P.S. My New Hair (for Rachel and Miriam)

I've been wanting this hair for 18 months...

Pulling Pictures Out of the Recent Archives

The Himalayas. We saw these with Mamaw and Papaw from the highest point in our city.

The Taj Mahal. It needs no introduction.

Tourist trap, albeit a beautiful one.

G jumping down the path leading to the Red Fort.

Taking it all in and feeling that there's too much to ponder.

Wearing protective red slippers out of respect for the Taj.

"C'mon, boys. Stick close."

Living history.

Bummin' Around

At a nearby park.

Guest Post from C.

We're in Thailand. We're living in an awesome resort with a pool that we swam in. We made new friends named Creed (who's 6 1/2), Kean (who's 12), Quinn (who is 6 turning 7), and Caden (who is 6). We went to a store called Carrefour and got goggles, sunscreen, bug spray, swim trunks and suits, snacks, and Diet Cokes (that I can't drink because it's got too much caffeine).

A few days ago we went to the zoo. We saw hippos and tigers. We also saw meerkats that looked like Timon from The Lion King. One had lost an arm and he only had one arm left. We saw bunnies and one goat standing up on the table, looking like he was the king of all of them. And Grace thought that there was land, but it was really water with some kind of moss on it, and she fully dived on her stomach into it. She screamed and cried but Ivan and I saved her.

We've had a blast here so far.

p.s. Love you guys and I think Paul McCartney (Papa's puppy) is super cute.

p.p.s. You guys are the best and I wouldn't like any other grandparents except for you all. Love you. Bye.

~Caleb

The Pool Where We're Staying

G with her new best friend.

Playing.

Watch out, now. Here he comes.

Smile...Mommy's taking another picture.

This boy loves the water.

Dead Man's Float.

Thai kids and white kids--and I mean white.

Our New (Temporary) Pad

We've been able to shift from a hotel (where our kids had to sleep in a room across the hall--not exactly ideal) to a resort-type place outside the city a bit. It's run by believers from England and it's super family-friendly. They provide three meals a day (with plenty of fruits and veggies) in the dining hall, a laundry service, and taxis if needed. The grounds are beautiful with a pool (clean and modern!) and palm trees. There's even a soccer field. Well, needless to say, our kids are ecstatic. No more going out to eat for three meals a day and having to walk the malls and parks because there's no room to hang out in our hotel rooms.

The individual cottages are all made of wood, old fashioned, and on stilts. The minute the kids walked in our room (yes, we are all in one large-ish room) they said, "Wait! What's that familiar smell? Why does this place seem familiar?" And I told them it was because it sort-of seems like a loft room at Alpine Lodge, only with pretty Thai details. It's woodsy and sort-of British too. Anyway, pictures are to soon to follow. Our kids will get to swim (the main thing they care about) and there are many other like-minded individuals and families here. The boys have already made 'best friends' with other little boys. C said, "I like all the Americans here!"

The biggest thing, though, is that this place was totally booked yesterday. We asked them if there was any room in the inn, so to speak, and that our hotel stay was up and we didn't know where to go, and that we still had to be in Thailand for 10 more days. They said they'd try to work something out. Well at the last minute, they moved some people around and gave us this room. It was the greatest thing. We're thankful and humbled, as usual, by the Lord's mercy and care for his kids.

Guest Post from G

"My favorite restaurant in Chiang Mai is in the mall. Pizza Hut is there. Today at the park we saw hula hoop dancers. There was very loud music and it was a contest of who could keep their hula hoop up the longest. It was only women but there was actually a little girl who was doing the hula hoop too. I mean, she did it for a little bit, but it kept falling down when she did it. I'm not so good at doing the hula hoop either.

We even saw a little poodle wearing a pink dress. Plus, we saw another dog wearing a black and white striped shirt and jeans with a belt. And then we saw another dog that just had a little ponytail that was like a fountain on the top of her head. Then we saw a teeny, newborn puppy that was asleep. It was so cute!

I really like feeding the pigeons because every time I put my hands out they peck it super fast and it feels really funny. I like feeding the fish too because I love seeing their big lips pop up and eat the food I throw.

I liked the zoo, too, because there were such cute animals there--especially the pandas. And one panda climbed down from a rock and Mom thought it was actually going to do something else, but it went potty instead and then climbed back up to its rock. We also saw a black leopard that was really afraid of Daddy's camera. There was also a lion that Dad was trying to get a picture of, and the lion finally turned its head so Dad could get a picture of it.

I love you, Mimi, Papa, Mamaw, Papaw, Ro-Ro, Dave, Peacho, Miriam, Brendan, and Nate and all the kids."

~Grace

Around Town

Eating beef-and-Guinness pie at an Irish pub. This tourist town boasts authentic German beer gardens, Italian eateries, Mexican haciendas, and American steak houses. We've committed to visiting all of them. :)

The night market. As soon as evening falls, local vendors bring out their wares in the center of town. It's definitely the place and time to bargain.

Riding in a song tao (a truck with a large, enclosed cab in the back--like a tiny subway car)

More of Our Trip to the Zoo

I (H) leaned over the railing at the zoo to see this hippo, and my sunglasses fell into his cage. He sniffed them and then started trying to crunch them up. We finally told a staff worker about it because we didn't want him to get hurt. But still, sad day. I loved those sunglasses. T.J. Maxx...

The Zoo/Aquarium

White Teeth

Stuff is cheap here. Today we went to the dentist and had our teeth professionally whitened. Seems kinda dumb, but hey, we thought 'why not.'

Emotional

I got an $11 pedicure today (my feet were so dry and janky that the sweet Thai lady murmured disapprovingly to herself when she felt my heels). G sat with me, enjoying the atmosphere and feeling chatty. She loves girl time. Anyway she informed me of the following:

"Mom, I smell some chemicals. Do you smell them? They're making my eyes water a little bit. One of my eyes waters more than the other because it's more emotional."

Hahahahahahaha.

The Mall

We've been spending a lot of time in malls these last few days. They're air-conditioned, clean and have free bathrooms--which is saying a lot in Asia. So naturally the kids have caught a bad case of the 'gimmes.' Well, the adults have too, actually. Anyway, I. asked for books today even though he doesn't need new ones. G. begged for a watch although I know how many hours it will be until she loses it (like her middle brother before her). But, you know, C. asked for the most logical thing of all: he begged me, begged me, for hearing aids. We saw a display and he thought they looked so cool. I told him that they were not toys and he said, "I would just love to be able to turn off my hearing when I want to."

You do that already, buddy.

At the Park in Thailand

I Caved

This blog will just be for family. That way we can maintain a modicum of privacy and still share funny/interesting/important stuff we'd want you all to know. I hope this is fun. We love you.