The new sala

When we moved into this house, we noticed that there was a stack of huge wooden beams in one of the storage areas under the house. We started talking about those beams one day while we were brainstorming what we were going to do about getting a sala in our backyard. Our old house had one, which the kids loved so much, it probably showed up in half of my blog posts back in the day.

 The back wall of our yard looks out over rice fields towards the mountains. Perfect spot for a sala. It's also behind the turkey fence, so they can grow in turkey bravery being out there with their pet birds. We hired a couple of guys from our village, and they put this structure up in no time. The roof is made of rice stalks.

 Just like the sala, the roof has five sides all coming to a point at the center, We had the roof raised up extra high to keep it well above our heads in case snakes decided to climb up there.

The sala went up in a week or so, and once it was done, we all got out there with sandpaper to get rid of the slivers. Then we painted with lacquer to keep the bugs away from the wood if possible.

We gave the kiddos paintbrushes and water, which turned the wood color too, and they thought they were big stuff painting with us. 

 Zach is our left-handed child, cutie pie.

After all that, I don't yet have a picture of the end product. I would have run out there just now to get one, but it's dark, and there's snakes out there. Another good bonus for the sala- it's high off the ground, and I feel quite safe knowing the kids are well above snake reach. Final picture to come soon.

Dancing in the Lao New Year!

on the weekend

This Saturday morning was a typical Saturday- I took my bike out and went to visit people in the neighborhood. Most of the time, I'll take Eva along with me on the back of the bike, but this time it was just me. I love taking the kids along, but this time alone was nice. I forget how it feels sometimes to head out on my own. It's really not much of a bike ride since I usually head somewhere close by, but I like the bike because I don't have to be out in the sun as long as I would if I walked, I can go anywhere I like, and I feel safer when barking dogs chase me. This time I went towards the mountains, and I brought my camera along.

 It's a beautiful ride by all the rice fields, though it won't be too long before they're even more beautiful because the rice gets planted turning the fields as green as can be.

Just down from us, a house is being built. There are different kinds of houses here, but this one is very common in town, built with brick and then covered with cement. Building can be a slow process sometimes as people will build as the money comes in. This house has looked the same since we moved in four months ago.

Not much farther down the road, a dirt road crosses the one I'm biking down. Since I'm wondering whether watermelons are still being sold along the main road, and I haven't gone that way for a few months, I turned left and went toward the watermelon stands.

 This tractor was the only other vehicle on the road.

 One day I want to take the kids down to this cute garden and see if we can work with everyone for a while.

Here are the watermelon stands! They're looking a little more dilapidated than they did at the beginning of the watermelon season however many months ago, but there's still people selling their melons. I usually buy a melon here and then strap it into the kids seat on the back of my bike or hand it to Eva in the bike seat to carry back for me.

Sitting here is a nice break from biking and from the sun. We talk a while, and one of the women asked if I could take a her picture while wearing my sunglasses.

After a while, a young woman walked down with a big smile and asked if I remembered her... and I didn't, which happens to me more than it should. She told me I talked with her three months ago when she was pregnant with twins, and then I remembered, though she remembered much more than I did. So now the babies are three months old, and she wondered if I would like to go see them? Haha, you don't have to twist my arm to go see two little cutie pie babies! Her watermelon stand is busy with her three month old twins plus a newborn nephew. Aren't there adorable? And so is this super sized swing.

There were a couple other kids around, this little boy busy eating his breakfast...

.. and this boy just watching what was going on.

  When I had my fill of holding cute little babies and it was time for me to get back home, I got back on my bike again and left, watermelon in tow on the back of my bike. Great Saturday morning!

mis hijos

Here comes the Pony Express!!!!

Exercise time

Four weeks down should be the start of a good habit, right? For me that is, the kids are just performing after the real work was done.

Feeling like big stuff messing around with the weights.

Eva watches me a while, then asks, "Mom, are you making your pump strong?" Yes, sweetie, exercising makes my heart strong.

Elijah watches me a while then asks, "Mom, are you getting tired?" Yes, sweetie, does it look like I'm tired? Elijah nods. Then re-asks a couple minutes later, then a couple minutes later. It's good to have a fan club, it is. :)

Zach, busy watching his dad fix the water pump