"I Got All Wet!"

Little Bryce was so delighted when he "got all wet" that he kept circling the splash pad to tell me all about it...take a look.

Long weekends are good for...

In honor of Labor Day, we had Friday off from school, which meant that we had an extra day of family time to enjoy...

Sand Play

Rainbow sand mixed with colored rice and pasta - a wonderful sensory experience!

A Trip to the Playground

This is a private park that requires an entrance fee. 

Unfortunately, public playgrounds do not exist in Jakarta.

I'd say from their smiles and squeals, it was worth every cent!

And lots of quality time together!

"I'm not a baby."

Were the exact words Bryce uttered at dinner tonight. And a baby he is definitely not. Especially since he started wearing undies last week and is pretty much potty trained. He resisted and so we didn't push and what do you know...he was ready in his own good time. No fight, no mess, just a day of settling in and then it has been easy since. Unfortunately he wouldn't stay in one place so I could take a photo, but his little dinosaur pants are so cute. He loves them and feels so proud that he can do his business on the "toilet," just like Amelia.

As you can see Amelia's flair for layering continues. She loves to dress up and story tell. She is a girl after my own heart! At the moment she would rather be in the pool than on land. She is determined to touch the bottom of the deep end, with daddy's guidance of course. She also loves the number 9, perhaps because we told her that is how old you have to be to watch a superhero movie. For now she is happy with the Incredibles and uses 9 as her measure when she gives hugs and kisses before bed. Getting 9 smooches and squeezes has made us all a bit fond of the number, too.

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful neighborhood celebration for Easter. Both Bryce and Amelia were so excited to participate in the games, crafts and egg hunt. They are both getting old enough that they actually have a sense of what to expect on each holiday and even some memories from years past.

Amelia awaits the start of the "Kinder Egg" race

Bryce arranges his treasure

They are both candy crazed at the moment. It is alarming what a little sugar will do to children. Everyday they ask and ask, but we are taking a break after a weekend on the binge:) I am still trying to make sense of why we bombard children with so many sweets on Halloween and Easter when we don't actually want them to have it...hmmm... Perhaps next year we will adopt a new way.


Another highlight of our Easter weekend was picking up Amelia's new dollhouse. This beauty was built by a local man who has his own shop. He is in a wheelchair and employs others with varying disabilities. Dollhouses are their specialty, but they also make so many other great things. We put in the order for this "medium sized" dollhouse and picked it up a week later. It is hard to imagine what large would have looked like. It is absolutely beautiful. Both Amelia and Bryce love to play with it. Don't you just love the trim? And yes, it is just as much for me as it is for the kids!

Amelia set up her dolls in the front so they could, "watch the sunflowers grow"

Bubble Fun!

A special thanks to two of my wonderful third grade students who introduced me to this fantastic bubble blowing technique! What an incredibly easy way to get great bubble results! To try it at home, all you need is half of a water bottle, a tea towel or cloth napkin, a rubber band for securing and a mixture of dish soap and water. Enjoy!

Creative Outlets

The rainy season continues on and unfortunately when it hasn't been somewhere between drizzling and pouring, the smoke from burning trash has kept us in quite a bit. Luckily for us, we have plenty of ways to keep us busy and feeling creative.

Amelia Paints

At the moment, painting her hand and stamping it on the paper is her technique. It's colorful, feels fun and keeps us smiling! She will sit for long periods of time and draw, paint or "make gifts," which are cards for friends and family. She is such a caring and generous little girl. 

Liz Cooks

This is my recreation of the "best salad of my life" that I had in Bali during a recent girls weekend.

It is arugula, pumpkin, carrot, and toasted almonds with homemade tahini dressing.

Jim recently told me that my cooking has gone from "T-Ball" when we first got together to "Division 3 Baseball" I guess you could say that I have been, "Knocking it out of the park!"

Bryce and Jim Make Music

Our neighbor has a drum kit and does weekend jam sessions. Bryce now sees himself as a drummer. In this photo, Jim is introducing Bryce to different "drums" he can use to make lots of different sounds. Bryce's favorite are the tambourine and the springform cake pan because they are the loudest.

Everyone needs a creative outlet...what is yours?

March Already?

Wow, I can't believe that March is already here. Time is slipping right through our fingertips as we continue to be amazed by how much Amelia and Bryce are growing and changing. Here are a few photos of what we have been up to...

Homemade glitter play dough is fun to stamp!

Amelia LOVES to dress up.

Can't decide which cereal to have for breakfast? 

No problem, just eat all three!

The ultimate marble race...thus far!