Sightseeing and Sunday School

Last year, we had two friends visit.  They were two of our very first friends here.  We met one out on the street our first week in our new house. She introduced us to the other.  They were university students and spent a semester at a local university here.  They have both gone back to their own countries (Australia and America) and have become successful young adults.  It was fun to do a little sightseeing  with them.  (the kids look a little younger because it was a year ago)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some friends from church moved back to their home island.  Before they went, the kids had a Sunday school party.  We met at McDonald's and then went to a hotel for donut decorating and swimming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salatiga and a sungai (river)

This summer break, the kids and I spent a week in Salatiga, the city where I taught right after college.  There is another school there that has a summer camp, so we went for a week.  

The theme for the week was pets.  I'm not sure why they were playing with a spider if the theme was pets!

 The weekend before, we took our young adults on a retreat.  Truett found a cool look out.  Paisley enjoyed helping with the powerpoint  for lyrics during the worship times.

Paisley and I found this little snake on a walk.  It had been run over by a car, but still looked pretty alive.  She doesn't have much fear!

 I think I've got two stinkin' cute kids!

 

 This is the street I used to live on when I taught here many moons ago.

And this was my house (Well, I think it is, a lot has changed in 20 years!)

 

The other day, our helper asked us to go over to her neighborhood.  She has a river behind her house and the kids had so much fun playing in it!

This sweet one is SEVEN (and this other one is almost FORTY!)

 Can you get any cuter than this?

 

 

 

 We had her birthday party a couple of weeks early because Granddad and Grammy were in town.  Paisley wanted a karaoke party and invited a few of her friends.  They had a BLAST singing Disney princess songs for two hours!  It was dark in there with random bright lights, so the pictures are not so good.  It was a huge room with two rows of couches, four microphones, and three tvs.  Such a  fun time!

 

 

 

 

 

Paisley woke up so excited for her birthday.  The night before she asked me to hang up these streamers from her door.

 

Opening presents is so much fun!

 

 

 

Talking to GiGi while Paisley opens her present.

Paisley has been waiting and waiting for this day for a long time.  We told her she could get her ears pierced when she turned seven.

So, of course, we took her to a tattoo and piercing place!

 

He's putting anesthesia on her ears and marking where the earring will go.

She was really brave, but still wanted to hold my hand.

She's so excited!

 It was really an interesting process, and I'm not sure I followed it all.  First, they clamped her ear.  They then stuck something that looked like plastic tubing through her ear.  It had that green plastic tip on it.  Then, maybe, they put something metal to make the hole larger through the plastic tube.  Last, they pulled that thing out as they inserted the earring.
This place mostly did body piercings. I wonder if this is the first time they ever pierced a little girl's ears.

 This was as close as she got to crying.

Showing off her new earrings!

You know, parents don't get quite the party or the pictures that the kids do, but here are a few from Michael's birthday.

Paisley and I played around with decorating this cake.  It didn't work out quite as planned, so we swirled it all around and made a tie-dye cake!   Actually, it wasn't even cake.  Michael wanted pumpkin bread for his birthday.  So, we made pumpkin bread and iced half of it with buttercream icing!

Family photo at dinner