mary: 5.2 years old.

i haven't done an 'all about mary' in a year and a half.  sad!  she's changed so much!  you can read about her at 3.6 years old here.  it's funny to read because that is about how old luke is now… they are such different little humans.  this may bore some of you… but i want to remember these little things so here it goes.  mary at 5 years old.

I love her.  The girl can talk right now!  I mean, occasionally I wish for a mute button for her constant commentary and questions, but she is learning and thinking and usually I love to hear her thoughts. :)  

Things she loves:

Reading.  I’m teaching her to read through the book “How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons.” At first I was pretty inconsistent and it was a challenge!  We were also doing it right after she got home from school and it was just too much for her!  Now we do it before bedtime and it’s our special time together.  She loves it and it is so cool to see she is actually reading!  We’ve also recently started chapter books with her.  She loves that too!  We’re on our second reading of Anne of Green Gables.  I forget how cute the story is… I think I like reading it to her just as much as she enjoys it.  We also started Charlotte's Web and she loves it so far.  I’m looking forward to getting into some of my childhood favorites with her.  

Drawing.  She’s kind of obsessed with drawing these days.  She could easily draw for a few hours a day… and I have the stacks and stacks of pictures to show for it!  I love hearing the stories behind her art work.  It is always very detailed and she loves explaining the story.

 It’s fun.

some of her drawings from the last few days...

All things pretty.  She loves dresses, jewelry, makeup, princesses, headbands, flowers, sunsets… all things beautiful.  It’s amazing how that is just in little girls.  she got a new dress from a friend and she loves it.  Last night she said “I’m afraid people might like my dress.  Do you know what that means?  That it will be a blessing to them if they see me in my pretty dress.”  I died.  We’re working on the humility part.  J  she always wants to wear makeup if she sees me putting it on… which is usually only when I go to the mall or church.  

dress up with her buddy, maya… and notice how "accessorized" she was to go to the mall  :)

Imagining.  She is still into her “people” but not like she was 6 months ago.  She plays with polly pockets and the random people she’s collected.  She loves to create families, parties, school, weddings, and bedtime.  She is such a collector it drives me crazy.  She knows I want to throw all of her 'treasures' away but if it can fit in the 'laundry basket of treasures' under her bed she can have it.  She can use anything to make beds, homes, zoos, or toys for her 'people'.  This little imagination of hers often puts her in her own world, no matter where we are.  She will often be pretending something as we walk through the mall and I have to stop and let her gather the food on the floor and prepare it and feed it to her (whatever) she is caring for.  Meanwhile people are watching her bend down, 'prepare' something in mid-air and feed it to nothing… and I'm just smiling.  It's hilarious.  I love her imagination!  And I love that she can pretend an entire little world out of nothing… like she was doing on this stone wall.  :)

She occasionally has these imaginary 'brothers' and sometimes they are called sons.  I love to hear her talk about it… it cracks me up!  Their names are shadrach, meshach, abednego, cash and the others remain unnamed.  Sometimes there are daughters too, mary, mary magdalene, and martha.  They only 'show up' occasionally but the stories she creates with them are amazing. 

Lukey.  She loves her brother.  I mean, they fight all of the time! but they also have so much fun together these days.  Something switched about 2 months ago and they all of the sudden play really well together.  Again, they fight a lot and I'm constantly intervening but they also can play together.  They play soldiers, puppy, hide and seek, and color.  They love to play rough and chase each other and scream (which makes me crazy sometimes!).  They are silly together and will laugh so hard at one another.  Since they have been playing together honestly sometimes they make me crazy, because they are so loud and rowdy.  But, I love it also. I love to see them making one another laugh, playing together and loving each other.  It's so sweet.  There is something about living in Indonesia that makes their relationship all the more special.  Our little family is here and we don't have a lot of community, so fostering our family community is a really high value for us.  I love to see it in my kids.  

Things I love about her. 

She is sweet.  She often thanks me for things out of the blue.  Like “mom, thank you for working hard and making dinner tonight.” Or “thank you for making this pretty blanket for me.”  She also is really into “time together”.  She always asks if we can have a little “time together” when luke takes a nap. 

She worships.  She doesn’t do it all of the time, but occasionally she busts out in spontaneous worship.  She’s sing about how good God is and how much He loves us.  About how she is so thankful He’s forgiven our sins and has blessed us so much.  I pray that she is one who sees God in the little things in life.  I wish I did more.  I pray that God gives me more sensitive eyes to see His goodness and presence in our daily lives, and that my heart worships as a result.  I pray that this is something that is usually for her from an early age. 

she loves the bible.  we do a bible video each morning during breakfast in hopes to train them that we start our day having time with God.  she loves the videos and she also loves reading her Bible.  the girl has a memory!  sometimes she amazes me with the people of the Bible she remembers… confession: i have even asked her for different king's names.  :)

parenting details about her now:

she's just started with a bit of an attitude towards us when we give a command.  we're trying to really take care of it now, rather than let it grow… but it can be difficult.  

she wouldn't be considered the definition of brave… at all!  i can get really frustrated with her about it but i try to be patient.  we working on getting her face wet (i mean even splashed… we're nowhere near going under water), riding her bike at a normal speed, and trying new things.  

she hardly naps at all but we try to enforce a little "room time" in the afternoons.

she goes to school from 8-11:30 and is just starting to speak more indonesian.

and she has the asian pose down.

mary, i love you more than you will ever know.  i love having you as my buddy, i love your sweet heart, i love hearing about the funny, imaginative worlds you create and i love talking about Jesus with you.  i pray that this year you will know the love of Jesus in a real way, i pray that you will know that your heavenly Father is near to you and loves to talk to you and hear you talk to Him.  you are a gift, my love.

my friends, jesus and joy.

so we have a lot of life to catch up on!  this past 6 weeks has been some of the most busy times we've had here!  and we are so so thankful for all of the wonderful people who made those days busy.  

we had a group of friends, led my dear friend joy and her family, come to surabaya for a month.  they came to love and encourage us, to learn more about indonesia and the wonderful people that live here, they served at a few local churches in the area and they had many opportunities to love and pray for people here in our city.  they loved surabaya and it brought joy to our hearts to see.  

i will get to all of the fun stuff we did with them and how fun it was for our kids to have great friends and role models in these awesome individuals… but for now i'm going to share a bit of how my heart has been changed by their coming.

evidence of our friends influence on luke… forearm tattoos.

if we're honest this has been a super difficult 6 months for us.  we've been hanging in there, but feeling very alone and worn out.  i have never wanted to go back to america, or at least not longer than 2 hours :) but i have desperately wanted a friend who i can walk along side, who i am understood by and who encourages me as i walk with Jesus here.  i have had many conversations with God about this and have felt Him say "i am your friend" over and over again.  it's hard for me to get into my head… i can't see Him with my eyes, we don't chat as i cook dinner or change a doll's outfit, i don't laugh as we make eye contact about something funny we both notice.  but, i want to know friendship with God.  i want to know His nearness as i clean my house, break up a sibling fight or walk around my neighborhood.  i feel like i'm on the brink.  i'm so thankful that God has brought me to this place (physically and spiritually) so that i can know Him more deeply… and i expect Him to be faithful in the process, as He always is.

the other thing that i felt like God has consistently spoken to me is "i have brought you here to love you."  i don't dwell in these thoughts/state, but if i think about it i can feel forgotten, alone and unknown here.  our world is so different and so hard to imagine for people…. i'm not blaming anyone at all, i actually don't know most of my friends' "worlds" because so much has changed in the 3 years since we left.  but i think this was really highlighted as i was with joy and tasted truly being known by her.  but God said "i have brought you here to love you" and the love of God is enough for me (and when it doesn't feel like enough, i will wrestle in the Truth of scripture until i believe it in my heart).  i know that God is faithful, i know that when Jesus ascended to heaven He didn't leave His people as orphans, He sent the Holy Spirit… and i have the honor of living in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  i am not alone.  and God did bring me here to love me.  i may have never known the love of God like i'm starting to understand it if i stayed in america.  i'm thankful He has taken us on a journey to know Him more.  God can teach us whatever He wants, wherever He wants… but my journey is that He brought me out of my "normal" to show me He is enough, He is loving, He is my friend that is always with me.  

these are things that God began showing me right before the group came.  when they came, we had the opportunity to be in extended times of worship and prayer with them… it felt like 'home' to me.  i was so comforted and glad to be worshipping with people of like heart.  i feel almost like God let joy come for a few weeks as a representation of Himself… i had a friend, my world was seen and someone could begin to understand my life here.  it was God's kindness to send joy at that time, and i took it as that.  and, as she has left, i have missed her… but i haven't felt left.  i've felt the nearness of God, my friend.  i've been thankful and blessed that i have the privilege of living this life with God in indonesia.

joy has been a dear friend and someone who has spoken into my life at every season and turn.  it was a LOT of sacrifice for her and travis to bring their four kids and pregnant self here to love us.  i could not be more thankful for the many conversations i had with her and the way they got into our world.  they are a role model family for us… it was so refreshing and personally challenging for me to see someone who i respect as a mom in my season of life.  

i'm so thankful for the way that God is revealing Himself to me, for the way He's encouraging me and for the way He used our dear friends to meet our real needs.  God is faithful.  i will forever speak that His goodness is reality despite our experiences, that His intent is to love His people and that He is so gracious to us.  i'm so thankful that i serve a God who is kind.

more of the fun times with our friends soon… 

things i love about indonesia

i chatted with these people for awhile and i loved watching them interact.  they were so funny together.  it's 4:30ish and they're just hanging out.  it's the time of day that people go walking or sit outside their houses and just visit.  i was out with my neighbors just a few hours ago.  it's something i love about indonesia.   there are a lot of things i love about indonesia in this photo.  i love that indonesians just hang out, i love that indonesians are quick to smile and joke, i love that their neighbors are really neighbors, caring for one another.  and i love that it's totally acceptable for anyone over the age of 30 to wear those bright colored nightgowns all the time.  it's an indonesian moo-moo and i've grown to love them.  sometimes i want to buy one just to see what kind of reactions i'd get… i'm sure danny would love it too.  

the woman on the right couldn't speak… she grunted and made noises that miraculously all of the neighbors around her understood.  she's one of them and interacts just like the rest of them.  it was neat to see how they communicated with her.  i'm not sure if this is just her neighbor or a relative but she soon as she walked up their faces lit up.  

project 52-- week 17

ISO 400, f3.5, 1/125, 50mm

yesterday the kids were playing in the street in front of our house… i ran inside to put dinner in the oven (but could see them from the window).  i come out and they were excitedly yelling, "we found a baby frog!"  i was excited because, though i would never want to touch a baby frog, i hope they will be braver than me.  so i was encouraging it… until i got up closer.  

OH, that's NOT a frog.  get away from it!!!  it was a baby bat!  and it was so sick looking.  it was about 6 inches from where the kids were playing in a puddle and doing sidewalk chalk.  it was only a little bit bigger than a quarter.  it was hurt or maybe just brand new so it couldn't really walk.  

so, i got out my camera and took a few shots to document our find.  i've never done a macro photo but figured this was a good chance to try it out since my subject was a bit handicapped.  :)  for the photographers, i used these macro filters that i bought for about $15… just thought i'd give "macro" a try without having to commit to buying a new lens.  they are kind of fun and i won't be buying a macro lens anytime soon.  not my thing.  but, if it were, i could stay busy for months photographing the bugs in my house.

so here is our baby bat… who was gone the next day.  eaten my our friendly rats, i'm sure.  

soccer with the big boys.

luke loves soccer.  he loves all sport, really.  but basketball and soccer are his favorite… but we're really hoping that basketball stays number 1.  

if he ever sees kids playing, even if they are teenagers, he sits on the edge and watches… until they notice him and invite him to play.  they love seeing him kick it hard and get so into the game.  he is serious when he plays.  with his little tongue out and twisted.  :)  

as you can tell, he has no lack of self confidence (though lack of self-control is a different story!).  :)  he goes right up to those boys, as if they are the same size as him, and challenges them to play.  i think it's hilarious.  this has helped him win the hearts of many boys around us.  whenever we are out on a walk we hear "lukey" countless times.  there are always boys out playing or riding their bikes and they all know luke.

and this is what the poor big sister does when luke is playing.  look at that face!  i had tried to entertain her with making collections of leaves and then making them into the letters of our names.  but, it only lasted so long.  it's a constant struggle when luke finds people playing soccer or basketball.  he could play all day… and mary wants to go home after 3 minutes.  and then she pouts… and i take a picture of it.  :)  

project 52-- week 16

ISO 400, f3.5, 1/200, 17-50mm (17mm)

today i went out with the sole purpose to photograph… alone.  :)  i rarely get the opportunity but i love it every time.  honestly i was so nervous!  i've been wanting to enter this little strip of houses along the rail road tracks for months but i've been so intimidated.  i finally got up the courage to walk up and ask if i could "main" which basically means hang out.  

this little dirt path that i was walking along is basically like their living room… it's where the kids play, where they eat their meals and where they just hang out.  you can imagine the awkwardness i was feeling as people from every direction watched me hesitantly approach.  i would love to be in these people's minds as i walked up, but whatever weirdness they were thinking of me didn't show.  they warmly welcomed me.  i sat down and chatted with a few different groups of people.  every time i do something like this i love indonesia a little more.  it could be because people here are just so friendly but i feel like there is more to it.  i think i love it a little more because i see more of what Jesus loves here.  my God loves these people and if Jesus were still on earth He'd be walking that path and calling them by name, looking into their eyes and giving them love and value.  i remember one of my favorite teachers speaking about the "three mile per hour God".  check out the short excerpt here.  it is humbling that we have a God like this and it's challenging as i think about my daily life.  what i did was nothing deep and spiritual… i just hung out with these people.  but i hope that when i go back and bring the photos i took of them they will feel a bit known and valued by me and, more importantly, God.

McD's and the flying rock.

sometimes things happen in indonesia that just wouldn't in america… and usually i like the "less cautious" approach.  :)  last week luke's class went to mcdonald's for a field trip.  they got a tour of the back and then got to make fried chicken.  

luke lounging with his McD's hat on.

putting his raw chicken in the flour

making his own ice cream

and in other news, he had his first day of "big kid" school-- at the one he's been going to i stay with him.  yesterday he went to mary's school and he goes to class by himself.  i was certain it was going to be rough but he actually did great!  

currently he's playing "sling shot" in his room by himself.  he puts a plastic golf ball in a sock, spins it around and lets the ball fly like a rock.  he is screaming NO and throwing a fit because the ball comes out in too few swings… unlike David who got to swing his sling shot around and around before the rock came out.  oh, the tragedies of luke's life.  ;)