New Year Resolution

Mommy has decided to do her own Project 365.  That is where you take a picture a day for an entire year.  Mommy has heard that it is difficult to keep up the momentum for an entire year, and that many people bail after about 6 weeks or so.  Joseph has taken an interest in photography lately and says that he would like to do his own Project 365.  Mommy will post 1 picture a day from herself and 1 from Joseph on her personal blog: Crazy J's Blog.  It can be accessed on the right side under My Other Blogs.   We will see if we can make it an entire year!

New Year's Eve

Today is New Year's Eve.  The kids got up extra early...before 6am.  After Daddy went to work, the kids helped Mommy organize the apartment a little.  We sorted through some papers and toys and put things in their proper places.  Later, we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow.  Mommy and Daddy invited Bro. and Sis. Beaman over for dinner on New Year's Day.  They are a missionary couple in our ward, and they are leaving for home on Thursday.  Mommy and Daddy are sad to see them go.  They are a great couple, and we have so enjoyed knowing them. We wish them all the best as they return to life after a mission.

Daddy only had to work a half day today so he met us at the grocery store.  Mommy bought a couple of containers to help organize the rest of the toys.  Mommy also bought a large container which will henceforth be labeled the "Saturday" box.  The kids have been warned that whatever toys and things Mommy comes across that have not been put away will end up in the "Saturday" box.  The things will be returned the following Saturday.  Mommy has been struggling with getting the kids to put their things away before getting out something else.  Mommy read that taking the toys away from the kids and putting them in a see through container that is off limits is enough incentive for the kids to learn to put their things away.  Time will tell if this idea will work.

While at the store, the kids wanted to get flip-flops.  Audrey was needing a new pair because she wore out her old ones.  The other two decided they wanted to try wearing flip-flops.  The kids are going "native" as most Indonesians wear flip-flops as their footwear of choice.

 

 

Later in the afternoon, Mommy and Daddy took the kids to see the movie Life of Pi.  Daddy heard that it was really good.  Audrey and Katelyn got a little scared during the storm scenes and both said that they did not like the movie.  The rest of us liked it quite a bit.  We ate dinner at the food court at the mall.  The kids wanted McDonald's for dinner.  Mommy and Daddy had wontons and noodles from a really yummy Korean style stall. 

 

 

 

 

This evening we had FHE and then hung out and played on the Wii and with toys.  It was a fun day.  The kids are fast asleep. When we get up tomorrow, it will be 2013!  Mommy and Daddy wonder what the new year will bring.  2012 went by so quickly, but it was a great year!

 

 

 



 



End of the Year

It is almost the end of 2012! It is so crazy how fast this year went. The kids have grown so much. Mommy can look at their faces and see the changes. They seem like they have matured so much.

Today Mommy and Daddy took the kids fishing. It has been awhile. The weather was great, and Mommy had a chance to snap a few pictures.

Christmas 2012

Christmas Eve, Daddy took the family to go see Rise of the Guardians. Then we had dinner at a Singaporean restaurant that served Hawker food. The kids just could not get enough roti and curry! At home, they each got to open one gift before bedtime.

We also had a nice Christmas. The kids got up early but were nice enough not to wake Mommy and Daddy up. Around 7:30 am, everyone was up and about. After 1 quick family photo, it was time to open presents. The girls got My Little Pony, Polly Pockets, Barbies, and Littlest Pet Shop toys. Joseph got Legos, bey blades, and an alarm clock. Daddy got a new rifle scope which he won't be able to see or use until next summer. Mommy got a 50 mm lens for her camera which she just loves!

In the afternoon, we headed to a friend's house for Christmas dinner. We had roast beef and lamb along with lots of yummy sides and desserts. It was a fun dinner. Christmas Day itself was quite rainy. The kids kept begging to go swimming. Finally around 7 pm or so the rain lightened up and there was no more thunder and lightning so the kids went swimming for about an hour or so. There was not much traffic even with the rain so it did not take forever to get home. Three sleepy kids were out for the night after a fun and busy day.



Not the best picture, but no one is screaming for once.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mommy tried out her new lens on Audrey...so fun!

Gymnastics

 

The kids took gymnastics this last semester.  This last Monday they participated in an in-house exhibition for the parents.  Normally, parents are not allowed to observe the classes except when it is their turn in the rotation.  Mommy’s turns to observe the class were all early on in the semester so Mommy was excited to see the kids perform.

Joseph and Audrey have both said that they love gymnastics! They are excited to start again next semester. The exhibition was fun to watch the the kids were so proud of their medals of participation this semester.

Christmas Card 2012

 

Mommy finally got around to making a digital Christmas photo card.  We wish we could mail everyone cards, but that just isn’t something that is easy to do from here.  We want to wish all our friends and family and very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2012 seemed like it went very quickly.  We are now going on 2 years in Indonesia.  It does not seem possible that we have been here this long.  This was an exciting year.  In March, we met up with Mommy’s parents in Taiwan for a 2-week visit.  In April, Daddy took the family to Singapore.  The kids got to see the mission office and the apartments where Daddy used to live when he was a missionary. We also went to the Night Safari and Botanical Gardens.   In May, we took a trip to Malaysia to visit more of Daddy’s old mission stomping grounds.  In Kuala Lumpur, we met up with 2 of the converts that Daddy taught on his mission.  Then we took a train to Ipoh and met up with the Church members there.  They were so kind and showed us around and took great care of us.  In June, as soon as school let out, Mommy and the kids flew to Texas for the summer.  It was a great 8 weeks!  Daddy joined us for the last 2 weeks.  The kids started school in early August. Uncle M got married in October so Mommy and the kids flew back to Texas for the wedding.  That was a fast and furious trip, but as always, it was so nice to see family and friends.  The kids are now off for Christmas break, but Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to just staying home.  Besides, Daddy is still trying to make up vacation days from earlier in the year.  This last fall semester has also been a busy one…gymnastics, soccer, Tae Kwon Do, Golf, Cello, etc.  Mommy needs these next few weeks to recharge for the next year!  We do not know what 2013 will bring, but we are looking forward to new adventures!

More Art

Joseph and Audrey have an art class Thursday afternoons. Their teacher is a super nice Indonesian man. He's a good teacher and the kids like art class.

Today's lesson was about gradients of color. The kids made a colored background with a gradient of different colors using acrylic paints. Then they sketched out and painted a subject on the top of the background.

The teacher suggested that a tree might be a nice subject. The kids must have agreed. Mommy and Daddy thought the kids did an amazing job.

Mommy is also taking an art class but she has only been to class 4 times the entire semester. Sadly, she is still working on the same picture. Hopefully one of these days , Mommy will actually finish her painting.
The teacher said that it is starting to look good, but Mommy needs to keep working on those pumpkins...sigh.

Mommy's art teacher is a well-known Indonesian artist. Many of her students have gone on to be well-known artists themselves. Her standards are pretty high and she makes you learn by doing. It is a hard class to take if you don't like being criticized every step of the way, but still, Mommy enjoys it and wishes she could go more often. She also wishes she had more time to paint...maybe over Christmas break.

Here is the work in progress...

 

Joseph's painting...love the tree!

 

 

Audrey's painting...it's an apple tree.

Mavala Stop - Day 1

All three of our children have enjoyed sucking on something. A couple years ago we convinced Joseph to give up the habit and to our surprise, he did. However, our girls have so far thwarted all of our attempts to break their sucking habits.

Today, we got a product called Mavala Stop to take it to the next level. Simply apply it on their finger nails and let it dry. When the kids taste the bad taste, they are supposed to be deterred.

Audrey naturally instantly tasted her thumb and laughed, "it tasted like medicine!" We'll see how it goes and I'll try to remember to update the blog.

20 December update:

So far so good.  The girls have not sucked their fingers since the treatment as best I can figure.   I even had to trim Katelyn's fingernails.  She had previously told me her nails don't grow.  :)

Doss

Strings Recital

Yesterday was the PEL Strings Recital.  All the Strings students performed in groups except for Joseph because he was the only cellist.  Mommy didn’t realize that until the day before the concert.  Joseph said he was playing a solo.  Apparently there was only one other student who was taking cello, but he quit.  After the recital, the principal asked for more students to sign up to play the cello next term.  He said, “Joseph Barker needs friends!” 

Poor Joseph was so nervous.  He had to play in front of all the parents and the entire school came too!  He did really well and Mommy was very proud of him for performing.

Group guitar


Group Violins (there were 2 beginner groups and one intermediate group)


Joseph and his cello teacher




The Performance:

 

 

 

Post update:  Mommy was finally able to compress the performance video and upload it without the computer crashing.  So...Mommy and Daddy decided to let Joseph decide if he would like to continute with the cello after trying it out this term. Joseph said that he wanted to keep playing.  Joseph's cello teacher said that he is a quick learner and has made a lot of progress in a short amount of time.  Also, it looks as if the Principal's plea for more kids to play cello has paid off.  There is at least one other student that has signed up for cello next term. He is a good friend of Joseph's so that should be fun for both of them to be in the same class.  

 

  

 

Budding Artist

Audrey says she wants to be an artist when she grows up. She is always creating things. Mommy is not sure what to do with all of Audrey's art.

There is a tree branch with yarn hanging from it. There is a box with pieces of scrap fabric and painted macaroni glued to it. Mommy has drawings and mosaics all over the walls. The creative juices just keep flowing!

Audrey's latest interest is painting. She asked Mommy to buy her paints and a canvas. Last night she made a sketch and then proceeded to paint. It turned out pretty well for her first painting.

Audrey's Yeh-Yeh (grandfather) is an artist. He would be proud to know there is a budding artist in the family.

UN Day

The kids had UN Day celebrations at school recently. Mommy loves how the International School celebrates diversity. In the weeks leading up to UN Day, the kids learn about many of the countries that their classmates are from.

In the school cafeteria, the parents set up country booths that the kids visit. They get souvenirs or food. Mommy helped make chocolate chip cookies for the American booth.

There was also a concert and parade. My kids represented the U.S. although Joseph said he wanted to walk with the Taiwan flag. Audrey insisted that she is half Indonesian. I guess there is some confusion in her mind about her ethnicity...lol.

Mommy enjoyed UN Day very much. The kids wore Patriotic clothes, and it was so sweet to hear the kids singing "Light a candle for peace." If only world peace were as simple as lighting a candle. It was a lovely song and brought tears to Mommy's eyes.

Time has passed so quickly. Mommy can't believe that a whole year has passed since last UN Day.

 

 

 

4th Birthday

 

Katelyn turned 4 the day we headed back to Jakarta.  She was just the sweetest baby ever.  Mommy is sad that she is growing up so quickly.  Katelyn can be super stubborn and feisty, but she is also very sweet and cuddly too.  We all adore our little Nu nu.

 

 

 

 

We had a joint birthday party for Katelyn and her friend the second weekend in November.  It was a little on the late side, but still lots of fun.

October

October was a busy month.  Mommy decided pretty much last minute that she would take the kids back to Texas to attend Uncle M’s wedding.  The kids are super travelers and did really well as usual.  We arrived in Houston mid October and made the most of our roughly 10.5 days in Texas.  It turned out that Daddy had to spend 2 weeks in Sumatra around the same time as our Texas trip so the timing worked out well.  Also, the kids had a little over a week off for fall break so they only missed 4 days of school.  It was a fast and furious trip, but we are glad that we went.

 

Spent lots of time waiting in airports

 

The connecting flight in Singapore leaves at 2:30am…not the best time for sleepy kids.

 

Finally…at the Houston airport.

 

Took a quick but fun trip to the ranch

 

Had fun with cousins

 

Attended the wedding

 

Headed home…at the Singapore airport waiting for the flight to Jakarta

 

Finally back in Jakarta…3 tired kids on the way back to the apartment.