go get her hair bands. Eva immediately ran off and when she returned, she had the hair bands in hand!

Eva is adjusting to life without a pacifier. Last week, we had an emergency with her one and only pacifier and had to throw it out. We searched high and low in our local markets but couldn't find a replacement, and so Eva had to grow up quickly and adjust to life without it. By the end of the week, she was once again sleeping peacefully but this time without her pacifier. And without her morning naps... I think her morning naps are gone forever!! 

Eva loves animals. A couple weeks ago, we were driving through Thailand on the way to a conference, and I pulled out a Curious George book to keep her busy (18 hours there, 18 hours back). So i began teaching her about monkeys... and what do you know, we begin to pass signs for wild monkeys. A few minutes later, while we were parked on the side of the road, wild monkeys began to run towards our truck!! And not small ones either... the leader was a few feet tall! We took off fast leaving monkeys swinging in the trees and running along the road. Who needs a zoo??? 

Here's a picture of Eva from this morning. Her hair is almost long enough to pull back in a ponytail, which will help keep her cool. So does not wearing any clothes, which I let her do this morning. So our little girl is growing up before my eyes... playing with cow patties, watching the rainy season downpours, running from wild monkeys, listening and learning two different languages, waving at all the women in the market who call out to their friends to see the little foreign "doll". She loves life here and watching her thrive in this culture is such a joy. 

fun with hose and bucket