Get That Corn Outta My Face!

On day 3 we packed up early and headed to Taman Safari.  But since it was the first clear day since we got there, we stopped at the look-out area to check out the volcano.

Gunung Gede

Tea fields.

I thought this picture was funny because the guy selling necklaces stuck his hand in.  It was difficult to get pictures without strangers in them.

Some people working in the tea fields and a little bit of the town below.

Volcanos are hot!

Carrot-eating camels.

We had a lot of down time this time through the park.

One of the highlights for the kids of the time in the zoo was climbing on the concrete animals.  I'm still confused about it.  It doesn't look like fun at all.  

We visited parts of the park we didn't see the first time.  That included this little play area with dinosaur slides, which was right by this corn stand.

We decided to give it a try.

It was so yummy!

We also went to the sea lion show.  I like this picture.

This boy next to Mads had a hard time not starting.  At least he was trying to be inconspicuous.  He would lean way back, take a look, stop, then start the whole process over again.

The sea lions kiss people.  It was funny for the first 2 or 3 seconds, after that it got a little awkward.  He did this for a good 5 minutes.

It is a common theme among Indonesian functions to have a person with a microphone, overly loud music, and animated cheering from the audience.  This was no different.  I literally laughed out loud when they started playing "Ice Ice Baby".

After the show, you can get your picture with the sea lions.

The kiss didn't bother me, it was the snot he kept blowing out of his nose!

Sea lions are cool.

BA got her picture with a snake.  She was brave.  I was impressed.

G wanted a snake picture too.  

He loved it.  I think he got a bit of special treatment because the trainer let him hold him for a long time.  G kept grabbing the snake's head and squeezing it.  I was a little afraid he was going to hurt it.  So after he sat there a while and picked it up, and squeezed, he was done.  But not before he gave the snake a big kiss!  What a weirdo.

Playing Field

The morning of day 2 included vacation type sleep (at least for me!) and more exploring the grounds.

Another huge bug.  This time it was a millipede.

Rhon became a barkeep for breakfast and snack.  She would stand behind this bar and take orders.  I think it was one of the kids' favorite things to do.  Good thing because it was a little rainy.

Then we took a scenic drive.  A long one.  We were just trying to get lunch and maybe visit the botanical garden.  Parts of the drive were very beautiful.

We finally made it to KFC.  We had fried chicken and rice.  Nope, no biscuits or mashed potatoes.

And ice cream.

On the way out of KFC, I bought some bubbles a man was selling.  The solution was in a plastic cup, and it came with a homemade stick.

They were awesome!  The liquid looked really strange, and we wondered what it was made with, but it couldn't have been anything too dangerous, right?  Well, either way, everyone survived.  And whatever it was, it worked great.

It was so fun to have so much space to run around.  We played frisbee, and we had a super fun, slightly muddy, game of capture the flag.

The sun came out a little now and then.

Then I made all the kids pose for pictures.  They were less than thrilled, but they were cooperative.

Funny faces.

Looking in different directions faces.

Chairs to Sit

We took our first trip to Marisol.  It is an embassy owned house in the mountains.  Why have we waited so long?!!  It was so awesome.  Luckily the traffic on the way up was great, so we were still in good spirits when we arrived.  This was the first day...

The boys were thrilled to be there.

This is the front area of the house.  There is a ping pong table right behind me.  It was so fun!

Kitchen.  Still some very thrilled boys.

The grounds were the best part.  Beautiful.  Lots of room to run around and breathe clean air.

The views are awesome.  It was so nice just to sit on those chairs and let the kids run, and climb, and explore.

He poses for every picture.

We were so excited to have a grill!  We took full advantage the first night.  Steak, tuna, veggies, and chicken.  It was awesome.

It was cool enough to feel cozy by a fire.  Nate built an awesome fire, and we had some tasty roasted marshmallows.

Mads with his new headlamp.

When we first arrived, I saw a reddish beetle that was about an inch and a half long, and that was the biggest beetle I had ever seen.  Until we saw this one.  It flew near the fire and crashed onto the ground.  We flung him into the grass, and I think he needed some time to recuperate.  He barely moved while we checked him out and took pictures.  Then all of a sudden, he flew!  Mads was wearing his headlamp and the beetle was tracking the light.  Mads was running, and he was following the light all the while.  Mads was screaming!  It was pretty funny.  I don't blame him.  I would have screamed even louder, I'm afraid.  That thing's the size of a bird!  It stopped chasing Mads and landed in a bush nearby and stayed with us by the fire the rest of the night.

I didn't get a picture, but the girls used their new pocketknives to make their own marshmallow stick.  This might be the closest we come to camping in Jakarta.  I'll take it.

Launch

Something special happen on Christmas Eve!  Our first Jakarta visitors came.  The Patchs arrived late Saturday night.  And even though though they didn't have their luggage they were in good spirits.  They even wanted to go to church at 8am the next morning.  And we saved our Christmas Eve fondue tradition for Christmas night so that the Patchs could join us.  It was the perfect start to a wonderful visit.  I didn't get any pictures of chocolate, be we had that too.

I've Been A Clean Livin' Boy

Christmas!  The only thing I noticed different about Christmas morning was that it was already super bright outside.  It seemed like mid-day.  Oh, and that we opened presents on Christmas Eve.  We did it early because we had visitors coming.

I love making them line up from youngest to oldest to go to the tree.  Just like my parents did when I was a kid.

I bet no one else got 'jelly love' for Christmas.

Yes, I made them silly Christmas pajama pants.  Mostly because I thought it was funny to find that fabric here.  And it has gold in it.  The fabric screamed Indonesian Christmas to me.

Stockings from Grandma.

That thing's worth about 10,000 here.

The girls got pocket knives.  They were thrilled.

Skyping with Uncle Ry and Aunt Kristy.  They gave them puppets which have been loads of fun.

Jingle

The first Christmas program I got to watch was with G's preschool.  One of the moms does a music class and she prepared the kids for a performance.  They sang a couple of Christmas songs.  It was great.

G taking a very deep, very long bow.

Here I can't decide if he is doing the wrong arm actions, or both kids next to him are.  Of course, they are wrong!  G is always right. ; )

Then I got to watch the girls and Mads in the school program.  Mads sang and the girls played violin.  I think this was the first time the girls did any kind of performance.  They did great.

My pictures were not great.

Dare is the one closest to me.  You can see Rhon's face, and BA is right in front of Rhon.

Stitch #8, 9, 10, 11, and 12

Stitches again!  This time I freaked out a little bit.

Everything was fine.  We were having a normal, relaxing Sunday afternoon.  Then I hear a cry.  It wasn't a horrifying cry, but I could tell something was wrong.  Mads came to me with his hand on his chin.  As soon as I saw the gaping wound on his chin, I knew he needed stitches.  His insides were coming out!  That's when I freaked out.  Not so much because of the blood, or hole in his chin, but we are in a developing country!  Medical care is the last thing I want to worry about.  Why couldn't he have split his chin open on a weekday?  I don't know, about 10am so we could go to the embassy?  

Well, it turned out much better than I thought right when I saw the cut.  We have never had to get emergency care in Jakarta, so we asked our neighbors (the embassy doctor) what we were supposed to do.  Luckily we did, because they called the emergency unit and they said they wouldn't do the stitches.  I guess they don't feel comfortable if they have to "hold down" a child.  It seems like a cultural thing.  They wanted to put him under general anesthesia.  No way!  The embassy doctors were able to find us another doctor who would do it.  We just had to travel to a nearby city.

So we started our trek.  It was about an hour drive.  And I have to say how amazing Mads is.  He didn't complain, or cry, or whine.  The DS certainly helped.  When we arrived at the emergency room, we were greeted by name, and within 5 minutes of walking through the door, they were starting the procedure.

He is not sleeping.  He is not drugged.  Just trying to sit very very still.  What a stud.

Still, just the guy holding his head still.  Nothing else.  He's 100% awake.  Not an easy accomplishment for a 5 year old.  But he didn't even flinch.  He is so awesome.

Finished product.  The Indonesian doctor did a great job.

I love this picture of Nate at the desk.  Thank goodness he was there.  Being able to speak Indonesian was crucial.  We paid out of pocket, and it cost about $120.  Crazy, right?  Makes me wonder how much all the doctors and nurses and other workers are getting paid.

Other than the mosquito in the room flying around Mads' fresh blood, it was a good experience.  The hospital wasn't scary, and the room was clean.  The doctor was professional and cheerful, and all the workers were helpful and kind.  I realize it could have been much worse.  Our taxi driver even stopped by McDonald's on the way home.

After I posted this, and got a comment, I realized I didn't say how he hurt his chin in the first place.  I'm pretty sure I did that last time too.  Well, he and G thought it would be fun to stand on each other's backs while they were on hands and knees on the floor.  Mads was on the bottom, and he was wiggling so G would fall off.  Definitely a bad choice on hard tile floors.  Anyway, G inevitably falls, but he falls straight down onto Mads' head, slamming his chin on the floor with enough pressure to split it open.  We realize it could have been much worse.  Mads could be missing a part of his tongue or G could have had a concussion, so we're not complaining.

Tum On Jenga

One day I came home from tennis to my family all spread out on the floor playing Jenga.  They rocked that game!  It was tall.  We thought for sure G or Mads would knock it over, but they were awesome.  They are really quick and careless, but it seems to work for them.  Neither of them knocked it over.

I hate missing family time, but I was happy to see them having a good time without me.

G4

G turned 4.  I wish you all knew him well.  He is truly one in a hundred billion.

One day I took him swimming.  On the way home he tripped and fell on the rocks on the trail from the pool.  He laid there a second or two not moving.  I went back to him and asked him if he needed help.  He looks up at me slowly, stares at me for a second, and replies, "I need nothing."

That pretty much sums him up.

Cookies and milk to celebrate.