mary and luke, javanese style.

for a few months now i have wanted to take pictures of my kids in javanese clothes.  my kids are growing up on java and are obviously influenced by the culture and way of life here.  though people don't wear these kind of clothes on a daily basis they are often seen at significant events, historical photos, etc… and i love them.  

this is their classic javanese photo… in portraits javanese people often don't smile so they didn't.  can't you tell how truly javanese they are.  ;)

that girl and her poses… the way she tilts her head and moves her hips kills me.  

i love this picture because it perfectly captures the way that mary tells luke what to do and the way he listens to her.  i'm sure she was encouraging him to do something funny so they could get more m&ms and be done with the pictures.  yes, i bribed them.  

and i leave you with this behind the scenes photo… 

that is really how they both felt about the photos.  mary couldn't wait to get dolled up and tilt that head in an awkward manner for every 'pose' she has… and luke was hot, sweaty, itchy and mad.  i'm not sure how i caught the above photos of him looking happy… i was probably talking about star wars or toots, if i'm honest.  :)  

Kartini Day

last weekend we celebrated Kartini Day with a little parade in our neighborhood.  Kartini Day is the remembrance of a woman (Raden Ayu Kartini) who fought for women's rights in Indonesia.  The day is usually celebrated by school children wearing traditional clothing and looking all too cute!  :)  Not sure where the connection is between women's rights and beautiful attire, but that's how it's done.  

the neighborhood playgroup that Luke was a part of last year held a little parade for playgroups from our area.  Basically we all just walked around the neighborhood and then each group did a song at the end.  It was so fun to see all the cute kids and beautiful teachers in their ornate outfits and beautiful head coverings.  i love the deep and unique cultural traditions in Indonesia.  

Mary, Luke and Khansa (our sweet neighbor) walked hand in hand most of the way.  Mary wore an outfit from Java, Luke was a man from Madura (obviously, he even has a mustache!) and Khansa wore bright Bali attire.  

i can't believe how big (and beautiful) she looks… make up and all.

and here are some photos of the other cute kids there… including our little neighbor friend, adik fahri.

some of the teachers from another school.  look at those outfits!  i love them! these are called kebayas, the traditional fancy clothes here that are worn for most occasions.  they are so beautiful!  mary has been asking if i could get one made for her.  i secretly love that she loves these bits of indonesian culture.  :)  she may just show up to church in america in a kebaya!  

i thought this little girl was so beautiful!  i finally asked her mom if i could take a few photos of her and the girl anxiously agreed… 

and here are tired, hot and sweaty mary and luke coming home.  

most of the make-up on both mary and luke had been washed off with sweat by this time… but look at those fake smiles and luke's pose.  so funny.

2014 Photography

my twelve favorite photos from 2014.  

rowdy boys

last week i went down to the town center during friday prayer time to take some photos.  i was drawn to these rowdy boys.  i'm beginning to think this is my favorite demographic of indonesian people… maybe not for close friends (i'd probably prefer women in their 30's of course) but for people to randomly meet, chat with and laugh with.  i sat at a distance and said little (though my remarks did catch them off guard and make them laugh… they assumed i didn't speak indonesian) but i made a lot of faces and interacted from behind my camera.  these kind of rough around the edges, rowdy little boys just make me smile.  theres also a group of little boys near my house that we play with at the court sometimes.  they're just fun.

anyways, here are some boys just being boys… 

clearly the little guy in the orange hat is the clown… and i liked him.  :)

for those of you who can't picture indonesia and situation i'm was in… i'm at the town center which is like a big park.  there is a huge mosque across the street that is presumably full for friday prayer so men (and boys) just pick a spot on the grass and put their mat down.  there were little groups of men praying all around.  there were also women, families, food sellers, balloon/toy sellers, beggars, students… there was a lot of life.  these are some of the situations i love most in indonesia, even if i'm just observing.

lomba nyanyi

a few weeks ago mary competed in a singing competition with her school.  it was a big event at a (very old and potentially dangerous) amusement park… but my kids rode many rides are alive to tell about it.  :)  while they were busy playing i took a few photos of the adorable kids around me.  indonesian kids are just so cute!  

and to give you a window into our lives as foreigners here… this is the photo moments before i took the above photo.  i was kneeling down waiting for the mom to move and as soon as she did they saw me.  they started yelling, "watch out, watch out… there's a bule (white person)!"  the expression in that kid's eyes crack me up… clearly i'm a rare sight in his world.  :)

and here is mary singing.  she was beside herself with excitement.  it was so cute!  i love her goofy smile before they started their song.

and here are the singers is in action….  

they ended up getting fourth place in their division and she was so excited.  i loved seeing her with such joy on stage in front of so many people… i was a proud mama.  i also loved hearing the two americans sing their
patriotic indonesian songs with such gusto!