Happy Birthday Gavin!

Hooray for this child of ours! He is already 8 years old!??? how does this happen? this picture here is a new Gavin...he no longer has to wear his ear plugs and swim cap while he swims...he can now dive in with abandon because his ears have been healed and he no longer suffers from the chronic ear infections...he still has some bigger allergy issues but we can keep them under control now. here in the picture he is where he loves being the most...the beach and the pool...all in one. he can spend hours...days...weeks...just being in this type of surrounding...adventure seeking. i wonder what job he will have in the far far future...being in the 2nd grade, he is learning so much and taking it all in at great speed now. as i write my emails, texts, or blog updates, he is over my shoulder reading what i am writing. keeps me on my toes :D he still loves sports of all kinds and will choose that over anything else to do. the other day we were playing in the gym at the school and there were a bunch of boys playing soccer and i noticed that mine were not the only ones who take off their shoes and socks to play the sport! ;) and if he was not playing sports, he would choose PS2 to play, and if he was not playing PS2, he would want to play spelling games on the computer, and he if he wasn't getting smarter on the computer...he would choose his MP3 player. and if he wasn't doing that he would say "mom, i'm bored. what can i do now?" ha! we are raising a different generation than even i know. kids who can work the computer with ease and understand electronics like the back of their hands. gavin is no exception. amazing! and with uncles and an aunt who like to give all this...we try to stay up with them and keep them moving in this world as we navigate together. Gavin is still very much our kind-hearted, smart, perseptive, introvert. we are so proud of him and the way he treats his friends with care and is sensitive to others...others being those friends outside the family. ha ha ha... he is definately the 'big' brother and knows how to push buttons and irritate the core of the family under the radar. he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't. and in all seriousness...he really does care for his siblings just as much...we just see another side of him in that role as well. the easy going little man doesn't really care about fashion yet...unlike his younger siblings. so that keeps drama on the low side with gavin...he brings a stable, calmness to our family...we need that oh so much! he doesn't talk just to be talking...so when he talks...we listen. and when he gets excited, he talks so fast we can hardly keep up! and we love that gavin laugh...the laugh that comes from deep down. what a kid! thanks for being in our family...we love you to pieces!

everyday kids and SOME of their pets

turtle

fish

hamster...just missing the dog's pic

BFF

boy picnic in the driveway on a saturday morning
(yes...we have to sun dry our rugs in the rainy season cuz they get moldy)

Jepara

loving coconut :D

posers

After not having been out of town for quite awhile, we left for spring break to the north coast. Jepara. This is where we found wood carving. you know...like the tables and chairs from crate and barrel...so much cool stuff to look at and put on our wish lists :D it was a very nice get away...not near long enough but we will go again when YOU come visit!

Jepara...more pics of our spring break trip

we stayed at a hotel on the beach...this is a view of the beach from the pool...aahhhhh

the goodness of the beach and spring break!

gavin and friend making the most of the boat we rented

greg giving his advise to the canoers...

the ocean here is much more calm.
this is the northern part of java, in a bit of a cove.
it seemed more like a lake but it still tasted salty.
the kids could just sit out and talk about...what would they be talking about???

more pics of pauls birthday...random order

pinata lineup

this is josh...both gavin and paul's friend but he and paul have almost the same birthday...so he shared his with paul...its pretty good when you can get kids to work together to see something cool and they really liked the parachute deal when they worked together...balls flying in the air...like popcorn...and they were controlling it...amazing! then they would count and throw the chute above them and pull it down so they were all sitting on the inside edge making a big tent...giggle giggle giggle...all around :D i love the sound of kids laughing! it releases something in my soul!

Paul's birthday party pics

Paul had a combined birthday with his friend Josh. Josh is in 2nd grade. so that meant the invitations list was kindergarden plus 2nd grade :D that equals about 30 kids :D the time was good and great. we had cake (made by josh's mom and frosting by paul's mom :D), ice cream, little fish crackers that tasted like durian (gag), koolaid from america!... face painting, balloon animals, pinata full of candy....a full on circus of sorts! the rain didn't even attempt to show...it was actually quite hot but i believe everyone had a great sugar high as they went home that night.

mud

with it being rainy season...it's just so tempting to want to do this everyday...but we don't...

Gavin's perspective on dating

I was talking to Greg about a new "couple" in the H.S. and Gavin perked up and said, "Yeah, I saw them walking 'in a ball' to the soccer field...and all the 4th graders saw them and said, "oooooooo---oooooohhhhh" and it was just really weird."

Ibu Febri and her baby

friends of ours had a baby 2 months early. but here he is all healthy and home after not even 24 hours! they took off all his clothes and wrap so we could get a good shot...and mom is beautiful as always!

ian and hazel love babies...and this just shows the difference of size...such a small little man

Kopi Plantation Tour

we went on a kopi (coffee for all the 'non-indonesian readers') plantation tour. we have been on one before but this one is far better. it feels very high class while vintage at the same time. gavin was able to grind his own coffee...well...paul and hazel too...and then they even got to bag it and bring it home! (and yes...that is a coffee leaf gavin has there)

so after he ground his own coffee...he drank his own kopi for the first time! and he LIKED it...but he has never asked for more since...we'll see if he is a good Dane or not (wink wink) and of course we have brother paul not wanting to be left out with his banana tasting...

proudly standing with their kopi grounds...it's a rare picture anymore that all are in the same shot! "why?" you may ask..."because i can only control them so far" is my response :D

greg having a serious discussion with our tour guide...

ian hammin' it up for the camera...such a cheeze ball...as soon as i whipped out the camera he held this big smile until i took the picture! ha! obviously the 4th and baby of the family!

walking on the kopi tour...in the rain

hazel took this shot of our umbrellas...we had a complete tour in the rain and we still liked it!

and i realize that i didn't take any shots of coffee trees (except for the shot of a very large leaf over paul's head and that is in his birthday blog)...instead i took bamboo shots :D

many different kinds on this tour

we're walking...we're walking...

and GIANT bamboo...with our friend Rob peering out with the kiddos

Kopi Plantation House

hazel and paul pretending to sleep on the carved out bed of the king's house.
the kids enjoyed the house because the king of solo used to live in it AND his 3 wives. so when we were going through the house we heard paul running through and asking gavin, "which wife do you like gavin?" meaning 'which part of the house do you like' because they were all sectioned off but yet pretty close together...wonder how that worked out for them?

another HUGE bed in the king's house

the artwork and detail in the floors and wood is amazing...

a heart shaped flower...

tropical flower picture #89

Martabak

if you ever want to coat your arteries, heart and intestines in oil...this is a good way to do it! i don't think my picture does justice to the pool of oil this food is cooked in but it sure tastes good :D. it's like an omelet in the middle and then the outside is like an egg roll. yummy! we like this for supper once in awhile

this is their little stand that only comes out about 4:30 pm...it's a night food i guess. they also serve dessert...great for some more lard on the arteries...it's a cake batter with chocolate sprinkles in the middle...you put two together and it's a yummy dessert

a wet downtown salatiga picture just about 5pm on a saturday nite

waiting for the goodness of martabak

ian after his bath...being modest and all :D