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

Pauly Wally

Oh man! he is already a week into being 6! where does the time go? i love this kid. he brings a smile to our faces very easily. his attitude is pretty laid back with a big influence of sports. seems every ball, skateboard, bat, paper, board he touches...he can make it do what he wants it to. it's amazing to watch his little body be so agile and cordinated. once when we were at a play place that has a trampoline, he jumped once in the middle and landed upsidedown on the safty netting of the trampoline! at the same time that it was scary...it was amazing that he did it with ease and know how...but how?!!!
he soaks in peoples expressions and words even when he looks like he isn't. he gets a little smirk with his eyes and tight lip that shows he knows...he cares deeply. he plays so hard he sweats most of the time. he sweats when he gets tired and a lot while he sleeps.
he is an includer and wants to bring people in to his circle and seems to even encourage at this young age...to his peers and those who are older. he puts his arm around those who are taller or give a good high 5 and lets his friends know that he is there for them. when he gets hurt...he will not make a big show of it. he will hold it in until he gets to a safe place and then the big tears will come. he will want someone to make it all better and give him the facts. he wants to know how it's really going to be. he doesn't want made up fluff to just band-aid the moment. he asks the hard questions and says the funny lines. he is realist. sees life as it is. sometimes that is negative. some days are just hard and pesimistic thoughts come out. "i never get any candy" "i always have to feed the dog, the fish, the hamsters, the turtle" "why do i have to clean up and no one else does?"
other days are bright and easy...he is on top of the world with a skip in his step. "this is the best day EVER!" "yes! i love this food! thanks mom!" "when do we get to go _____ i'm so excited i just can't stand it!''
his little brother loves to see him coming...but ian braces himself because he knows the impact is going to be a bit abrasive as paul likes to almost tackle him with tickles. but ian has grown to love that attention from paul and screams with glee for it. gavin and paul are best friends. they have their own little conversations in their own little world. the two of them can play for hours with no problem...until the older one gets bored and starts picking or mr paul gets energized and starts doing flips and such to cause gavin to be annoyed. hazel and paul are best buddies as well. (i shouldn't write that paul likes to have tea parties with her, or play barbies, and do his hair in the mirror) he wouldn't like that but i think it's cute. he has a shoe fetish in which he has a particular shoe for a particular event. one shoe for sitting in class. another for recess...another for p.e. (cuz they play different things in p.e.) and another for riding the bike or razor or skitter. another for soccer. he also knows what he likes as far as clothing. he won't be caught dead in some clothes and some just "feel funny" and others are cozy. he loves cozy. he likes to feel safe and doesn't want to be in harms way and may even be shy in a group of people he doesn't know. up on stage...where i thought he would shine...he becomes shy and even timid. but if he knows you, better watch out! he runs and he gives giant bone squeezing hugs and makes us feel very worthwhile and playful. thanks paul for being in our family and having another birthday so we could have a good excuse to have a wild party with 32 kids, a big cake, a pinata and lots of screams of joy! we love you more than you know!