Unique Bedtime Snacks...

I think you dropped it Isaak! :)

Fried crickets and silk worms

Brave Brothers bite bugs...

The boys just helped me clean up after another fun-filled Coffee House. We had a special guest this time tho as the Cama USA director was in town. He had graciously stopped by the market to bring the boys a special treat which I thought was extremely thoughtful. Some of the boys were still hungry and ate away, some were already exhausted and in bed. Oh well, I think they will not go bad by tomorrow. Cheers!

Co-op 1st and 2nd graders :)

A few members of co-op at breaktime.

Josiah is in the 2nd grade, Gabriel and Ariana are in 1st grade. We just finished a section on the Amazon and are trying to create jungle snakes!

Reading happens ALOT in our classroom. We just finished reading about the Yanomamo Indians in our morning time together.

Its neat that we are from all over the world, living in S.E. Asia, and prying for Indians in Venezuela! :)

These are great kids. We are a very culturally diverse homeschool co-op, living and learning alongside each other in Asia. Its a delight to be together every day.

Of course, I love that Im with Gabriel for his first and second grade years! He is a great helper for me in our room and quite a good memorizer Ive found. We have done LONG passages, about 10 verses or more at a time and he can spit them out fast! Good stuff! :)

I realized the other day that these kiddos have been in SE Asia longer than they have in the USA. I said 'bologna' after a tall tale they told me and none of the three knew what I meant. Thats so weird to me.... to have to say 'lets go google bologna!' Weird.

An Ivy I.V.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to take pics of government buildings. The hospital happens to be one such place. I understand... while not completely in the sticks, its no Bumrungrad (5 star hosp. in Bangkok). I drove a friend and his son to the hosp. today to pick up a new baby. We sat in what I assumed to be the maternity ward until a gurney came screeching around the corner with a man on it and several nurses yelling at me to get out of the way. We found some seats and of course, as always happens, everyone in the -(apparently open commons area of maybe several wards ...) shifted in their plastic seats to stare at us. I started to engage the 5 year old by telling him stories of me going mud slidding in Peru when I was a little girl and playing mud soccer because I figured it would keep his attention (and it did!) while his daddy was talking with nurses.... The problem was that all my hand motions and drama (meant for the 5 year old) drew everyone elses attention as well and within minutes several gmas and the babies they were watching were parked right next to us. They didnt care about my story or that I wasnt finished, and they started poking at the poor little boy and jabbering away about us being foreigners.... he did great and said 'hello' in Lao 800 times very patiently. Good on him!

Then, the tike and I realized that the gmas were at hospital watching their little grandbabies who were sick. While I thought they were visiting and sitting in strollers, I realized and pointed out that they all had IV's and bandages etc... The little girl closest to us was 2, and gma said she had the 'runs' big time and was dehydrated. Her IV was actually attached to a huge, knotted stick, leaves and all, with a groove carved out of the top for the bag to hang from. It was stuck in the back of her stroller. I mentioned to her gma that she might want to change the 'runs' since, as she had no diaper on, it was oozing out the side of her leg. Poor baby! Another little girl had an IV and was walking around with a proper pole, and the IV in her hand was held in place by a huge piece of folded up cardboard and tape. I was shocked by the Ivy IV, but I guess as long as the stuff inside doesnt get out or contaminated its no big deal right? Just hold it really... Last week we were heading to a friends house late at night and it was in the dustiest, poorest part of town (well, if there is a poorest part).. and some guy was riding his motor bike across the street in front of me with an IV above his head... whatever!

:) Im pretty sure it wouldnt even matter how long I lived here.. Id head to Bumrungrad..

Around Lao

One of Davids classes Soupy & kids!

Olivia and Nampung Samchai

friend at a party at Namphou fountain

Joma at night Scandinavian bakery

selling tamarind

Hopefully you remember Soupy from the first years we were here. She has had two gorgeous children. Nampung means 'Honey' in Lao and she is definately that! Olivia is about 6 months older than Nampung and passes all her clothes down to her.

The tamarind truck is just one example of fruit for sale on the side of the road. Everything you can think of is sold and the price is a tiny fraction of the fruit sold in an import store. While tamarind is hard to eat (takes forever to get the fruit...) its so amazingly sweet and wonderful! :)

We head to Scandinavian and Joma bakeries for yummy breads, coffee and a quick escape from rice.

We are blessed to live in such a beautiful country surrounded by the beauty of not only the country and its luscious fruits and vegetation, but its people as well. I continue to be grateful that Father sent our family here and please know we would love you to visit anytime you can!