Beach Party in December

Can you believe we were at the beach in December? The weather was COLD last week. One night we had a low of 48 degrees, but yesterday the weather was gorgeous! It was around 80 degrees and our little friend, Kaelin (pictured in the front next to Adele) turned 4 and wanted for her birthday to play on the beach. So, we got together and had a big time on the beach. We made a drip castle, ate two bite cupcakes and sang happy birthday. The kids also had a blast.

Pictured here is Adele with her friend, Selah. Can you tell them apart? We often get our girls confused with their blond hair...and they're about a month apart in age as well.

Here we are making a drip castle which later turned into a drip cake and Kaelin blew out a drip candle! Big fun...how I thank God for new friends.

rocking around (this one is for the grandparents!)

happenings and new things

It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks around here! Between birthdays, Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, outings with friends and then just normal life there hasn't been much time left for blogging. I have snapped a few pictures though.

Earlier this week we celebrated my 31st birthday. We actually did the celebrating at my in-laws on Sunday. Paul got me this cool candle for my birthday (I've been waiting patiently to buy the perfect candle with hopes of getting one for my birthday or Christmas). This candle is a WoodWick candle and it actually has a wood wick, it's soy, smells like pine and it even crackles as it burns...like a real fire! It's fun and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I burn it whenever I am home. I love the smell and the coziness it brings to my kitchen!

On my actual birthday I tried my hand at (for the first time ever) making an evergreen wreath to hang on our door. PJ asked a couple weeks ago if we could get a wreath, and I told him I wasn't sure (because of how expensive I remembered them being). Well, we bought our tree the other day and Paul cut off all the bottom branches so I decided to make a wreath from the cuttings. I don't think it's perfect, but it'll do. I love the smell it gives off when we enter and leave the house...it's so fun!

And, Kim at Little by Little posted the other day about Advent and how it always catches her off guard. I agree, by the way. I am always fumbling around and don't realize when the first Sunday of Advent is and then I realize it, usually on THE day and by then it's too late to get started...but I do start late! So, this year we broke out our Jesse Tree book and chart three days later. It worked out since I have three kids and they all want to color the cut out. For the past three years that we've done the Jesse Tree I simply photo copied the "cut outs" and had the kids color them and then we hung them on the tree. Since we're now Stateside, I decided this year to actually cut out the cut outs and paste them onto the tree. I like having the tree displayed in our kitchen, with a constant reminder of Advent. We look at The Advent Book every year. This book is a lot of fun. Each page has a door that you are to open each day starting on December 1. And behind each door is a beautifully illustrated picture from the story of the birth of Jesus along with Scripture from Luke 2. It's is highly anticipated every night before bedtime! Last night, however, I forgot to put the book up and my little 3 almost 4 year old (you know the one) looked ahead and opened some more of the doors! Whoops. =)

Over Thanksgiving we traveled to Orange Park and had a weekend long of feasting with the Henry clan. There were 21 of us for Thanksgiving, including my cousin Jesse and his wife who are also living in central Florida. It was WONDERFUL seeing him and meeting his new bride. I am sorry to say that I forgot to get a picture of them...I didn't take one picture over the weekend and I wish I had because we also roasted chestnuts over an open fire! Can you believe it? I know, I know. In case you were wondering, they are very good...and I would recommend doing it if you have chestnuts and an open fire!

So, these are the happenings of late. Paul is in his final days of seminary studies for this semester so your prayers are greatly appreciated as he takes finals and finishes up a paper or two. God has been incredibly good to him and is stretching his mind as well as growing both of us in understanding this life in Christ. Thank you, until next time I hope that each of you who read this blog will find many moments of quiet reflection on the great Giver of Life and Grace during this season.

November Field Trip

On Friday we joined our Home School group for a field trip to the National Audubon Society's Birds of Prey Center here in central Florida. This trip was highly anticipated by my two boys...and I admit I was excited too. My boys were so excited to see a real, live Bald Eagle...and here you can see him too. This is Francis (they call him Frank for short) with Mr. White (our tour guide). Most birds that come to the center are not seen by the public and they do their best to prevent imprinting (if you don't know what imprinting is, I encourage you to google it!). So, Frank and his girlfriend Paige (seen below with the boys) are their "show" eagles!

We also saw all kinds of other raptors...ospreys, kites, hawks, owls and even vultures (though not technically a bird of prey!). The bottom picture is of half of our group learning about the kites.

Surprisingly, Florida is the third most heavily populated state for Bald Eagles (the first being Alaska and the second being Wisconsin).

The boys and Adele really enjoyed seeing the owls, too.

GOOD NEWS!

Several of you faithful blog readers have met and/or prayed for this woman pictured to the left for a couple years now. Her name is P'Nong and yesterday we just received an email saying that she believes in Jesus as her Savior! Please rejoice with us as we celebrate this news. Currently P'Nong is working with the handicrafts ministry of our team, Napada. She and a few others make beautiful handbags. P'Khiaw, who leads the women in daily prayer and Bible study emailed us to inform us of this great news! Please pray for as she has a very influential role in the Maahaadthai community where she lives and where our team is heavily involved. Please pray for her growth in Christ and pray for her witness among her own people. To read more, please visit Melanie's blog (on the sidebar...Thai Currie). And, thank you to all who have prayed, given and have gone to Thailand.

Hitting the Trails, pictures from last week's adventure

I might have forgotten my camera, but my friend didn't forget hers! Here are our cute kids hitting the trails. It turned out to be a warmer day (unlike today where the high has been 57).

The little ones riding easy.
Having a pit stop.

"I forgot my camera!"

This week the title of my post spilled out of my mouth numerous times! We had a busy and fun week. We visited friends who,three weeks ago, welcomed a new baby girl into their home...and I LOVED holding that precious baby girl. My kiddos did too! Then on Thursday we got together with our homeschool group for a fun pizza making/ resturaunt tour at a local pizzeria. It was SO yummy. The favorite part of the tour for my kids was the 9 degree freezer they got to go into! We then played with friends at the park that afternoon. I went out that night with a new friend for coffee and chatting...yeah, we chatted three hours away and didn't realize until we were kicked out of Borders Books! Thank you Lord for new friends to be known by and to love! Then, Friday we hit the local trails with some other friends...mommas walked with little ones in strollers while the olders rode their bikes. And, finally, today, we had a real bonafide Yard Sale! We didn't do too shabby but the greatest part was the relationships that were built between us and our neighbors here. God is at work...please be praying.

So, all of that to say I didn't have my camera for ANY of it! What a HUGE bummer. And, each time, I meant to grab the camera, I just sorta, uh, forgot it by the time I got to the car. I think I just need to chuck it in my bag and keep it there! PJ did manage to get a few shots of one of his GI Joe guys though! (that is his fine handiwork above!)

On another note, I have been completely exhausted since this time change went into effect. It's been four years since I've had to totally adjust my body clock every fall and spring! I remember as a kid looking forward to the fall back mode...an extra hour of sleep and all, but when you have small kids...it has a maddening effect!!! Anyone else feel the same way? I will say it's been good for homeschooling!!! We are done some mornings by 9:30 (because it feels like 10:30!). So, I guess it's not all bad.

Well, it's off to bed for me. I hope all out there will have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow.

Halloween-ing

a hodge podge of thoughts

I heard most of a sermon yeterday that really was great. I am sure it was hard for some in the congregation to hear, but I thought, "wow, this is preaching...where it hits and hurts and causes us to think and reflect and be challenged by God's Word to change."
Lately, I've been really struggling with my own lack of devotion to Christ and His church. I've been struggling with the mediocrity life affords us, if we let it. I am tired of leading a hum-drum life...just teetering there on the fence...not really sold out completely for the cause of Christ...and it leaves me feeling empty and guilty. This luke-warmness that the beloved apostle, John, warned us about in Revelation...I would pretty much say that is me at this time in life. Now, this might come as a shock to many since I am a missionary and therefore (in many people's minds) I should have my stuff together, but can I just blow the top off of that lie and say that missionaries are not any better than the next guy? Why do we have this thinking that missionaries are somehow super spiritual? Now, I haven't been told these thoughts directly so maybe it's my own sinful thinking (I am sure that is a lot of it!) but I carry this weight of burden to always watch what I say, write, and do because, I am a missionary. And, you know, I am a follower of Christ (no matter how feable) and I should reflect Him in my life, no matter what my occupation, but sometimes I think, "if only I were just a stay-at-home mom I would be relieved of this stress to be perfect in everyone's eyes." (I do believe,however, that even if I were JUST a stay-at-home mom I would still struggle with this sin because it's one I've always dealt with.) We say we believe in God's grace but do we afford that grace to each other when we show our less than perfect lives? Very often, I know I do not.
The sin of comparing myself to EVERYone else out there is very real in my life as well. I tend to look around and measure myself according to others. I feel guilty when I don't measure up to them. Instead, I should be looking to Christ because even though I will never measure up to Him (until glory), He will give me strength to press on and allow His work in my life to change me to be the way HE wants me to be.
So, I then get back to my own sins and my own walk with God and I see that I am not faithful and I want Him so much to rule and reign every facet and crevice of my life and have a heart aflame for Him. Why is it so hard? I am reading Bonhoeffer's Life Together. It's been so encouraging and yet, so discouraging because we are so far from true community within the church of Christ. We are content to see each other on Sundays and go about our lives the rest of the week. We are content to be SO busy with every thing else except the work of the Church! And, yet, as I was reminded and encouraged yesterday, we are to be devoted...DEVOTED to one another and the work of the Church. As the pastor said yesterday, we tend to schedule church around our lives, but we really should be scheduling our lives around the church. SO TRUE. So, we say we are followers, we may even say we are devoted, but are we really? Are we really carrying the burdens of the widows, orphans and poor in our congregations? Are we really dying to ourselves and loving as Christ wants us to? This is the mark of a Christian (as Francis Shaeffer wrote in his short little book with the same name). And, you know, I am preaching to myself here more than anyone else. I don't want to be a luke-warm Christian. I want to love, really love and pour myself out and be a living sacrifice to Christ as Romans 12 commands us...and yes, it is a command.
This also affects our children. I firmly believe that our children will live out the faith they see in us. They know when something is genuine and real and they know when it's fake. They can see through all the fluff. I pray daily that my kids will love others, really love others and love God with all that they are. But, honestly, I don't think praying alone is enough. They need to see me and Paul living that same kind of faith. They need to see that Christ is the foundation of our lives and without Him, we are lost. I believe it was Francis of Assissi that said, "preach the gospel and when necessary use words." That is the kind of gospel preaching I need to exhibit in my home with my husband and children.
Well, these are just some thoughts I've had as of late. I hope I haven't offended anyone, just know that I am sort of "talking out loud" here...I am processing what I am learning and trying to apply it to my life. And please, leave a comment and share your thoughts...I'd love to hear that I am not the only one but also encourage one another as is fitting in the Lord.

Frolicking in the Pumpkin Patch

I must admit that being back in the States has been fun by way of introducing the kids to American culture. Granted, we did plenty of things in Thailand to celebrate Christian holidays and the like but things like pumpkin patches just don't happen in Thailand. So, we loaded up last night and went to a nearby pumpkin patch...we took a few pictures and were on our way. We were shocked at the prices of these pumpkins. So, we bought our pumpkins to carve at another locale where they were selling much cheaper!

In the coming week, the kids will be carving pumpkins for the first time. Well, I should say that Paul will be the one actually carving but you know what I mean!

I caught a partial smile on PJ...he was being camera shy.

Brother and sister amazingly getting along!

Nothing more fun than birthdays

Adele turned two this week! The boys could hardly wait to celebrate her big day. They helped me bake a funfetti cake for her and then we decorated it together.

Like last year, Adele wasn't sure what to do with all this attention from us. She didn't know how to blow out her candles so Daddy had to help her.

We found a kitchen playset on the craigslist a few months back that was quite cheap. So, we got it and have had it hidden in the garage until this week!
We covered it with a sheet to wrap it and placed it in her bedroom. After eating some cake and opening a few other gifts from family Paul led her into her bedroom, where to her surprise was another gift! She pulled off the sheet and immediately went to work, cooking and baking and putting one of her gifts (wooden food things) in the fridge.

All of the dishes that she has to play with were mine when I was a child...so it's been so fun to have a little girl to share my toys with! =) The first thing Adele did once she pulled the sheet off was to wash her hands in the sink!

horrified

Somer Thompson went missing after school on Monday in Orange Park, FL. Yesterday, investigators found a body of a small girl in a south Georgia landfill where Orange Park trash is dumped. This morning we've learned that that body is Somer's. I have been following this news story since Monday and my heart, no doubt like thousands of others, is wrenching for the life snuffed out and for the family left to pick up the pieces. As a result of this news story I searched my neighborhood (through familywatchdog.com) for registered s*x offenders...and to my great relief and God's great goodness, there are none registered in our neighborhood. That doesn't mean that I can totally relax but it does give a little comfort. I would not suggest doing this search if you are paranoid, but I do think it's good to know who may be out there that you would never know. I have had many, many conversations with my children regarding kidnapping and the like, but this week they have heard it laid on extra hard.
If you'd like to read more, go to www.news4jax.com and if God leads you, pray for God to bring justice to the person or persons who did this detestable act.

glorious fall weather

I wish I had some pictures to capture the cool weather we are having. I woke this morning at 6:30 (it was pitch black outside and thought it must be 2 or 3 am, but the clock set me right). I went outside and brisk air met me. Today continued to be a beautiful day with the weather in the 60s (I think).
My sister-in-law and I went to a community yard sale (and I FROZE but I found a small throw blanket in the car and wrapped that around myself...I am sure I was quite a sight.) I found some fall weather clothes for Adele and I found the game Battleship. I also scored with a huge pile of GI Joe toys from the early 80s! That has kept some little boys entertained this afternoon.
PJ had his last soccer game today and we had family here to help celebrate. The weather was beautiful for soccer, too!
To top it off my sister-in-law brought me apples from Tennessee and they are delicious and putting us all in the mood for autumn.
Happy Autumn everyone...enjoy cool evenings, bon fires, apple pie and good conversations over coffee or tea.

The list

I had the blessing of talking with a dear, dear Thai friend yesterday via Skype. It was wonderful to talk to her in person, even though she had to write what she wanted to say because I couldn't hear her at all. =) It was still such a blessing...and I thought of the missionaries who went to work overseas 30 years ago and didn't have the opportunity to stay as connected with those they ministed to...and here we are able to do just that. Anyway, after I got off the computer with her, I sat down and wrote a list of the things I miss about Thaialand. This is probably more for my own processing purposes than it is for you, but bear with me! I am sure for those of you who have lived in Thailand will relate to some of these...and they are in no special order, just as I thought of them! I am sure this will be akin to signing someone's yearbook...so here you have it!

-fruit vendors nearly on every corner

-fruit vendors pushing carts through the sois (fruit to go)

-the bathrooms (no separate shower and a drain in one corner...easy to clean!)

- the "fruit washer" (former teammate and friend, Jack C. affectionately coined this term, it is much like the fruit sprayer most Americans have next to the spicket on the kitchen sink...this one happens to be next to the toilet)...anyway, this clever device is especially helpful when cleaning up vomit off of bed sheets (was missing this particular item this weekend!)

- the kitchen attached to the house (a separate room complete with it's own door in most cases; heat and smells don't permeate entire house!)

-sweating more (I kept off weight more there)

-the stairs (ditto on the previous)

-line drying my clothes (NEVER thought I would say that!)

-the rainy season

-flooded streets

-Thursdays with Catherine and Clint

-pork satay, mangoes and sticky rice, naam tok

-Thai worship

-motorcycles

-the Pizza Company pizza

-Pocky snacks

-fresh herbs, all year

- pumpkin all year long!

-pineapple

-rose apples, mongkhut (mangosteen)

-speaking Thai

-cheap food

-encouraging Thai believers (in person!)

-Mom's Group

-teammates

-fellowship meals every Sunday

-prayer meetings

-baking with Thai women

-learning how to cook Thai food, especially with Fon

-walking through Ram 2

-riding the song theow

-riding the bus

-driving (so much more freedom there!)

-the King's Park, especially the pool

-our turtles (Christmas and Green)

- our fish tank

- spying monitor lizards

-treks to the jungle

-elephant sightings (both tame and wild)

-the beach

-the "wai" greeting- it doesn't spread germs and shows so much respect. *a "wai" is when you put both hands together in front of you like you're about to pray and bow your head*

-our neighbor "Grandpa" who always was a delight to speak to

-the love and attention each of my children received from their "phii"s (older Thai brothers and sisters)

-the parties at our house

-the parties at the office

-Thai sense of humor

-Thai playfulness

-Thais and their exercise regimes

-Maahaadthai Park at 6:30am

-the Vietnamese "restuarant" at the market

-Iced Mochas for less than a dollar!

-fried sweet potatoes

-7-11 stores on every corner

-shopping with Fon

-doctor visits (they seemed easier somehow, I feel like I am lost here)

- orchids splashed with color

-exotic flowers and plants and wildlife

-mango trees

-close community

-rot tii

-Bloom coffee shop and Wednesday morning Bible study

-growing up in Christ with others

-the come and go of others

-a home large enough to host a small army (!) and always eager to meet new friends and give a cooled room, a hot shower and pillow to rest their heads on.

-Thai recycling

-nothing wasted

-bottled water

-waterfalls to cool off in

-instead of the neighborhood ice cream truck, the ice cream motorcycle

-kai yang

-going downtown - the excitement and energy

-riding the Sky Train

-blue skies

-geckos

-tukhaes

-taxis

-dear friends in other mission organizations

-Paul playing basketball

-Thai cell phone "plans." You buy the minutes at 7-11 and you've got minutes until they run out AND you ONLY get charged for call YOU make and if you're out of minutes you still receive calls because you aren't being charged...it's a beautiful, efficient and CHEAP system!

AND

- mostly all the Thai friends we made and with whom we spent time.

I MISS YOU THAILAND!!!!

Adele

Adele is doing much better today. She started to feel better yesterday too, but her fever went up again in the late afternoon. So, hopefully we're coming out of it.
Thanks again to all who were praying...God heard.

update

Hi all,
Thank you for your prayers and kind words...and encouragements! The night went well last night. I was surprised to have slept as much as I did...which is good! Adele's temp stayed lower through the night with doses of tylenol every four hours. This morning she was eager to go and has been going until about five minutes ago when I gave her another dose of tylenol, checked her temp and put her to bed, which she was happy to comply!
Well, I am off to Legoland to play with Calvin while his sissy naps. I can't thank you enough for your prayers...

a call for prayer

Hi everyone (the five of you who read this blog!!!)...please be in prayer for me this weekend. I am once again home bound (I was home with 2 children last weekend too!). This weekend is a bit different though because tonight Adele has gotten sick...like throwing up and high temp. Please do pray for strength for me. Calvin is also home with me and so the sibling rivalry is quite strong between these two precious children. Sickness doesn't help the matter!
Even though Adele is sick and I don't have a car that's drivable unless I can google "hot wiring a car" and get it going (Paul forgot to leave me the one car key we have for the other car) I am praising God because some of our new friends here are bringing me some things I could use like Ibuprofen and Gatorade for Adele to take. Wow, God is so gracious, isn't He?
Okay, that is all for now...please hold me up. By the way, Paul, PJ and Josh (paul's nephew) are on a two day canoeing/fossiling/camping trip so do please pray for them as well.
Good night!

500th post today!

Wow, I just noticed when I logged on that this very post is number 500. Hard to believe and it's just about four years ago to the day, too!)

Well, lots has been happening around here. Mainly in the way of education! Paul, as you all know, is being educated for his MDiv as well as just life in general (we should all be learning each and every day, right?!). But, also the kids are being educated and of course, it naturally follows that I, too, am being educated! I think most of my education comes in the form of learning about myself and what makes me react unlovingly to my husband and children but there is some academic learning happening for me too. =) Of course, we can't be so quick to segregate academia with spiritualality...and therefore, I will stop there. =) I will say that as I study science and art and math (as an adult) I see the beauty of order and the Creation that God made and how it all truly does bring much glory to Himself. As a Home Schooling parent, I also make sure I share this with my kiddos. How much would be lost if we just home schooled to have smarter kids than the average, etc. The most important thing is that they glorify God with whatever it is He calls them to do during their brief vapor on this earth. And, what a challenge for me to live by as well.

Well, I wasn't planning to write all of that, but I did, so there it is!

Seminary life is going well. We're meeting other seminary families and it's been a joy to connect to fellow Pennsylvanians, even! Paul had his first midterm today...you can pray for him as he has more in about a week's time. I don't feel lonely or isolated, thanks to new friends and even a couple missionaries who are also here studying. God has indeed been good to us. I find myself often praising God for His graciousness and goodness and provision for us...it's certainly not deserved and yet He continues to lavish us. Praise be to His name.

Here are some pics as of late...enjoy!

(Adele eating mashed potatoes from the mixer; science experiment: volcano eruption!; and helping mommy cook (she's cooking with oatmeal and craisins).

Cooking Thai Food

Well, the first time in a long time (four months) I tried my hand at keang phet sai fak thong (Red Curry with pumpkin) and chicken satay...with our beloved jasmine rice. It was okay. Nothing to write home about (but I will write on the blog about it!!!). I brought some curry packets with me from Thailand when we moved. I realized recently that I have one of the ingredients for this dish growing in an herb planter my mother in law gave me when we came back to the US. It is Thai sweet basil or bai huaraphra! So, I ran to Publix yesterday and bought an acorn squash (which ended up tasting very similar to Thai pumpkin) and a few other ingredients I needed for the chicken satay. I don't know what happened. The curry just seemed bland. I followed my "recipe" to the letter (and believe me cooking in Thai is not the type of food to follow to the letter). But, it just didn't have that zing. I think I need to add more curry next time. I added plenty of fish sauce and sugar (two staple ingredients in Thai food, along with a sour and spicy component), so I don't think that was the problem. Would it be at all possible that the coconut milk is different here??? Anyone else ever have this problem?

In any case, the satay was a hit. The kids LOVED it. Oh, I also made a Thai egg omelette and they enjoyed eating that over rice (another staple Thai dish...at least for my kids!). In the pictures you can see bits and pieces of what I made...not all the chicken got doused in the herb rub (I ran out and was too lazy to make more!). Anyway here is a recipe for the herb rub for the chicken (I bought Thai kitchen peanut satay sauce since I could not buy the ingredients...it tasted very similar, in my opinion).

2 lbs. of chicken breasts, cut in one inch strips knead with following ingredients, addint one at a time. Marinate for at least two hours. (*I didn't add one at a time, I just combined them all together and then rubbed it onto the chicken)

3 slices of ginger (crushed)

3 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1Tbsp. coriander powder (i omitted this as I couldn't find it)

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter

bamboo skewers

Rub chicken in herbs, thread on skewer and allow to marinate. Broil until cooked or cook over charcoal fire.

Eat with cucumber salad (yah know, the one with vinegar and all), if you like to make it more Thai add red onions instead of white ones, and add one sliced, red bird peppers.

An Interesting Fact...

Before I get to the interesting fact, these first two pictures are of Calvin, me and Adele the night we watched the shuttle launch (see Home School Days post below). Notice how tired Calvin looks...and how awake Adele looks!!!

So, the interesting fact is...there are wild chickens and roosters that walk around our new home town of Oviedo, FL. Yep, here you can see a couple strutting around. They don't belong to anyone and they can be seen anywhere down in the "city center" (for lack of a better word!). Pretty funny...I feel right at home, although, in our neighborhood in Thailand we didn't have chickens running around, we did see them often enough, especially near Maahaadthai Park and at Maahaadthai 3!