Settling In

We've been here two and a half weeks are are settling into our new home and school. We absolutely love our new apartment and complex. It is so modern, or shall we say European, and there is so much green space. It is also nice that we can see mountains in every direction we look. The air is clean, there are parks everywhere, and we can walk places...life is good! 

We have been blown away by how well our kids have transitioned. They have just gone with the flow and are so excited to be here. We couldn't believe that Bryce took so well to the babysitter the school provided. Again, the school did an excellent job helping us with childcare for our entire orientation and inservice. Amelia and Bryce have both started their schools and are loving it. Amelia comes to our campus and Bryce is going to a Bulgarian nursery/preschool on our complex. Not a tear from him when we left the first day. He was so so ready to finally be able to start and was bursting with stories when we picked him up. Starting Monday, Amelia will bus to the same center for after school care each day. It is such a relief to seem them both so happy. 

Here are a few snapshots from our arrival. There are so many more to share, but I will start here. You can check back soon for more from our first days. I also know that many of you have seen photos of Facebook from Jim.

We arrived to a stocked fridge and freezer, plus a two bottles of Bulgarian wine.

The welcoming committee did an excellent job helping us settle in. 

Here are some of the other items the school provided. 

It is always nice to have a few essentials to get you through the first few days.

The kids were pretty excited that they were thought of 

and thankfully they didn't love the sugar cereal that we would never have bought otherwise.

The front steps of our apartment building

We live on the first floor, which is above the ground floor. 

This photo only shows a portion of our place. I will try to take another shot soon.

This playground is just around the corner from us. Amelia and Bryce love it!

Look at the little house, Daddy!

And of course we have been making lots of trips to IKEA, which also happens to be just around the corner.

Good-Bye Jakarta

Six years of memories were boxed up and whisked away last week when the movers came. We prepped Amelia and Bryce for the experience by showing clips from Youtube about houses being packed, moving trucks being loaded, and how goods are transferred to container ships. I figured that if they could see the process it would be less emotional, and it was. Bryce reminds Amelia daily, "It's in the shipment Sissy," and Amelia often inquires, "Did that go on the moving truck?" 

The next few days hold some pretty emotional goodbyes. We have so many wonderful people in our lives and we are so grateful for the experiences we have had while in Jakarta. We have gained so much by being at JIS, both as teachers and as people. What an incredible place to learn and grow with young people. 

Perhaps it is easier to leave when we are ready for a change and are so excited about what the future holds...Sofia, Bulgaria. Parks, mountains, clean air, and a wonderful school await our nature loving family. We welcome seasons, even winter, and the chance to be more active outdoors. Amelia is very excited about ice skating and Bryce looks forward to sledding. Jim and I, well, we are just excited for it all!

Being home with the packers allowed each of us to have a single experience of putting Amelia on the school bus and then greeting her when she came home. Bryce came out to join on Daddy's day.

A good portion of the boxes, but not all... 

In the end we had 15 cubic meters, which is pretty reasonable, don't you think?

Goodbye material possessions - see you in Sofia!

Amelia's First Trip to the Dentist

After nearly two and a half hours in traffic to get to our dental appointments, we nearly turned around. But then we would have missed this...

Amelia loved the entire experience, which tells you that her teeth were in tip top shape. She found out that she has ten teeth on the bottom and ten on the top, which was very exciting. After her cleaning was done, she came and watched me get polished up. It was great to have her perched high on my stomach, peering into my mouth while squealing, "Your teeth are blue and your tongue is red!" 

Scootin' & Skatin'

Just cruisin' around on a Friday afternoon.

Wordless Wednesday

The Pampered Life

Amelia enjoyed her first cream bath at a local salon with a mommy and a friend last week. She smiled from start to finish and just loved every single moment. How could you not? Getting your hair washed and head, neck, shoulders and arms massaged is pretty wonderful. This is definitely something I will miss next year, but I will happily trade all this pampering for parks and clean air:)

Why Not?

Why not wear a princess dress and hat to school for the day? Sometimes I feel like I am living with my childhood self! Amelia wanted to wear her princess flower costume and hat to school and I was all for it. I mean, why not?!? It was so great to see the librarian's reaction when she walked in. Amelia kept her outfit on, which was overtop of her shorts and t-shirt, the entire day. She has worn it once more to school since these photos were taken.