My dad and mom recently sent me some photos of the morning glories outside their home in the mountains. Beautiful new blooms greet them as they step out onto the porch each morning. Here on the other side of the world, Joshua had spied a volunteer vine growing up a bush in front of our courtyard. I gingerly uprooted it and replanted it in our apartment where the sun could welcome it each morning. And the next morning when I stepped out onto our balcony I recognized the blossoms as a purple Asian version of my mother’s same vine. A sweet reminder of home.

David had been raving about this place near our house where he goes to get a haircut for only 2 dollars. He gets a wash, a cut, another wash, and then a 45 minute massage. My hair was so heavy and up in a pony tail every day, so I decided it was time for a cut. I didn’t know the word for haircut, but I figured it would be self-explanatory. I took in a picture, can you guess the show? I didn’t realise until I got there, though, that my photo had highlights! Whoops! I almost came home with those! I quickly pointed to something yellow in the salon and said “don’t want!” I took Hannah with me and she got a trim as well. She was the life of the salon, one person put one side of her hair in a pony tail, another person put the other side (they were not even, but hey). She happily sucked the lolly pop I had brought for her and jabbered on in complete nonsense to the adoring salon staff. Some were hair washers, some were there to give massages, only a few actually cut hair. When it was time to pay, the man wanted to charge me full price for Hannah, which I questioned. Also, I had no massage! Then I learned that haircuts, like everything else, are negotiable. I don’t thingk you can tell in this photo, but I have a bit of a tail. The man cutting my hair insisted I needed it and some wax in order to have my hair flip right. I look like almost every other person in this country who has had their hair cut recently (including Hannah and Joshua- see their rat tail pages). Tails are in.

We are so thrilled to get mail! The kids' faces say it all, I think.

Last week, after completing my post office vocabulary lesson with my spoken language teacher, I ventured to mail some letters to America. The first step was to find the post office "right across the street from school" I was told. But, not surprisingly, I got lost for a half hour. I found a television station that was not a post office, I saw some beautiful decorative shoes along the way that I crouched down to say "how beautiful". and dashed the lady's hopes up when I straightened back up. Finally, I saw it, and spent the next half hour waiting in the wrong line, applying stamps to my letters with rubber cement, and using the only wors from my lesson that I remembered, "air mail". The next day I proudly told my language teacher about my completed mission. "You mailed your letters to Hong Kong!" she said of my pronunciation. Hopefully, the "USA" I printed on the front of the letters will help them steer toward the states!

Hannah makes Easter "seeds" and eats all of the icing as fast as I give it to her.

Joshua makes a man on a cross and decorates it beautifully. Sprinkles fly, sugar high, it is cookie time with kids!
This was how our Easter Sunday began, though. On our roof, remembering, retelling, and reflecting at sunrise.

Here is a typical dinner at home. We want to learn how to cook with the resources available to us.
This meal consists of lotus root, a delicious starch that can be stir fried with green onions.

Pork and lima beans (double yum) cooked in a wok.

A squash dish, stir fried, is excellent.

and, of course...rice! NOT like in the states.
You can actually eat this rice with chopsticks because it sticks together (not like Uncle Ben's!)
At school, Joshua's teachers habitually push his head down to his bowl.
This is another great way to make sure the rice makes it into your mouth.
Either pick up your bowl, or (in Joshua's case) go to your bowl!

I took a trip this week on a train through some beautiful countryside. I thought I would give you an idea of what the area around us looks like this time of year! As we rode, I felt like I was in a movie, everything was so beautiful and different!

I learned that the swirling colors of different plots of land belong to different people, separated by mounds of earth. Beautiful! When the landscape became mountainous, crops were planted in the sheltered hollers, about 20 feet wide running downhill.

Joshua learns the meaning of the word gutter ball.

Hannah understands the importance of a clean bowling ball.

Hannah gets on eye level with her (gutter) ball.
After a few gutter balls, Joshua completely melted down bawling.
I knew then that it was going to be a long day.
Jet lag was tugging at him but it lasted less than a week.

Wherever they can find it, on a friend's sofa...

or at night in the hotel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are busy here teaching and learning! All the classes that David has to teach are not done, to which he give a huge AMEN!

Thanksgiving started with Chelsea running a 10K, in fact her FIRST 10K. She did much better than she was hoping for. She was hoping for 15 min. miles, and she finished with 13:28 minute miles!!! GO CHELSEA! We then headed over to some friends house for a nice home cooked meal. We had a good time, while we were not with our actually family we were with some new good friends and it was a fun time.

We are looking forward to our time with our family soon over Christmas.

It is amazing that we seem to not value family as much as we used or we should. When we were flying yesterday we had a long lay over in GA and an Aunt drove on over to the airport just to be with us. Not only did she just drive over but brought dessert (brownies, the rest of the family loved them, me well you know what I think of chocolate), fruit, and drinks. This was so special! To go through all this work for just little old us, and all cause we are family. It is amazing that we forget just how special and amazing family is and what they really mean to us.

When we got here in IL we had rooms all ready sure enough this morning sweet rolls were ready to be baked as a special treat for the family as well as cookies for lunch that were baked in anticipation for us.

Just had to say we forget sometimes that family is amazing and in cases where our family is special we forget just how special they are.

Reminded me of 2 weeks ago where for one night in honor of us and as we got appointed for our new job we had both sets of parents, a brother, and our kids god parents (and our very special friends) there cheering us on.

We just have to say WE LOVE YOU to our family.

How often do you have to tell your kids to drink their soda and sit while they refuse to do so?

Joshua got sick today and has had an upset stomach all day and well we don't need to go into details with what can happen etc. But as we are on the road traveling to visit Grandparents we wanted him to drink some Sprite to calm his stomach some, but he hates soda so it was odd sitting there trying to get him to drink it. He just didn't want to drink anything at all esp the nasty Sprite that he hates and has never liked.

Just hope this continues for the rest of his life.

Hannah meanwhile was asking to have soda as she loves it