Wintertime in Thailand

Well, it's that time of year here in Thailand when the temps drop to upper 70s with a nice breeze during the daytime and at night the temps drop even more. We have to put on socks in the morning to keep our toes warm and even a sweatshirt until mid-morning. Yes, it's wintertime. Last year Winter passed Thailand over. I think we had about three days of cool temps and then summer came back with a vengeance. This year we've enjoyed several weeks of nice weather. It's been a nice respite. We've enjoyed some beautiful winter time fun at the local parks as of late. The boys have enjoyed watching for wildlife and kicking balls around and playing on playground equipment some this holiday season. It's always good to get outside and it's even nicer when you have a beautiful park in which to go. Yesterday we headed to the King's Park and Abe decided to come along. By the way, thank you for praying for Abe. Please continue to pray for God to heal his body and restore his body to good health. He will be leaving us for Chiang Mai, Thailand tomorrow afternoon. His departure will leave a hole in our home, that is for sure and he will be missed. The boys have acquired yet another uncle to call their own and will miss him sorely. As for Paul and me we will also miss Abe and the encouragement (and his jokes!) he brings to our home. We are so thankful for the opportunity God has given us to serve him and give him a home away from home.

As to the children, they are growing strong. PJ, now 5 1/2 had his first dentist appointment the other day and he did great! No cavities and he couldn't wipe that silly grin off his face when he saw Tom and Jerry cartoons playing on the video screen above the chair in the dentist's office. He continues to persevere in reading, writing and arthimetic and is doing well. He loves math, I just wish I had an equal love for it! =) His favorite book is a book about a pre-historic animal called Plesiosaurus, the Swimming Reptile. PJ roams around the house pretending to be dinosaurs of different persuasions, roaring and generally making a roucus! Paul is reading him The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and each night's reading is greatly anticipated by PJ and Daddy both.

Calvin is also growing big and strong. He loves all things racecars. If you have a conversation with Calvin he most assuredly will tell you about racecars, in some form or other. He spends his days racing his little cars around a carpet in our living room that he transforms into a racetrack. He has a growing interest in school as he sees big brother reading, writing and doing his math. He enjoys counting and loves the number 6. =) Calvin continues to be a joy with a very laid back personality on most days.

And, finally, Adele Grace, is the little fire cracker in our home. We are discovering that she already knows how to tease and cause great distress to her brothers...just to get a reaction out of them! She is walking all over the place these days and holds her own next to PJ and Calvin. She says a few words like, "ba" which represents both "bottle" and the Thai word for "let's go". She enjoys a good sword fight with her daddy and brothers (like I said, she holds her own, that is for sure!!!) and is generally a pleasant little girl.

As we walked about yesterday at the park, we spotted some wildlife that I'd like to share with all you readers out there. The bird is a Coppersmith Barbet. He is beautifully marked with a patch of red on his neck and head. We also saw the frog enjoying the view from a lily pad (can you spot him?!)