Visiting Phayao, Part Three

We went to a nature center one day, and Corban (Chris and Tonya's oldest son) was the "Goat Whisperer." He told all the kids how to walk slowly and put their hands behind their backs so the goats would not be scared. So sweet! He's an animal lover like our Caleb.

At the nature center, we looked at some animals and then sat down to have a "homeschool sharing time." Our Thailand friends told us things about Thailand and we (or I) told them about Singapore. We asked questions about how our lives are different in the two countries. (Meg, the 3-year-old in the purple shirt, was obviously enthralled by our presentation! Kind of like Levi who was taking pictures of the sky and himself while I was talking.)

Only in Thailand! (Yes, Mom, adults sat back there with them!)

Teagan insisted I take a picture of him! Happy to oblige. Such a cutie!:-)

This is the street where Chris and Tonya live. It's currently under construction. It's been that way for quite some time (almost 4 weeks when we were there), and I don't know that there is any plan to finish it. They have to park in that raised area to the left and navigate the dangerous holes to get to their house at the end. It's pretty tricky at night.

Chris built his boys a tree house, and it is so cool! The boys loved playing up there.

And, Caleb is representing our Aggies and our home state of Texas all the way in Thailand!

Thanks Phayao friends for hosting us and blessing us with such a fun, relaxing time. We LOVED being with you!!

Visiting Phayao, Part 2

One of the best parts of our trip to Phayao...instant friends! All of the kids are about the same ages, so they played and played and played. It was great fun for all!

Why, yes, that is an alligator behind that fence. Doesn't look safe to you? Welcome to Thailand!

Visiting Phayao, Part One

Caleb, Levi and I flew to Thailand on June 21 to visit a team of missionaries, who all happen to be friends of mine. It's pretty cool that I have a prior relationship with all 7 adults on the team (4 from when I lived in Thailand and 3 from college). We had a GREAT time! It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, see the work they are doing in Phayao, have our kids play together, and be back in Thailand for a while (and out of the big, loud city!).

Ann and Derran's living room/the boys watching videos on my phone:

The street where Ann and Derran live. Yes, only one car at a time.

The boys' redneck version of a swimming pool. They had a BLAST! It was great for them to have a "yard" they could play in without much supervision. We miss that so much living in a condo.

The boys with some of the team kids (and Chris Fikes) doing Hello Kitty puzzles. It is Asia, after all!

Gap playing games with the kids on her iPad:

Finger painting!

I had to take this picture. Since we live in Singapore, where all power, cable and telephone lines are underground, this is something we never see:

More to come...

Fun with Friends!

We had Elyse and Anastasia over today to play and so their mom could have a much-deserved break.

Look at this face! So cute.

Caleb showing off his creation:

Levi, playing with Do-A-Dot markers (and having bedhead, apparently):

Someone needs a haircut:

My kids are perfecting their "get that camera out of my face" looks. My new camera is more fun for me than for them. :-)

See!

We had fun creating:

Elyse carefully guarding her markers from Caleb who keeps trying to steal them:

Look what I made!

It's such a joy to have such sweet friends here.

Those Silly Sisters Book Giveaway

I have a friend from college, Erica Stidham, who has recently published a children's book called Those Silly Sisters: Swimming in the Rain.

Here's the book description:

Katie and Claire absolutely love adventures. But even more than adventures, they adore being silly. Thankfully for them, their Mommy loves that too! In their first adventure, Katie and Claire wake up excited for one of Mommy's special "promise days". Unfortunately, they quickly discover that a cloudy, rainy day has put a stop to their plans.

Luckily, Katie quickly thinks of a way to turn the day into one of their most memorable ever! Be sure to join the silly sisters as they embark on many more amazing adventures!

I'm so excited for her that I want to give one of you a copy of her book.

Leave a comment on this post telling me a favorite memory from your childhood. I'll use the Random Number Generator to choose a winner on Thursday, my birthday. Open to anyone...I'll pick up the shipping if a non-US resident wins (the books are shipped from Texas).

And if you don't win, you should definitely pick up a copy of the book for your daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, or friend!

Our US Trip, Part Five

On Tuesday, June 22, we flew from Houston to Albuquerque. Then we drove the 2 hours to Justin's hometown. The wide open spaces of New Mexico look slightly different than they do in central Texas, but it felt so good to see this landscape.

And we were so happy to finally see this sign!

And playing in the park and not sweating a single drop! The weather was incredible!

Our US Trip, Part Four

Before we left for New Mexico, we had a gathering of our old Life Group in Houston. It was such a joy to see all these sweet faces again and get to hug them!

Dana and Holly:

Sweet Evelyn:

Aaron with my boys:

Kim and Alicia (the only picture I have of Kim because she refused my later picture-taking opportunity):

All the men outside chatting: