Jamu!

I just had to post this link for you all - what this woman is describing is something that we see almost every day - ladies walking past our homes with jamu on their bikes or in baskets like the lady in the clip, and people do buy and use the jamu.  I never have and don't plan to any time soon... check this out!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8428474.stm

Accident!

We were in a car accident last Friday afternoon.  We were on our way home from Racine to Waukesha.  Julia and Katrina were in the van with us along with Josh's parents.  We were driving on a country highway when a car on a side road either didn't stop at the stop sign or started going again and didn't see us.  With no time to stop, Josh veered to the side to try and avoid the car, but it kept moving and we collided.  It was a hard collision and both vehicles were totaled.  We sure saw God's hand protecting us in this accident.  The paramedic who treated us at the scene said that most of the many accidents that occur at that corner don't end as well as ours did.  

We are achy, bruised, have some cuts, probable whip lash, sore necks and backs, seat belt "burn", and even a fat lip from the airbag deployment.  Yet, we're thankful as it could have been much worse.  We've been given advice from various people who've experienced the same types of situations as we're in now, and are not sure what all we need to do.  We're asking as many questions as we can so hopefully this can be worked out as soon as possible.  Please keep us in your prayers as we go through the claims process and look for a new vehicle.  Also pray for healing and no long-term injuries.  

For those interested, here are some pics of the accident (Josh's dad happened to have his camera in his pocket so we remembered and took some pics).

I was sitting in the front passenger seat, Josh's dad was behind me.

We ended up on the other side of the road in the turn lane.

I called 911 from my cell phone and rescue was there pretty quickly.

Safely Home from Our First Term

Didn't get many of these types of pics - too busy, but here's one of Josh packing - he's SO good at it! :)

Josh wrote this letter after we got home and sent it to our coworkers.  Thought you might like to read it too.

Hey Team,

Just wanted to write and let you know (officially) that we did arrive home safely and about how our trip went.  The first day we flew from (our town) to a big city (the capitol) and then on to another Asian country.  Our 12 PM flight out of our home city was about an hour and a half late (as expected) but still reasonable to connect with our 5 PM to another Asian country. 

Kids patiently waiting for Josh to get the arrangements made at the counter.

You can see Josh at the front of the line (blue shirt).

Once we arrived in the capitol there was some kind of a delay with getting our bags - it seemed to take forever (maybe a half hour).  By this time we were running out of time.  I didn't want to wait for the transit bus or haul all 4 kids, 9 carry-ons, and 10 suitcases onto it.  So, I rented two vehicles sort of like minivans from a taxi company to take us there - a high price to pay for a 5 minute taxi ride but worth it to not miss our flight.

We finally arrived at the International terminal at about 3:50 so just over an hour to catch our flight.  We stood in line at the security checkpoint for about 20 minutes biting our nails.  We finally made it to the check in counter (I don't remember what time because everything was starting to blur at that point).  There was only one person in line so that was GREAT!  It was finally our turn and the attendant had the great joy of checking all six of us in along with all our bags all the way to Milwaukee.  Fortunately he was very helpful and kind because we were overwhelmed with juggling 6 passports, filling out 10 luggage tags, getting 18 boarding passes, filling out 6 immigration cards, paying the airport tax (...what, it's 150.000 per person now?  It used to be 100.000!  After scrounging together all our local money we had exactly 900.000 with only a few small bills to spare, phew!!!), getting our exit tax exemption, and trying to keep track of the kids who were playing with the line ropes, etc.  The exit tax exemption letter from (paperwork guy) worked like a charm.  I was in and out in a few minutes.  They took the extra copy that I had along for their records.  Now it was time to make a dash for the gate as it was almost 5 PM.  Oh sick, still have to go through immigration - everything was in order but we still hadn't finished filling out all the immigration cards so we did that as quickly as possible and were on our way.  We took off for the gate as fast as we could go.  The kids were half walking half jogging.  I don't know how far it was but it was NOT VERY CLOSE!  We walked as fast as we could for about 10 minutes.  Towards the end Josie was trailing behind with Katrina in the stroller and Julia was starting to cry as her backpack was getting too heavy.  I kept pushing ahead with the kids that were with me because I figured if I got there ahead of Josie and they were closing the gate and I told them that our whole family was coming then we could still get on (these are the times when seconds count and long legs come in really handy :-).  I finally made it to the gate and there were OTHER PEOPLE IN LINE!  That was the happiest I had been all day to see a line.  Josie arrived shortly after and we all caught our breath and tried to get a bit organized before boarding.  We were hungry and thirsty but obviously had had no time to get anything - all we could do is look longingly at all the fancy airport shops as we rushed past them on the way to the gate.  So, the flight was about a half hour late which was excellent for us.  Soon we were on our way and enjoying dinner in the sky and thanking God for going before us.

 NOTE TO SELF: In the future, always fly nicer airline to capitol city no matter how long the layover is so you don't have to haul everything between terminals and you have plenty of time because everything takes longer with a family of six.  Duly noted!  :-)

 We spent the night in the Asian airport transit hotel and enjoyed the airport for a few hours before going to bed.  The place is amazing as everyone says.  Josie & I sat and enjoyed free mechanical foot massages while we watched our kids burn off steam on a play structure.  The airport is like a mall, park, hotel, airport, and restaurant strip all combined into one - crazy!  Josie and the kids slept well but I could hardly sleep.  The next morning we had to check in at the United transit desk for them to switch all our boarding passes from one airlines to another and that took like a half an hour - not sure why so long.

Julia sound asleep in her transit hotel bed.

Katrina enjoyed a few rounds of peek-a-boo before falling asleep too.

5 AM came pretty quickly - the boys are waiting again for Josh 

to get arrangements made for the rest of our boarding passes.

Julia was refreshed after that brief sleep.

 We made it on our flight to yet another Asian country just fine.  It was 7 hours long and the kids definitely got tired of sitting pretty quickly.  Spencer and Mitchell got practice using the bathrooms on the jet and were able to manage it on their own.  We still went along with Julia each time so plenty of trips to the bathroom.  I think the worst thing that happened on that flight was that Julia spilled a glass of apple juice right on her lap.  Julia's apple juice-stained pants never got changed (it dried nicely and wasn't sticky so no big deal! :-).   We switched planes in yet another Asian country and then got on a 747 for the 11-hour flight to Chicago. 

In yet another Asian country waiting for the boarding call, 

checking out the action on the tarmack.

Josh, just back from running around the airport 

in search of some bottled water.

This was the big one - 11 hours is just a long time to sit no matter what you do.  We watched a movie, tried to doze, ate and drank, read, used the washroom, tried to keep Katrina happy and then did it all over again (not sure how many times).  The kids all conked out but Josie & I could barely sleep, if at all.  One time, we had our trays down and full of food and drinks and Julia needed to use the bathroom (and couldn't wait).  I don't know how I did it but somehow she and I slid out with the trays still down and didn't knock anything off.  We finally made it to Chicago and were more than happy to get off the plane.  We made it through immigration and all our luggage arrived.  We re-checked the luggage and braced ourselves for our last flight to Milwaukee.

After a grueling security check (laptops out of their bags, shoes off, sweatshirts off, Katrina out of her stroller, etc - the most extreme of all of the security checks we went through) we found out that our flight to Milwaukee was cancelled because of the storms that were in the area.  Shoot!!!  So close and yet so far away!  The airport was nuts as many flights were delayed or cancelled.  We could have waited around for who knows how long until the next flight or take a bus and be home in a couple hours... we chose the bus.  It wasn't a bad ride at all :) and we arrived at the Milwaukee airport only 1 hour later than our flight was supposed to arrive.  Josie's parents and sister met us there.  Bizarrely, one of our checked bags was already there (can't imagine how since the flight was canceled).  I filled out the claim forms for the other nine checked bags and we were on our way -- we made it!  Our luggage took it's time arriving.  We got 3 pieces the next day, 3 pieces the following day, and 3 pieces the day after that.  Strange, but was sure glad they all arrived.

 Sorry, this got kind of long.  Anyway, thanks so much to all of you for your prayers for our trip home and for helping us with meals etc as we prepared to leave!

 -Josh (for the gang)

Library Time!

Once a week we go to the boy's minischool library to check out new books!  It's one of the highlights of the week.  

Julia by the "younger kid" section!  5 books is never enough!

Spencer reading one of his choices by the "chapter book" section.

Mitchell's favorite thing to check out is the Guiness Book of World Records - with tons of amazing pictures!  He does read the beginner chapter books already but it's still more fun to look at pictures!

We've read a number of books together already - Around the World In 80 Days, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Stuart Little, The BFG, The Black Stallion, a Hardy Boys book, and now Pippi Longstocking!  I love reading and introducing them to my childhood favorites!  With the Hardy Boys book, Spencer actually read a bunch of it aloud to Mitchell and me since I had to do some work but could still listen!

Katrina Walking and Crawling

I took these pictures especially for our parents.  Hard to have pictures of Katrina walking and crawling but here are some from the other day.  I especially love the pic of Katrina with the funny smile on her face, as well as the one of her standing beside her very tall daddy!

Standing by the water cooler -just after I told her it's a "no-no".

Walked a short ways and then dropped down to crawl (to get there faster)!

She got to her destination - the blue stacking cup!  

(The moon on her arm is a temporary tattoo - all the kids got them the other day...)

Wanting to "help" Daddy clean up the game/art cupboard!

Julia's Adventure

Everyone who's been here probably remembers the ditches that are on either side of the road and between houses etc.  EVERYTHING goes into them, or gets thrown in.  Not just rainwater...  The ones along the roads are GROSS!  Julia is standing next to our small one at our home.  Josh took the kids for a walk on Sunday evening, and Julia, in an attempt to get a better look at a chicken, got a bit too close and fell in a big one!  She lost one of her shoes in the "mud" at the bottom.  Josh brought her home and tried to hose her off (after taking a picture!) and told me that the mud just didn't want to come off - it was thick and sticky!  He had to scrub her to get her clean!  Her dress came clean after some soaking, which was good because this is one of her favorite dresses!  At my request he went back to the place she fell in and dug around in the mud with a pole to get her other shoe back!

The funniest part of this situation is that whenever the boys left for school the first year that we lived here, she would yell out the door at them "Don't fall in the podit (ditch)!".  Now SHE did  - and over a chicken!

Pepper's Bath Time

Every Saturday Josh and the boys bathe Pepper. Here are some photos of that fun event!

Mitchell takes the first "go" at getting Pepper to the bath water.  He grabs Pepper around his belly but doesn't get a good hold on him.  Pepper knows what's coming so he puts up a bit of a fight, plus he's a bit heavy for Mitchell with all that wiggling, so Mitchell can't keep a hold on him.  Spencer looks on.

Spencer chases him and finally gets him under his front legs. He struggles to carry him to the other side of the yard, laughing all the way.  Katrina watches with great interest!
Finally Pepper makes it to his appointment with the bath water - he initially tries to climb out but once he's wet, he's pretty content to let Josh lather him up and get him clean.  The kids get a great kick out of him shaking himself off once he's all clean and out of the water.  He sure feels nicer to pet once he's dried off!

Roasting Marshmallows

We're in "using up" mode here - knowing we're going to be away from this home for a year. All of the great packages we received with treats like jello , instant pudding, marshmallows - I'd been saving portions of the them for a special occasion. Now that we're heading home, we're enjoying the last of the goodies. 

Last Friday night (after soccer) we had a little family "marshmallow roast". Josh lit a fire in our little metal "fire box" and since we don't have roasting sticks, we got out some forks and taught the boys how to roast marshmallows! They were SO good! Can't wait to treat the kids to a real bonfire complete with hot dogs to roast! They'll LOVE it!

Josh showing the boys the finer points of marshmallow roasting 

- like staying AWAY from the flame!

All that sugar...he REALLY LOVES marshmallows...

Pepper has really slimmed down and grown up!  Not the roly poly puppy he used to be.  He leaves us to go to his new home this weekend.  He loves to get in on the action!

Katrina tasting her first marshmallow!  She loved it!

Our Kids with their friends

Here's Julia enjoying some time with her friend Sara.

Yohan came to hang out with the boys a few afternoons last week.

One afternoon last week Josh arranged for us to rent one of the soccer courts in the soccer complex near our home.  A bunch of the MK's in the area joined our kids for some soccer, dodgeball and so on.  Here's Katrina enjoying the action!

Mitchell with 2 of his friends - not only were they running around chasing the ball - it was VERY HOT!  No worries, we brought plenty of water to go with the snacks!

Spencer Update

Here's a quick update on Spencer's "owie". I took the stitches out on the 18th (the 5th day after the accident). The picture below it was taken yesterday, 11 days after the accident. It's healing up really nicely! We're so thankful!

Spencer's Adventure

Just a quick post - last week Saturday we had a bit of an emergency - we'd gone to the pool and Spencer had an accident on the water slide.  Spencer got a cut about 2" long on his forehead.  It was deep but only bled a short time.  We took him in to the E.R. and he got 6 stitches.  I took the stitches out a few days ago and his wound is healing up nicely.  No guarantees there won't be a scar though...

We are so aware of God's grace in this situation - with little things like - 

+Katrina had just fallen asleep so it was no problem leaving her with our friends (whom she was not familiar with yet) so we could take Spencer to the Emergency Room.  

+Also, we had a vehicle and had the keys on us - so we could leave right away.  

+Another thing - I had ice packs with me to keep Katrina's milk cold - so we were able to ice the wound right away to keep swelling down until the Doc could stitch it up.  

+We didn't have to wait at all - Spencer had been to that clinic before so they had him on file. 

+We weren't in the E.R. more than 30 minutes start to finish.  

The whole bill for the E.R., stitches, etc was around $25US.  We finished up with paying, got in the vehicle and headed back to the pool, where Mitchell, Julia and Katrina were waiting for us with our friends.  We then went and had lunch together as planned!  

It could have been A LOT WORSE, and we're thankful that it wasn't.  

In this situation, it's easy to praise the Lord for 6 stitches!

Our 13th Anniversary

On Monday June 8th we celebrated our 13th Wedding Anniversary. 

Above is a shot of us 13 years ago and below is one of us on our Anniversary!

It was great to have most of a day to spend together - with 4 kids, quality time isn't easy to come by!  The photo below is one of us in the morning going out for coffee at the mall.  In the evening we went for a massage while sitters stayed with the kids.  (Third massage here but first massage here that I didn't get bruises from - I LOVED it!)

Our Princes and Princesses