city places, open spaces

We live in a country that is still developing an appreciation for wide open public spaces in the midst of big city living.  Sure, there are parks.  But not many (so the ones we do have are crowded) and even in the parks there is little freedom to roam and explore... we are expected to stick to the paths, not step onto the grassy areas, and keep away from the waterfront areas. 

A visit to a crowded park with no play areas where we aren't allowed to step on the grass = not much fun.  [Especially when you factor in the cell phone picture taking frenzy that it sure to follow our every move.]

One reason I love Bangkok (and Hong Kong) -  each city seems to have masterminded the city places, open spaces concept.  {bonus: not one single random stranger has taken our picture since we landed last week.... nice break from our normal reality.} 

Our Bangkok hotel fronts a beautiful set of green space, pond in the middle, lots of grass, two separate (wonderful) playgrounds, plenty of paths, stepping stones, turtles to watch, pigeons to chase ..... all this in the midst of a sea full of high rises and next to the skytrain line.  It's nicer than any park in the multi-million person city that we live in, and it is literally steps from the hotel entrance. 

So we go every day!

Picnic dinner at the park?  Check. 

Popsicle-snacking at the playground?  Check. 

Going to miss these hot afternoons at the park when we leave on Tuesday morning? Check. 

a Luke with a view

12 years ago I attended this very same conference, a short six months in to my first year overseas.  I loved it then (like I love it now) but I had no idea that more than a decade later I would still be here.

Matt was there too, 12 years ago - in the same room, though we never met.  And now here we are, almost ten years of marriage, 5 precious children.  Pretty incredible. 

Took Luke to the doctor where he got antibiotics for an ear infection.  And I started his reflux medicine and it really seems to be helping!!!!  He's had a couple of really nice long stretches of sleep (naps and night) though with the antibiotics, recovering ear infection, travel, etc I am hesitant to be totally sure it's the reflux meds helping.  But he is spitting less that's for sure.  And sleeping better. 

John Paul is doing great.  This is his first big trip with our family (and we seem to have the travel bug) and it's fun to watch him.  He might think we've moved here :)  He and Isaac are in the same child care class and I'm just impressed that he is going!  His teachers say he does great and Isaac comes home with plenty of stories for the both of them. 

Isaac is spending his afternoons in the hotel room with me and the sleeping little brothers while the girls go back to childcare.  Full days away from Mom are just too much for the little three.  Yesterday afternoon Matt and I switched off and attended different parts of the sessions, one of us always out with the little guys.  Late afternoon we tend to head out to the next door park and it's multiple playgrounds.  Sweaty, but fun. 

Julianna and Lydia are pros at this whole child care gig (Julianna in a 1st/2nd grade combo class and Lydia in a kindergarten room).  They are learning the fruits of the spirit and enjoying themselves immensely.  Their only complaint is not enough pool time.  We hope to remedy that this weekend when the meeting schedule slacks off a bit and we can take the whole family down to the pool(s).  [Guess who isn't brave enough to take all five swimming at the same time?  Me!!!!]

Our 34th floor room looks down on a swimming pool, and a park, and a BTS (skytrain) line.  Pretty big fun for my boys (big and little).

Thailand Thailand (and I need a camera!)

Years ago I would have never imagined a life where the Bangkok airport felt like familiar territory.

Yet here I am.

In Thailand :)  Again!

Such a gift to be able to participate in these double-duty trips.  Plenty of meetings for Matt (and hopefully I'll be able to sneak in a meeting or two - gotta see how the kiddos hold up in child care).  Gobs and oodles and bazillions of friends for our children - what gift to spend time with these other children, their families, all in similar lifestyles, similar joys, similar challenges.

And time for me to connect with others too.  And then at the end of it all, two weeks at the beach.  Hey, if you come to Bangkok you might as well use up some vacation days, huh?

Yesterday afternoon we left home (cloudy and cold) and three hours later touched down in Bangkok .... ground temp 90 degrees (at 5:30pm!).  Yay for sunshine and blues skies and warm weather.  The kids wore their swim suits to breakfast!

Luke is having a hard time though - two days of high fevers, plus the usual struggle to get any sort of decent rest.  I've got a friend coming from America bringing me a reflux medicine to try with him.  If we don't see improvement within a week I'll be taking him to see a pediatrician here.  Sweet little guy just really struggles.  And I still see signs of stomach issues, something 'not quite right'.

Honestly, as sick as he was yesterday he actually flew really well - just a sad lethargic little guy,  mostly dozing in my arms.  Made for a sweaty flight for both of us, with feverish Luke tucked into my lap, but we made it with minimal fuss. 

After a morning at the pool Matt is out & about while I am in the room with the children - 4 sleeping!  It was a late night last night :) and only Julianna managed to stay awake in a quiet dark hotel room, so she is reading books.

oh, and a question for you....

Our camera died (several hundred dollars to repair it, we decided to let it go....) and we are looking to invest in another one.  Any ideas for me?  I just don't have the time or energy to spend looking at websites and trying to pick a good one.  I feel like everyone I know has a DSLR but I really don't know anything about photography (though I use our camera several times a week at least) so that seems like too much of a camera for me?!?!?  or maybe I would enjoy it now anyways and I'm sure I'd one day enjoy learning photography (Clearly now just isn't the season to allow me time to do that... maybe in a few years? or when the kids leave for college?  he he he.)

In the meantime I'd love a camera.

Seriously, please email or leave a comment or something if you have any tips or ideas or helpful info or even if you love your camera and want to recommend it .....


So for now, we're using our cell phones :)  Pictures coming, I promise. 

home schooling [lite]

I've been meaning to write a post about this topic for a while now, so here it finally goes :)

Earlier this fall we started some formal home school.  I'd like to think that our home is always a school, so it seems a little silly to talk about when we "started", but there's not really another good way to put it.  Still, some days I wonder who learns more at our house - Luke learning to clap his hands?  John Paul learning to use his sippy cup for the first time?  Isaac learning that if you throw a football enough times it will eventually land on one of Mom's lamps?  Lydia learning to cut banana chunks for Luke?  Julianna learning how to quadruple a pancake recipe? 

And all this happens outside of anything I would label "home school" - see what I mean!!  Yet there is this aspect of formal education, some of which is supported by the rest of home life but some of which needs intentionality.

So we started.  Reading.  Writing.  Math.  And then later in the fall added history.

For reading the plan is simple.  Read, read, read.  I recorded our read-alouds and we did 19 chapter books this fall :)  Pretty obvious that's our favorite part, huh?  If you are faithful with just 20-30 minutes a day you can cover some serious territory!  And many days we read far more than that. 

[The pictures are from their book reports.  They each choose a book to write about, illustrated a cover for their report, did a first draft of their report, and then a final copy.  We did a lot of correcting the drafts and it was a fun project.  Lydia chose The Wheel on the School and Julianna chose The Courage of Sarah Noble.  Even Isaac joined in and did a cover sheet for his non-existent report.]

We also try to do some sort of reading practice (me listening to the girls read) daily.  They sit and read to me.  Easy peasy.  Practice makes perfect. 

With writing I was less faithful.  We could do a bit more handwriting practice :)  I can already see how my personal preferences influence our little school.  I figure they'll eventually learn a nice fancy lowercase 'q', so we don't need to panic about it now.  Plus, the ability to write a nice lowercase 'q' hasn't really taken me places, know what I mean?

Still, we do some writing, ideally every day.  When we visited the fire station we wrote a report on what we saw.  We wrote thank you notes and get well cards.  We wrote Bible verses.  We wrote spelling lists.  We wrote about favorite gifts and made a timeline and recorded observations as we watched our potato grow.  But our writing ..... it's not an organized effort - yet ;)

For Math I chose and ordered Singapore Math workbooks and so far I've been really pleased.  I've never used another math curriculum and I'm sure there are other great options, but I do like Singapore.  I supplement with some extra worksheets and such that I print off the internet to just get some extra practice at being fast and accurate with basic math facts! 

A month ago we added Story of the World as a history curriculum.  While no curriculum is perfect, I must say I am very very pleased with Story of the World.  It is so read-able, so engaging.  We are reading Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor.   

Their time at Chinese school is a big bonus.  Just great great stuff.  Plus it all happens in language #2 which boosts their Chinese skills.

In the spring I hope to add some spelling (whew - this needs some work!) and handwriting (those pesky 'q's....).  

Yesterday was the big "Last Day".  Last day of Chinese school.  Last day of home school.  Last day of dance class.  We celebrated with M&M blondies and the kids presented their book reports to Matt and John Paul. 

I'm very pleased with our "wade in from the riverbank" approach to the fast-flowing, mammoth, (often intimidating) Home School River.  With a newly adopted toddler and a baby who struggles to sleep it was perfect for this fall, for this family. 

I love all the things I thought I was going to love about home schooling.  I learned a ton about how we operate best and dreamed big about what we might do when we move and have more space to set up a home school area in a new apartment.  (We currently operate at the kitchen table out of a small rubbermaid box!)

We've got a lot to learn.  I've got a lot more mistakes to make.  And so do they.  But we're enjoying it, this learning together.

Like Matt told fidgety John Paul tonight:  "Sit still one minute and listen, with your spot in the family you've got a lot of book report presentations ahead of you...." 

a boy and a sippy

Yesterday afternoon, exactly three weeks after his palate repair surgery, John Paul drank from a real sippy cup for the first time in his life. 

It might not seem like a big deal, but it is!!! 

If the roof of your mouth has a hole you cannot build up an air vacuum.  Your mouth and nose are connected, too connected.  You can't drink from a straw or blow a whistle.  You cannot pronounce any aspirated consonants (b, d, t, p).  You can't click your tongue on the roof of your mouth.  You can't eat watermelon without the juice dripping from your nose.  (Watermelon juice dripping from your nose might be precious when you are a toddler, but possibly disconcerting when on a date with your girlfriend!)

John Paul never drank from a bottle using a sucking motion - he chewed on the nipple while the milk dripped into his mouth.  We used sippy cups with the stopper removed and the hole enlarged.  The drippy sippy was annoying but effective.

And then yesterday afternoon I was reaching for another of those annoying drippy cups and thought "Let's see if he can't work on this sucking action just a bit."  I had saved two sippy cups from when Isaac was younger and one was absolutely perfect for a cleft baby.  The spout is hard plastic (he would chew a soft spout to bits) and very short (we still have to be super careful that he doesn't do anything that could potentially harm his new palate). 

I did the 'express version' of the way I've taught my other babies to use a sippy.  I gave him the cup with no stopper and let him have a few sips - just so he would know for sure that water was in there.  Then I put the stopper back in and let him at it.  It took a bit of coaching and a lot of silly faces from me - helping him figure out to purse his lips :)  Just glad no neighbors showed up for a visit while I was doing my 'how to use your lips to drink from a sippy' demo. 

Within a few minutes he had gotten a few sips.  But he's still perfecting the technique and defaults back to using his teeth (ineffective, but habitual).  By this morning he was approaching professional-sippy-cup-drinker status!!!!

He is SOOOOOOO  proud of himself!  Delighted. 

And, not surprisingly, very attached to his new sippy! 

Yay for you John Paul!!!!!!!!!!

three pictures

In five days we leave home for a month.  That'll add a few things to your to-do list, huh? 

So I don't have a lot of time to share much but I do have three pictures.

First up, LOVE this one of my littlest boys.  Both of them often hang out here at the doors, waiting for someone interesting to show up on our porch or just checking out the comings and goings of the neighbors. 

I got a new iphone 4 (bought it used from a friend) after Christmas.  And it is wonderful.  I was trying out the camera and snagged this great shot.  If you've ever wondered what my house looks like late afternoons, now you know. 

I keep waiting for Better Homes & Gardens to call and ask to do a feature on our home, but I think they can't get through to me?

Take special note of the couch cushions (turned up to make forts) and that would be Julianna standing on the arm of the arm chair.  We are still using the exersaucer (though it takes up tremendous amounts of floor space in a small apartment).  I've started calling it the exer-trap - because sometimes you just need a place to trap your baby :)

And this afternoon, a special treat.... a game of Candy Land with just my middle.  The girls were out at the playground, John Paul still sleeping, Luke somewhere floor level.  Isaac beat me fair and square.  Then I turned around and won a game of my own.  

Nothing like winning a game of Candy Land to seal the deal on a good day!  For both him, and me.

if you were a fly on the wall....

at our house, these are a few of the things you just might here or see.

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Me:　John Paul smells like strawberries.
Isaac: That's because I put chopstick in his hair.  Real chopstick.  Really, I did! 

(He means chap stick but says chopstick and this is one of those language mistakes that I don't correct, because all too soon he'll be leaving for college and I'll get teary remembering the time he put strawberry "chopstick" in his brother's hair.)

********************************

While we were putting away Christmas ornaments...

Me: Why don't you first pass the fragile ones to me and I'll wrap them up carefully.
Lydia: I know this one is fragile because it's already broken.

**********************************

While listening to Go Tell it on the Mountain at top volume and dancing around the living room......

Me: Okay everybody, find a high mountain you can climb and we'll sing it again.
Lydia: Look at me Mom, I can almost touch the ceiling.

**************************

Meet Isaac and BeiBei [world's newest police tiger].

****************************


Someone in our home performs something almost every day.  Julianna LOVES to dance and organize shows.  On this particular day Isaac ran security (see him with police tiger above), Lydia was on ticket sales.  The notes taped to the mirror are Julianna's dance cues..... choreographed it herself :)

***************************

You'd also hear a fair bit of  "where's Luke? Does anyone know where Luke is?" - little guy does not keep still and manages to get into the strangest places.  Several times throughout the day I "loose" him and we have to launch a search party. 

I love this picture (from Christmas Day) because it is "so Luke" right now - in the thick of things, plowing through the chaos on floor level, not deterred by any obstacle in his way.  Look closely, you'll see all six of us (me and the kids) are represented in this photo - that's Lydia's foot in the lower left corner.

If you were a fly on the wall....

We laugh, we cry.  We argue, we encourage.  We put chap stick in our little brother's hair.  On the whole, I'd like to think we entertain our flies well. 

the birthday boy

Such a fun day to celebrate this boy.  2 years old on January 1st.

The goal was to eat only meals that John Paul could share - we'd eat what he ate all day long.  A bit tricky, but not too hard since we've moved from total liquid diet to include soft foods.  [Can I just tell you that when these six weeks of post-surgery food restrictions are up I will be celebrating like crazy!]

We started with strawberry-banana shakes and scrambled eggs.  Yum.

And then presents!  Thanks to Christmas John Paul knows exactly what to do with a wrapped gift - he opens one and then signs 'more' and turns to the next one! 

In the afternoon we went to get ice cream at the McDonalds down the street from our house. 

Proud Matt with all five -

Ready and eager to see what this new year holds for John Paul :)  Happy Birthday little buddy!

1-1-2011

I know exactly where I was, who I was with and what I was doing New Year's Day 2011.

And I know where I wasn't.

I wasn't with John Paul on the day he was born.

On the eve of his first birthday in our family I have such mixed emotions.  We've had a hard couple of days, me and him.  We've struggled more than any other time in our short five month history.  I don't know what I'm doing, and we both know it :)

I feel grateful to have him in our family, amazed that God would choose me to mother this precious child.  And I feel overwhelmed and confused: this is harder than I thought it would be, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this mammoth task.

But I'm as committed to him as the day I signed the paper making him mine forever.  

I think about his birth mom and wonder: where is she now?  and is she thinking of him?  oh how I wish she could know, even for one brief second that he is alive, and well, and happy and healthy, and warm and loved and snuggled down under two blankets (handmade by his Grandma and Grandmama) and sleeping in a bedroom next to his big brother.

I think about his foster mom... did they celebrate last year?  What will she do tomorrow?  Should I call her?  I can't imagine loving a child for 19 months and handing him to strangers for the rest of his life.  The joy... the pain.  

I love that his birthday is New Year's Day.  Love it.  Oh how we all need to know the promise of a new day coming.  Our God is making all things new.
 

Happy Birthday John Paul.  I've got a good feeling about this next year.  We're gonna have us a NEW one.

[Did I ever tell you that I LOVE two year olds?]

as the year ends

We have us a THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!  And man on man do I need it! 

The last few days with John Paul have been really tough.  Really really tough.  Matt and I both feel that we've taken a few big steps backward in terms of his security, comfort, adjustment, everything.  He's waking all through the night and generally grumpy as can be during the day.  [Although today he had a slow morning and a really great afternoon - so maybe we're through the worst of it!]

Surely some of this is related to adoption, attachment, abandonment, previous trauma, etc.  Some of it is probably related to surgery issues - it was traumatic, painful, yucky on all accounts.  And some of it is probably related to food - I'd be generally ticked off and grumpy if I was restricted to a liquid diet myself. 

So, all that to say, we have not had an easy few days. 

And I'm glad to have Matt home an extra day (Tuesday), turning this into a three day weekend for our family. 

A few newsy post-Christmas tidbits.....

John Paul is doing really well.  Right now the biggest challenge for me (and him, I guess) is the liquid diet.  Gee whiz this one is really throwing me for a loop!  Getting enough calories into John Paul (he's a big eater) and keeping him happy while the other kids munch Christmas cookies and he dines on (yet another) peanut-butter-banana-yogurt shake is not easy.  It's not like our meal times needed another complicating factor. 

The roof of his mouth is an amazing thing to behold!  The surgeon gave him a palate!  It's incredible.  For almost two years the top of his mouth cavity had a huge long gaping hole.  Now it looks just like any normal mouth (well, you can still see stitches but it's not nearly as red or swollen as you might imagine).  The first six weeks are critical for healing.  He goes to the hospital again next Monday for a quick check up, just to make sure everything is looking good.

Day-after-Christmas we hosted precious local friends for dinner and White Elephant gift exchange.  It was awesome.  These folks are like family, our kids bask in the glow of all the extra-lovin'!  11 adults plus our five kiddos makes for a full house, but such sweet times.

And then today.  Susan Ayi gave our big four fishing nets for Christmas and they were so eager to get outside and "fish".  Isaac woke up this morning talking about packing his net for America (11 months til take-off, it's good to know he's planning ahead!)

So after rest time I geared up and headed out with my crew of fishermen.  I was laughing so hard I could barely take the photos (just old phone quality photos, I was busy enough juggling the fishermen!)

Our apartment complex is full of water features: little interconnecting streams, a few larger ponds, stocked with plenty of fish.  Typically I steer clear of the water and try to stay near dry ground, but today we were looking for fish.  The kids were hoping for a big catch.  I was just hoping everyone stayed dry.

I loaded Luke on my back and we were all set.  It wasn't long before kids and fishing nets were teetering precariously close to the water's edge.

 

After about 45 minutes of scenes like these we had no fish.  

And I thought it was high time to take a little break and let my blood pressure return to normal.  So we ended our afternoon at the playground, the big three still confused as to why our nets were empty and determined to figure out what needs to change so we come home with fish next go-round.  

It was a highlight of my day, watching these four traipse around our complex, fishing nets in hand, scheming about the next big catch.  They were hilariously awesome.  I laughed harder than I have in weeks. 

A Merry post-Christmas week for our little family!

Christmas in pictures

Merry Christmas!

from our family to yours!!!!!!

7 on Christmas eve

Seven seems to be the number this season.

Julianna, 7 years and one day old.  My first child, a Christmas baby.  She is truly a treasure like no other. 

And the other big 7? Seven of us!  It's a full house this Christmas.  And oh am I grateful!  Last Christmas we were waiting for Luke (born 3 months later) and John Paul (we actually didn't even know who our John Paul was last Christmas, just knew that he was coming). 

All seven of us went to International Fellowship together the morning of the 23rd.  There was a time last week when I didn't think that service, or this picture, would happen.  I'm not sure I've ever been so thankful to all walk into a church service together. 

Life is full.  But I cannot imagine it any other way.

We're home from a Christmas eve party with many dear friends, all the children are sleeping and Matt & I are finishing up final Christmas preparations.  Tomorrow is our first Christmas morning with 5 children.  I can't wait!!!!!!  (And neither can they!  I convinced the girls to skip their flashlight-reading time and go straight to bed because they didn't want to oversleep and get up later than the boys!  In reality, I'm thinking the girls will be up by 7, and it's the boys we'll be waiting for!)

guess where we are?!?!?

HOME!

Yes!

We have not technically been discharged yet but John Paul was doing so well this afternoon the head nurse told us we could go home and she'd call us in tomorrow if the chief resident thought John Paul needed to be checked.  Otherwise, we'll be back on Monday to do all the discharge paperwork and close this chapter of John Paul's story!

Woohooo!!!!!