Drummond Crew

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

Saiah enjoying some corn:

Which dropped shortly thereafter - ah, the drama that has come to this house with #2!

November brought Sai's 1st bday, here's Lij trying to show the bday plates ;)

A birthday brownie which Sai enjoyed the most of all of us as the video shows...

Balloon fun:

A few more pix from the fateful day when Sai got into a can of paint!

Fall time means pool-time here!

Better to be up on the porch to keep the cows from drinking the pool & kids feet out of cow poo!

A sweaty but great Thanksgiving with friends (complete with 2 turkeys shipped in)- Sai could only eat ice chips as he was teething...!

More to come soon, just trying to catch up from the last few months...hope everyone's had a great time celebrating Christmas with family & friends!

Away for awhile...

2011-07-22T00:35:00.000-07:00

So in May we had to leave our home due to unrest in the area. We spent about 7 weeks "on the road," sleeping in about 9 different beds...however we did have some pretty memorable moments while our fam was nomadic.

We had already planned a week in Vietnam with Mom & Dad D before we went mobile. We spent one day in an amusement park there in Saigon. The gardens were beautiful so we tried to get family pix, even with the boys' hair pasted to their heads in sweat :)

Lij & Dad enjoying the bumper cars:

As we were heading out of the park, there was a guy making amazing figurines from playdough. We're always impressed at the Vietnamese ability for great detail!

Mom & Dad were so great to be with the boys while we went on a date one afternoon. We ended up at the tallest building in Vietnam with a 360 view of Saigon!

And at the bottom of that huge building was a sign we just couldn't pass up...

So fun to run into Uncle Tim & Aunt Jody in the airport as we were leaving Vietnam!

We got back to Indo & had a couple day team retreat & then our yearly field conference. Here's 3 of our team's 6 boys enjoying the McD's slide:

Lazy afternoon at a playground after lots of field meetings...

After the conference we took the weekend to play - beginning with a minibus ride to grab lunch at a yummy Italian restaurant:

One of many great things about Indo is their love of babies, especially white ones. We were freed up to manage the other 3 boys while our babies were loved on :)

Even had time to snap a few pix of our 3 little men!

Next day was a water park that Lij could really enjoy for the 1st time:

Wasn't long afterwards, we boarded yet another plane & Lij found the best hiding spot ever...

Priceless video :)

And our drive back home over not-yet paved roads during nap time:

Poor Saiah had fallen completely over by the end!

Being back home brought new fun like Saiah's 1st bike ride in his own seat:

Amazingly in the last week a "county fair" type thing has sprung up...

Our date this past week included a campfire, s'mores & 5 curious boys:

These guys had never tried marshmallows before, it was hilarious watching them try to eat them w/o getting sticky! Notice the one boy who only has 1 soccer cleat on, he was sharing the other one with his friend so they would each be able to play...

And finally random fun with a new puzzle from Nenek & Kakek:

Blogging?

2011-05-07T00:50:00.000-07:00

Well, wasn't sure when we'd have the time to start blogging again. Our lives have seemed to go in fast forward with getting back to Indo & loving on our 2 boys!

Laying on the bed together - Isaiah looks so surprised & Lij so sly...wonder if there was pinching involved!

Celebrating Lij's 2 & 1/2 bday with brownies & 2.5 in colored crystals :)

Reading together in Lij's little playhouse:

Another surprised Isaiah pix, seeing a theme here...

Love these guys!

The joys of a crinkly bag of bread :)

Just hanging out

Lij enjoying the small hammock we found in Vietnam last year with his best friend Neva...

Lij eyeing those cookies!

Happy V Day E

2011-02-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

August Daze...

2010-11-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Pix in & around our home:

Here's a pix right outside the front of our home with one of our favorite neighbor guys letting Jah see what it's like up on his "becek" (only taxi of sorts in town)

E-pod ;)

We love that we didn't have to stage this one!

2 of our neighborhood princesses dropped by later on ;)

Lij wearing the same nightshirt Elissa wore as a child!

There's one little girl named Ipa who Lij especially enjoys having around - here she is making a tower from our clothespins:

Making our own fun while playing after dinner:

The day before fasting month began we joined many of our neighbors who went for a picnic at the beach:

Swimming after the picnic:

August brought the beginnings of our renovations - first, clearing the land:

Next, a sand party was in order...

Filling in the foundation

Wall going up

Beginnings of our roof

Can't forget the mishap during the renovations that caused a bit of a setback - a wall fell down resulting in part of our roof caving in!

Thankfully this mishap (otherwise known to Lij as the Fun Fountain) didn't seem to disturb his bucket bath ;)

Mid-August we took the wkend to celebrate our 7th anniversary out of Aceh...here's a pool shot (guys weren't too keen on the cold water)

We got one of the top floors for a fun view...

And here's Lij practicing pushing his little bro around before he makes his appearance :)

As of the posting of this, Lil D still hasn't made his exit so we have a little time to catchup on our blogging!

July in a Nutshell

2010-09-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well we got back to the Aceh heat after Vietnam & Lij took his normal sleeping position to try & stay cool...(Lij is now bottle free & clearly outgrowing his crib!)

Thanks Brains for the cute outfit for Lij - we thought it was appropriate he was showing off his hands for the "I'm a handful" pix ;)

Guy time lounging on the porch:

While in Vietnam we found marshmallows (hard to find in Indo). We just so happened to have gotten graham cracker like cookies as well as Hershey's that Mom & Dad had brought in care packages from the states so we were all set for s'mores....

Lij just got the graham cracker part & didn't seem to mind (of course we didn't tell him otherwise, but ignorance is bliss right?)

Here's E cooking our marshmallows on thin wooden skewers over the gas stove, thankfully no weird taste, just yumminess!

One Sunday when our truck was getting fixed we took a motorbike ride about 30 minutes up the road to a more quiet beach we've dubbed Burton Bay in honor of our friends Andy & Tyler who discovered it with us...

J sharing his precious granola bar from M&D D:

Thanks for the fun swim trunks Nenek! (Grandma J)

E just starting 6 months being prego...

Quick trip to Banda & kidstop:

Video clips for the g'parents...

And finally stopping for dinner on our way back down the coast from Banda...they had a pet bunny Lij was enamored with:
Home again, home again - couple shots at one of our Calang beaches...

Yuli & Alden borrowing E's bike

Lij's 2nd fav spot at the dinner table...

Last but not least, a fun date option here :)

Vietnam!

2010-08-06T00:44:00.000-07:00

So in June we made a quick 5 day trip to Ho Chi Minh City to visit with M&D Drummond while they were there - here we are at the Jakarta airport before taking off...

Grandma helping him play on a few rides:

We went to Indian one night & Lij found a partner in crime to throw all the coasters on the restaurant floor - at least she was the owner's kid ;)

Smilin' with grandma :)

One fun memory we had together was Lij's 1st haircut (at 21 months!) Thanks to Mom J for the good idea of a lollipop to distract him. The cup of water to dip his lollipop in (to get the hair off) was also a smash success...

Proud Paw-Paw recording for posterity...

Enjoyed a stroll at a park together...

Interested in the World Cup dude

But not THAT interested!

Found out we're having a BOY in November while with M&D - celebrating with ice cream fondue - yum :)

Inspired by the sculpture in the background...

On the road again after a few days...

So glad for our time together!

Father's Day Fun...

2010-08-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

Before we headed to Vietnam we went to a mall in Jakarta to have some family fun to help celebrate what an awesome Dad J is :)

Lij wasn't so excited @ 1st about the seesaw but seemed to warm up to it...

Thanks Dad for all the fun times!

Going to Bali

2010-07-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pix before we headed out last month...
Lij's toybox

Great little pool J found right here in Aceh - Lij playing with neighbors:

Our little "Huck Finn" on a windy day...(gotta love those "cooler" days!)

And a short clip of Elijah checking out the suitcase before we pack up...

Right as we were getting ready to go, we hosted a family - here's their sweet little guy Jonathan playing with Jah in the back of the 12 person plane out of Aceh.

We went as far as Jakarta together as a fam & then Jason went ahead to Bali for meetings before the meetings. So, E & e flew alone & got bumped to first class - we should try that more often ;) Here's perhaps too many pix of Lij enjoying his pb sandwich in style...

Flight attendants gave him a wafer to boot...

Yum! A chocolate one!

Ah, what to do now...?

May as well put my feet up & relax

Or play with the seatbelt - good times!

So once a year all our org workers gather together for meetings & fun. Here's a couple pix from that week...

Since pix of our meetings aren't really interesting, thought we'd share a funny thing we saw on the boardwalk...a water booth!

Just like a phone booth, you have to insert coins for service :)

More pool pix...

Banquet night!

With our friends Matt & Abbie Wills...love those guys.
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Ran a 5K as a fam with the Wills & a borrowed stroller too... (thx B&K)

Traveling back through the Jak guesthouse - evidently having water close @ hand was important...

Next post coming soon - celebrating Father's Day while traveling...

Happy Birthday Jos!

2010-07-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

Last month, to help celebrate Jos' bday, a bunch of us went to the beach together. Here's Jos' son Alden & Lij sharing our floatie, very cute.

Just in the last couple months a banana boat has come to our little bay - so much fun!

And the video where you can see a bit of "our" bay

Found out yesterday....

2010-06-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Can hardly wait 'til November :)

Thanks for all the fun times Dad!

2010-06-20T03:18:00.000-07:00

So from last month all the way back to when Elijah was born, here's a few "Dad 'n 'Lij pix" (well, quite a few!) to celebrate what a great Dad he has :)

Happy Father's day - love you DAD!

Glimpse of our day - frequent visitors!

2010-06-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Moms & their kids will stop by to talk/play...

Every day we have kids playing in our home - Lij gets so excited for visitors!

And a video clip...

Around the Hotel

2010-06-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

There was free wifi next door so we took advantage of that a couple of times. One time this little dude pictured next to Lij just pulled a chair over to sit by him, very sweet.

Dad & Lij went for a swim to free Mom up for a massage - fun for all!

On the outside of the hotel there were these huge moths/butterflies (not sure which) that were so interesting. First J pointed them out to Lij...

And then he got into them too!

Caught it on video...

Of course we had to have fun on the big fluffy bed too:

At the hotel cafe at night, there were these super cool chandaliers that Elijah was fascinated by, maybe it was the changing colors...we mostly liked the cafe 'cuz of the western desserts - mmmm!

And my personal favorite, J made up a game with my headband & Lij's laugh is so cute:)

Now that I'm back home I can still play on Mom & Dad's bed!

Mother's Day Celebration in Medan continued...

2010-06-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

This post is gonna be long - tons of pix of Lij playing at the kids' playland during our Mom's Day celebration weekend away. Why so many pix? Well, play areas like this are SUPER special here even though normal in the U.S. & it was his first time :) Also, the g'parents want all the angles & reactions in detail so here's to fun memories together!

All the kids are given #s which looks kinda funny ;)

Jah loved himself some sliding!

Especially going UP the slides...

First time in a swing!

SO thankful for this weekend together :)

Breadsticks n such!

2010-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Over our Mom's Day celebration wkend, we went to a new Italian restaurant. It was there that Jah fell in love with breadsticks...

Mom 'n Lij snacking on breadsticks together:

J getting a closeup on his meal with E & e looking at a cat out the door :)

That night we splurged on a nice steak house to celebrate our last night away - here's E at 5 month pregnant, enjoying her heart shaped cut (thx to J) steak!

Lij drumming his breadsticks while eating them (& the video to boot!)

And to all my fans out there....
Our family of 4 :)

The next morning at breakfast, breadsticks were on the menu again.

J found a super long breadstick to go that kept Lij busy while we packed up, even lasting all the way to the taxi :)

Mother's Day Celebration

2010-05-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

Even though our celebration was over a wkend we took a ton of pix so we'll break it up into a few posts, more forthcoming!

So fun to have a nice break from normal life - western food, A/C, & family fun in the big city :)

Elijah was of course fascinated by the phone with a land line (only cell phones in our town).

And ice tongs - 1st time seeing those - Lij was all dressed up to go get his 2nd Hep A shot. We were so happily shocked when he didn't even cry!

Lots of fun on the big, super fluffy bed!

Hello....Elmo?

2010-05-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Hello?"

"I can't hear you, the reception here stinks!"

"Guess it's for you..."

Around the House

2010-05-08T22:14:00.001-07:00

Can hardly believe it's been a month since we posted - here's a few shots around our pad :)

After hearing a huge crash outside I ran out to the front porch. There the culprit was just standing there after knocking my bike over...the nerve.

J bought a sander for our newly built porch. Lij decided the box was a much more fun place to drink his bottle than the floor...he's balancing on the edge of the box actually 'cuz he couldn't fit down in it ;)
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Our next door neighbor (Gilang) is just learning how to read which is so fun. Lij loves looking at the pictures in books so they make a good pair. This was their rest break after taking the cushions of the couch to flip around on the floor!

Last but certainly not least, Jah freeing himself from everything that binds him...

Getaway!

2010-04-04T01:07:00.002-07:00

While in Bandung our friends G & M watched 'Lij for a night so we could have our 1st getaway in over a year...was so fun to celebrate being away for a bit :)

When we first got there we went around & took a bunch a pix while we checked out the beautiful hotel - here's Elissa on the marble staircase:

Us lounging...

Even bought a brownie at the hotel bakery - it's so hard to find desserts in Asia like we have stateside but since this was a western hotel, bingo! Thought it was funny to celebrate our brownie find while touring the workout room :)

Whatta guy!

There was even an executive lounge that we had to use our room key to get in - we felt a little out of place coming from rural Aceh but enjoyed it nonetheless!

So fun to celebrate the holidays in style :)

Fun with Bandung Friends!

2010-03-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

About a week before Christmas we took some time to celebrate being with friends in Bandung. Here we are on the little 12 person plane out of Aceh. We sat in the back which is kind of a reverse bulkhead - lots of feet space which Lij took advantage of.

Jason brought an orchid from the mountain area where he & Jos work. It was a little gift for an orchid loving friend. :)

We used bookbags to block the aisle from Lij crawling forward!

Once we got to Bandung we enjoyed staying with our former homestay family. We went for a swim at a pool about an hour from their home. Here's Jah enjoying hanging out with Pak Wawan.

And then they wanted to see what E looked like when she used to teach water aerobics in college:

J celebrated his 32nd bday while we were in Bandung. Our "fam" took us out for Thai food (J's favorite) - so sweet. Here's Poppy & Raula...

Neraya & Della

Marin

Asram

Of course a Thai place (Buddist) would have a super bright orange highchair!

Arief & J

A couple pictures before we left their home...

Open sesame!

Our friend Diedre also grew up in Indo like Jason. She came out to visit her parents and brought us a whole suitcase of presents & stuff we needed - so great! Here we are eating lunch together at a restaurant with a view overlooking a beautiful gorge, good food to boot.

We took a little time to shop the outlets & there was a little fish pond out front of one of them. Look at your fish-lovin' great grandbaby Pop!

Elijah really liked the mirror that went all the way down to the floor so he could see too :)

We visited with our friend Siswo who has a little boy too. He's a development worker that Jason bonded with when we lived in Bandung.

After we left our homestay fam, we headed over to spend a few days speaking English before heading back to Aceh :) With very few foreigners in our area, this was quite a treat, a special thanks to G & M!

In their family they hide one gift each year for Christmas. They included us in their celebration this year, so fun!

Here's Lij opening his stocking from them...

And who could forget Christmas goodies

Certainly not Lij!

Lij got a book which he immediately took to - that boy loves himself some books.

Had a fondue meal together to celebrate J's bday too - he had to feel so celebrated :)

Fun with polka dots...

Jason says "Are you being Joseph" to which the reply..."does that mean I'm Mary?" oh brother :)

Bath time!

And the early flight from Bandung back to the island of Sumatra...

Part 2 coming soon....

Visiting Liana's

2010-03-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

While slightly embarassing that we're catching up from November (!) we are finally getting pix up so here's to better late than never ;) These are a series of pix from when we visited E's closest Acehnese friend Liana & her sweet son (Riyyo) & daughter (Deena) who love Lij too. This was to celebrate the end of fasting month so she has snacks & cookies out to share (as everyone would for inevitable visitors during this time). Elijah's wearing a typical shirt for this fun celebration time - we think he looks so cute!

A final hug & then watching TV together in the clip below, too funny.

E's Pregnant!

2010-03-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we're pretty excited about our latest news (see the countdown to the right) & no we're not into babystrology, just thought that website had a fun way for watching the growth of our newest addition :)

...for my great wife.

2010-02-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Intern

2010-01-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

Although our life isn't quite as funny as "The Office" we still have interns from time to time. Anna came & stayed with our neighbor friend named Lilis during her time here in Nov. & Dec. We were still cameraless at this point so all these pix are a big thanks to her!

Right around Thanksgiving time this year was when our neighbors were celebrating their yearly Sacrifice Day. Here Lilis (left) & Yuli/Alden (right) are busy with preparations for Hari Qurban. The fun part of this holiday for us is the cookie baking and sharing while visiting friends. Preparing & eating on the floor here is normal :)

Alden! He already looks so different now - the last weeks have flown by.

Anna's housemate Lilis teaches English at a local jr. high. Anna was able to join in on several occasions which they love 'cuz of a native speaker.

Same gender public affection is normal, just cross gender is weird here!

The 8th of every month women & children can come to the Posyandu (local health center) to have their kid weighed up 'til 5 yrs old, basic shots & sometimes even a health lesson and/or nutritious meal.

Here our neighbor Neli has put Epa in the scale as Syola watches on. E's trying to convert kilograms to pounds in her mind.

Syola's turn:

And last but not least, Lij

Elijah's probably the only white head that's peered out from this weigh station!

Here's what we refer to as "The Pink Book." It has each child's records in it - monthly weight, shots received, etc.

These faithful ladies come & give the shots, fill in the books and/or give the health lessons.

Jah loves books of all shapes & sizes. He even pitched a little fit when he couldn't have this lady's book.

Also really took to the baby scale, playing in, on & around it.

This time the kids were given water & an egg with broth & rice. Jah's trying to drink from a straw but wasn't very hungry as he'd just eaten breakfast.

Sitting together while the kids eat...

This year was our 1st Thanksgiving in Aceh. We decided to celebrate with lobster as we hadn't gotten in before thinking it was pricey. Turns out each lobster was only about $4 a piece! We got 2 great lobster recipes from Anna's Dad who evidently is a gourmet cook in his spare time. Jason made a fabulous Thai mango lobster soup. Here's our "recipe book & stand" otherwise known as our laptop on the washing machine.

Jason searched all over Calang to find these beauties!

J was the lobster slayer & E couldn't even watch for posterity's sake.

From plastic bag to pot...

Prep & more prep:

Elijah had his Thanksgiving feast first...

Here's our spread (eating Indo style of course) - had a few traditional foods like corn pudding, etc. but the lobster & quesadillas were a very fun treat for us here where nobody understands Thanksgiving!

Lij had a front row seat behind his baby gate so he wouldn't snatch all our goodies.

Finished off with apple crisp & ice cream (which has only come to Calang since we've been here) - yum!

Anna was sweet & brought us window clinger Thanksgiving decorations. We dressed Elijah up in his VA Tech Hokie outfit from Mom & Dad J as it was the only "turkey" thing we could think to put on him :)

During Anna's time J & Jos took a truckload of ladies up to visit the village where CAMA's irrigation project is in full swing. Here J takes one of his favorite stretch breaks pointing out elephant dung.

Anna in front of the irrigated rice field:

Anna took a few pix of everyday life here in Calang. It's fun to see her perspective too as these have become normal to us now. Like the awesome bay view from our office where the cows come home from the beach from the left...

And E arriving to the office from the right, not phased in the least by the cows on the path ;)

Tsunami warning sign:

Our neighbor kids Gilang (left) & Ebaal (right) playing with a new kitten.

The ever present sound of roosters crowing which we hardly hear anymore:

Our friendly neighborhood monkey who likes to steal food...

And Lilis & Anna's mode of transport:

Right before Anna took off for home we wanted to take her to one of our favorite beaches which we've dubbed "Burton Bay" in honor of finding it with our friends Andy & Tyler.

Here Lilis holds Lij before we hike the steep descent down the mountain to get to the more remote beach.

Taking Lij in our baby backpack is helpful for more rustic fun :)

And a fun family pix - thanks again Anna!

Happy Birthday Jason!

2009-12-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

So we're celebrating J's 32nd here in Bandung. We just got our cameras replaced & so J's enjoying taking pix again :) We'll post them asap!

One Last Stand

2009-12-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

Why the title? Well Jason accidentally got so excited to swim that he forgot our little point & shoot was in his pocket...so these are the last 2 pictures for its last stand. We're super thankful that the card still worked from the camera to get pictures off of even after several minutes in the ocean!

We enjoyed a trip to the beach with our teammates Jos, Yuli & baby Alden. It was Alden's first time so we wanted to make sure to document it :)

Here's E & e before we hike up a big rock to get to a secret cove we like to swim in.

Video Magazine Team

2009-12-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Was exciting to have a video/photo crew in to capture a bit of our lives/work in Aceh. They even did a "day in the life of a kid" which we're pretty excited about too - will let folks know when the final product's ready!

Beach Outfit for a Beach Baby

2009-12-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

New outfit from the g'parents, Lij really enjoyed chewing on the tags ;)

Cold Treats in a Hot Place

2009-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

On a trip out of Aceh we stopped in a McD's to get an ice cream cone. Turns out they had little hats that fit Lij too :) Ice cream tastes SO much better when it's hot outside!

Enjoying a fresh watermelon & limesicle @ home...mmmm!

A Few Firsts

2009-12-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

This post will mostly be for the g'parents who want to stay updated on all the "firsts" in Lij's life :) Posting on 12/11 especially for Pop!

Angel food cake is J's favorite & evidently Elijah was too full to enjoy it this go round...does tasting really count as a first then?!

First attempts @ crawling:

First bath sitting alone (while we were traveling 'cuz no bathtub @ home!)

First time we caught him snoring: (in our friends' car/car seat in Bandung)

This definitely wasn't the 1st time we heard what sounded like a growl coming from Lij but the 1st time we captured it :)

One of the 1st times drinking from a cup...

Learning how to stand...

Just for Fun

2009-12-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a random compilation of pix/videos from the last couple months...

When J & Jos make their trips up to the mountain community we work in we usually take the car seat out to make room in the truck - & Lij always seems to enjoy the temporary addition to his room!

One of our friends named Lily has had her baby since this pix was taken - too cute!

This video's only for dedicated Lij lovers 'cuz it's sideways - oops!

During our last stint to Bandung we stayed with our good friends G & M. They still have many of their kids' old toys which Elijah had fun getting stuck in :)

Couldn't resist this hat stand in Bandung...

Lij playing alone, making his own fun...

And we think this frog rode his way to our shoe rack from inside J's shoe - what in the world?!

Lij playing with Dad:

Elijah has this little snort thing going on when he gets excited that our neighbor's call the "goat smile."

Last but not least - I'm so glad we caught this on video 'cuz for a couple months this was one of Elijah's favorite things to do. He would throw himself backwards, thankfully laughing ahead of time to give us a warning! This is before he could crawl as you can see our car battery was still on the floor in the background to power our fans when the frequent power outtages happen ;)

August Catchup - Birthday Box & more

2009-12-02T02:11:00.000-08:00

Seeing as it's now December we thought it might be good to catchup on Aug ;) Here Elissa is opening our package (delivered right to our door btw!) Mail is such a fun thing stateside but it takes on a whole new level when you live overseas - thanks for loving on us Mom, Dad & Becca 'n fam!

Even Lij enjoyed the birthday box, just in a different way :)

Lij climbing out of the box...

Not only was E's bday in Aug but so was Mom & Dad J's anniversary. We'd put together a little clip of Lij in a VA Tech Hokie outfit just for them (both Hokies).
It's taken awhile to catchup on posting pix/videos 'cuz the camera cords were stolen during our robbery. Finally got the cords reordered & shipped to us...we're thankful to have the ability to post again! Happy belated Anniversary M & D :)

Celebration!

2009-11-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

So fasting month is pretty important in these parts. The day before the big month began probably at least 100+ friends & neighbors took boats out to a little island in the bay where we live. It was our first all-day hang out event here in Aceh :)

Here's a pix from the trip over on one of the boats...

Closeup of Bunga (flower)- so cute!

And Syola being held safe by her Dad...

Video version:

Once we arrived, Elijah was fascinated by the feel of sand in between his little toes.

Here's Syola sleeping in a baby hammock.

Love this video showing how babies are rocked to sleep - she's speaking Acehnese :)

Here's a group a young guys that live nearby us...

We've known this one in particular (Ball) since we first moved here. He lost his father in the tsunami.

Our neighbor gal Ipa loved playing around the trees & vines & beach...

Here's a panorama of the shore starting with Ipa standing & watching & scanning across a pickup game of soccer to folks swimming, enjoying hanging out!

While Ipa's Mom held him, Elijah seemed to really want to meet another friend :)

Good Dad & Jah time too...

Breaktime to eat.

Lij & Mom pix!

A full day of connecting with folks - good memory :)

Front Porch Fun

2009-11-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a set of pix taken from our front porch...

We have a gutter which is a little weird for folks here but the kids love it when there's a rainstorm! They race to the spout - here's 3 little gals that frequent our place :)

Here's another set of gals who come by often (almost daily) - lots of little girls around! (L-R Bunga (means flower), Indah (means beautiful), Syola (who's carrying her stuffed rabbit like women carry their babies here, head covering 'n all! & Ipa, our local tomboy :)

Here's Ipa's mom up way at the top cutting branches off with the girls looking on. Brave!

Oops!

2009-11-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Forgot to add the video for our most recent post 'til just now so if you already saw the pix, check out the video when you have a minute :)

Daddy's Little Helper

2009-11-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

After Elijah poured dish soap all over himself & slid around the kitchen 'til Elissa could finally grab him we decided we needed a way to contain him a bit! J was so great & went to his friend's place (who also happens to be a carpenter) & used leftover scrap wood to make a gate that works GREAT! Whatta guy :)

Here Lij was wanting to see what J was doing with the drill...

And enjoying every moment along the way!

Final product-go Dad!

And a video to boot...

Elijah's 1st Bday!

2009-11-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

So on Lij's bday (Sept 28) we were in the capital city of Jakarta to deal w/ visa stuff. Just before that point we'd been robbed & J's camera had been stolen. Our colleagues & friends Jon & April were great enough to take pix of our celebration at a beautiful mall nearby the guesthouse. Thanks J, A & Edai for celebrating with us while we were away from home!

We decided to go to Cold Stone Creamery 'cuz they give you a free ice cream on your bday if you signup to receive their online coupon. We were shocked they actually took the U.S. coupon in Indo but nicely shocked that is :) Cold Stone is setup in the mall right next to Krispy Kreme so J & A got him a doughnut for his cake & we got him an ice cream cupcake. Then we let the show begin...

We haven't been giving him anything w/ straight up processed sugar at all so his bday was quite a buzz for this little dude!

Although kinda confused at what that round thing may have been, he seemed to warm up to the idea quick enough.

Then he went for the cupcake which we didn't realize had a solid chocolate "puck" at the bottom.

When he got to the bottom he really didn't know what to do w/ himself but just indulge!

We found out that you can give your kid a bath w/ baby wipes when necessary...Happy Birthday Elijah!

Pea Pod

2009-11-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

While we're eating Cinnabon equivalents, Lij gets pea pods:) He doesn't look too thrilled in the pix but the video tells a different story...

Cinnabon

2009-11-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well thanks to U.B., Elissa tried her 1st Cinnabon about 20 yrs ago in Spokane, WA & has been a fav ever since. We actually had one real store (not a knockoff like can happen here - Papa Ron's for instance?!) here on Sumatra (hr flight from us tho) but it closed awhile ago. So, E found a recipe online for some really good equivalents...here's to all Cinnabon lovers out there!
(Oh yea, notice J's favorite cranberry hibiscus tea, also called Roselle tea. He 1st tasted it in Africa & we just found some in Indo after searching specialty stores all over the U.S. for 3 yrs- yes!)

Visitors

2009-10-31T02:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple pix of folks that have stopped by our place recently...first, Elissa's closest friend here Liana :)

And then another family that we met when their father came over to talk with J one day. Their boys really took to Lij!
In the video the one little guy keeps saying "A-deck" meaning "little brother" - very cute.

Isn't it Ironic...

2009-10-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

This is the office of animal husbandry, etc. so obviously it makes sense to house water buffalo as well...?!

J tries to explain in the video (when he says "cur-bow" he means water buffalo)

Since we're on an animals being in weird places theme, here's a video of a crab J caught under his motorbike...

And lest we have a post w/o Lij, here's a random funny pix (taken thru his mosquito netting) of him half out of his diaper...not sure if the velcro's going on our cloth diapers or he was messin' around before falling asleep!

Oh the Places We'll Go...

2009-10-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Once Elijah could finally sit up (enough!) on his own, we wanted to try him out in the Aceh version of a baby bike seat. He got his new to him Craig's List helmet all warmed up in his walker first ;)

We're not sure how he managed a gang sign pose in this one but it sure made us laugh!

Strap fascination first...

Here's a clip of Lij tooling around the house in his new helmet, trying to grab the camera.

We'd brought a water noodle over from the U.S. & J ended up using it as a buffer on Jah's new rod iron seat. He doesn't seem to bothered by the funky style ;)

Preparing to ride...

We're off!

And the video of E & e riding - we saw a babi hutan (wild boar) but couldn't catch it on the video clip...

Here J's trying to pump up this old bike's tires. We borrowed this from our friends w/ FHI here in Calang & Elissa rode this all while she was pregnant. Ended up that the tire went flat & so we rode VERY slowly together to try & get it fixed (never found a place).

Now E's upgraded to a bike that can hold Lij too on her jaunts into town. Since these pix/videos were taken, J had a mountain bike given to him from MAF friends when they left Aceh so we'll have to do a post from our 1st "real" ride together later!

Anniversary & Bday Celebration

2009-10-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

So mid-August was our 6th anniversary & E's bday so we decided to trek (& yes it ended up being more "trekkish" this time!) our way up to Banda Aceh (BA) for a change of scenery & a place to celebrate. We took a wrong turn @ some point (road signs are unclear or nonexistent @ this point!) & ended up taking the mountain route after a hard rain...wow.
Here we are sliding our way to BA...

Shortly thereafter a truck in front of us got stuck & a bunch of guys were out rocking it back 'n forth 'til it finally came lose.

With the rain, the river rose enough to cross the road @ one point.

Right after crossing the river we saw that a huge truck had gone off the road the night before in the hard rain. The folks gathered @ the spot said that the driver survived thankfully.

The next couple pix/videos weren't on this particular trip but also going to/from BA. Here's a big monitor lizard on the way to BA that J decided needed a little company.... unfortunately (or fortunately?) the lizard didn't share the same sentiments.

We saw these white water buffalo on one of our trips to BA. Can't decide if really their skin is pink or they just get sunburned like us, j/k :)

Once we arrived after our 7ish hr trip we enjoyed taking a little time for some R & R!

This was one of the few hotels that had a pool in Banda, so great for celebrations! At the pool there were these turtle statues all around - we thought it would be funny to have a family pix w/ them but E's covering "her" mama turtle in the 1st pix ;)

Tried to capture the fact that Elijah finally had enough hair to "mohawk" it but it's not super clear in the pix...

But a little more obvious in the mohawk video! We didn't realize how much Lij would like splashing around 'cuz we don't use baths in Aceh so it was a new experience for him...

Enjoyed going out to our fav restaurant in town (they serve Italian, pretty shocking!)
And Lij lookin' all coy 'n stuff :)

Lij @ E's bday dinner enjoying playing with his diaper cloth. Had just found out our good friends the Littletons had their 2nd son on E's bday, very fun! Forgot that we were filming sideways, oops.

Here's a random pix of Acehnese boats in BA, gotta love all the colors!

Here's Elijah enjoying a bit of mango juice @ the hotel restaurant.

As we headed back home right outside of BA we took a little stretch break before we hit the road that's too narrow to stop on...

Here we are about to get on a ferry on our way back from BA:

Jah enjoying himself making "bumpy rd sounds"

And last but not least, nursing break with a view :)

4th of July Indo Style

2009-09-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

We got together w/ friends on the 4th & grilled out by the beach, yum! Obviously we're behind in our blogging;)

Quick clip of enjoying some apple pie...

Sitting around on a mat to eat is pretty normal here...got a quick snapshot of the crew here & especially our newlywed friends Hengki & Berta who are expecting in November!

Here's Yuli, Monik & baby Alden :)

Elijah trying drinking from a cup...

Celebrating Father's Day

2009-09-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

So after Bali we stopped over in Jakarta to keep working through visa stuff. It fell over J's 1st Father's Day & since he loves ocean animals so much E planned a trip to Indo's SeaWorld. Was fun to watch Lij watch the fish, etc., exciting to think what'll be like when he can talk about his thoughts!

Maybe someday Lij can ride a live sea turtle, E's actually seen one in the ocean not far from our home. Unfortunately @ "our" beach the fishermen like to sell their eggs for eating.

Gotta love those tunnels where you're riding through a lifesized aquarium.

Now here's a whopper! Whatcha think of this one Pop?! :)

Took this pix & video especially for Lij's Aunt Crissy - he's so interested in looking @ this dugong!

Broken Record..!

2009-09-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Happy to be a broken record because there is good reason to say yet again, read our "In More Detail" link for well, more details :)

Bali

2009-09-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow are we overdue on posting! We also just posted a great story on our "In More Detail" link, email us if you want access to the site.

So here's a blip from our time in Bali. Most of our time in Bali was spent @ our yearly conference (no pix from the mtgs, would be too boring) however Jason was in charge of organizing the youth trip this year so they went white water rafting :)

The place was called Sobek Falls...

Here's the crew grabbing a bite to eat:

And of course we had fun moments as a fam too (gotta love that laugh!)

This clip was taken the same night - Lij trying fresh mango juice (as well as drinking from a straw) for the first time - yum!

A final clip on the day we left Bali...

Random Compilation

2009-08-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

We're not sure exactly when these snapshots/videos were taken exactly, just as we saw Lij in a fun pose or when the mood hit us right!
Trying out finger foods...

Thanks J & B for this great chew toy!

Didn't stage this one, 2 of his favorites: "beary" & his blue blanket.

Just enjoying his walker...

Getting more handy w/ his bottle as weaning continues:

Fun shot w/ Dad!

Our sweet next door neighbor named Winda - she just loves Jah :)

Didn't realize how well Lij has gotten his roll technique down 'til the other day...

Here Elijah grabbed his playgym & it got stuck on his walker. He seemed happy enough to haul it around though ;)

Failed attempt @ trying to combine 2 shorter naps into one long one...asleep @ the dinner table.

Saved the best video for last...

Pit Stop

2009-08-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

OK, back to our normal posting...once we got to Banda Aceh we made a quick ferry trip over to a nearby island called Sabang. The only other time we made that trip was for Valentine's last year when E was just pregnant & feeling nauseous. It was so much nicer to carry Lij on the outside this time!!

We wanted to check out retreat possibilities for fellow workers here in Aceh. Here's a couple pix from a yummy fish dinner that we had after meeting some fishermen on the beach & buying their catch...

Whatta Hubby!

2009-08-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Well J made a really sweet video that originally had audio problems but now is fixed so if you watched the soundless version, try again when you have a minute :)

Anniversary and B-day

2009-08-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hey E,

So glad God made you and gave you to me! This is a little video to celebrate you.

Heading Out of Town

2009-08-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Our internet's been down for awhile but we're up & running again so we'll pickup where we left off... So in order to get to our yearly conference we took a 7 hr. drive to the capital of Aceh (Banda Aceh), flew from our island (Sumatra) to the island of Java & after 2 days of traveling we got there (a little late!) Here's the 1st leg of our trip, the beautiful drive up the coast of Aceh.
In this video J's referring to our favorite "warung" which means cafe :)

And we get to cross bridges like this free of charge! (Notice the box to the right before crossing for donations to fix it...)

Settling In...

2009-07-24T01:55:00.000-07:00

Well, this'll be a hodge-podge of things but basically sums up the few weeks we had home before we headed out again for our yearly conference in Bali...

First thing we did once getting back home was to head over to see Jos & Yuli's new baby named Alden. We're so happy w/ Jos & Yuli! He was born while we were having to deal w/ visa stuff in Jakarta.

When we got back home folks also stopped over to see Lij (not really to see us!) ;)

Here we enjoyed dinner on the seawall outside our home/office with a few friends. Elijah got all bundled up in his Indo cloth carrier to ward off mosquitoes.

We also enjoyed a beach trip to our favorite "secret cove" with our friend & intern Joel as well as some of our national buds.

A couple times a month we like to get together w/ likeminded folks across different organizations. Here's one of those meetings in our livingroom. Look @ our prego friends Lily on the left & Berta on the right, so cute!

Here's Elijah enjoying his "Johnny Jump-up" on our front porch (our office in the background) as well as taking parts off of his walker to eat them...

Every morning behind our home as we eat breakfast we see fishermen (like our friend Bal here) pass by from the ocean back home - sometimes they're carrying fun things like hammerhead sharks or stingrays too!

Another fun random pix, J trying a temporary fix on the hole that our neighborhood cat made in our screen door (Lij looking on w/ great interest ;)

Lij trying his new sippy cup!

Which evidently wore him out...;)

We're enjoying reading books with Jah these days - every once & awhile kids in the neighborhood like to listen in too (the translated version of course)

And us just hanging out :)

Ahh...Back Home

2009-07-09T20:46:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple videos & pix of hanging out with our next door neighbors...

And a final snort from Lij makes everybody laugh :)

Baby dedication ceremonies here are important - notice the gold on this baby's wrist, a family's way of saving.

Everyone wanted to hold Jah (or actually Yusuf, he's called by his middle name here)

A Few Furry (& not so furry) Friends

2009-07-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

So this post is dedicated to the ever present animal life around our home, some more amusing than others! One morning E saw a cow in our backyard that had gotten into our neighbor's trash can. Wasn't long before a quick back scratch put this guy on his way to a trash can lid free day.

Here's a video of an especially friendly goat that ate a mango seed of ours like a piece of candy...

So these next pix aren't exactly around our home but rather on the way up the mountain to the village where we're working - here's J's foot in the middle of an elephant footprint.
As well as our friend Arifik's hand...great guy.
Wouldn't want to leave out the pix of the motorbikes in this spot where it looks like the elephants were dancing...

This pix was an attempt to capture a new find for us - lizard eggs in the keyhole, oh brother.
While visiting our teammates Jos & Yuli & their new son Alden, we got a chance to show Jah some cute chicks. Why do we feel our life is like one big petting zoo...?! Ha :)

And a couple videos to fill in the details...

Since we're on the "animals on the porch" theme, thought we'd post our fav animal clip in awhile:

In the cows (slight) defense, here's a quick clip of what a storm looks like (hence they run to our porch!)

Jakarta

2009-06-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

So after Bangkok we had to return to Indo's capital for 2 wks. to process our new letters of permission to stay. Here Elissa is trying to help Elijah sit up for his "oh so cute" pix :)

Now that we were official 'n all, we were able to get our driver's licenses...w/o a test, hmmm. And yes, there's 3 cards - don't worry Lij wasn't able to pass the hoops too, just J has to carry a separate car & motorbike license.

After waiting @ the license bureau, Lij had his naptime on the go...

We stayed at a team member's home during this time. They have this great bird that loves people. Here's E's trying to balance the bird & Lij continually leaning in to get a closer look, hence the "crained neck look!"

We took a trip to the local mall & Lij needed a nap so we used our Indo baby carrier as a portable darkness maker yet again...

Afterwards we caught a couple clips of a kids celebration day there @ the mall, too cute. Evidently these little guys had a basketball theme going on for their dance...

The teens on the other hand were...well, teeny.

Saw this sign in the mall & had to snap a pix:

With our "longer" stint in Jakarta, we finally started figuring out the busway, a big relief to our wallets.

While in Jakarta, we found out our friend Edo had passed away in a motorbike accident. Here's his wife Lois with their 1 yr old little girl at his burial site.

Here we are on the way to the hospital after Jah had thrown up quite a bit - why the pix you may ask? We were stuck in traffic & about to go crazy...! Here's to more of the "real" side of life!

Elijah also began learning how to sit in a high chair during this time - use #248 of our Indo baby carrier, tie Lij into the high chair. (clearly he's not that thrilled)

And to finish off, here's Lij all smiles & then gets startled by a noise & has a quick change of thought...

Final Thailand Pix/Videos

2009-06-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this'll be a longer post but it'll finish up our time in Thailand. We've been on a little bit of a hiatus from good internet so are trying to catch up on some blogging while we're out of Aceh...heading back in later today!
We caught a 3D movie which Jah seemed to enjoy as well even w/o the glasses:

Luke & Levi - Jah wanted to say a quick "hey" as he saw this "Thomas" shirt which reminded us of you!

Found a fun pillow which Lij had to feel...

Sticky rice & mangoes is one of our fav Thai treats - here's what it looks like when sold on the street :)
Went to SE Asia's biggest market, just up the street from the guesthouse where we stayed. J & Jah enjoyed looking @ the puppies of course.

We came across some Thai guys playing bluegrass..what in the world?!

And this dude was painting a shoe in the "art district" of the market.

Here's a 360 view of the market...

Here's our transport when we left the market:

Had a little downtime in our room as well where Lij enjoyed his new book from the Stables - thx so much guys!!!
And a salmon meal out - Thailand has some pretty amazing, cheap food.

After our meal, we caught a couple minutes of Jah playing & a few laughs! :)

We heard a place called "The Train Restaurant" had great Thai but wanted to capture some of the inside for our train-lovin' pals :)

A quick clip of the train station across the street after we finished dinner (a little weary by that point) ;)

Enjoyed running into our friends Dave & Jim unexpectedly!

And leaving Bangkok back for Indo:

Back to Thailand

2009-06-22T02:08:00.000-07:00

So in order to pickup our new visas, we had to return back to Thailand. Here's a few pix/videos of the 1st time we've flown out of our town to the capital of Aceh (Banda Aceh) as a fam.

Pretty soon after takeoff we flew over "our" bay - there's a little island in the video clip - that's the one that shows up in all our pix of the bay from our home with the island out to sea...

Here's a look out the window of the 9 person plane we flew out with:

We turned our papers in right away & then it was just a waiting game 'til we could head back to Indo. We decided to make the most of our time in Bangkok beginning with a trip to the grocery store...hmmm, veggie cereal.
We couldn't believe our eyes, Reeses!

And the world's smallest ice cream cone...
What an appropriate name.

And trying dragonfruit, yum!

Happy Father's Day J!

2009-06-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Love you Daddy!

Plus the Videos...

2009-06-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

When we last posted we didn't have the internet "umph" to post some of the videos that went along w/ the pix...so, here they are!

Lij in his walker...

Lovin on his favorite (well, only) stuffed bear - thanks Aunt G!

Yet another adventure of J wrangling wild beasts around our home...ok, maybe it's just a big lizard.

And lizard catching part 2...

While home we took Lij up to the village where we're working. Here's the car ride up (notice the safety measures to keep Jah's head semi "in place" during rough patches in the road :)

We hung out in the village chief's home for a bit, here's a clip of his daughter's room while she & her friends hung w/ Lij.

And last, but certainly not least, his diaper explosion episode (lest we forget the not so exciting parts of our day)

Home Again Home Again

2009-06-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

So our friend Jeff K came from VA to check out the possibilities of partnering with the work here. It was great to get to hang out with him & we're so thankful he hauled a whole suitcase full of stuff for us - thanks Jeff! Among the stuff was a baby mosquito net 'Lij is modeling for us here on our front porch with J.
We've had a couple "firsts" in the mean time - a new walker...
Asleep on the job...As well as more solid foods bringing a whole new aspect to our lives ;)

Heading Home...

2009-06-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

So after our stint in Jakarta waiting out the elections, we headed separately back into Aceh. J went ahead of E & e 'cuz we had a guest coming in from VA. Elijah & Elissa stayed the night in Medan & 'Lij got himself a little stuck...

And here's the pix after he gained his freedom :)

Waitin' Out Election Time in Jakarta

2009-05-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

So there was some unrest in Papua @ election time but not in Aceh thankfully. We got a few video clips & pix in the mean time - in no particular order:

Caught him about a day after he learned to roll over...
We grabbed a bite to eat & Lij tried his new flip technique on the bench seat...(pix taken from under the table)

He did a little better in the chair:

E enjoyed her heart-shaped foccacia...welcome to the big city of Jakarta!
Our friend Becca says we don't post enough "real" pix so we tried to simulate what it looks like when we're angry w/ each other but we ended up laughing & the flash in the pix kinda hides us...o well, we tried.

Also while we were waiting to head back to Aceh E met up with a friend who used to work in Aceh also, now working as a teacher in Jakarta. E went & met up with a couple of the classes there who decided to help raise $ for Aceh - fabulous! Here's our friend Meisi & her hubby-to-be Fabi.
And here's Meisi's class w/ E, Lij & Meisi in the middle...

Made a trip to the grocery store & saw an orange almost as big as Jah's head - hormones much?
We thought this brand of diapers was particularly funny - the kid on the pack looks so excited but the name brand is "GOON" go figure.
One final pix w/ J feeding Jah during our few days in Jakarta.

Great Wall Marathon

2009-05-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, 2009 E's sister running a heck of a marathon - we're so proud of her - go Crissy!

Dam Break in Jakarta

2009-05-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

Right before we got to Jakarta there was a huge dam break that was reported to have killed over 100 people & made thousands homeless. Here's some of the footage J took while he & others with our sponsoring foundation were trying to assess the needs to see how best to help.

From Bandung to Jakarta

2009-05-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

So here's our train trip down to Jakarta - had the privilege of riding w/ one of J's former Dalat teachers, Tommy Tompkins.

While we were in Bangkok our visa was supposed to get finished in time for us to pick it up but there was another delay so we decided to return to Indo...it could be days or months before it was ready. We'd already spent a couple days in Bandung (earlier post) & then headed to the capital (Jakarta) which is where we found out it was granted & were seriously in shock since this has been over 2 years in process!

So, we ran & got our pix taken Indo style (red background) - 'Lij was so cute letting J hold him in place for the shot. Afterwards we celebrated @ Chili's since the only one we know of in Indo is right around the corner from the guesthouse where we were staying. In the last pix J's trying to show the huge amount of cheese that was on the nachos he ordered & then explains w/ the video too. Is this normal in the U.S.? We were totally grossed out by the gobs of cheese & salt...shnasty!

Happy Mom's Day E :)

2009-05-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Back to Indo...

2009-05-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Due to some unrest in Aceh leading up to the elections, we were given advice to return to Java first & wait out the elections there. We flew into Bandung to spend a couple days with good friends from our 1st yr in Indo - here's pix from visiting Pak Bandi's home (his grandkids pictured).

We enjoyed staying with Arief & Poppy, our former homestay family. We tried to lay Lij on a couple mats for sleeping but he slipped down...& kept sleeping!

We have a "Jalan Tikus" (Mouse Trail literally but means "shortcut") that we like to take in between Arief & Pak Bandi's...

Leaving Bangkok

2009-05-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

After our 2 conferences in Bangkok we headed out the next evening. We spent that Saturday having fun as a fam - here's Lij sportin' his new sunhat & glasses.
We couldn't pass up the chance for one last Thai meal - pad thai & mangoes 'n sticky rice - yum!
We made a quick run to the Bangkok Zoo & saw these...overgrown guinea pigs?

Got a couple quick video clips of some animals...hippo, bear & our personal fav was the monitor lizard 'cuz he was just running wild in the zoo, funny thought.

We ended our zoo run w/ a fam pix by the monitor lizard's pond.

On our Bangkok to Malaysia leg we found yet another use for our Indo baby carrier cloth...tying the arm of the plane chair up so it doesn't smack Lij in the head when there's turbulence...& just enuf left over to cover his face to make it darker.
During our layover in Malaysia, Elijah made a quick friend who was a little camera shy.
Followed by a nap - thank goodness for diaper cloths, aka "portable darkness makers"
Lij enjoyed his rice cereal on the 1st part of the trip from Malaysia back to Indo followed shortly thereafter by a snooze w/ Mom :) This was one full 24 hrs!

Little Elijah Big Chair

2009-05-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Lil E's 1st Elephant Ride...

2009-04-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Well our 2nd conference began w/ a bang when the conference hosts had a baby elephant brought in. Here our friends Andy & Tyler got to celebrate Andy's bday Thai style.
Here's J handing Jah up to our friend & coworker John.
We thought it was such a great pix to have the youngest & the oldest in our org riding @ the same time :)
This guy drank straight from the guesthouse hose...
By the time it was our turn to ride, this baby elephant was worn out so we got a pix sitting beside him instead of on him - poor guy!
Here Jah's sportin' his 1st "muscle shirt" which shows the Thai way of getting around - "tuk tuk."
During this 2nd week of meetings Elijah also enjoyed some fun time playing with other foreign kids that live in Indo too - we can hardly wait 'til he'll be running around together with 'em!
And here's the video....would love to get your comment on whether you can see this or not? We've had a few folks say some of our videos aren't working...

And finally here's Jah hanging out on a couple chairs during the meetings - a familiar sight day in & day out - he did such a fabulous job just playing by himself thru it all!

24 hours...

2009-04-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Our 1st conference ended on a Fri nite & the next one began Sun nite so Sat morning we hopped in a van with two other couples, Matt & Abbie & Andy & Tyler & headed to Hua Hin for our 24 hour break between meetings...! Since we'd gotten such a great deal during our time w/ M&D D we decided to head back to the same great place we'd been earlier.

Here's Elijah again strapped to the van seat...he slept most of his way to the beach :)

So once we arrived we got settled in...Lij has had a fascination w/ his hands for about 2 months now.

Had fun eating @ a little cafe by the ocean that night...

Abbie on the left & Tyler on the right - great ladies!

Of course there was lots of pool time...

Great kiddie slide + no lifeguards = great time! ;)

Andy & Tyler brought along their underwater camera so we got some good laughs w/ that.

Jah's 1st slide...

Here he is hangin out Jah style...

One final video, our personal fav - the guys all going down the slide screaming like girls ;)

Our 24 hrs ended w/ an Asian specialty...chicken satay @ the poolside cafe.

Thanks you guys -we had a blast, looking forward to next year :)

400th post...

2009-04-13T00:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, somehow that feels memorable! Actually there are a couple memorable things in this post like remembering the week when Elijah began "real" food, got his 6 mo shots & us having a good time w/ friends....

So the REAL reason we went to Thailand was for 2 wks of conferences-we just decided to tag on time w/ Mom & Dad D since we were going to be there anyways. Most of our days were sitting @ desks either studying the given text, talking through issues or coffee breaks. However, we had a couple nights off & had a chance to hang out w/ some friends in similar work.

Here's dinner out @ an Arabic cafe...

We had a free afternoon so we spent it getting Jah's 6 mo shots...he didn't cry for the 1st one, what a guy :)

Well after the Dr. visit we took the sky train to meet friends for dinner. Elissa tried to video our ride but the 1st train was too full so we got a clip of our failed efforts to ride;)

So that night we headed to a night market there in Bangkok & found some fun sights along the way...here's J & Jah on a big wooden elephant in honor of Dad D's collection...

J & our friend Andy had fun @ an antique shop w/ swords.

We couldn't find anywhere to change Lij so this cart had to do.

And the video to boot...

This video shows the carts in action...

And the carts weren't the only thing gracing the streets of Bangkok that night...

Here we are heading to the supermarket to find baby cereal for Elijah - we'd planned on starting him once we returned to Aceh but Jah decided otherwise...

J & Jah enjoyed a quick dip on the last afternoon of conference #1. J was done studying but E still had a bit to go & was jealous of that fact(!)esp since Lij had his 1st babysitter this wk & we were excited to spend any spare moments w/ him.

The last night of the 1st conference was a cultural show...here's a dance from the Philippines.

Sister Pool #3

2009-04-10T19:27:00.001-07:00

This was the last of the 3 pools we visited, at a golf resort... we felt like celebrities for a few days, so fun :) Here's a little cave we hung out in to keep from getting too much sun.

Here's Elijah hanging out on his ever present Indonesian baby carrier...what a fabulous idea! We use this piece of cloth for so many things like a place for him to lay, shade, seatbelt...if anyone would like to order one, let us know (very economical to boot!)

We enjoyed a nice lunch @ the pool cafe...Elissa especially enjoyed her burger, complete w/ shell-tipped toothpicks...a far cry from life in Aceh, guess that's why it's called vacation ;)

After HH we headed back to the guesthouse in Bangkok, here's 'Lij on the bed lookin all chipper 'n stuff ;)

A farewell pix as Mom & Dad D headed back to Cambodia - what a great time we had together - thanks M & D!!!

Surf's Up!

2009-04-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

This was Elijah's 1st time in the ocean...even though we live by the ocean we'd been so busy while home we hadn't taken him yet!

To Market to Market to Buy a...

2009-04-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

One night in HH we decided to head to the local night market...but 1st we grabbed a quick bite @ the nicest Pizza Hut we've ever seen.

We thought this shirt @ the market was pretty hilarious.

Here's a quick clip of the night market...there was one table of thrift items which we hadn't seen yet in Asia - most folks aren't wealthy enough to be able to get rid of useable clothes just to pick a different style...

One of our favorite finds was this little bunny...Happy Easter everyone :)

Sister Hotels...

2009-04-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about where we stayed was that hotel had 2 other "sister" hotels in the area where we could also swim @ our leisure...what a nice concept, leisure :)
We decided to try out a baby float for Elijah that we'd found...he seemed to love it!

'Lij enjoyed lounging on the chairs in between the 2 sides of the pool...one of the few spots of shade around.

Today was the day that his feet found his mouth...& he hasn't seemed to stop since!

Fun in the...Shade

2009-04-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

Our days began with a yummy buffet breakfast...

Didn't realize what a blast we'd have trying to keep Elijah out of the sun @ our hotel pool...lots of laughs :)
J had gotten a new lens for his camera he wanted to try out.

Gotta love those lounge chairs!

'Jah enjoyed his 1st bath in a bathtub...well, kind of...had to get all that chlorine off!

There was a little cafe next to our hotel that just happened to have a baby elephant swing by when we were there...
So we fed him some sugarcane & then he was on his way...'Lij's 1st elephant up close, he didn't seem to be overly alarmed :)

We spotted moonlight on the sea followed shortly thereafter by a sleeping baby.

Onto Hua Hin...

2009-04-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

So to recap...we went to Mom & Dad D's home in Siem Reap, Cambodia, then to Bangkok for medical checkups, etc. & then for a vacation w/ M & D in a beach town outside Bangkok called Hua Hin. The CAMA rep there in Bangkok got us really good rates on a nice hotel, we were spoiled for a long weekend & loved it!

Here Elijah's Paw Paw was enjoying holding him in the car for a bit...
But 'Lij enjoyed most of the trip "tied" down to the seat...no car seats here!

Here's dinner our 1st night in HH - the hotel restaurant had quite a few mosquitos...thank goodness we brought our $3 mosquito tent for little E :)

So J decided to try octopus @ the little dinner cafe - here's a pix for those that can't see the video below...

And some good guy bonding time between 'Jah & his Paw Paw in the hotel room...or is that Elijah's mouth just bonding w/ Dad D's knee, we're not too sure.

Oops!

2009-04-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we just found some other pix from our time in Cambodia so here's J & 'Jah waiting in the KL airport for our 7AM flight into Siem Reap, Cambodia where Mom & Dad D live...

This is a quick clip of Mom & Dad D meeting Elijah for the 1st time :)

One night we went to their favorite Vietnamese restaurant in town...

...which had an aquarium J & 'Jah liked watching.

Here Mom D & Elijah spend some time reading the newspaper on their couch.

Fun pix with Grandma & PawPaw!

Here's the outside & inside of one of the Vietnamese schools Mom & Dad are working with.
J had fun playing with a few of the little guys :)

Water Water Everywhere

2009-03-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed going to a mini version of Sea World while in Bangkok w/ Mom & Dad D - here's a quick pix in the food court before heading in...(notice Elijah trying to show off his belly) ;)

The Thai McD's in the food court was priceless...

"Ocean World" in a huge mall in Bangkok, pretty unbelievable.

We passed by right when it was stingray feeding time...tried to get the fam in the video but was too dark @ the end.

These last 2 pix are of fun fish displays they had...where folks could stick their head "inside" the aquarium & a fridge aquarium to boot.

Was fun to see this penguin up close...
OK, we have a few other videos...maybe too many...at least the grandparents will like 'em ;)

Arriving to Thailand

2009-03-24T02:12:00.001-07:00

So evidently there's things called "travelators" which J had seen but E hadn't...are these in the US? Anyways, E had fun w/ e on their ride in the Bangkok airport while we waited for Mom & Dad D to arrive.

Here we are in the airport "limo" as E & e ride backwards on our ride w/ the Drummond Srs. to the guesthouse in Bangkok.
We had a couple days in Bangkok to get Elijah's 6 month shots, a checkup on E's wrist & do a couple fun things before heading to a beach near Hua Hin. We watched "Slumdog Millionaire" after our appointments - Elijah sat patiently through the whole thing, whatta guy.
We enjoyed a snack at an Oldies Cafe & just hanging out.
Here's Dad D & 'Jah as we ate lunch on Sunday before heading to the beach.