Year of the Rat

I don't know much about Chinese culture, but I learned some things this week because Thursday was the start of the Chinese New Year festival! It's fun to be in a completely different culture where holidays are so different and to learn about some of them first hand. My good friend, Sukma, is mother to Sasha (in Jack's class) and Brandon (Jane's best buddy). She is from Indonesia, but her ancestry is Chinese, so it's a big deal for her family. She spent the entire day before (which was New Year's Eve) cooking specific foods, preparing gifts, and decorating the house. I think Goose and Duck are a very important part of the meal from what I gathered. She arrived at school the next morning with gifts for each of the children in Sasha's class, and Brandon even had one for Jane!

Sukma explained that for this holiday, it's customary for the married couples in a family to give little red envelopes to the young children with money in them. She didn't think it was appropriate to hand out money to children at school, so she put some chocolate coins in there, which Jane and Brandon immediately feasted on. What a way to start out a day! These two are two peas in a pod, I'm telling you!

Beyond the New Year, it's been SO fun to spend so much time with Sukma lately. I kept wondering at first why it was so easy to talk with her for hours, even when she is from somewhere completely different, and English is her 2nd/3rd language. Funny answer. She watches a LOT of American television! Apparently, her community in Indonesia goes nuts for anything American. Clothing, music, and especially movies and TV. So, because of this, her English is very good, she knows a lot about American culture and is usually explaining to ME about things I've never really thought about! She knows WAY more about TV shows and Hollywood stars than I do, which she loves to ask about. I'm afraid I'm a little disappointing when it comes to getting the inside scoop, but at least I got to tell her that not all the women in America are like the ones on Desperate Housewives! I'm glad I got to straighten that one out.

Sukma is amazing. Instead of coming to Bangkok and living a much easier, pampered lifestyle than she could have back home (like most expat women), she is the opposite. She came from a very privileged background and grew up with the works (maids, nannies, cars, drivers, cooks, excellent education, etc.). Now, she lives in Bangkok, away from her family and all the frills, to raise her children with just her husband, clean her own little one bedroom apartment, and cut costs wherever possible. I know, to all of you in the States, this seems normal to do these things, but to a LOT of expat women here, it is unheard of to do all of this without hired help, particularly when you were raised in this environment. Her parents come to stay and ask her to come home and live in their big home, drive the cars, use the nannies, etc., but she stays here because it is safer for her family. I admire her for taking the harder road that will ultimately be better for her children. I'm telling you, this woman is awesome. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend! Not to mention, Brandon being an automatic playmate for Jane at all school related activities. BIG bonus!

Wow, I really didn't plan on writing much tonight! She's just been on my mind lately. Here are some fun pictures from our week.

Our good friend, Mary Jane, just had her 3rd baby girl this last week. They came over for a playdate and the kids had a great time together. I loved this one of little Alina.

Jack and Narissa couldn't get ENOUGH of baby Anna. I think they would have sat there forever. What a blessing older siblings are! I love you, Vanessa and Joanna!

I didn't think this one was that good of a shot until I saw Narissa's face. She's always SO reserved, so I had to include it.

Ring around the rosies. It is fun to watch Jane play with the big kids this much, but then switch over to play with little Alina. Narissa was Jack's first friend here, and what a blessing she's turned out to be!

Jane was making her funny faces one day, but I liked this one, in between the funnies, the best. I love when she laughs at herself.

We spent a really fun night with Jack's friend, Dylan, and his family. I've done different things with Kari (CATS) and Graham (we take the kids bowling), but we've never all gotten together at once before, so this was a treat. We had a BBQ on the lawn at their townhouse and went swimming. It felt like we were home! The smell of the grill, kids running safely around the homes, the warm sun, the grass. All things we don't do a lot here (besides the warm sun, of course). It was SO fun to have a nice, laid back evening with good food, fun play, and visiting with such fun and interesting friends. We were maybe TOO laid back, I didn't get picture of Graham, Kari, or Isabelle!

Dylan and Graham were the first people we met at Jack's school on his trial day, and even though Dylan and Jack aren't in the same class this year, they still have a LOT of fun together! So silly.

Jane was really reserved in this pool for some reason, but she still loved playing with Isabelle (wish I had a picture of her!) and splashing around a bit. She especially loved the outside shower!

They were BEAT after the swim, play, and food, so they sat and watched playhouse Disney like this while the adults visited just a little bit longer. It was hitting Dylan a lot faster than Jack, obviously. We left around 7:30, but with a full afternoon like that, it felt like 10:30!

We were invited for dinner at George and Mary's again. We LOVE this family! Mary made some delicious Sri Lankan and Indian food that Jeff and I gobbled up way too much of. We remembered later that the reason she kept piling on more was because we were finishing it! We learned we needed to leave a little bit there, then insist that we were full!

The kids had a blast playing together, and it was so fun to visit with George and Mary. I couldn't believe that they wanted us to come over because Mary's been so sick, vomiting every day! She's pregnant, which we are all thrilled about, but it's been a rough start. I invited them to just come to us, so she wouldn't need to cook, but she insisted we come to their home, so she could cook for us. Amazing people! Notice the area behind this bike. That's the kitchen. The rice cooker (you can see) and there's also a small dish they use to cook over the propane cannister. No oven, no stove, yet she makes due. Through that door is a little sink, garbage and a faucet to wash their laundry.

Jane and Diran were being hilarious pretending to eat each thing individually off of this little Christmas tree. I wish you could hear their sound effects. Classic!

One birthday party this week. Just one, but for two people! Happy Birthday to Isaac and Lucas, two of Jack's best friends. It was just casual and fun, and the kids just ran around and played with each other. Very nice.

After the cake, the boys (Issac and Lucas, unfortunately I didn't get a picture of them both!) immediately started opening presents behind a big chair where no one could see them. Jack decided to join in the fun and see all the cool stuff. I was glad I caught them because it was hilarious to see how they reacted when they thought no one was watching.

This is Jack telling me that I'm calling Lucas the wrong name. He can tell them apart, but I still struggle! It shouldn't be that hard, I'm married to a twin!

Jane being super cute in her "Tinkerbell" party dress. Thank you to our Santa's helper from Virginia. This has definitely become a favorite!

We also had a fun time meeting our friends, Sasha and Liza, at Lumpini park. We haven't seen them since before Christmas, so this visit was LONG overdue. This scene was very typical of our time at this particular playground. Jack LOVES to push then jump on, and Jane is always yelling "faster, faster!". Most kids that get on with mine quickly hop off, but Sasha was loving ever minute of it. Where I get such thrill seeker kids, I will never know!

So, I guess we've just had a really great week with friends. I've been thinking recently about how different things are right now, from this time last year. Sometimes I don't know how I did it only knowing a handful of people, being in a new apartment and neighborhood, speaking almost no Thai, and having both kids with me all the time. Now, I feel like we've got a pretty good thing going. We have lots of friends to call on, we LOVE our area, we know a little more Thai, and having Jack in school has opened so many doors. I look back and the decisions we made back then, particularly where to live and what school for Jack, were even better than we realized at the time. Although it's a little commute for Jeff each day, our soi is fantastic. We have practically no nightlife (which we're finding extremely unique), good vendors and a few restaurants, we're close to the kid's swim classes, the hospital, train, and the mall. We knew very little of this when we chose the apartment. I liked Jack's school right away, but had no idea it was SO convenient compared to all the other schools, and it's turned out to be such a fun source of new friends and a lot of fun family activities, beyond just being a great school that Jack loves.

I guess as I've been thinking about it this week, I am realizing what a blessing it was to be so involved and excited about the "new-ness" of everything, that I didn't realize that it was really hard to be here, away from everything we know and everyone we love. It was hard. It is hard some days. It's also been worth it.

Birthday week

This is a different kind of birthday week than we are used to. THIS week wasn't celebrating any of our birthdays, it was celebrating all of Jack's friends birthdays (three to be exact), and my goodness, they certainly do celebrate!

Celebrating birthdays almost defined our week because besides just going to each party, we were scheduling naps around them, buying gifts for them, and all the kids (and moms) were talking about them all week long! Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, and we did things we wouldn't be doing anywhere else, which I guess is one of the reasons it's fun to live here. Even when we're with our expat friends, it's funny to still feel like it's a whole other world over here!

Party #1: Jack's good friend, Daisy, combined her party with her brother, Henry, who was turning 7 (their birthdays are a day apart). They invited a LOT of kids (I heard something about 80 invites being handed out, and I think almost that many attended) to a private birthday screening of Enchanted at the Emporium cinema. Wow. We arrived late, due to trying to give Jane at least a little nap, but only missed the first 20 min. (my hilarious father-in-law would have had a heart attack to arrive so late! Love you, Dad!). We sat down and enjoyed a really fun movie together! Jane really liked it, Jack got a little bored during the "plot" scenes, and both were a little nervous about the dragon, but overall, we all really enjoyed it. And now, Jack has a HUGE Enchanted poster he's determined to hang on his wall. After being turned into a light saber and all kinds of swords, during the after-movie catered meal (different world, I say!) it's pretty ragged. I think we might lose track of that one this week. Oops! By the time I got my camera out to take a picture of Jack and Daisy together, Daisy was done for the day. So, the picture I have is of her scowling, so I opted not to remember her like that!

Wednesday, no party, but we did have an awesome rainfall (hallelujah! Something other than heat!), and I got to see Jack do an awesome Taekwondo demonstration at his school. He was SO excited for us to come, and I have to say, it was the highlight of my week! He was right on cue with each move, and so attentive as soon as his teacher shouted out instructions. Is this how I need to format violin each day?

I mostly took video of him doing "his moves", but here are a couple pictures. For some reason, all my pictures are really bad this week. The lens must have been dirty or something lame like that. BUT, it was a crazy week, and so this is just one of the many things that went unnoticed! Is Jack cute or what?

He earned a yellow belt this day and was SO excited. He kept telling me not to bring his white belt at all, but I think it was a good thing I did, because they didn't get their new belts until the end! He was so proud to have Master Chai put it on him and get his certificate!

Jack and Oliver requesting a photo shoot. They are so silly together.

Jack's school has been preparing for a special "International Day" ever since we came back from Christmas break. It's been really fun to have him come home with new games, origami, foreign snacks (he thinks soybeans are so cool, especially when you get to throw them at Demons, as in the Japanese tradition), and all kinds of new information about countries we know little about. He's had moms come in to talk about Japan, Indonesia, Bhutan, India, Thailand, and of course, U.S.A.! I am the only American mom in the class, so I got to do it all by myself, and it was a lot of fun! We talked about the flag, the diversity in America, the Statue of Liberty, and ended with fun cowboy stuff. They dressed Jack up like a cowboy (I actually had to borrow a cowboy hat from my friend from Indonesia! I didn't bring anything cowboy-e!), made their own belt buckles, and got to wear their own bandannas. We even had trail mix for a treat. I think they enjoyed this stuff, but I'm pretty sure they enjoyed the authentic American fiddle music the best. I almost didn't pull it out because we were out of time, but I decided to, and the kids just danced around the room, laughing, jumping, and riding "horses" the entire time. It was a good time, and I loved finally being able to do something with Jack's class! Now, I'm looking forward to the actual "International Day" where Jack will be performing traditional Thai dance. He's pretty excited about it too!

Starting from the left: Naam Won, Jaskeerat, Rae, Sonam, Jack, Shonah, Menamu, Kazuya, Maya, Arjun, (on train) Oliver, Anna, and Sasha. You should have seen the way they looked at me when I told them to shout "Yee-Haw!", it was hilarious.

Such fun kids, and it was fun to see them in the classroom environment as opposed to play dates and parties which is where I usually get to interact with them.

Thursday afternoon was Shona's party (#2). Her mother, Yui, is so sweet. We get to enjoy chats when she occasionally gives me a ride home after dropping the kids at a school. She was worried when after 30 min. we weren't at the party! And, believe me, I was feeling bad too, but it was terrible traffic! It turned out to be just fine because then the Build-a-Bear process was a lot shorter, which is nice when Jane wants to try all the bear clothes on herself (which, might I add, all cost MORE than I spend on Jane's clothes... and she's real!). Anyway, Jack thought it was the coolest to build his own little puppy, which he named Jack, and get to carry him in this nice little house.

This is Jane and Justin, Shona's little brother, sharing the hearts with each other. Notice how Justin is as big, if not BIGGER than Jane? He's a year younger! He's a tank, I love it!

I think this was the 3rd time this week that Jane and Brandon got to be together. They are turning into quite the pair! It's a good thing too because his mom is one of my favorite moms in the class, so we are starting to get together more and more these days! I tried all week long to get a decent picture of these two, and honestly, THIS was the best one! They never stop running, jumping, moving around. And, if they do, their heads are always facing different directions. But, this picture does show how much fun they have together (and in this picture, Kazuya also). They light up when they see each other. It's been a blessing that Sukma (Brandon's mom) doesn't have a nanny either, because Brandon is her little sidekick just like Jane is mine! Everywhere we go for school related things, Jane has her favorite buddy to play with!

Jane spilled her entire drink on herself, so luckily, Kazuya's mom (Taka) had an extra shirt to go with the extra shorts I had. Jane looks pretty cute eating her cake, don't you think? This was at the restaurant behind the Build-a-Bear where they had food and cake waiting for everyone.

Jack and Kazuya being silly together.

After this party, we rushed to the park to meet the Wood family (the missionary family from Idaho we had over last week), to play and visit together. Luckily, they were late too (and actually never made it due to illness and traffic, unfortunately), but I did get to meet another amazing missionary family (who are friends of the Woods) from Washington. We had a really nice visit, and their two boys, ages 12 and 8 (I think), were immediately adopted as ideal playmates. Jack and Jane were pulling them all over the playground, and the boys were such good sports! It's so fun to meet such interesting people with great reasons to be here. They have been in Asia for 9 weeks and were only 4 days away from heading home. What troopers!

On Fridays, I've started going to a regular playgroup that a friend from Jack's school got me involved in. It's a group of about 10 women with children ranging from 12 months-3 1/2 that have been meeting together for years (since their older children were this age). It's turned out to be a really fun way to hear different expat experiences, learn about other places, and make connections that I wouldn't have otherwise. Last week, I heard one woman talking about going to China. I asked her about it to discover that she's going to China to run a half-marathon on the Great Wall. I had JUST been telling Jeff how amazing I thought that would be when I saw an internet advert for it! So, yes, I was so jealous. BUT, Jeff and I had also decided just days before that we wanted to start training for the Salt Lake City half-marathon that will take place when we are visiting in April. Karen and I discovered we have been running at the same park, and decided to try running together. I haven't run with anyone since I started to enjoy running, so it was really fun to have a partner last week for one of my longer runs (long at this stage, I guess, I'm still getting back into it!). Anyway, even though our paces are a bit different, I think it will be fun to have someone to run with occasionally and keep me motivated! In my dreams, I keep hoping one of her running mates for the Great Wall race will need to drop out and give away her ticket to someone else. Like I've said before, I'm a dreamer. So, tomorrow is our first day of officially starting our training programs for this race. We're both looking forward to having this schedule and hoping we can fit in our longer runs somehow while we swap who takes the kids!

Saturday was Jaskeerat's party at McDonalds (#3). We decided to make this a family affair, so after Jeff's run, my run, Jeff playing basketball with some church friends, and a Primary presidency meeting, we met up for lunch and playing. Jack was inseparable from Owen this week. They are in different classes, but really get along well. His parents are both from upstate New York and his mom is awesome, so we decided we really need to get these two together more often! It's funny to see who Jack really connects with. Sometimes I can predict it, sometimes not! This connection didn't surprise me much though.

More Jane and Brandon. They were dancing to the music in the party room with the big kids. Funny thing about this party: the music the McDonald's girls played for the kids do dance to, or play musical chairs, or other games was NOT kid music. It was actually pretty obscene, so we were grateful that the kids weren't listening too close and hope we won't be shocked to hear some choice phrases down the road that they picked up on from a party at McDonald's!

Last but not certainly not least, Jack and I were able to attend the funeral broadcast for our sweet President Hinckley today at the church. It's been nice to read thoughts about our dear prophet on so many of your blogs, and feel like I can relate in many ways. We learned Monday morning (Sunday evening MST) of his passing, and I was a little bit in shock. It took me a few minutes to process the texts and phone calls that all came at once, then I immediately started to feel happy. I will miss President Hinckley dearly, but as sad as it will make me to not see him at the pulpit this coming April for conference, that sadness is all but forgotten when I think of how happy he must be. He lived such an exceptional life of service, of reaching out to others, of caring and loving those from every walk of life. He has so many reasons to look back and be happy about the way he spent his life and the things he experienced. It just feels like the next step, moving ahead in the eternal realm. And, I have to admit, the happiest thought of all is the thought of him reuniting with his darling wife. They were meant to be together forever, and now their four years apart is in the past. They are together again, as was always intended.

A few favorite things I love about President Hinckley:

I love his focus on temple work and building temples so more people are able to participate in the work. I smile when I think of how wonderful it must be for him to see the results of all his hard work now that he is on the other side of things.

As a young women leader, I always loved to hear him be so encouraging to the youth of the church. Instead of seeing the mistakes and weaknesses in them, he saw the good. He saw their potential, including mine, as I was still in high school when he became our prophet, and was confident that we could reach it.

I love his emphasis on the family. The Family: A proclamation to the World is such an inspired document and I love that it came out at a time where the value of the family was declining.

I LOVE his relationship with his wife. The way they would walk together, the look in their eyes, and especially the way they spoke of one another is inspiring as a young wife and mother. I think Jeff and I could be like that, if I was a little more like Sis. Hinckley. I'll keep working on that.

I don't know where I heard President Hinckley say this (in so many words), but I always think of it when I see him with his cane, "My doctor said I needed a cane, but he didn't say I have to use it!". I loved to see him waving it around in greeting, rarely even touching it to the floor!

Again, thank you for all your thoughts this week about President Hinckley. It is obvious that he has touched millions of lives. We were lucky to have him for so long, and as my mom pointed out to me, we are so lucky to have so much to remember him by.

Have a great week everyone. And, if you get the chance on Super Tuesday, VOTE!

Jeff... my Thai pop star

We've had some really good moments this week. Unfortunately, not many that we got pictures of, but overall, it's been a good one. We had plenty to do, and got to enjoy lots of friends this week. I just wish I would have pulled out my camera a little more (particularly when Jack jumped in the pool and swam to the side all by himself, or when he had a big breakthrough on his violin) Things are just getting to be so normal here now that although I almost always have my camera with me (just in case we see the extraordinary), I often think, we've got LOTS of pictures like that! BUT, I've looked back on my blog a bit this week, and there isn't anything that I wish I wouldn't have taken pictures of, so I guess I taught myself a lesson this week! Also, looking back, I've realized how grown up Jane's become. She really has grown up so much since we've been here, and it's fun to look back and read about her taking her first steps down by the pool at our first hotel, or discovering that she loves rice. All those people that tell you to keep records of things, they really know what they're talking about!

My friend, Catherine, came over on Friday with her kids and we had a great visit! Jack and the twins played together really well (3 can be a hard number at times), and Jane and Madeline really played together for the first time ever, as opposed to just being in the same place. It was really fun to watch. They dressed up in some of Jane's favorites, then played in Jane's bed and with her little dish set. Madeline is a really sweet girl, and I think it was really good for Jane to be the older friend, as opposed to her usual role of being the youngest around when we're with Jack's friends.

Yesterday, we started the day off with story time at the library. Several months ago, I got into a conversation with one of the women at the library only to discover that she is the one in charge of the children's programs and has many of her own children's books published and in every bookstore in Bangkok. We'd read her stuff, so it was fun to meet her and make the connection. She asked if I'd be willing to read for story time sometime, and so this was my week! We read a few silly books about ducks, water, and boats, then made a simple craft. It was really fun to be the one reading to the children, but I was a nerd and thought I was starting late, but really started early, and didn't realize it until later. Why no one there said anything is beyond me! Luckily, the craft went on for a while, so whoever wanted to participate was able to. I would love for them to ask me again, but after that, would you? I don't even have a cool British or Australian accent like all the other storytellers. The way I read one of the stories didn't even rhyme because of my American accent, but then how does it sound to only say one word with the accent. Dumb, I tell you. Jack says some words with British accents and even though it sounds just like all his British friends, it sounds silly when he only says one word with the accent. Like "mirror" pronounced "mirrah". He was completely convinced this was the only way to say this word.

Jack quickly plopped down on this beanbag with a book, completely content! I love that my children enjoy reading so much!

After the library, we went to Anutra's work to get our pictures taken for some advertisements they are doing at an education fair next weekend. It was funny to pretend we were in class while the camera is shooting away. Jack was not so excited about it, but Anutra wisely came prepared with chocolates to keep even my tired kids happy. We went out for lunch after with Anutra, Bird, and Faa (with her boyfriend) and Kung showed up to surprise the kids. Sorry, this picture really is not good.

Jane was particularly fond of Bird yesterday. Everytime he went out of sight (like to park the car), she was looking for him saying, "Khun Bird, Khun Bird". She would snuggle right up to him, or run into his arms, and made sure she got to sit by him while we ate. He was loving this, of course! Anutra got a really cute one of Jane kissing him on his cheek, but I missed it, dang it!

Jack hadn't seen Faa in a very long time, due to Faa's new job at a school 2 hours outside the city, and her new boyfriend. It took a bit, but he warmed right up to her again. We've missed her!

Kung was especially fond of Jane this time. We went for ice cream afterward, and Jane sat inside with Anutra and Bird, while the rest of us were on the opposite side of the window (see the reflection of Jack?). Kung had gone in to help Jane with her ice cream and was wiping her mouth at every bite, I thought this was hilarious because this is very typical of how kids are treated by their nannies here. I love Kung, and her pampering Jane like this is just fine, but can you imagine having someone do everything for your kids like this, all the time? Not that all nannies do, but it makes me laugh when I see Nannies following kids around the playground with every bite of food.

I guess you could call this our front yard. This is basically the grass by the lobby where we wait for Jack to come home on the bus, or hang out while we wait for a Taxi or tuk-tuk. It's nice to be out, but my goodness, it's getting hot! Some days I'm glad the sun sets here around 5pm (remember that our horizon is high rise buildings!).

Monday, I met a friend at the park (Nancy, who I met at the orphanage a year ago) to visit and play with the kids on the playground. There was also a family there, the Wood family, who we struck up a conversation with about 5 minutes before we needed to go. I found out they were from northern Idaho and visit Asia occasionally as Christian missionaries. They had just returned from a month in India and have a few weeks in Bangkok before heading home. We didn't get to visit much, but exchanged cards in case they needed anything. The whole way home I kept thinking about traveling around Asia like that with two children and how wearing that probably is. I really admired their dedication to serving the people of Asia. I decided to invite them over and hope they didn't think I was a nut case for doing it. They were so sweet to come all the way across the city to spend a Sunday evening with us, even when they had been feeling a little under the weather. Their children, James and Mary Ann, played so well with Jack and Jane, and Jeff and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Jon and Natalie. We wish them the best of luck as they continue with their efforts to spread the word throughout Asia.

Our bishop came over last night and called me to the Primary presidency. I was pretty sure they'd keep me in nursery for the entire 2 years we were here, so this was a big surprise. As fun as it always is to mix things up a bit, I'm a bit anxious to find out who will be taking care of "my kids" in the nursery, and I was a bit sad today to think that I will have to turn that over to someone else (is this a controlling side coming out of me?). I haven't been in Primary since Jeff and I were first married, so really, I think this will be a fun adventure for me. I was even more excited when I discovered I'd be serving with two incredible women who I can learn so much from. Hopefully we can continue what our incredible primary workers were doing before, and add a little something of our own!

Ever since we got here, people have told Jeff that he looks like a Thai pop star named Noy (I think that's his name, Thai friends, help me out!). Anutra even brought a picture over for us to see and insists they look alike. We think this is hilarious. He's since been on a new campaign for Pepsi Max and is now all over the city. What do you think? Does this guy look like Jeff? Is this why so many girls randomly tell Jeff he's so handsome on the train? Because he's even more handsome than this famous guy?

Maybe if we zoom in just a little, you can see the resemblance:

Sorry ladies, he's taken.