What Do I See?

As I was going through some pictures on my phone, I paused when I came to this one:

There's nothing fancy about it, but this picture communicates so much to me and brings a smile to my face. 

I see a compassionate man, willing to step in and help me out with the breakfast dishes, after a very busy week. 

I also see two eager learners, something I don't always notice or take the time to notice!

I see a loving church family, graciously providing for the needs of their missionaries.

I see bright sunlight streaming in, reminding me of the blessing and beauty of summertime in Pennsylvania.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

I'm still here!

I'm pulling this blog out again after what has to be a record summer in terms of being busy. After returning to the States in mid-May, we began traveling up and down the East Coast for two months as well as squeezing in some family time with both of our families. We enjoyed the time visiting several supporting churches and traveling around, and now we're enjoying some time to be at home until mid-October when we return to our other home in Thailand.

So now some pictures (of course!)...

I love this picture. Paul's eyes are so expressive! 

 As much as I want to think Ellie is staring into my eyes and thinking wonderful thoughts about her mom, she's probably really thinking, "This yogurt is so yummy! You should try some, Mom."

 We spent a LOT of time seeing this view.

 Playgrounds have been our go-to place. Big thanks to whoever invented the swing!

 While we were in Michigan we bought a science museum membership on a whim, and it has turned out to be a fantastic idea. We recouped our cost within three museums and the kids have really enjoyed the "hands-on" part!

  Nat and I also celebrated our 6th anniversary with a quick trip to Cape Cod. I'm so thankful for the wonderful husband God has given to me.

Our Days.

Here's a quick peek into our lives from the last several days... 

I've been enjoying doing some daily scripture writing and I love the little nuggets that come out as I read and write. 

We've been (slowly) working on our little plot of ground out front. Last week we had some dirt delivered, but we have to break up the clumps. The other day our neighbor boys came over to help! Next step is to get some sod down.

Hardly a day goes by that we are not visiting the playground. The kids love to play on the equipment and the local school kids love to play with Paul and Ellie. :-)

The other day I found this rather humorous as I was waiting to make a u-turn. This was the third bus to do the u-turn and he did much better than the first two! Anything goes around here. 

My teacher and I were studying Thai out on our porch on Tuesday when Ellie came out looking like a cowgirl!

We went to the playground today and it just so happened to be recess for local school kids. Everyone loves Ellie!

Meanwhile Paul enjoyed playing ball with some boys... Or running away from them. ;-)

So cute! Thai kids do a great job taking care of my little people and loving on them.

We found a new restaurant here in our town. As in, only 3 miles away! Coffee shop, great smoothies, Thai and western food, and lovely ambience means we'll be back! I'm so glad we didn't have to drive 45 minutes away like we usually do. The smoothies were kid-approved and we walked away with no spills, no broken dishes, and calm children. That's a good restaurant visit in my book. :-)

Family Time.

We try hard to keep Wednesday as our family day. Even then, something may come up. This past Wednesday was no exception, but by 10 AM, we were ready for to go. 

Our first stop was a strawberry farm Nat recently saw and wanted to check out. The fields were pretty, and the lake out front with the mountains in the back made for a second glance.

Paul took one look at this tractor and knew he had to check it out. Fascination with farm equipment is in his blood!

Of course we had to stop to let our little celebrity have her picture taken. :-)

Amazingly enough, this place is also a resort! So if staying in a strawberry house is your thing... Here you go!

The mountains fascinate me. Such mystery and intrigue...

All in all, it was a wonderful, refreshing day!

Fun Visitors!

We have absolutely loved having friends of ours visit for the last week or so! It's been so much fun hanging out together, talking and laughing long after our kiddos are in bed. We've also enjoyed a couple of game nights, one of our favorite ways to spend an evening. :-) 

Our friends tend to be more explorers and adventurers than, shall we say, shoppers, so between the four of us, we discovered plenty of cool things to see in nature.

{The Readers and Nat explored a cave}

{Ellie experienced her first elephant ride near this river}

{Took a hike that led to twin waterfalls}

{New pictures were needed for a prayer card/Christmas card, so we snagged a few mommy & baby poses as well}

{Such happy smiles}

I'm so thankful for sweet fellowship and precious friendship. We're sad to see our friends leave in the morning, but we are so grateful they came and spent the time with us!



(Photo credit: Ilona Reader)

At Least I'm Consistent!

We've been having lots of fun in our new house and city, so here's a quick update via photos. (Again!)

We bought this rocking horse just before we moved, and now the entertainment is endless around here!

This is the way Ellie drives...

Nat has been busy scrubbing dirt off the walls and ground (the walls in the background show the difference), and Paul has enjoyed "helping" Daddy.  :-)

A couple of weeks ago I took a quick trip to Bangkok to visit with some friends. It sure was fun being in the big city again!

Nat did a great job with the kids while I was away, and he sent me this picture of Ellie's "daddy-do".

Apparently the back of our truck is loads of fun too... 

Check out this coffee stand we stopped at... That stepstool was helpful and the coffee was very good!

Our house is in this neighborhood.

These two love playing with each other and have the cutest giggles.

They are also huge daredevils and are constantly finding new heights to explore. 😳 

Paul loves a mango smoothie! That yellow thing in his smoothie? Yeah, that's NOT a piece of mango, but some kind of jello-like rice glop. Big disappointment when the expectation is a piece of mango. 

There aren't too many playgrounds here, but there are plenty of kiddie rides at most malls and big stores. The kids were finally bold enough to take their first ride together. They loved it, contrary to the expressions on their faces. 

As always, there's more to share but it's back to enjoying life with the kiddos!

These Two Little Munchkins.

A quick photo shoot last Sunday morning paused time for a brief moment -- one very brief moment!

These two munchkins kick the activity level up a notch around here and their giggles fill our home from before sunup until after dark. Even then, after two little bodies are safely tucked into their beds, we'll occasionally hear from a little boy adding his two cents to our conversations. Both of them are such adventure-seekers and Ellie delights in having us look for her, and then screams with delight when we find her crawling to the top of the stairs.

Of course dirt and mud beckon Paul's name and he simply can't resist. I often find him squatting over a pile of rocks, twigs, or dirt - intently focused on the important task at hand. 

And this girl. Whoa. Ever since her birthday, her little personality has really developed. Gone is "baby" and taking her place is a toddler who can't quite keep up with big brother yet --- but she is determined to try! 

My days are filled with childish laughter (and tears), food smeared on the floor ("oops!" I hear), training and teaching ("please put this away") and lots and lots of hugs and snuggles. Always, always worth it, although some mornings I don't hop out of bed with a bright smile on my face when I hear our bedroom door being slammed open by a very awake little boy. ;-)

Yep, I love my job!

Emotions.

We're moving in four days. 

It goes without saying my emotions have gone all the way from elation to tears, sometimes within the same hour! What an unreliable indicator of truth.

On the one hand, we are incredibly excited as we take the next step forward in reaching out to people groups in SE Asia. So many brand-new opportunities and connections await us. How thrilling!

And, of course, there's the other hand. The hand that tugs on my emotional heartstrings. For instance, this picture:

These two little guys are Sunday buddies. As in, they play together each Sunday and have done so for over a year. Us moving four hours north is putting an abrupt end to the adventures in toddler-hood these two share. {Well, it would come to an end soon anyway since the other little boy's parents are returning to the states for furlough but ... I digress.} 

We've put down some roots in Chiang Mai - 19 months of roots. We've gotten to know and love so many people, visited many unique places, hosted our first visitors here, made memories with Paul, and of course Ellie was born here. We stumbled through language learning (oh wait, I'm still stumbling!), had some cultural boo-boos, and were a source of endless entertainment for our neighborhood.

By focusing on the past though, I'm not going to make forward traction. Instead, I'm going to get sentimental thinking through memories, but not adjusting to a new set of adventures. 

And so.... I choose to be excited about this new step ahead of us. Of course that doesn't mean part of my heart isn't being left behind in Chiang Mai. It is. Just like a part of my heart is in Pennsylvania. But I can't wait to begin putting down some new roots and making new memories in a new place. Oh, and the people we will meet! I want them to come to Heaven with me. So it's time to dig up those roots and plant them somewhere new. Souls are waiting.

Our new city

Our new house - please come visit us!

A Quick Update.

The silence on my blog has a lot to do with a very busy month or so! We participated in two different camps and then had friends from our church visit for two weeks. Now that we're settling back in to a routine, it's time to dust off the blog... with pictures, of course. I'm so consistent!

This dear lady and her husband encouraged our hearts over and over again during their visit

Of course our kids took right to them, and adopted them as "Grandma" and "Grandpa" 

Trying on big brother's new hat

We were trying to get Paul to turn around for the picture, but he was too enamored with the fish and the water 

The Golden Triangle is where three countries meet: Thailand, Laos, and Burma

Anything will work for a phone, even a remote controller :-)

The quiet, little street just outside our house

Ellie's first time to sit in grass - I don't think she was a fan

Two "firsts" for Paul: flip flops and a baseball cap

Both of these boys love water and had a blast playing together  

Little Miss Ellie celebrated her first birthday while our friends were here!