cadenzane

PLAYING AT THE BEACH

2009-06-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

We went away for a few days to the beach. Stayed in villa overlooking the pool where i swam and swam until my ears hurt and then i couldn't swim any more! Behind the pool was a beach where dad got a couple of little waves and we swam together - i even had a little go! We ate fresh sea food straight off the boat and enjoyed prawns and fish.

One day we took a day trip to a little village about an hour and a half further down the road. We had to walk across an old swing bridge and then went through a tiny village to a great little beach with white sand and a long left hander out the front for dad. He said he was frothin' but i don't know what that means - we didn't see him for quite some time. Some of his mates gave me and finn a go on his board and we could see the fish among the coral at our feet. At the end of the day we ate lunch in a little house and played with the goats and chickens and then we travelled back up the mountains home again - a perfect day!

Our last day was dad's birthday and we swam and played and had a great old day - unfortunately dad was a bit sore from a fall from his surfboard so he wasn't too active and couldn't get back in the water again.

What a great holiday - i look forward to seeing my friends again!

Crocodile Farm

2009-03-19T01:35:00.000-07:00

Our newest and funnest find of recent time is a crocodile farm hidden down some back lanes with no signs. Someone imported some crocodiles here 50 years ago and they have been living happily in little pools - the largest one is over 6 meters long and weighs over a tonne! the exciting thing is you can buy a live chicken and then using a long bamboo pole fish for the crocodile and he jumps out of the water to grab the chicken! Mum doesn't like it very much but we all think it is great fun!

Boiling eggs at a volcano

2009-03-19T01:30:00.001-07:00

We went with our Friend Toby to visit a local volcano and we got to boil some eggs in the hot water! i was also adopted by numerous people and had my photo taken as the token white boy!

Singkong on the farm

2009-02-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

The other day I went to the farm with my friends and I helped bapak pick singkong which is a kind of root vegetable. You have to pull the whole tree up to get it and then you clean it and then cook it. Ibu is cooking it over an open fire in the kitchen. It is particularly yummy when it has been fried up to make singkong goreng! Enak!

Riding a bike!

2009-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

THe other night we had dinner at a friends house and she had a little bike! I jumped on it and with the help of dad and the training wheels I went back and forth across the floor! It was great fun although I am not very good at steering and keep on running into things and Finn always seems to be in the road! I am looking forward to getting a bike of my own one day!

Back in the saddle

2008-12-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

We have come to Malaysia to visit nanna and poppa and we have been able go to the beach and i have refound my love of surfing even though i don't have a board! we found a piece of styro-foam in the back of nanna and poppa's car and it turned out to be a great board! unfortunately the waves were too small for dad!

Finn Turns 1!

2008-12-04T23:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Finn's first birthday with our neighbours! we had a great party and over 50 kids squished into our lounge room! Ibu Tati and Ibu Sumi and Mum spent a long time preparing food and party bags and party games! At the party everyone came on time dressed in their best clothes. Everyone gave Finn a present and he had to shake their hands.(i was very excited about the presents and now have many new toys which I share with Finn, I think he is too small to enjoy them so I am enjoying them for him!). After that we sung the birthday song and then blew out the cake candle before playing birthday games which was a bit difficult as our lounge room is quite squashy with 50 bodies in the room! We then ate birthday food and cake! Finn loved the chocolate cake and at loads of it! I think i enjoy it when Finn has a birthday because new toys come into our house and I get to enjoy the spoils! My birthday is in March and I am beginning to remind people now so they don't forget (and so i can share my presents with Finn!)

My New Rain Coat

2008-12-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

Mum bought me a new rain coat with Iron Man on the back! i can now run in the rain and splash in puddles! i love it!

Uncle Pete

2008-11-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

We had a flying visit from Uncle Pete who is the shepherd of the flock back in Woonona Pressy! It was great to catch up with him and I had a fun time playing with him and hearing stories of India and life back in Oz. We showed him around our city and he saw lots of different things including the big mosque in the centre of town, dad teaching a class and uncle Pete had a go teaching some English, although dad said sarcasm didn't quite work on the non-English speaking students, we also visited a volcano and Uncle Pete tried to dip his toe in the boiling water but it was too hot! Some people were happily having mud baths in the boiling mud but it was too hot for me! We had a great time and were greatly encouraged by his visit!

An American, an Englishman, an Irishman and an Australian climbed a mountain

2008-11-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

No joke!

Dad and some of his friends set off at 5 in the morning to climb one of the bigger mountains not too far from our house! At over 2,000 metres high i am told it is pretty high! they scrambled through bush and climbed over rocks, heard monkeys and wild pigs and reached the summit to find it covered in cloud! Everytime i look out our back window i see the mountain and say "dad climbed that mountain!" (well at least dad does!)

bush walk

2008-10-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on a bush walk to a wonderful waterfall. We walked through a dark cave which was dug out during the war times and then we walked up and up for another 6 kilometers until we reached the waterfall. We saw lots of little monkeys in the trees and running across the road and then saw a wonderful waterfall. The other great thing was a small play area and I was able to swim in the pool for ages while we waited for dad to come back with the car. We had fried rice at a little shop and then drove home. I was so tired i fell asleep straight away in the car!

Medical Clinic

2008-10-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

On Friday mum and Aunty Sue went to another area of our city and helped out with a medical clinic. This was a free clinic with local doctors providing free checkups and free medicines. About 300 people turned up and were checked. Sue took up a role of checking blood pressure and Corinne became a pharmicist for the day dispensing medicine. As people were going home they were also given a small packet of food and things which helps them to live. They were working alongside a small team from Singapore and they had another clinic the following day way out in the village and about another 160 people turned up. The day was a real sucess and a great encouragement to all involved and provided great links with the community.

Corinne Tailor!

2008-10-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

We have recently helped one of our neighbours get a small sewing business started. She is making various quilted things, at the moment she is making a series of aprons which are wonderful. The sewing machine is an antique but very strong singa which she is very proud of. The original asking price for the machine was 800,000 and she bargained them down to 350,000 and she was very pleased with her purchase. When another neighbour saw the machine she was so impressed that she offered her 700,000 to buy it off her! She politely refused and is determined to make the most of her new machine. If you have any patterns or things she could use she would greatly appreciate it!

Mum's big Surprise!

2008-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

On the morning of mum's birthday, we all woke up early (like usual) and opened presents on mum and dad's big beg! Mum was very excited and we gave her big hugs and kisses as well as chocolate which she was very happy about. We went out for lunch with some friends and I had a great time eating and playing with Ethan, Ezekiel and Sienna. But the most exciting part of the day took place late in the afternoon. I had just woken up from my afternoon sleep to find the house full of young girls and boys who were hiding in the front room ready to give mum a big surprise. They were all laughing and trying to be quiet but were too excited. When mum came home they all jumped out and said "SURPRISE!" and mum nearly fell over! They had gathered all their spending money and brought a really yummy cake with pink icing on top. After the blowing out of the candle and eating the cake, the icing then managed to get stuck on everyone's faces as they smeared each other with ice cream!

It was the best surprise ever! Mum was so happy that her english class loved her so much!

PINK EYE!

2008-10-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Last week our whole family had to be quarantined as we got the PINK EYE! Dad got it the worst and his eyes were fluro red! We were not allowed out of the house for three days as we were highly contagious! This photo of dad is after he had taken the medicine and the redness had gone down!

Uncle Mike and Aunty Mindy

2008-10-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

Uncle Mike and Aunty Mindy came to stay with us for a week or so and we had a great time. We went up into the mountains to stay at the cottage which was great fun! We played on the grass and ate chocolate and even had a fire at night! We also visited the animal safari which was great fun. Mike tried to feed the cow by sticking a carrot up his nose! We went on a train and I saw dinosaurs in a cave! Dinosaurs are now my favourite thing in the world and I continually retell the story of seeing the dinosaurs and how I was scared and how they move! My favourite dinosaur is a t-rex and my favourite question at the moment is "what is your favourite dinosaur?" We also visited the tea plantation and had a great time!

While they were at our house we spent time with our neighbours and played lots and lots! I miss them and am so glad they came to visit us!

Hari Raya

2008-10-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

We recently celebrated one of the biggest events of the year called hari raya idul fitri. This day celebrates the end of the fasting month and is similar to Christmas day in Australia. On the night before people pray and pray all night long over the load speakers and people beat on drums until early in the morning. I managed to sleep right through it but mum and dad kept waking every hour or so until 6 in the morning when it finally went silent again. Then, very early in morning, the whole community meets together on a local field to pray together and hear a talk and then they ask for forgiveness from each other for sins that they may have commited during the last year.

After that everyone goes from house to house and asks for forgiveness. In every house there are loads of yummy cakes and drinks and chocolate and I am allowed to each as much as I like. For some people it is a very emotional day as they meet with their families and seek forgiveness, many people cry and travel for hours and hours to visit relatives. We had lunch with Ibu Tati and Ibu Sumi and their families and I got to play with their turtle. We also visited many other people and had dinner with another close neighbour and many people brought us food so that we had enough to eat for 2 days!

Going Fast

2008-09-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

I like to ride my bike fast! I push as fast as i can and fly down the hill like a rocket! it is so much fun! i race the local kids and they are always nice and let me win! At the moment my favourite car is lightning McQueen - kachaw!

Sharing a meal

2008-09-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

We are starting a little tradition with a few of a neighbours which is a version of bring a plate! we all gather round and sit on the floor and eat lunch or dinner together. It is great fun, especially when we get to eat satay chicken - my favourite!

Nanny teaches quilting

2008-09-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Nanny came and stayed for a few weeks with us and got busy teaching quilting to our friend Ibu Dede. Ibu Dede is very smart and within a few days had picked it up and by the time Nanny had gone home she had completed this bag all by hand which she is very proud of! She hopes to sell it and begin a business making and selling quilted products. She is very excited! Nanny will have to come back and teach her some more quilting techniques!
We are thinking about how we can help her get started although no one knows much about sewing in our house. Mum thinks we might buy a sewing maching for our house which people can come and borrow.

our veranda

2008-09-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy playing on our veranda - we have a great view of peoples houses and we have an Indonesian flag which we put up for independence day. From the veranda we can see dad coming home from work!

The WHITE VOLCANO

2008-08-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

When nanny was here we went on an adventure to visit the white volcano! We drove in our car for nearly 2 hours to arrive at what everyone calls the white volcano, and hopefully from the pictures you can understand why! it is really quite amazing and you can walk right down into the volcano - mum put her finger in the water and now it has fallen off (just joking!) the water was actually coolish although their is steam constantly rising off of it.

After seeing the volcano some friends of ours decided they would go for a short walk and promised they would be back in 10 minutes, well nearly 2 hours later they returned and we had eaten our fill of BBQ corn and baso and were ready to get to the lake. At the lake we jumped in a boat and took a tour. We saw a rock which apparently has special powers to help you fall in love - it hasn't worked yet!

We then drove home and got stuck in incredible traffic. I had to go to the toilet so dad and i jumped out, we walked up the street to a toilet and when i had finished we walked back onto the road and the car was just going past! We also had a treat as we stopped at the McStop for dinner. It was funny as two people were standing in the car park, they would write down your order and then run inside and get it for you - the original McStop! A number of hours later we got home!

if everybody had an ocean...

2008-08-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

On our recent adventure to Thailand we went to the beach and i rode my first wave! Dad was proud as punch and hopes to make it a more regular part of our lives!

Swimming

2008-08-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

On our recent adventure in Thailand i learnt how to swim with the help of floaties! it was very exciting! at first i was very scared but at the end of the week i was jumping in and swum a lap of the pool (with some help from dad!)

2008-08-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of me having a swim! I like to jump in the water and swim like a dolphin!

kite Flying

2008-07-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today Bapak showed me how to fly a kite. It was great fun and i could get it really high up in the sky, so high that it nearly touched the moon! Everyone here flies kites, from you boys to older men who fly really big kites and have competitions. They have special string which is made from glass and they try and cut other peoples string. We have had a number of boys and girls playing on our roof with their kites - it is great fun!

Me and My Brother

2008-06-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

My latest pass time is trying to entertain Finn! He loves it! I dance and sing and pull funny faces and he often laughs at me. I am thinking about becoming a clown in the future - i am certainly getting a lot of laughs at the moment!

Spiderman!

2008-06-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

The other day I got a new spider man outfit which is just awesome! I love putting it on and zooming up and down my lane on my bike. Although I have never seen any spiderman movies or cartoons i can imagine he is pretty cool and would ride a bike fast like me - or maybe he would do something spidery... one day i will find out.

the boys

2008-06-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

mmm.... fishheads

2008-06-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today for lunch we had ikan goreng (whole fried fish). It is really tasty and crunchy although mum doesn't like eating the heads to much. I saw dad eating a fish head and thought i'd give it a go, and boy is it good stuff! I think I must have eaten at least 5 fish heads!

Dad gets older

2008-06-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a special day as we celebrated Dad's birthday! In the morning I went to his room and helped him open his presents - I even got a cool present as well and got to share in some of his chocolate! Mum then cooked up a special breakfast of french toast and then we all went out for lunch with some of our friends. At night mum and dad went out for a meal together while Finn and I slept. Today mum and dad gave some small gifts to our neighbours instead of having a party. All the neighbours were invited to our local leaders house and when they came in they were able to give them a small gift. It was nice to share what we have been given with some of our neighbours, and although I love parties, it was much more beneficial for our neighbours and about the same price as having a party. We also got to eat some great cakes!

Creamed!

2008-05-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today instead of going to sleep i found a big tub of nappy rash cream on my shelf in my room. It was so nice to play with that i painted my body and my face and my teddy and the wall. After a while it got annoying and i said "get off", it was then that dad burst in to see me sitting on my bed covered in sudocream! He burst out laughing although i could tell he was cranky, and then Ibu Sumi, Ibu Tati, and Uncle Marty all came and had good laugh at me too! I then had to have a bath but the cream didn't want to come off, dad had to scrub and scrub! Mum wasn't too pleased because that is special cream for Finn's bottom and i used it to paint my face!

Waterfall adventuring

2008-05-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today we went on an adventure to a big waterfall! We had lunch with my friends David, Callum and Sienna and Uncle Marty and Aunty Poppy came too with Molly and Eva. We walked through fields of watercress to a huge waterfall! We all played in the water although it was freezing. Uncle Marty and Uncle Danny had a big mud fight and were running through the fields like commando men - it was very funny especially when uncle Marty got tackled in the mud! Unfortunately the camera ran out of batteries the moment uncle Marty was submersed in the mud! There were some young guys who were looking on and laughing as well, they thought the foreigners were crazy! When we got home we were all covered in mud and needed a good bath!

Finn's Feeding Frenzy!

2008-05-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Finn has started eating real food and has taken to it like a fish to water! He gulps down his food and just cannot get enough, he even pulls a funny face if the food doesn't come quick enough. He is very quickly putting on weight and is growing taller every day!

Hill Holidays

2008-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

We went up to the hills with Marty, Poppy, Molly and Eva and stayed in a lovely little cottage surrounded by tea plantations. The air is clean and fresh and so cold that you even have to use a blanket at night - not what you expect in Indonesia.

We visited an animal safari and fed the animals from our car. I even got to drive the car with dad's help! We saw a lion playing fetch in the water and a big hippo sat in the middle of the road so we couldn't go forward until he decided to move.

We also went for a walk in the tea plantations. We had a great play together and drank freshly picked tea at a little tea house.

We had a relaxing time until we decided to go home sunday afternoon only to find that the road home had been made one way. So we set off and tried to find another way home. We got stuck in traffic on a pot holed road with me and molly and eva and finn all in the car feeling hungry and tired. After 6 hours we eventually got home when the journey should have taken 3 hours. We rolled out of the car and into bed exhausted.

Rain, Rain...

2008-04-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Every afternoon big, black clouds move in, lightning streaks across the sky and thunder roars across the valley and then like clockwork at around 2 in the afternoon the rain starts - and it is not just your normal little shower, it is big, fat soaking rain that manages to get in through windows and finds its way through holes in the roof. The strange thing is rainy season was meant to end a few months ago but it just keeps on coming. The thunder has been so loud that it has kept me from sleeping and has been cracking right near our house. The neighbourhood boys love making little boats and sending them sailing down the torrent out the front of our house - great fun!

It's my party

2008-03-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a really great party with all my friends from the
neighbourhood. Dad said that there were about 45-50 kids there plus
mums who were watching as well.

We all sat on the floor together and they sang happy birthday to me. I
had to blow out a candle on the cake but it was a bit hard for me, so
it took a while to blow out.

Then we played some party games with all the kids which mum
organised, like musical chairs, Simon Says and Heads or Tails-I
didn't win any but I had fun watching all the kids laughing and
playing together.

After the games we all ate lots of party food and cake which was
yummy! I think the mums liked that part as well because they got to
eat party food as well as the kids!

Mummy and some of the ladies also handed out party bags and packets of
food (which had yellow rice, chicken, crispy potatoes and cucumbers)
to all the kids and we also handed them out to our neighbours as well
which I really liked because they were very happy to share our yummy
food.

It was really fun and mum and dad said that they liked this party
heaps better than last year because they understood what was going on
more and knew the kids who came!

Me and my little Bro

2008-03-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is me and my dad and my little bro! I love giving big hugs! That
funny face is me trying to smile for the camera!

My birthday

2008-03-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday yesterday and I turned 2! Mum kept saying how she couldn't believe how big I am and that I am 2!
We had a really great day. I woke up and got to open some presents and guess what...I got a train set! It is really fun and I love playing with it.
We then had some next door neighbours come and play in our house and I had to share my new toys with my friends which was a bit hard but it was fun anyway.

We then went up to a restaurant which has a big grassy area where we kicked a ball around and lots of my friends came and played with me -there were friends from Australia, England and Germany. We even had a lolly hunt! and then we ate some yummy food. Mummy made me a Thomas the Tank Engine cake, so everyone sang me happy birthday and then I had to blow out the candle.

We had a great time-I love having a birthday! I am having another party on Thursday with all my next door neighbours so look out for those photos as well.

Picnic to Garut

2008-03-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a wonderful day trip with our next door neighbours to an area called Garut (one of our neighbours home village). We visited a wonderful lake named Situ Cangkuang and caught a raft across to a small island which has a miniature Hindu temple and a lovely little village. We also visited a sweet factory which was extremely dark on the inside as they made the sweets over a wood fire in a huge wok - it was very tasty. We then went to our friends parents house and had a wonderful lunch and played with all the kids who lived around there - we ate salty fish and spicy vegetables, and of course rice! We then visited another lake and finally we visited a pool which is filled with water from a natural hot spring. I had a great time swimming with all the kids, the water was like a hot bath! Dad drove all day and we eventually got home about 8:30 at night - I fell asleep in the car in one of my neighbours arms! You will have to visit!

Teacher Mum

2008-03-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

When we first arrived back 3 boys from our neighborhood asked to be taught English and mum helped them out. She then told them that we could do it every Friday at 3 o'clock. Now about 12 boys and girls turn up for the class. They often get to our house about 1:30 and wait until mum lets them in at 2:30 and they play games until they start. It sounds like great fun, they sing songs and colour in and talk in English - I want to join in but I have to sit with dad because I am a distraction. I don't know how I can be a distraction, I just like jumping on people and dancing and laughing - I thought that was being helpful!

My Fish

2008-03-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

I got an early birthday present from Aunty Maz which is a fish tank full of fish. We have been to the fish shop a few times and I chose some fish. There are all sorts like angel fish, yellow fish, blue fish, neon tetras, pink fish, little sharky fish, orange sword tail fish and guppy fish! Dad went to a special market which specialises in selling aquarium fish and they hang in little plastic bags. He got a bit excited because there were so many and they were super cheap so our fish tank is now quite full! Dad got very wet on his journey because it rained the whole time and he was on the back of a motor bike. He is very happy though and sits in front of the tank for hours - I am not sure who likes the fish more! Every morning I feed the fish little red worms from the freezer and I watch the fish gobble them up - it is great fun! Thanks Aunty Maz!<

Finn being weighed

2008-03-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

this is a picture of my little brother Finn being weighed. Every month all the babies and children under 5 years old in our kampung go the community health clinic and get weighed, measured and given rice porridge in case they don't get much to eat.
Finn weighed 6.3 kilos and is quite a lot bigger and longer than all his friends his age!
I like going there because there are balloons and toys and it feels like a party every month!

Finn Happy

2008-02-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

This is Finn who always seems to be happy - he is never without a smile!

painting

2008-02-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

Mum has been teaching me some great stuff lately. I have made a fish
and a frog which are stuck on the wall, but my favourite thing is
painting! i have a special Thomas the tank engine painting outfit
which I wear and i get to use the paints and make a good ol' mess - it
is great fun! My first painting is hanging on the wall and i show
everyone who comes over! Maybe i will take after nanna!

Toilet!

2008-02-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

In the last week mum and dad bought me my own special little toilet
which is green and has dogs on it and I love it! I am doing wee's on
the toilet and have done a poo on it a few times as well! Mum and dad
make a big deal of the whole thing and I get pretty excited too! I
don't wear a nappy through the day - except when i sleep - and I
generally make it to the toilet on time! I also enjoy reading on the
toilet - my favourite toilet book is Thomas!

A big bed for a big boy

2008-02-15T00:29:00.000-08:00

Mum and dad say that I am now a big boy so I have had to move into my own big bed! I am very excited and did a little dance the first time I saw it! So far I have managed to stay in bed without falling out but dad has put down some rubber mats on the floor so that if I do fall out I won't hit my head on the tiles! I enjoy being tucked in with a sheet and a blanket at the moment because it is really cool at night and dad or mum read me a story from my favourite book the Bible! I have given my cot to Finn, we shook hands on it this morning so it is now officially his - I don't need it any more - I am a big boy!

Me and my Friends

2008-02-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

These are some of my mates, mum has begun teaching some of them english.

This is a picture of me and my girlfriends. The little one is named Keisha and I sat with my arm around her for about 15 minutes. And then another girl came along and I put my arm around her too - it was very nice! I had to fight off a number of boys who kept on wanting to get in on the action! They were very jealous!

Finn meets our helpers

2008-02-09T03:19:00.000-08:00

Ibu Sumi and Ibu Tati were proud as punch when they first saw Finn.
Ibu Tati (the older one) is usually very permissive but quickly
jumped in and took Finn away from Ibu Sumi! They were a bit concerned
when mum let Finn cry one day but she explained that it would help
Finn sleep like me and they let him cry - although they were wanting
to pick him up every few seconds! Babies in this country are not
allowed to cry so it is a bit of a cultural difference for them. Finn
is doing really well, I never hear him during the night and mum and
dad seem to come out about 6 or 6:30 to feed Finn so he is sleeping
most of the way through the night!

Having some fun with Aunty Maz

2008-02-09T03:06:00.000-08:00

we had some fun using mum and dad's new computer to take photos of
ourselves. My parents have "switched teams" and now own a Mac! Dad is
very excited - mum is catching up - i think it takes nice pictures -
Finn says "gaaa!"

Home at Last!

2008-01-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

After over three months on the road I finally got back to my own bed. We spent three months in Australia and stayed in over eight houses during that time so it was a relief to finally get back in my own bed!

We had a nice flight out of Sydney although I had some new teeth coming through so I didn't feel like sleeping very much although Finn slept nearly the whole time! The lady at the desk was very nice and gave us 5 seats between us so we could all stretch out except dad who watched films the whole time!

When we got to Jakarta we were met by a wall of heat and humidity and smells and were reminded that we are definitely not in Aus anymore! Dad had a conference for 4 days which he said was really good and helped clarify our position and role within the company. Jason, Paula, Ethan and Ezekiel as well as Aunty Maz and Paula's mum were there as well so we had a great time playing together!

Mum had an interesting experience when she went out with the girls one night and saw a baby a little older than Finn with his big brother not much bigger than myself sitting on a bridge over a road on their own with a can in front of them while their mother begged on the road below. We are very thankful for our family and all that we have - even if we have to bath in a bucket every now and then!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

2008-01-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

We were waiting for Finn's passport for nearly a week even though dad asked to have it expressed through the system. He tried to take his own photo for the passport and then print it himself in order to save a few dollars, only to have the photo rejected and then had to send in another photo and pay someone to take a photo and delay the process even more.

The passport finally came on Tuesday and then he had to contact Indonesia to ask for a letter of invitation so we could get a visa - unfortunately we had internet problems so the letter didn't arrive by the time dad had to leave for Sydney. So on Wednesday he drove to Sydney, got the tax done and waited for the letter. Unfortunately the only day we were in a hurry the man who had to sign the letter was late coming into the office so it didn't happen that day.

Finally, on Wednesday night the letter came and was printed (thanks Ro and Neil) and dad made another mission to the consulate in Sydney to try to get the visa processed. Although we found another small point of stress as it takes 5 working days to process a visa in Sydney (it takes only 3 in Singapore) which means that our passport will be completed on Wednesday morning and we are flying out Wednesday afternoon... We are trusting and waiting that we will get on the plane...

And then there is the story of the tickets... which we have had some problems with organising them although we thought that they were all done, but we have them now and we are beginning to pack bags which is fun! I have been given so many toys and books that we will struggle to fit them all in!

Christmas time

2007-12-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

This year we had Christmas in Ulladulla with Nanny (Dad's mum!). It was great fun. We went to church in the morning and then came back and opened presents - I was very patient! It was great fun and I enjoyed reading my new books and playing with my new toys although it seemed that every house I visited had a whole bunch of new toys for me to play with! We had some friends over for dinner and I enjoyed my first baked dinner - it was awesome, I particularly liked nanny's Yorkshire puddings (anyone who has tasted them would understand - there is a story going round that dad cried once when someone ate the last Yorkshire pudding, although I think that is an urban myth!)

Playing with FInn

2007-12-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

This is me and my little brother Finn. He is really small. I like to give him big hugs and talk to him although he doesn't say much back to me at the moment.

in the car with Finn

2007-12-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

this is Finn in the car seat on his first ride in the car. He liked it very much and slept all the way home!

Little Bro

2007-12-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning baby finally came out. We call him Finn now and he is very cute although I am not too sure about him yet - he doesn't do or say much at all! He was 55cm long when he was born (that is as big as me!), although he was a bit lighter at 3.8kg (I was 4.2kg!). Mum says that I am the front rower and he will be the winger! I think he will come home to live with us in a few days as he is resting in the hospital with mum. I have been having lots of fun playing with nanny and swimming at the beach

I think mum might explode soon!

2007-11-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

My mum is getting bigger and bigger each day. They keep telling me a baby is going to come out but her belly looks more like a basket ball than a baby! Everyone keeps on touching mum's belly and I met a doctor who had a look and said that the baby is very big and will come out soon. Mum and dad are going into hospital on Thursday morning to see if the baby comes out and I will stay home with nanny, the doctor said she would be induced and the doctor would break the waters - I think then the baby comes out with a splash! I am looking forward to meeting Chilli and have been practicing pushing a small pram around and carry a toy baby around.

Meeting family...

2007-11-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

We have just returned from a week in Gerringong where I met all my family. I was able to play with my cousins - Eleana and Katey who live in Sydney and I also met my other cousins Molly and Eva who I haven't seen since I was three days old! It was nice to see them all again and we played at the beach and in the sand and we had a bath together - it was great fun! I was the youngest and the only guy but they all treated me nicely! We watched movies together, I particularly like Nemo and Bob the builder, and we read lots and lots of books together which was great!

We had our family Christmas which was really nice. We had a big baked dinner and then we all gave out presents to each other - I excited I did a little dance whenever I got a new present! It was exciting to have a christmas with the whole family together!

At the beach I also developed a taste for sand! Dad kept on trying to stop me but it was just too tasty! I had good solid poos for the rest of the week!

Now I like to try to say everyone's name before I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning so I don't forget them. I also like saying "Beeeech" with an ascending pitch - mum often laughs because she thinks it sounds like another word but I don't know that word yet...

Tess and Maws

2007-11-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

Mum disappeared on Saturday and went away with Aunty Tess because she had to get ready for her wedding with Maws (Mawson). Mum was a maid of honor and was dressed in a lovely green dress. When Tess came in she looked beautiful and I kept on saying "Teeeessss!" and "Maawwws!" (in an ascending tone) over and over again, if you watch the video you can hear it clearly! They had a wonderful wedding at Waterslea on the Shoalhaven River near Nowra. Everyone had a great day and I played with all my cousins and friends. Mum looked very pregnant but managed to get through the day without being sick, she even did a short run when the photographer asked the bridal party to run forgetting that mum was pregnant! I went to sleep before the end, but they tell me that Tess and Maws did a special dance together that was really special.

home!

2007-10-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks we have had a chaotic time packing and sorting and cleaning and saying goodbye to all our friends and at last we have arrived back in Aus. It is a bit strange as there are so many new people and they all have funny accents and no one pinches my cheeks any more. We left Bandung at 8:30am in the morning and then travelled to Jakarta and spent a day playing with Auntie Esther. We then drove to the airport and jumped on the plane at 10:30 at night - I was so tired and we were given 5 seats so I was able to lie out across the seats and fell asleep. That was all good until about 2am when I rolled off the seat and landed on the floor! Dad then put me to sleep on the floor and i slept there until the air hostess noticed me and got dad in trouble! We eventually got into Aus about 7:30am Aus time (about 3:30 Indo time!) We then spent 2 hours lined up trying to get through customs!
Nanny met us as was smiling and crying when she saw us. I then ate McDonalds for breakfast - I like hotcakes and milkshakes! We travelled to Wollongong and are staying in a friends house for the next three weeks before we move to another house and then to another house - it will be nice to meet everyone and play - look forward to seeing you!

Flying lessons gone wrong!

2007-10-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had a big outing to buy some things we needed in preparation to go home and on the way home I was really tired and fell asleep for about 20 minutes before we got home. Dad then transferred me to the cot, but I decided that I wanted to get out, so somehow I managed to climb the fence of my cot and jumped out landing headfirst on the floor – flapping my wings didn’t seem to help! Mum and dad were just outside and heard the thump and ran in to find me sprawled on the floor!

I was still really tired and wanted to go back to sleep again, but after about 20 minutes of being asleep I really started howling and then Mum and Dad thought something was wrong, Dad was thinking cracked skull or brain damage! When mum tried to move my right arm to put a shirt on, I really cried because I couldn’t move it!

Mum and dad quickly rang for a taxi who said they would be here in five minutes. So mum and dad carried me up to the meeting point – our neighbors were all very concerned (about 5 minutes walk from our house), we then waited for about an hour for the taxi to come, and every time we rang up they said 5 more minutes. Eventually another taxi company dropped someone off and we jumped in the taxi. The taxi driver didn’t believe I was sick because I wasn’t crying or anything like that. When we eventually got to the hospital, I got an x-ray and cried a lot, mum wasn’t allowed in because of baby, so she had to wait outside and was crying too! The x-ray showed that I broken my collar bone – fortunately the break wasn’t too severe that I needed an operation, but I has to be strapped up for 2 weeks and can’t have a real bath.

When we got home all our neighbors were freaking out, and they couldn’t understand how I could possibly fall because they hold their children non stop until they are about 3 years old, and sleep in the same bed with them until they are about 6 – so in their eyes mum and dad have become the worst parents in the world – I still think they are okay! At the moment I am doing okay and getting around alright although he is being very careful with his arm. I am enjoying playing with my friends and mum is giving me whatever I want to eat which is great – I must have consumed packets and packets of biscuits! The doctor said I should be all better in 2 weeks – I wonder if mum will still give me as many chocolate biscuits!

Mum's big bath

2007-09-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday the 7th of September mum did something very strange! She stripped to her underwear, wrapped herself in a sarong and was bathed in front of our house in full view of a big crowd of spectators!

This event is the Sundanese version of a baby shower called a tujuh bulanan (7 months celebration). Basically this is what happened. Our helpers, along with some of our neighbors, spent the whole day cooking and preparing food for the neighbors like fried chicken (ayam goreng) and yellow rice (nasi kuning) and a special food called rujak, which is a mixture of seven types of vegetables which are sweet, sour, hot, and salty in flavour.

The event started about 3:30 in the afternoon and was lead by a local lady who is called a praraji (a traditional midwife). Mum had to go into the bathroom and come out wrapped in a sarong, she tried to wear a t-shirt, but they sent her back in the toilet to take the t-shirt off. Mum also invited some teachers from language school who have experience in this type of thing. One of them gave a short talk from Psalm 139 and another prayed for mum, they seemed quite well received by all the people who are not believers. They also helped mum avoid some of the rituals which we were not too sure about. One involves a little mirror, a piece string, and a little knife all used to ward off evil spirits - mum didn't do that part.

We then went out the front of our house where mum sat on a little stool and a whole crowd of people surrounded our little house. She then had water poured on her seven times by seven different people, and the water had been collected from seven different wells in the area. Dad gave her the first washing, and then mum had to put on a new sarong. When she had a new sarong on, someone else washed her until she had been washed by 7 people and had changed the sarong 7 times. The water was mostly warm, until the last one where she was washed in cold water that contained 7 types of flowers of seven colours and the water also contained a fish! Dad was meant to catch the fish but he wasn't quick enough! The idea is that the birth will be something like a slimy fish - smooth!

After all the washings mum went inside to get dried up a bit and then dad had to chop a coconut with a machete. Dad had to draw a face of either a boy or a girl on the coconut and then chop in one go! After all this we sold the rujak to all the children and visitors, they loved it! After all that we ate dinner together. It was an amazing experience, I can't wait to meet my little adik (Indo term for younger sibling).

Hari Merdeka

2007-08-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Today we had a big celebration for the independence of our country. The actual date of independence is the 17th of August, but the celebration was held on the Sunday the 19th because the 17th fell on a Friday and people wanted to pray more than have a party!

The celebrations actually were going all weekend with some events on Friday and videos and music being shown at the local volleyball field every night. On Sunday we joined in a big parade which marched around the neighborhood. Each section of the community had built a small replica house which they filled with food and carried around the neighborhood, dancing and singing and when they finished the route they all ate food together. It was great fun, with loads of music and dancing. There were also many strange bearded ladies dancing around! Aunty Paula's section of the community actually won because she got up on stage and danced in front of the whole community!

After the parade there was more singing and karaoke contest in the afternoon. They also played lots of games for kids and adults like eating a kerupuk (a large prawn cracker) held from a string and sack races and tug of war and the even had a greasy pole and men tried to climb it but kept on slipping down.

Bath

2007-08-11T02:22:00.000-07:00

One of Caden's new words is bath (barf)! He loves the bath and takes every opportunity to take off his clothes and jump in the water!

On our way back from Singapore, he looked out the window, saw all the clouds and the ocean and it must have looked very inviting as he was looking out the window, nodding his head, and saying "barf, barf!"

Singapore

2007-08-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

After our time in Chiang Mai training we had a wonderful few days in Singapore organising our visas, Here are some photos of me playing with my friends!

Chiang Mai

2007-08-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

After mum and dad finished teaching in Cipanas we drove to Jakarta and spent a night there before we jumped on a plane and flew to Chiang Mai. After a 3 hour flight we arrived in Bangkok and then changed planes to Chiang Mai. We stayed in a guest house which was really nice and mum and dad had some training while i played with my friends. It was particularly wonderful to see my friend Liliana from Australia who I met at OC in Singapore about 8 months ago! We had a great time playing together and visited the night market together and enjoyed Thai food! Mum was very happy and kept on going on about Pad Thai and Roti - she was very happy!

After a week of training at that place we then had the main conference for our organisation at a nice resort also in Chiang Mai but a bit further away from the centre. It was really nice with loads of food and two swimming pools! A fifty meter pool for the big people and a kiddies pool for all the kids. I was just able to stand up in the kiddies pool and had some great swims until i got a bit of a cold and started coughing and producing green snot! Mum and dad keep on wiping my nose with a tissue - it is so embarrassing! Mum and dad said they learnt alot and felt greatly encouraged to get back into language study again! The other funny thing was that the conference was called DAL - everyone had dad's name on their name tag, it was very confusing!

Dad was particularly excited by these geckos which were about 25cm long and climbed up the walls, he wanted to catch one but he was a bit slow!

encouragement

2007-07-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

dad wants to tell you about how he was encouraged by the students at the college...

The month or so of helping with the English program at the college has been a wonderful opportunity which we have been so glad to have been a part of. We had 23 keen students who were always keen to learn and grow. Each day was relatively full. The students led an English devotion each morning and then we split into small groups and spent time working through the gospel of Mark. We then spent some time talking together and learnt basic grammar. We then had a time were we read together some articles in small groups. The college provided lunch and dinner everyday so we didn't have to worry about food. In the afternoon we had a break and then usually played sport or had time in the library. At nights we had a series of bible studies from Mark which they enjoyed, but they particularly liked the games we played which would often end in chaotic laughter. We had to implement the 'silent clap' in order to try to keep the noise down so that Caden wouldn't be woken up! We also had a day trip to the local animal safari which the students loved! Squeals of delight as they saw animals and roaring laughter as we watched a show together - Caden as usual disappeared with the students throughout the day, he had a great time roaring at lions, neighing at zebras, being splashed by the seal at the seal show...
The most enjoyable part of the time was just being able to chat with the students and beginning to hear their stories. Many of them were from small islands with churches but no pastor to look after them. A few students came from an area where one pastor looked after 22 churches! Others came to be trained up for cross cultural ministries in their own country. One girl told us that she only goes home once a year, when we asked he why she told us that she lived a weeks travel away! She had to catch a boat for 2 days, then take an 8 hour bus ride, then catch a car for a while, then catch a small boat up a river for 5 hours and then a five hour trek over the mountain to her village! She was one of the keenest students we met. We were also greatly encouraged to see them growing in their understanding of English even in just a few weeks. Corinne and I helped the lower class and were greatly encouraged as all of them made great leaps forward in their confidence and reading and speaking! They were all motivated as they are aware that most of the books that they will need to use for their studies are in English, unfortunately if they want to study they have to learn English because the books are just not available in Indonesian!
I think that is enough for Caden's blog. We have had an amazing time and feel very blessed to have had this opportunity. If you are interested there are opportunities like this every year in many different towns across the country. We actually met 6 young guys from the UK who had done the same thing in another college and all came back having had great experiences (although some were difficult) and were seriously considering what their next step would be! It is amazing that they would travel some 18 hours at a large cost to come half way around the world - i was asking myself where are the Aussies? This is our closest neighbor and is so close for us and relatively cheap to travel here, C'mon Aussie!

Sunday school

2007-07-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

in Cipanas i went to sunday school every week and which was run by some of the students from the college. I learnt lots of new songs in Indonesian - i particularly like the one about king kong with a big body and small legs... i am not too sure of the point of the song but it is fun. Here is a photo of me with my friends and with one of my teachers!

some new friends

2007-07-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Uncle Harry and Aunty Olive came all the way from Australia to help mum and dad teach english at the college. I had great fun with them and they always looked after me!The college that mum and dad were helping at was just across the road from our house so the students often took me away and we played together. We also had horses and carts (sado) always parked out the front of our house - we even rode in one and i learnt how to make a noise like a horse neighing and a horse walking!

just down the road we have a big housing complex which is used by people from Jakarta who come up here every weekend. Inside the housing complex they actually have a huge swimming pool with a three waterslides and rides and boats and cars and everything! Dad and me had some great times riding in the car, although he didn't quite fit!

Mattress Mountain

2007-07-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

This afternoon when i woke up, all the students were waiting for me out the front of our house. One of them whisked me away and we set off down the hill to gunung kasur (mattress mountain). We walked up and up a big mountain. Mum went pretty slow and but at least she wasn't sick. At last we reached the top of the mountain with a great view of the whole region of Cipanas. Rice paddies, mountains, houses, flower gardens. At the top of gunung kasur we found a big rock in the shape of a mattress and a little wall built around it which people said used to be a house a long time ago. People think that the place is very special and people had left incense at the top of the mountain as well as some food.
We then walked back down the mountain on another track which one of the students said would be a "short cut", it ended up taking us through a very small kampung past many smiling faces, up another long road, through a big housing complex and then back up the hill to our house. The short cut ended up taking nearly 2 hours to get back and people were standing in the dark waiting for us as they thought we were lost! We were all very tired and I slept like a log that night!

a massage...

2007-07-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

on our way back from a walk i thought i would give dad a little face massage...

when you wake up in the morning...

2007-07-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

... you brush your teeth!

Working on Words

2007-06-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am trying out new words everyday! It is really quite fun to try to mimic mum and dad. I think I like the letter “B” at the moment. I like saying bath, bird, book, and my all time fav – ball! I am also collecting a few other words like moo when I saw a picture of a cow, I like scratching my under arms like a monkey when I see a picture of a monkey, and I like making a noise like a cockatoo whenever I read one of my favourite books “Cockatoo Calling”. I also enjoy reading about wombats and kangaroos but they don’t make very fun noises! I also said something like teddy (but I think my parents understood me!)

I am enjoying playing in my kampung and can find my way to Ethan and Ezekiels house on my own. This morning Ibu Tati didn’t know the way so I had to lead her to their house so I could play with them! We often go to the park and play on the grass together! I enjoy watching the older boys fly their kites and I always try to get involved in any soccer match I can, but sometimes I get knocked over – but I always get right back up and keep going! Dad says that maybe I would be good at Rugby, maybe I could help out the NSW Blues side… although mum thinks soccer is a much nicer game.

Practice makes perfect!

2007-06-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Just getting some practice in for the next lucky lady! I wanna be just like my unky Dan!

it now makes sense!

2007-06-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

After nearly three months of mum going to the toilet and making funny noises every morning it now begins to make sense. I think mum is growing some sort of alien in her belly that is making her sick. We went to the doctors today and I even saw a photo of whatever it was, and it was moving and wriggling and I could see it had two arms and two legs just like me, I could also see its fingers, no wonder mum is sick every day with that little thing wriggling around all over the place.

I have decided that the best way to cheer her up is to stand at the bathroom door every time she is sick and laugh at her! She usually ends up laughing too and forgets about being sick! Mum says the alien thing, which they have named ‘chilli’, will come out sometime in early December. Everyone in our kampung says I will have an adik to play with! An adik sounds like a lot of fun, I wonder if it bounces?

How to impress the ladies 101

2007-05-24T00:52:00.000-07:00

At the moment we are in Singapore and I have been working on my latest method of impressing the ladies.

Firstly, I smile at them and they usually smile back. Then I like to wave and do a little bit of a dance and then they usually smile back at me. Then after we are smiling and making real contact I then stick my finger right up my nose. I can sometimes get it past the first joint and if they are really special I try it with a finger in each nostril. Mum just sits there laughing her head off, and dad keeps muttering something about "uncle Dan".... I am not sure what that means but I bet he knows how to impress the ladies :)

Training, training, training!

2007-05-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

It seems that every weekend mum and dad have some sort of training. It is great for me because I get to play with all my friends while they are getting trained! There are about 7 or so other kids to play with and we always have a great time! Mum and dad are learning something about contextualisation or something like that - I don't know what it means, but I reckon that if you live in a country where people are different you have to try to be like them! It seems pretty easy to me!

I have also had plenty of opportunities of training of my own. Every morning mum or dad or Ibu Sumi or Ibu Tati take me walking through the kampung and I meet lots of people. In the mornings I usually see other children going to school and I play with them, I also like looking at the paintings on the wall at the entrance to our kampung, there are lots of different kinds of animals and fish! Every time I want to go out I find my shoes and say "shoos!" I am slowly getting better at walking but I still fall over every now and then!

In this photo I am carry around one of my favourite toys - the clothes basket! I play with it every day - I carry it around, I sit in it with some toys, I read books in it, I put it on my head, and when Ibu Tati needs it for the washing I am not happy! My other favourite toy is the dirty clothes basket which I like climbing into and putting all the dirty clothes on the floor and then putting them back in again! Mum calls me "the discarder" because she thinks I like throwing things away!

Swimming!

2007-05-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

The wet season has officially ended now and we are now in the dry or hot season which means that it is generally a bit hotter during the days although it can be quite cool in the early mornings. We have been to our local swimming pool at a resort just near our house and I went swimming with Ethan and Ezekiel! I had a great time and splashed and played and climbed in and out of the pool! AND I only drank a bit of the water when I fell over!

We also had a nice dinner there one night with Ethan and Ezekiel and I played with them in the restaurant! The photo is a picture of the big pool and the gardens in the afternoon from the restaurant. There is also a kiddies pool which is just right for me and the water is very warm as well!

Easter Celebration

2007-04-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Dad and Mum's language school had a special Easter celebration for all the students and their friends about a week after Easter. They had a special Easter play and mum was meant to be Mary who first saw the empty tomb and met the angel. She did a great job in the play and I was very excited to see her come out on stage. A student also gave a talk about Easter and we sung lots of songs together. At the end we ate lots of food together. Each student had made food from their home country so we had Greek moussaka, Korean kim chee, Japanese noodles, American pasta bake, and plenty of Indonesian food! Dad and another Aussie tried to organise a lamb on a spit but it ended up being a bit expensive, so we got satay instead! We were all very happy!

Mud, Waterfall and Satay - what a good day!

2007-04-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today we went on an adventure to a waterfall just near our friends house. Dad did a great job of weaving the car through traffic, everytime I get a chance I jump into his seat and try to steer and change gears and say "broom, broom!"

We had to walk for about 40 minutes through rice paddies to get to the waterfall. It had been raining all day so the track was very muddy and everyone was slipping over and their shoes were covered in mud. I was high and dry in the back pack on dad's back. The water fall was really nice and some people put their feet in the water. There was a big sign that said "No Swimming" so no one went for a swim. On the way home I fell asleep in the backpack and it wasn't very comfortable! (look at the photo!)

When we got back to our friends house we had a big feed of satay chicken and lamb and I played with all my friends. By the time I got home I was so tired that I just flopped into bed and slept straight away! It was a good day - I would love to show you that waterfall sometime!

Guess who walked?

2007-04-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

That's right, i decided to take my first few steps after many failed attempts. My first attempt was with Ibu Sumi who looks after me in the mornings while mum and dad are at school - they didn't believe i had walked so i decided to show Uncle Jason and Auntie Paula the next day while mum and dad were at school again. And they still didn't believe i had walked. So on the third day i decided to show them that i really could walk and took a few steps in between mum and dad! They were very excited by i am not too sure about the advantages of walking as it seems much easier just to crawl! I can get places so much faster without all the hassles of bruises and falling over!

My Friends are here!

2007-04-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

Today was very exciting as my friends from Australia finally arrived! It was very exciting to see them and i was able to play with Ethan and Ezekiel and had lots of big hugs from Uncle Jason and Auntie Paul. Mum met them at the airport and they were very excited to be here at last! Mum and dad help them out with speaking Indo language as they can't speak it yet. Dad took Uncle Jason shopping for some small things and four and a half hours later they returned - things just take a little bit longer here!

We have had fun times playing together and Ethan and Ezekiel have some great toys which i really enjoy playing with. They even gave me this big squishy giraffe which i love, but i don't know how they managed to fit it into their suitcase! Here is a photo of me with Ethan and Ezekiel all in the pram together with Auntie Paula. And me watching a dvd with Ethan and Ezekiel and Uncle Jason.

One busy weekend!

2007-04-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

It seems that this weekend has been just been hectic for mum and dad and i have been tired and not the most helpful son. On Saturday dad helped the team move furniture into the new house for the McPhails when they arrive. What was meant to be a 3 hour job turned into an all day job as all the furniture is antique, solid timber that required at least four men to lift each piece! I spent time with the girls and Pete back at the house and helped keep things clean.

After that, dad borrowed the team car off our friends as we were meant to drive 2 hours away to a small town called Cipanas. But because of the rain and the fact that dad was wasted and driving in Indo is not good at the best of times, let alone on a dark, rainy night, we stayed at home, which suited me just fine as i was able to get some good sleep. Mum and dad watched a dvd called "Facing the Giants" which made them both cry! They said the movie was a bit corny but had some really powerful messages about trusting in God.

Anyway, the next day we put our trust in God as we jumped in the car to drive to Cipanas. This was not the most memorable car trip for me as I was uncomfortable and didn't want to sit in the car seat so I decided to cry for most of the trip and then fell asleep about 10 minutes from the destination only to be awoken again! In Cipanas we visited a church and met a lovely older couple who are currently lecturing in a Theological College here. Mum and dad are going to teach an English course here in July and were able to meet some of the students and see the facilities. The students were really keen for God and whipped me away and i played with them for quite a while. It should be an exciting month we have there in July. If you want to join us you can as mum and dad cannot do it all on their own. Check out the website of the school if you like. www.sttcipanas.ac.id

We then got home and dad was busy writing as he had to give his testimony at school the following day. Mum said he did okay!

My FIRST birthday!

2007-03-22T01:20:00.000-07:00

This morning i woke up to mum and dad singing me happy birthday and then we opened some presents from family and friends back home! It was so exciting to receive so many wonderful presents and i now have a great selection of books which i love reading through with mum and dad or Ibu Sumi. I enjoy roaring at anything that remotely looks like a lion as i haven't quite worked out the difference between a lion, a dog, a cow and a cat! It was very exciting to get sms's and phone calls and emails, thanks for them all! Tonight we are going out with some Indonesian friends to a fancy restaurant to celebrate!
Thanks SO much for all your prayers!
Here is a picture of me with all my goodies and reading a book with mum!

It's my party!

2007-03-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we had my first ever birthday party with all my friends from the kampung! I don't know how mum, dad, ibu tati and ibu sumi organised it all as there was loads of food, a big cake, games, balloons and a room full of about 40 smiling faces! Ibu Tati and Ibu Sumi worked all day just to get all the food ready!

We cleared out the down stairs room and people slowly started arriving until the room was full. Dad opened in prayer in Indo and then they sung happy birthday to me in Indo and everyone was clapping and then I got to blow out the candle on my cake!

We then played games like pass the parcel and pin the tail on the donkey and everyone enjoyed themselves very much. Then Ibu Sumi passed out food packages to all the children and within 5 minutes the house was empty! It was all over within one hour, but then I was able to play with the balloons and my new car than mum and dad brought me! We were also able to eat all the cake as they left so quickly that they didn't even get to taste it! I had a wonderful time and enjoyed the chocolate cake very much!

Holidays! Celebrate!

2007-03-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

Mum, dad and our friend Esther took off for a holiday to the hills outside of Bandung. Dad did an amazing job of driving a car through the Indonesian traffic for over 2 hours and through torrential rain - there were only a few times when Aunty Esther went white as a bus was heading toward us on the wrong side of the road!
We staying in a lovely little cottage which had a log fire and carpet to crawl around on as well as grass and a lovely view. It even had a hot shower which mum and dad where very excited about and had their first hot shower in three months or so!
We visited an animal safari called Taman Safari and we were able to feed zebras, elephants, camels, deer, llama, and all sorts of animals from the car. At first i was really frightened but after a while i enjoyed looking for animals and growling at the lions and tigers! I got to pat an elephant and play with a baby orangutan! The orangutan was very scary as he had big long fingers and coarse red hair when i touched it - i didn't really like it very much but he kept on climbing up dad and wanting to play!
We enjoyed the cool air and seeing the tea plantations and eating food at different restaurants! If you ever come over we will have to take you there!

ARRGH!!! TEETH

2007-03-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

i must apologise for my lack of blogs of late as i have been struggling with the growth of my new teeth! i already had two on the bottom and in the last few days i have had four new ones begin to poke through on the top! It has not been much fun and i have been in a bit of pain. Mum and dad have been good to me and have given me lots of cuddles. I also received some great packages from friends back home - thanks so much for your love and concern!

Today we visited an Indonesian church. The music was so loud that i could barely sleep and it sounded like it was a rock concert in a tiny hall. Mum and dad didn't understand very much of the sermon but they have met some nice people who were very friendly. Dad thinks he might go to bible study with them this week and see how much he can understand! They only have one more week of study before they finish another unit!

I am enjoying spending time with my carers in the morning and look forward to seeing them every day! As soon as they get to our house i jump into their arms and we play all morning until i fall asleep - they are lovely!

What a clever mum i have!

2007-02-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

Today my mum gave her testimony in Indonesian at her language school after studying for only 5 weeks. The teachers asked them as a last resort because none of the other students wanted to do it in the first week. Dad was too scared and didn't think he could do it, but mum put up her hand and wrote it in one night and then had it checked by a teacher before speaking in front of the whole school. I didn't see it, but dad said she did very well and many people were amazed that she spoke so well for such a new student! I am very proud of my mum! Dad recorded her testimony so if you want to hear it he can email it to you!

Weighing Day

2007-02-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

Each month the people in the Kampung get together and every child under the age of 5 gets weighed and measured. Mum and Dad took me along and we met some of our friends. The weighing experience was a bit traumatic as they put me in this sling and i was just dangling there and i started to cry! The other kids didn't seem to mind one bit and would pretend they were asleep! I guess they do it every month from when they were born! I ended up weighing just over 11kgs which everyone said was very good and i was over 80cm tall which i think was pretty good!

2007-02-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today, Dad put me in the baby carrier on his back and we went for an explore of the hills below our house. The path down was very steep, and then the path up the other side of the hill was even steeper. We found rice paddies and saw people working in them. We saw a river and found a big waterfall which was very beautiful, but the water was very dirty. There was a man walking around at the bottom of the waterfall collecting some of the rubbish. We also saw some very old rocks which have ancient writings on them. They were housed in their own little houses to protect them from the water.

After that dad carried me up the hill, he kept on complaining that I was very heavy! At the top of the hill we found a wonderful tea house. It was a cultural center with art displays and had wonderful views over the city. We sat together on the floor around the table. Mum and Dad had some coffee and tea and I played and ate ice cream! It was a great day!

My Friends

2007-01-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

It is hard being famous, but some one has to do it. It seems every where I go everyone knows my name. Today there were 7 girls calling out my name until my parents opened the door. They all stood there saying that they wanted to come in and play with me. So this afternoon they all played with me. It was a little overwhelming at times, but generally I really liked it.
We played an Indonesian equivalent of 'Hide and Seek' and 'Rock, Paper, Scissors'. There was lots of laughing and running around upstairs and throughout our house.
They are coming back tomorrow to play too. I wonder how many friends they will bring?!

My First Kiss

2007-01-30T06:37:00.000-08:00

We went walking around our kampung today and met lots of nice people. There was a man who was making fairy floss right there in front of us. We bought some for about 15 cents. It was very yummy and very sweet.
While mum and dad talked to the grown ups I talked to a little girl who is about my age. I kept trying to give her kisses. I am not sure if she wanted them or not!

Visit to Ibu Tati's house

2007-01-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Today we went and visited Ibu Tati's house. She is sooo kind and loves me a lot.
We ate some yummy food and played with her kids and grandkids. We went there for lunch and mum and dad ate inside by themselves with heaps of food, while I ate outside with everyone else. Mum and Dad thought it was a bit funny!
We had sooo much fun. This is the second time we have visited her house. The first time we played with a tortoise that they have as a pet. It was trying to walk every where. I was a little confused about what it actually was and kept trying to sit on it!

Pasar Baru

2007-01-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

Today we caught an angkot through the rain to a place called Pasar Baru (New Market). There were thousands of stalls and thousands of people. It is an indoor market with 7 floors of shops.
I made some friends there who wanted to take me home. They were very friendly and nice and kept squeezing my cheeks.
They all wanted to have their photo taken with me and people kept stopping mum and dad so that they could talk to me.
Mum and Dad bought me my first pair of shoes-they are bright red.

Making Friends

2007-01-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

We have been having fun getting to know people around our neighbourhood. They are really friendly and normally want to give me a cuddle. Here is a neighbour teaching me to kick a cat. Mum wasn't too impressed but Dad thought it was a good idea. (Aunty Maz would agree!)
I still love being carried around in the slendang and here is a picture of me getting a little bit tangled up in it. I thought it was soooo funny and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Visit to a volcano

2007-01-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Guess what? We visited an active volcano! Jimmy, Grace and Sarah from MYF Australia came and visited us and took us to see it. We had to drive for quite a while, so I decided to have a nap in the car. We drove up this big, steep mountain for ages and then got out and walked. It was really cold and it smelt like rotten eggs and there was smoke and everything! We didn't see any lava though. Dad said that it hadn't gone off for years.
There were horses up there too with little kids riding on their backs. Mum said I was still a bit little, and anyway I have already had a go on a horse back in Australia.
We then went shopping and our friends took us out for both lunch AND dinner! It was a really nice day.

NEW YEAR!

2007-01-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

New year was celebrated in style! I was in bed at 6:30 and didn't wake up until 6:30 in the morning! Mum and dad watched fireworks from the roof and listened to the hoots and cheers for hours from our neighbours. They told me they had fun!

A trip to the pasar

2006-12-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

This morning mum, dad, ibu Tati and I went to the pasar (market). The market was full of people all trying to buy and sell different things. There were all kinds of different fruits and vegies – mangoes, rambutans, pineapple, coconuts, carrots, cauliflower, and so many other ones that I had never seen before. There were people selling chicken and meat and fish and tofu and eggs, and pretty much everything else that you could want to buy. There were all sorts of different smells in the air and some of the fish smelled quite strong! Ibu Tati carried me around in the slendung the whole time and many people were looking at me. She did most of the bargaining as mum and dad can’t seem to be able to speak very much yet! We caught an angkot home which was full of people who had brought lots and lots of things from the market and was loaded with many boxes. It was great fun, we even saw some horses on the way home which mum was very excited about!

My First Christmas

2006-12-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

In the morning I woke up and had some breakfast as usual (cornflakes with milk), but then mummy and daddy gave me all these presents from them and other people. I was so excited and loved playing with the wrapping paper as well as my new toys and books.

Dad then read the Christmas story before I had a quick nap. We then went to some friends house who live on the other side of the city and the traffic was crazy as everyone was doing their shopping on Christmas day. We had a big Christmas lunch – complete with baked vegies and roast beef and gravy! It was very yummy and there was no rice in sight! We played all afternoon with the other kids and just kept on eating. I was dead tired and mum put me down to sleep and after a while she got me up again for the long car ride home. It was a lovely day!

Sleep is for the weak!

2006-12-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

I have decided that sleeping during the day is not as fun as it used to be! I would much rather play than sleep, and there is so much to do – why would anyone want to sleep! Mum and dad keep trying to put me to sleep, but I resist at every opportunity – even when I am really tired!