mary: 3.6 years old.

mary, my girl.  this may be boring for some, but i want to remember the little funny things about my kids... so here goes an extensive update on mary and all of her quirky ways.  

mary has quite the personality.  she loves being in charge and being a big sister to her little brother.  she loves to boss him around (and he loves it too), she makes up fun games, leads him in screaming at the dinner table (which leads to two children getting disciplined), leads him in prayer (he repeats after her), and frequently tells me that he's still a baby so he doesn't know how to obey yet.  he's two.  he knows how to obey.  anyways, she bosses and defends lukey.  she gets frustrated with him, but also has the sweetest moments with him.  she helps him with his shoes, encourages him to eat his food, cheers for him when he says a new word.  she has such a joy to see him progress.  it's sweet.  

mary loves to play soccer and still likes to exercise, though she's not as obsessed as she used to be.  

she loves to 'study' like mama and dada.  she's also getting really into coloring (inside the lines... she gets really proud of herself).  :)  she loves to do crafts, write squiggly lines which she calls letters and trace letters.

mary still loves her baby and sometimes has a new "special thing" every few days.  a lizard, my tripod (which she carried around like a baby), a bunny, a frog... it doesn't have to be in the shape of a human for her to mother it.  she loves mothering all things.  

she loves books.  she has since she was tiny.  every night she goes to bed with a ton of books in her bed and reads for up to an hour sometimes.  she will sit and listen to us read forever and correct us if we get a word wrong.  her current favorites are anything clifford, a mickey mouse flap book, you are special (max lucado) and her bible.  

she loves to play "school."  whoever is over (usually luke and leslie play along best, i think) has to sit down, she plays the guitar and sings 'worship' songs (usually about whatever is in her mind at the time... she makes them up and they can be about anything).  then they move onto story time.  she pretends to read in indonesian and it's all jiberrish with a lot of indonesian sounds or words included.  clearly, she's confused at school.  :)   

she goes to school M-F from 9-11am.  she had a hard time getting dropped off for the first month or so, but loves it now!  she has learned a lot from school (letters, songs, stories) and loves all of the activities.    i'm not convinced that she always knows what is going on since it's mostly in indonesian, but her indonesian language is coming along slowly but surely (i hope).  she doesn't sit very well in circle time which is something that we're currently working on with her teacher.  it may because because she doesn't have a clue what is happening or just because she's her own bird and wants to play independently.  either way, i'd like her to sit.  :)

mary is still napping for 1.5 hours most days of the week.  when ibu sri is watching her she usually doesn't nap but still does rest time.  she is a night owl and could stay up until 10:30pm and be happy as ever.  sometimes she does stay up that late in her bed, singing and reading.

mary is a sweet little girl.  she is caring towards her brother and enjoys getting to know people.  she amazes me how she remembers people's names and will randomly talk about someone that she met once a few months ago.  she often says, i love you mommy, you're a kind mommy.  or you're a good mommy.  she has this sappy tone of voice and rubs my hair.  it's so sweet and it also cracks me up because it's so sappy.  we are so thankful for the joy that mary brings to our lives!

and, this was my attempt at getting some photos of her.  it was a little too late in the day to get good ones and i went to a place that i thought was going to be a grassy hill... i hadn't seen the top.  so, i climbed up with her on my shoulders and we land in this dirt construction area.  not what i was imagining.  i know for next time.  it didn't really matter because clearly she wasn't in the mood.  she wouldn't stop making "funny faces", which means she sticks her fingers on her face.  

i just decided to join the fun and go with it.  we'll have to try to get some cute photos of her another time... :)

love and toots

every night at dinner we ask each other what we are thankful for from the day.  mary has taken it upon herself to ask everyone... so of course, luke wants to ask everyone also.  he says, "daddy tone-tul?"... we're pretty sure he's trying to say thankful.  Then, danny answers and luke smiles and says, "oh, weet"... meaning "sweet."  that's what mary says, because that is what i usually say to mary.  it's kind of unbelievable and scary how much kids learn from parents and big sisters.  anyways, tonight was funny... 

tonight mary asked me what i was thankful for.  i started to explain how i was thankful for a worship service this morning and particularly how i got to be with luke the whole time.  we were on the floor, he was being so sweet, playing instruments (it was a kid-friendly gathering), singing along, and cuddling and kissing me.  he is such a little lover!  as i'm saying all of these sweet things about luke i look over at him.  he is staring right at me with a very strained face and then toots for awhile.  i said, "did you just toot?!?" in amazement and disgust.  he just smiles and says, "ya."  

moment ruined.  

is this what i have to look forward to as the mother of a little boy?!?!  love and toots?!?

happiest birthdays!

happy birthday to my mom!  

and to her mom, my sweet grandma jb, a few days ago!

four generations

i'm so thankful to have these two Godly women as examples for me.  they both love and serve the Lord and their families, they are also both so faithful to pray for their families... and the fruit of their labor is seen.  they are very different women, but i love that they are uniquely used by God.  mom and grandma, thank you for all that you do for us as a "little family" too.  we are so blessed to be cared for by you!  we love you both!  happy birthday!  

lately from my phone...

a glimpse of our day to day life from my phone.  so glad that we have phones with decent cameras these days.  i love capturing the random, daily things our kids do.  

luke 'taking pictures' with the tripod/poking his eye out

daddy love

mary, in her exercise outfit, playing basketball

luke, the baller...

mommy love

mary being pouting and not wanting to go to school... and luke joining in the fun.  :)

luke, in all his chubby glory, on a morning walk

luke eating his daily "kismis" (raisins) and oatmeal

just "cooking" in the pool... she made sure i ate ALL of my "pizza"

i love that drinks in indonesia always have pictures or words :)

coloring is a new favorite activity in our house... i love it!

mary and her 37 sleeping companions... books!

the pizza hut king!

we love pizza hut here!  the balloons help occupy them too.

luke being a fairy, clearing he has a big sister  :)

STOP NOW IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH....

the nasty rat that bit mary.  i hate him.  

faces of indonesia

those that God created in His image on this side of the ocean...

i caught this little guy taking a shower in his outside bathing area.  he just ran out and posed for my camera.  he was so cute and such a little ham!  

the rat bite!!!

danny was gone for a week and got home yesterday.  reunited and it feels so good.... 

it started off not being the easiest of weeks, but nothing that i couldn't get over... fear from robbery down the street, no electricity one night, luke screaming from his terrible heat rash, my rough stomach issues for three days.  it was okay though.  we were making it.  :)

BUT, then saturday came... i saw a rat in our kitchen.  gross.  it went behind the fridge.  i set a trap that night and went to bed.  the next morning mary woke up and told me she had a boo-boo.  it was tiny so i didn't think anything of it... until i went into her room and saw blood all over her blanket, sheets and pillow.  what happened!?  then, i look down and there is rat poop all over the ground!  i gasped and freaked out (obviously).  my three year old little girl got bit by a rat in her bed!  i called our beloved doctor friend immediately to see if i needed to do something.  she assured me that it was okay.  mary has not made the connection with the blood and the fact that we left our house for three days because we were waiting for the a little mousey (i soften the wording) to leave our house.  :)  and i don't plan on telling her she was bit.

i didn't know what to do.  i felt alone, worn out, wanting danny and unable to do this without him for another 3 days.  these are the moments when culture shock hits me.  in general, i love indonesia and we have had a very smooth transition here.  but, when something difficult happens i just want the comforts of america, particularly the family and friends that know me so well.  i got the kids in the car and started driving around the city crying.  i didn't know what to do.  i prayed out to God for mercy, for comfort, to have the fruit of the Spirit that i need to love my kids well.  as i write it the emotions sound like overkill, but at the time i felt defeated and didn't see myself coming out of it.  i didn't want to go back into our house, i couldn't protect my kids there... and let's be honest, i'm terrified of rats.  i hate them!!!

a friend graciously invited us over for lunch and watch my kids for the afternoon while i came and set rat traps everywhere.  i packed up our stuff and we stayed at friend's vacant house until danny got back.  i was so thankful for that house!  it was peaceful and clean and i didn't fear rats.  that night at church we worshipped and it was sweet.  God's love for me, His knowledge of my exact situation, the victory that we have in the cross.  you may be thinking, victory over rats... really!?!   yeah, you'd want victory over them too if your daughter just got bit by one.

we made it through the time danny was gone but i wouldn't say it was a victory.  i was impatient, worn out,  and less than kind to my kids.  i'm not a yeller, but i have a terrible annoyed and disappointed tone that i use, that i HATE.  tuesday i was able to get an hour out of the house by myself.  i read 1 john 1:9-- if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness...  but if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father-- Jesus Christ, who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  i was in tears in the loud, smokey, indonesian coffee shop.  God is so faithful.  faithful to forgive me and love me.  we have such a certain hope in God.

so, whatever happened to the rats in our house?  well, we caught SEVEN that weekend, mostly in the backyard, but i'm sure they would have made their way in.  and now we're borrowing a friend's cat for a while to make sure the rats don't take residence again.  i'm a little skittish now... i may freak out at every sound but i'll get over it.  :)

no, we did not plan on making that same face.  we're just perfect for each other.  :)


**a special thanks to emily for taking us in for the day and making pumpkin muffins to make me feel better; to mike who searched mary's room, brought the glue-traps with rats stuck on them outside (i couldn't do it!) and gave us their cat for a few days; to joann for allowing us to stay at their company's house and having us over for dinner.  community is a gift from God.

three favorites

here are my kids with three of our favorite people in indonesia.  this is daily life... just hanging out.  

this is vera, she is the daughter of ibu sri (who watches our kids).  vera is over all of the time and we love having her at our house.  i also have the opportunity to get time with her weekly one on one and it's been great!  she's a freshman in college, has dreams of what God wants her to do in life and loves my kids!  we're so thankful for her!

this is ibu sri.  she's the lovely women who watches our kids when i'm studying language every day.  she is amazing.  she loves our children like they are her grandkids, she helps us so much culturally and with language stuff and she just looks out for us as a family.  it's not always to get simple things done here and she's always willing to help me figure out how to do things here... like when i called her today flipping out because there was a rat in our kitchen.  she said, do you want me to come now?  i assured her i was a big girl and could get it myself... and now it's under the fridge.  pray the rat is on the trap in the morning.  and that some man miraculously stops by and is willing to take it outside.  danny is out of town for A WEEK!  tear, tear.  enough about the rat...   here is ibu sri blowing bubbles with mary.  

this is ibu anik.  luke and ibu anik are just mending their friendship.  :)  he wasn't too comfortable with her for a long time and something clicked a few months ago and he likes her now.  she loves our kids and is a sweet woman.  she is the one who rescued me from the first scorpion i found on the shower curtain (while luke was in the bath).  since then, i have killed one myself.  but, she is still a hero in my mind. 

my goofy boy.  and yes, my kids are frequently without clothes.  it's hot here!