Jack updating for Kim

Hi Everybody!

This is Jack updating the blog for Kim. Kim is still on bed rest and not able to make it to the computer. We are getting a Dell notebook computer soon, so she will be able to manage her blog more then.

All is going well. Thanks to all of you who have remembered us in your prayers. Kim and baby seem to be doing well, but the tear is still present so she is on strict bed rest. This has given me the opportunity to learn how much work it takes to manage a household and let me tell you: IT'S HARD WORK! But Kim's job of bed rest is the hardest work by far. She is doing a great job being a great mother to this little one. Pray for her and for the child.

The Kids are doing great and loved Christmas as all kids do. They loved the gifts they received. Thanks to all relatives that helped make this Christmas special for Gracyn and Aidan. They loved the Geo Tracs sets, the clothes, the Leap pad fridge game, and everything else.

We haven't posted a blog in quite some time, so I am going to post some pics and blurbs of some of the things that happened this past month.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the hospital with Kim.

Aidan had his 2nd birthday. I made him a chocolate Curious George cake.

Gracyn was the #1 Angel in a play her class performed during elementary school chapel. We were very proud of our #1 Angel!. She had 2 lines that she delivered perfectly.

Aidan and Gracyn both love playing with the GeoTracs set! Even Gigi gets in on the fun.

The Ladies of the team came over to have a Christmas party with Kim. They played some games and sangs some songs and of courase ate some nice Christmas goodies.

Our Team also had some great outreach events from Thanksgiving dinners to Christmas parties and fun outings. We had a Christmas party at the ministry center that was great! About 100 Thai people from the community came. We also had a more intimate party at the Mills house with our neighbors and were very pleased with the friends that joined us for food, fun, singing. I attempted to read the Christmas story from the Thai Bible, but despite my practice, I was painfully slow. So about half way through, I had one of our Thai friends read, which was much better!

That's all for now! More to come.

Funny apology

We've been working with Gracyn on manners. Teaching table manners and general polite behaviors can often be slow coming for small children. Gracyn has a habit of being a little too verbal when it comes to announcing what she likes and doesn't like...mainly what she doesn't like. So last night, as I'm on "couch rest", Jack makes dinner. It was a perfectly fine dinner mind you. Gracyn several times makes a "yuk" noise at one of the foods she is displeased with. We reprimand her for this as we are trying to instill a more polite way to turn down a food. We remind her to say, " No thank you or may I be excused from eating this please?" But the "yuks" kept coming. So after several unheeded warnings, she is swiftly sent to her room. After a few minutes, I go to speak with her. I talk to her about how her manners are hurtful to the person who made the food, unlady-like and rude. I remind her of the behaviors we'd prefer to see. She apologizes. I ask her to make Jack an apology note since she was rude about his cooking. She likes the idea and spends some time working on her card. After five or so minutes she returns with a card. I ask to see it first. Upon reading it, I couln't help but to burst into laughter. She laughed too, but wasn't sure why. Here is what her card said:

I i am sre dade for dwen e uke fen.

Translation: I am sorry Daddy for doing a yukky thing. The letters were actually all run togehter but I figured you wouldn't be able to "read" her apology if I didn't separate the words. It was a reminder of how precious little kids are even when they have bad table manners!

Resting and bored

So far this first trimester of pregnancy has been tough! I'm so looking forward to the feel good and blooming days of the second trimester. I have been continuing to have hormone shots weekly for the tear I have. As of last Wednesday the doctor said it hadn't healed. I will need to continue treatments for at least another two weeks. Sigh. I also decided to take more rest for at least a week. That really seemed to make a difference when this happened during my pregnancy with Gracyn. I really haven't slowed down all that much this go around and decided that I would really need to do that. How do you do that with two other kids? Poor Jack has been suffering the brunt of the family load...not to mention continuing to work a full load as well. He's been really great about it though. He's cleaning, washing clothes, cooking meals, watching kids, bathing kids, doing school drop offs and pick ups. I know he's worn out. It is hard for me to just be sitting there without helping at all. That isn't my nature. But, I'm ordered to rest. After all I am growing a person! Last night I felt a little stir crazy. I was so tired of sitting and I was miserably uncomfortable. My body was saying, "get up and move!" It ached from lack of activity. I haven't been able to sit down this much since before Gracyn was born! Motherhood keeps you in constant motion. I didn't realize how hard it would be to just sit for one whole day. I'm supposed to do this for a week??? Well, I guess I should try to see the value in it since when our foursome becomes five....I probably won't be able to sit down again for years to come!

Loy Kratong

On November 5th, Thai people celebrated their annual full moon festival that occurs on the 10th full moon of the year. The festival is called Loy Kratong. Thais generally celebrate by making Kratong and floating (loy) them down bodies of water to ask for forgiveness for the way they have treated nature. It is a way to float away sins and evil influences in their lives and to ask for blessings. A kratong is made out of banana leaves, flowers, has 3 inscence sticks and a candle. Thais light the candle and inscence, say a prayer and float the kratong away. Our neighbors gathered at our neighborhood pond to Loy Kratong and we joined them. We of course, do not particpate as the Thais do, but rather pray to God thanking Him for His creation instead. It is quite a sight to see all the Kratong lit and floating in water. This year there were even some more creative kratong such as crocodiles made out of bread! Here are some pictures of our neighborhood gathering.

Hello Cool Season!

We finally have seen the last of the rains! Wow, it was quite the rainy season this year. Everything stayed a swampy mess for months. We were pretty bored with sloshing through puddles for so long. Typical to the first week of November, the cool season is starting to gently refresh us with her winds and slightly cooler temps. We may get a few days cooler than this, but typically we will still have days above 85 degrees. Chilly eh? Brrr. Yes, the Thais will don jackets and sweaters, but we farang will just feel happy to have a gentle breeze blowing in our faces. Interestingly, it does help those of us who have been here many years feel that Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us even though we don't have crisp air, colorful leaves, smells of fireplaces and all those other warm fuzzies. We are already looking forward to Thanksgiving around here. I already have visions of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole dancing around in my head. Yum!

More Halloween pics

William as a Skeleton Devil with wings ??

Kom as a Ninja Turtle

Ballerina Emmy and Korean Gracyn

The Group!

Halloween at Mantana

Aidan as a gardner

BJ as Superman

Gracyn as a Korean girl

We just finished trick or treating here in our Moo Baan (subdivision). We had a really good time and a better than last year turn out considering we got too busy to put much thought into planning. Word of mouth works well too! We had about 13 kids this year plus parents join us as we trick or treated at about 6 homes. It isn't the big extravaganza like in the USA, but we were thankful to get time with our Thai friends. They were so eager to dress up and participate. Of course the kids like the candy. We look forward to more holiday celebrations with our neighbors during the upcoming holiday season. Enjoy these shots from our little Halloween.

Thank you Ena

Thanks Ena for the animal crackers! We sure are enjoying them. Don't look at Gracyn's hair...it's a mess!

Snail invasion!

We've come under the attack of snails! We've noticed many snails in our yard each morning for a few months. Each time we see them, we'd see about 7 or so snails. They seemed harmless enough, so we left them alone and just enjoyed watching them. However, we started noticing that many of our bushes were being eaten to shreds! We decided that we probably needed to start collecting them and move them to an uninhabited area. So, we began collecting the snails each morning and would gather about 7 each day. We were sure we were getting them all. Last night though, Jack decided to take a flashlight out to search the yard. He collected 88 snails in one night! These snails aren't little either. we couldn't believe the amount of snails. No wonder our yard was looking shabby. We decided that these snails must be a result of the huge snail we adopted last May. You might remember the story of the snail we found that the street sweeper tried to kill, but lived after a fierce ground thrashing. This snail must have been so greatful for our love and care that she decided to inhabit our yard and raise families! We won't be adopting anymore snails. This is now a nuisance!

Our 8th Anniversary

I forgot to mention that in the midst of all the other craziness that has been happening in our lives, we also celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We actually went out a few days late due to exhaustion from the previous week. Jack took me to a place called Vertigo...yeah, sounds like a U2 song. Vertigo is a really neat restaurant on top of The Banyan Tree Hotel downtown. It is on the roof of a 69 story building and it is open air. So, basically they can only open weather permitting. This is sort of predictable in Thailand so there are huge seasons of time where one could eat there without worrying about rain. We got there about half a hour before sunset. They have a little bar where you can order a drink and look out over the city before dinner. I had a Shirley Temple considering my condition. Then at 6:30 the restaurant begins to serve dinner. We were taken to the best table on the roof since Jack informed them of our anniversary. Jack ordered veal cutlet and I went for a rib eye. We both ordered monstrous ceasar salads...which had we know the size, we would have shared. Needless to say, there wasn't room for dessert. That was a shame but neither of us could manage it. However, our waiter O, brought us an anniversary drink which was green and had dry ice smoke pouring from the bottom..compliments of the chef! We were so dumb and forgot our camera! But Vertigo takes a complimentary picture for the patrons and we have one to share with you.

Keeping a secret

The blogs have been few and far between. It isn't that life has been dull with little to share. It has actually been quite the whirlwind of activity! So why haven't I blogged? I've been sitting on a secret! Some of you know this news, but about 4 weeks ago, we were given a huge shock in discovering that we are expecting our 3rd child! It was quite a surprise. I am currently about 8+ weeks along and these 4 weeks of knowing haven't been without incident either. For the first time in a pregnancy I have had morning sickness. This has been an adjustment. The other two times were "golden" with feeling good. I guess I can't expect that 3 times! That would just be unfair to so many other women. I would surely be loathed. Now I can have true fellowship. On top of all this, I got hit hard about a week ago with some sort of food poisoning. All I can say is that horrible doesn't come close to discribing it. This bout of food poisoning required a day and a half in hospital hooked up to an IV. Fun stuff, but it made me feel better. The next day I was released from the hospital and the day after that I had to rush back with a pregnancy complication! The doctor discovered that I had a tear inside that required treatments with hormones. I had the same thing with Gracyn so I was pretty calm over all and quite used to the treatments. I actually had the same treatments with Aidan but for different causes. I know how to assume "the position" for my weekly shots. The next day our team flew south to Khao Lak for a team retreat. My doctor told me that I deserved to go after the week I had! He was right. I was ordered to take it easy though and rest as much as possible. It was refreshing to get away so that meals and housekeeping could be someone else's problem for a few days. We had a great time even though I couldn't be as active as I would have liked. Small price to pay though. I will be on treatments for the next few weeks, but the baby is doing fine and looking like any other 8 week old fetus should. Here is a picture of what we have, though this is not our baby! We give God great praise for His blessings and mercies.

International Night

Tonight was International Night at Gracyn's school. This is always a fun school event. I can remember being a teacher at my first International night back in 1996 and thinking how neat it was to see all my students proudly display their heritages through dance and food. 10 years later, I was able to take my daughter to her first International Night. International Night begins with a cultural program in which students separate into nationality groups and perform traditional songs or dances. Everyone wears their traditional clothing as well. The students look so neat and beautiful in traditional dress. Tonight was full of dances from Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, India, China and one group even tried to do a typical American football half-time show. The kids dressed in cheerleading outfits and band outfits. The most hilarious part of that show was that their wasn't a single American in the group! The Americans didn't perform this year. Maybe their weren't any parents willing to help with choreography. The show was fun for the kids and for adults alike. There were tons of technical glitches tonight, but a good time was still had by all. I think this Indian kid stole the show. He was about 12 or so and performed a solo dance. His dance was about unrequited love, but it looked more like a John Travolta show! He was decked out in a glittery costume and was giving the dance 110%. It was fun. Jack commented that at his age, he had guts to get out there in do a solo like that. It looked like a Bollywood show...India's version of Hollywood. Very disco-like.

After the show, everyone was able to travel around sampling foods from all the nations represented. That's the best part. The Americans typically do it up right with desserts. We don't bring too much food. I made Mrs. Field's cookies and snickerdoodles. We didn't get any of our own desserts or any others, unfortunately. But, the food was plentiful at the Indian, Korean, and Thai stalls. Jack feasted on Indian and I stuck to Korean and Thai. The lines were so long! The Canadians actually had a very interesting dish of french fries with gravy and cheese on top. It sounds weird but it was pretty good! I can't remember what they called it. I wish I could have stuck around and ate more of those good foods.

I also had a good time seeing my old students as seniors! They were running all sorts of fund raisers for their senior class. Of course, I had to help out and buy some stuff. They are all so grown and beautiful. Next year they will be launched on the world. I want to enjoy watching them while I can. The best part for me though, occured when a middle school aged boy said hello to me. I recognized the face, but it took a minute to realize that he was Akaraya's brother! Akaraya was perhaps one of my closest students. I brought her home with me, to the States, at the end of my first year teaching 3rd grade. She stayed with my family and I for a month in Atlanta. We had a blast. When I finally realized that it was Pichayute talking to me, I had to chase him down and ask about Akaraya. She left ICS several years ago to attend a school with a program for learning to be an Ambassador...which is her dream. She graduated high school last year and is now studying in England! I haven't seen her since 2001. After talking with Pichayute for awhile, I saw Akaraya's mom and she gives me the biggest bear hug. She was as happy to see me and I was her. It was great seeing her. She was always so sweet to me. We talked for awhile and I gave them my email address to pass to Akaraya in England. I hope I hear from her. She's a special girl. It was great seeing Pichayute too. I met him when he was 4 and couldn't speak any English. He used to call me on the phone and say " Miss Kim" and giggle...because that was all he could say! He's now in the 8th grade, can speak English and even did a year of high school in Indiana last year! What a fun night! Here are some of the pictures...I wish I took more.

Care Package!

Thank you Koiner family for the wonderful care package! We were so excited to receive it. We look forward to your site visit next month and to the beginnings of a new friendship!

Suvarnabhumi

Suvarnabhumi....can you say that? Sure...I knew you could! This name is the name of the new airport that has just opened in Bangkok. Don Muang in the north part of the city has just been closed after 92 years of service. The name Suvarnabhumi was chosen by His Majesty the King in the year 2000. It is interesting to note that this new airport has been in the making for over 40 years. Today, marks the grand opening of this new state-of-the-art gateway into Southeast Asia. The name means the "golden land" which refers to continental Indochina. This is supposed to be a highly sophisticated airport with the latest technologies. I will see for myself next month as we fly out for a retreat to the south of Thailand. It'll be exciting to see!

By the way... The airport is pronounced Su wa na poom...would you have guessed that?

Pawn's Baby is here!

Welcome to Baby Yoshua!
2.9 Kilograms
Born around 2:00 P.M.
September 28, 2006

Mother, Yoshua and Dad are doing just fine. We rejoice over the birth of this new precious life. Yoshua is the Thai way of pronouncing the name Joshua. Joshua was Irene's suggested name. I wonder if they already chose the name before our game!

Predictions

Right now, we are getting pummled by rain! This is a huge rain! This is the stuff that flooded roads are made of. A prediction is being made by the forecasters here for heavy rains on October 9-11. If this occurs, it is said that Bangkok will experience significant flooding. Supposedly the reasons are heavy rains in the north running off and coming down streams and rivers, plus the moon phase will cause waters to rise and there will be heavy rains in Bangkok as well. We will have to see if this really occurs. We have about 1 more month left in the rainy season and then we will be dry as a bone for about 4-5 months.

New Books

I purchased our next set of books for nighttime reading. Here is what we will be reading.

Gracyn: Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Following this she we will be reading Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes. Ginger Pye is about a dog, which will be right up Gracyn's alley since she is always pretending to be a dog! Ginger Pye is a Newberry Award winning book.

Aidan: I am a Bunny. This is a Golden Book which is Illustrated by Richard Scarry. He likes it already due to the Animals throughout the book.

My Addiction

Som Tam!!!

Ok, so I'm very near to joining a Som Tam eaters anoynomous support group. I just can't get enough of the stuff. I should probably explain what Som Tam is for the unaware. Som Tam is a type of salad here that consists of:

1. Green papaya cut into long shreds
2. Carrots cut into long shreds
3. Small tomatoes cut into halves
4. Long beans cut into small pieces
5. Roasted peanuts
6. Palm sugar
7. Lime juice
8. Fish sauce
9. Dried Shrimps ( none for me please)
10. Red small chilies ( some people add one chili and others up to ten or more)

All of this is placed together in mortar and pounded with a pestle. Som Tam means sour pound. The result is a simple delicious treat! This salad is particularly popular with the Poo Ying (ladies) but men do like it too. It has the perfect balance of salty, sweet and sour tastes. I take mine without the chilis, however, there is always a little spicy residue leftover in the mortar from the previous orders to give my dish a little kick. I had Som Tam three times last week because I was craving it so bad. I even got Jack started on his own addition. We both got to the point of just hearing the words Som Tam and we were both in the depths of craving. After my third dish in a week, I developed a rash on my hands. I wondered if I was developing an allergic reaction to my new favorite Thai dish. That would be tragic. However, I now think it is from pulling up pumpkin vines from our little garden. I think the oils in the pumpkin leaves caused a reaction. Phew!

New Discovery About Thailand

You can not renew your drivers licence until it expires!!! This little discovery cost me a couple of hours at the Transportation Office (DMV) and I left without a renewed licence. I got a cheery "See you on Monday!" Yep, I guess you will.

How my life might be different from yours...part 2

Your kids might have snow days...but mine have Coup days!

How my life might be different from yours

After living in Thailand for almost 8 years, I realized that there are so many things that I once found strange or annoying that have become my new normal. Sometimes these things still do challenge me, but as I reflect on this crazy life I lead I've realized how I've come to accept so many of them as normal.

1. Smells...upon first visit to Thailand, you will experience some smells that make you want to gag the moment you step out of doors. I hardly smell them anymore and if I do, my gag reflex has disappeared. What are these smells you might ask? Sewage, trash cans, the food courts inside malls, street vendors, fresh markets, and stagnant waters. I'm sure there are more.
2. Grocery stores and malls...these are the loudest places on the face of the Earth. Each shop feels it is their personal responsibility to cause premature deafness in their customers. They play the loudest music non-stop. It sounds like being in a disco. The shops have competing music playing so that not only is it loud but there are several songs blaring at you at once. We think these are tactics to draw attention to their stores to get you to shop there. It feels more like a deterant to me. They also have "pretties" trying to promote various products in the store aisles. Pretties are attractive young girls hired to make products seem more attractive. Sometimes these girls are quietly blocking the brands they don't want you to buy, while making sure their brand is very visible. Sometimes they squat in the aisles putting on makeup, brushing their hair or talking on cell-phones. Sometimes they are also loud by screaming the praises of their products at you while you walk by. You might even by accosted by a mini-commercial as you step in front of sensors of certain products. This is normal.
3. Crazy drivers and motorcycles... these are plentiful. While driving you must always watch out for motorcycles. They are always zooming in and out of traffic. They will sneak up from behind you and cut you off in front of your car. They expect you to notice them and watch out for them. You also have other drivers that do some very interesting things. One of those things is to push you out of your lane when they change lanes. If a car decides to get over, he or she will just do so...even if there is no available space. They will just push you out of the lane and expect you to get over. Traffic rules are really just suggestions. If you are driving down a one way street, expect to see oncoming traffic! A one lane road becomes two. However a four lane road becomes two as well due to cars parking in the outer most lanes. A road can be designated for two way traffic and suddenly turn into a one way road. Yes, these are things you can get used to!
4. Stray dogs running in gangs...there are always stray dogs everywhere you go. They live in the streets and have become super saavy about street life. They are often mangy and dirty looking. You could start a picture collection of "soi" dogs and fill albums in no time. Homeowners and store owners have even figured out a way to keep their sidewalks clean from dogs. You fill water bottles with water and place them in the areas you want free of dogs. I have no idea why this works, but it does. These gangs get pretty musical in the night with the sounds of fighting.
   
5. I go barefoot indoors at all times. This can be tough to remember at first. But after awhile, it becomes second nature to remove your shoes before entering a home. If you've ever walked a street in Thailand, this will make perfect sense and you will be all about this practice! We've become "very Thai" in this way. We'd probably even do it in the States...at least for a while.
   
6. You eat with a fork and spoon. This is the proper way to eat food here. You use your fork to push the food onto your spoon and eat off the spoon. Whenever someone fresh from the States arrives here and I see them stabing their food with a fork, it looks so weird now. This doesn't apply to steaks and big pieces of meat cooked in a Western way.
   
7. I can not drink from my faucets. I must always drink bottled water.
8. McDonald's can be delivered to you via motorcycle! Pizza is done the same way.
9. I have had snakes and big lizards in my yard.
10. Hair cuts are a risk. When you go to a salon or barber shop and tell them what style or how much you want cut off, they nod and then do what they want to do anyway. One inch means two or three. You have to always underestimate... and hope to get close enough.
    
11. When you get sick and need to see a doctor, you will leave with 5 or more meds to take. You always get an antibiotic. You have to refuse them at times. Thais just do not feel served if they aren't given medicines. If you find a conservative doctor who follows western practices and you aren't given an antibiotic, your Thai friends will insist you find a better doctor.
    

So this is my new normal. These are things I have had to adjust to and there are so many more. These are the things that once frustrated me, but now make me laugh or feel that Thailand has its own unique charm. Oh to see Thailand through first time eyes again! It can be overwhelming, but it is also strangely fun to experience it all.

Things you just don't see in the USA...

trucks heavy-laden with plastic water bottles threatening to tip over at any moment!

Thai Monopoly

We recently purchased the Thai version of Monopoly. It has just been released here in Thailand this year. It comes with a certificate telling us how special we are to have one of the first edition copies. We though it would be pretty cool to play this classic game with a Thai twist. We finally broke it out the other night and played. We have been too busy to have a proper game night. The properties are all Thai. The most coveted properties are Silom and Sukhumvit as opposed to Boardwalk and Park Place. The properties come from different hot spots throughout Thailand. The playing pieces are the same and the Chance and Community Chest cards are the same. There is both Thai and English written on everything. So you can be told to "go to jail" or " by kao kook" . I played Jack the other night. Of course, he has to "trash talk" about how he will win. I smoked him! I mean beat him badly up and down Silom and Sukhumvit Roads. I owned both properties with multiple houses!!! To be fair, he kept getting slammed with "fees" for various different things, while I kept getting rewarded. That's only part of the game. The rest was my saavy game playing! All of these "digs" are for my dear husband's benefit for his trash talk! He loves it!

Khao Keow Open Zoo

Last weekend, our family took a day trip to the Khao Keow (Green Mountain) Open Zoo. It is only 45 minutes or so from our home, in Chonburi province. Zoo's in Thailand ordinarily have horrible reputations. Animals are often kept in "cells" with little food or water. They can often look injured as well. With a bit of skepticism, we headed off for the zoo and were pleasantly surprised. Many of the animals had nice open areas to roam. The animals looked well cared for and healthy. At the zoo entrance, they had stalls of people selling bags of fresh vegetables. At first impressions, I thought, "this is an odd place for a vegetable market, but ok, whatever...this is Thailand!" Upon further thought, I realized that these bags of veggies were for sale to feed the animals. We promptly bought a bag and had a great time feeding the animals. The kids were able to pet deer and get up close with giraffes! Gracyn loved feeding them, especially because of their long blue tongues! She thought that was very funny. Aidan wasn't too keen on them. I think their size was a little intimidating. He wailed! Jack was all excited about being able to touch a hyena and play with a very playful elephant calf. The calf kept trying to wrestle people with his trunk. Jack was all about that. We were able to feed some monkies as well. We even caught one monkey in the back of someone's truck helping himself to a bag of Lay's chips. We could imagine the arguements later that day with accusations flying regarding the missing contents of the bag. Too fun. This was a great family place to visit. Afterwards, we loaded the kids up in the car and took a little scenic drive around a resevoir in the area. It was such a beautiful drive. I couldn't get over how beautiful of a road it was. Maybe I was just starving for a little nature, but the drive had a very calming effect which doesn't occur much here. I highly recommend this day trip!

Welcome to Andrew and Becky Bronson!

Andrew and Becky have arrived in Thailand. They will be working with our team for 2 years. We are thrilled to have them join us and look forward to getting to know them better during their time here.

Quotes

Kim: Jack, can you tell me how to rename a bunch of pictures that are of the same thing one more time. I can't ever remember and I don't want to do it individually.

Jack: Yes, just click on the first picture then click control....

Gracyn: Just click control, alt, delete! I learned that in computers.

Pawn's Baby shower

Today our team was able to give Pawn, our Joy Kid's coordinator, a lovely baby shower. Pawn is expecting her first child in about a week's time. Pawn and Chai had a good time at the celebration and were great sports in joining in the American custom of opening gifts in front of the givers. Thais typically open gifts in private...so they don't have to pretend to like it. Pawn and Chai were able to get many wonderful baby items for their Baby Boy! We played several shower games such as wearing a diaper pin and being forbidden to say any form of the word "baby" in English or Thai. If you say the word or a form of the word, your diaper pin is taken. The one who collects the most diaper pins wins. Awe, of course, won as she always does. She sits and waits on her prey very seriously. She will always catch you or try to trick you into say the forbidden word. She's good. We also played the "guess the girth" game where the mother's bump is measured with toliet paper squares. Each guest tries to guess how many squares it takes to get around the bump. Awe, of course, correctly guessed 8 toilet paper squares. We also each guessed the birth date, how many kilos and the time of birth. We'll have to wait to see if Awe wins. Just for fun, we decide to give some name recommendations for the new baby. They could be serious or funny. Too bad Bubba doesn't translate. Some of the names were Pawnchai...a combination of both parents names...and a nice Thai name, Noah, Joshua, Jarakae (Crocodile), Tao (turtle), Yo, Wa, DaJaPuTi (Dave Jack, Paul, Tim), Chai Jr. (C.J.) and Winnie the Pooh. Winnie and Pooh are both Thai nicknames. Thais have some interesting nicknames. For now we will have to remain in suspense regarding the name. We ended the shower with cake and ice cream and prayer for a healthy delivery, mom and baby. Hopefully, we will meet our newest team member soon.

It's milestone time! Last week we surprisingly discovered that Gracyn had a loose tooth. She was complaining of tooth pain and upon investigation we discovered that it was actually loose! I was really surprised because she just turned 5 a month ago and I really thought we wouldn't start having the tooth fairy visit for at least another year. I was wrong. Gracyn spent the entire week wiggling her tooth. Today we came to the conclusion that her tooth was loose enough to pull, but we were beat to the punch when Gracyn was running around the house and bumped her mouth on a chair. She said, " Mommy my lip is bleeding." I said, "nope...you lost your tooth!" Then, we didn't know where the tooth ended up and had to go on a tooth search. After all, how can the tooth fairy visit without the proof of a tooth? Jack found it after a few minutes. We were relieved that we'd actually get to keep the tooth and do the whole under the pillow bit. How anti-climatic would it have been to have lost the tooth? Very. So, after dealing with the blood and rinsing with salt water, we were able to take a picture of our snaggled-toothed girl. Once again this is proof that our little girl is growing up way to fast!

Welcome Asa Jeffrey Mills!
10 pounds 6 oz
September 1st, 2:14 P.M.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Thailand. These aren't profound things, but just the little things that make life here enjoyable.

Frangipani blossoms




Som Tam (raw papaya salad...a very sour salad that leaves a pucker)







A beauty salon hair wash and blow dry
Inexpensive beach vacations
The Thai wai (greeting)
Teak wood
Thai silk
Fresh fruits
Knowing how to speak Thai
Tradional Thai music and costume
Lime slushies

What we are reading...

Gracyn is currently being read Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Aidan is being read The Little Fire Engine and The Little Train both by Lois Lenski (1940) over and over and over again! It reminds me of Gracyn's Goodnight Moon phase. Aidan likes the one about the firemen most of all because of the better sound effects.

What's coming up? Teddy Robinson Stories by Joan G. Robinson. These stories were written by a mother, for her daughter Deborah, about her teddy bear named Teddy Robinson. These stories came from the 1950's and 1960's and are about the adventures of a little girl's teddy bear. The adventures are ones that "could happen to anybody's teddy bear" through child's play. Teddy Robinson still resides with his "little girl" in London.

Today's treat for Aidan and me...

Strawberry-banana smoothies sipped through Pooh and Blue's clues crazy straws!! Yummy!

Goodbye Halley

Tonight, our 11 month intern Halley leaves us. Halley has spent her internships doing some really neat things. Halley has a great heart for the poor...not just the poor...but the poorest of the poor. She is a gifted young lady! Halley has spent a great deal of time researching mercy ministry opportunities for our team. She has worked with some "bar girls" in seeking to help them escape their tough circumstances. Halley has taught flower making skills to slum residents,loved on orphans, taught English classes to kids and adults, and helped with Tsunami relief. Halley we wish you the best as you return to the States!

Interesting flower

This is a flower arrangement that Rhianna gave me. I have no idea what it is and neither did she...neither did a Rhianna's Thai tutor! It is really cool looking. If you know what it is, let us know!

Rhianna's shower

The ladies of our team hosted a baby shower for Rhianna Mills yesterday. We had a brunch full of yummy foods. I made a breakfast casserole, served fruit and punch. Crystal made yummy chicken salad served on soft rolls. Jan made the cake which was shaped like a bear. Jan used her yummy wacky chocolate cake recipe that uses vinegar and no eggs! Strange but oh so good! After we feasted, we opened gifts. Rhianna was bestowed with newborn diapers, Johnson's baby wash, mild baby detergent and a homemade crocheted teddy bear that is in progress. We ended with a time of prayer for Rhianna, the birth, baby and family adjustments. Tomorrow is D-day! Baby Mills can arrive at any time! Rest well Rhi!

Changes

I'm experimenting with a new template. I thought it had a Thai-esque quality to it and would give ambiance to these postings! I can't seem to settle on one just yet.

Fun surprise

After dinner tonight, my phone rang and my friend Bun was on the line. She asked if she could come over to "show off" something. She asked if she could bring some friends of hers as well, one of whom is a Thai musical instrument teacher. Of course I said "yes". They showed up and brought with them a keem. I'm not sure if I'm spelling it phonetically correct, but a keem is an instrument that lays on the ground and is strung like a guitar. To play it you must use two thin reeds with rectangular heads to strike the chords. The music that it makes is a very traditional tinkling "Thai" sound. The music teacher, Khun Ray, gave us a little concert. Then she graciously let us all take turns playing the instrument. The kids had a blast banging on it and Khun Ray was very gracious to let that happen. I actually got a small lesson. Bun is going to hire Khun Ray to teach lessons to herself and her daughter Nina. Bun wants me to take lessons as well. I thought that sounded fun and agreed to do that with her. We plan to try to meet at Bun's house on Sunday evenings to take these Thai music lessons together. It's a great way to consistently spend time with my friend Bun and to learn an ethnic Thai instrument. I look forward to doing that with her. This was such a fun way to end our evening.

For the grandparents

Here is another version of Gracyn's school uniform.