Shortly after Ben's birthday, Matt and I took off on a two week business trip and vacation. For many months, we've felt the calling to another overseas assignment and God has steered us toward Jakarta, Indonesia. Our time there was very busy but very productive and exciting. It's a crowded city of over 10 million people and an unbelievable amount of traffic. I was a bit wary after reading and talking to some people who hadn't had good experiences there, but the locals are very friendly and helpful, the international school is incredible, and the housing looks very nice. Most of all, it's a great opportunity for Matt and our family.
So, almost 6 years to the day that we moved into this house, we will be packing it up again and embarking on another expatriate adventure. We are so excited to see what awaits us on this 3-year assignment and we are looking forward to being back in SE Asia! It's going to be hard to leave but Texas will always be our home.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Ben's Birthday
Ben kicked off his birthday weekend with the 5th grade party at Main Event. Ben, Greydan, and Austin couldn't wait to go play some laser tag and drink way too much Mountain Dew. You only celebrate the end of 5th grade once, right?
After the party, Jack and Drew (who still attend our old school) joined us the rest of the boys for a sleepover and nerf battle.
The next morning, we took them to do a little indoor kart racing.
The boys got the racetrack all to themselves!
The moment that Alex passed Ben to take the lead and he never lost it! That is one competitive kid.
All the boys were happy after the race (but Jack didn't get to come because of his baseball playoffs).
On his actual birthday, we started the day with some frost donut holes, because everyone knows that's the kind quality food that will help you grow to a ripe old age.
A little McDelivery for lunch and my last time to have lunch with my boy. :(
After school it was time for presents! He got a bluetooth record player and a soundbar for his bedroom. We may never see him again.
Happy birthday, sweet boy! We have enjoyed every moment of these 11 years with you. May God continue to bless you each day.
After the party, Jack and Drew (who still attend our old school) joined us the rest of the boys for a sleepover and nerf battle.
The next morning, we took them to do a little indoor kart racing.
The boys got the racetrack all to themselves!
The moment that Alex passed Ben to take the lead and he never lost it! That is one competitive kid.
All the boys were happy after the race (but Jack didn't get to come because of his baseball playoffs).
On his actual birthday, we started the day with some frost donut holes, because everyone knows that's the kind quality food that will help you grow to a ripe old age.
A little McDelivery for lunch and my last time to have lunch with my boy. :(
After school it was time for presents! He got a bluetooth record player and a soundbar for his bedroom. We may never see him again.
Happy birthday, sweet boy! We have enjoyed every moment of these 11 years with you. May God continue to bless you each day.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
May Days
May is always full of events, anniversaries (15 years for us!), and birthdays. We kicked off this one with the glow run at school.
Casey helped us get in the spirit for Cinco de Mayo!
Alex had his first piano recital after a year of lessons and the boy killed it. He even took a nice big bow at the end! His precious teacher Miss Vicki was a perfect match for him and she taught him so much in one year.
The whole group came out to enjoy Alex's performance.
The following weekend it was Ben's turn on the guitar and he played an amazing duet with his teacher. The guitar is tough, especially on tender little fingers, and Ben impressed me so much with his passion and dedication. I hope he continues to love it for life.
Mr. Sebastian was his second teacher this year after Ben's beloved Mr. Stefano moved back to Italy.
Duckling season is the perfect time to get out the camera...
...and the food!
Alex got to attend his Challenge field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and I got to ride the bus. Again. At least this time we weren't all three to a seat because those seats aren't made for adult bums.
The first activity was a tower-building challenge with spaghetti and play-doh. Alex's creation was not particularly strong but it was tall.
Tall enough to win him second place in the competition!
Afterward, we enjoyed all the regular exhibits at the museum, which was great fun for me because it's probably my favorite place in Houston.
At the same time, Ben was on a field trip to the nearby junior high and I was happy to see his picture in the weekly newsletter.
All too soon, another year has come and gone! I didn't get pictures of Alex and his teachers, but I did get one of Ben and Mr. Kowalski, who was a wonderful teacher for him this year. It was great having a strong male role model for the 5th grade boys and we loved our year with him.
These pictures just kill me. Where did the time go? Why do they keep growing so quickly?? Here's to another successful year, the end of Ben's elementary days, and a wonderful summer ahead.
Casey helped us get in the spirit for Cinco de Mayo!
Alex had his first piano recital after a year of lessons and the boy killed it. He even took a nice big bow at the end! His precious teacher Miss Vicki was a perfect match for him and she taught him so much in one year.
The whole group came out to enjoy Alex's performance.
The following weekend it was Ben's turn on the guitar and he played an amazing duet with his teacher. The guitar is tough, especially on tender little fingers, and Ben impressed me so much with his passion and dedication. I hope he continues to love it for life.
Mr. Sebastian was his second teacher this year after Ben's beloved Mr. Stefano moved back to Italy.
Duckling season is the perfect time to get out the camera...
...and the food!
Alex got to attend his Challenge field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and I got to ride the bus. Again. At least this time we weren't all three to a seat because those seats aren't made for adult bums.
The first activity was a tower-building challenge with spaghetti and play-doh. Alex's creation was not particularly strong but it was tall.
Tall enough to win him second place in the competition!
Afterward, we enjoyed all the regular exhibits at the museum, which was great fun for me because it's probably my favorite place in Houston.
At the same time, Ben was on a field trip to the nearby junior high and I was happy to see his picture in the weekly newsletter.
All too soon, another year has come and gone! I didn't get pictures of Alex and his teachers, but I did get one of Ben and Mr. Kowalski, who was a wonderful teacher for him this year. It was great having a strong male role model for the 5th grade boys and we loved our year with him.
These pictures just kill me. Where did the time go? Why do they keep growing so quickly?? Here's to another successful year, the end of Ben's elementary days, and a wonderful summer ahead.
Thursday, May 04, 2017
R.E.G.R.E.T.
For better or worse, I've been giving the boys haircuts for years. They always complain but they love being done in 10-15 minutes as opposed to driving and waiting somewhere. Recently, Alex decided he'd help the process along by doing a little cutting of his own before his turn in the chair.
When he finally showed me what he'd done I laughed so hard that big fat tears were rolling down my face. I thought we were past the years of kids destroying their hair with scissors!!
This is the face of a boy who regrets his decision.
Thank goodness for clippers and a good summertime cut! It didn't turn out so bad after all....but it will make for a good story for the rest of his life!
Saturday, April 29, 2017
April Fun
I love when the first monarchs come visit our milkweed and lay their eggs! The first ones to hatch this year were a pretty hungry group.
They grew big and fat in no time at all.
In just 48 hours, they decimated our plants out front and devoured every last leaf in our yard. I always love to bring them inside to make their chrysalises so we can enjoy the butterflies emerging and this time we had so many that I was able to send several to Alex's class as well.
A week or so later, we had some beautiful friends to enjoy before we let them loose.
The kids took advantage of a really beautiful spring and invented all kinds of new ways to play outside. Ripstick skiing, anyone?
We had a sweet little visitor - a white winged dove that wasn't quite able to fly out of the yard. We set it safely on the chair and it joined us for dinner.
Casey was quite enamored with our guest but he wisely stayed safely on top of the chair until the big bad dog went inside. Later, the little guy walked out of the yard into the front and we hope he found a safe place to hide until he was strong enough to fly.
We loved celebrating Grandma's birthday with her!
They grew big and fat in no time at all.
In just 48 hours, they decimated our plants out front and devoured every last leaf in our yard. I always love to bring them inside to make their chrysalises so we can enjoy the butterflies emerging and this time we had so many that I was able to send several to Alex's class as well.
A week or so later, we had some beautiful friends to enjoy before we let them loose.
The kids took advantage of a really beautiful spring and invented all kinds of new ways to play outside. Ripstick skiing, anyone?
We had a sweet little visitor - a white winged dove that wasn't quite able to fly out of the yard. We set it safely on the chair and it joined us for dinner.
Casey was quite enamored with our guest but he wisely stayed safely on top of the chair until the big bad dog went inside. Later, the little guy walked out of the yard into the front and we hope he found a safe place to hide until he was strong enough to fly.
We loved celebrating Grandma's birthday with her!
Saturday, April 22, 2017
George Ranch Field Trip
I got to join Alex's class on a field trip to George Ranch in Richmond. It was the first time that chaperones were required to ride the bus and I wasn't too excited about squeezing in with a bunch of overexcited 8-year olds, but it was pretty entertaining. Alex and Marco were great little seatmates.
First stop was watching the cattle roping and meeting the resident longhorn.
Excited little faces ready to go explore the ranch!
Alex was happy to find a caterpillar friend to take with him.
The kids were dying to see an alligator and thank goodness a little one finally made his presence known in the creek.
Alex and his buddy Alex
The kids enjoyed learning about life on the ranch a few hundred years ago and it's pretty impressive that it is still in business as a farm and cattle ranch.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Easter Weekend with Friends
We were so thrilled to have Scott and Lou Anne join us for Easter weekend. The first order of business for the two photographers was of course to take lots of pictures.
Mr. Scott was so patient and helpful and taught Ben all kinds of new things about his camera and photography in general.
A trip to the park gave Ben some adorable little subjects to capture.
On Saturday, we hid hundreds of Easter eggs in the yard for all the kids on the street.
Alex organizes this every year because this kids loves holidays so much!
Who's ready to hunt eggs??
And they're off!
It took the adults the better part of an hour to hide so many eggs and the kids found every last one in less than 10 minutes.
There were even a few confetti eggs in the bunch!
The Armstrongs joined us in celebrating Miss Lou Anne's birthday.
After dinner, we taught the Dulaneys how to play Exploding Kittens and the kids showed him no mercy - they even brought out the cone of shame! Scott will probably never play again!
The Dulaneys had an early flight out on Easter morning so we said our goodbyes and the kids checked out their baskets.
Easter Sunday is one of my favorite services of the year celebrating our risen Savior and this one was no exception...
...we were all given streamers when we walked in and at the end of the service we "threw off our grave clothes" in a pretty exciting fashion. It made for a really memorable celebration.
One of the bonuses of having a real photographer come visit is that we get gorgeous photos after the trip. I have to share some of Scott's beautiful photos:
The whole reason for bringing the big photography equipment - a real group shot of our dear friends. It's been nearly 10 years since we all met in Singapore! Three of these kids weren't even part of the gang yet.
We love these people so dearly!
Mr. Scott was so patient and helpful and taught Ben all kinds of new things about his camera and photography in general.
A trip to the park gave Ben some adorable little subjects to capture.
On Saturday, we hid hundreds of Easter eggs in the yard for all the kids on the street.
Alex organizes this every year because this kids loves holidays so much!
Who's ready to hunt eggs??
And they're off!
It took the adults the better part of an hour to hide so many eggs and the kids found every last one in less than 10 minutes.
There were even a few confetti eggs in the bunch!
The Armstrongs joined us in celebrating Miss Lou Anne's birthday.
After dinner, we taught the Dulaneys how to play Exploding Kittens and the kids showed him no mercy - they even brought out the cone of shame! Scott will probably never play again!
The Dulaneys had an early flight out on Easter morning so we said our goodbyes and the kids checked out their baskets.
Easter Sunday is one of my favorite services of the year celebrating our risen Savior and this one was no exception...
...we were all given streamers when we walked in and at the end of the service we "threw off our grave clothes" in a pretty exciting fashion. It made for a really memorable celebration.
One of the bonuses of having a real photographer come visit is that we get gorgeous photos after the trip. I have to share some of Scott's beautiful photos:
The whole reason for bringing the big photography equipment - a real group shot of our dear friends. It's been nearly 10 years since we all met in Singapore! Three of these kids weren't even part of the gang yet.
We love these people so dearly!
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