Well, for the past 2 weeks we've not been taking too many photos. Between mourning the loss of Phil's grandma and getting ready to move up the road (it's a long story) we've been trying to keep up our normal study schedule... as well as our normal extra-curricular-curricular schedule. So here are a few 'leftovers' from before Easter to tide you all over until we've got some photos of the new house we'll be moving in to (i said, it's a long story).

I was busy trying to use up fabric that I had lying around. I made N a few cute little dresses out of the material I used to make her sheets. The patterns were super easy (even for a remedial pattern-reader like myself) - Thanks, Michelle!

Here's her "i'm-already-too-big-for-my-britches-giving-my-mother-an-attitude-and-cruisin-for-a-bruisin" pose. I had interrupted her "conversation" with the nutty guy next door (who was smoking a very large cigarette that he had rolled for himself, filled with dried banana leaves and rolled up in newspaper...).

She can climb up into our chairs now, so basically nothing is really out of her reach now. Here she's "sewing" on my machine.

how to say goodbye

From across the earth, we are quietly mourning the sudden loss of Doris Cain, Phil's grandmother (she came to be mine as well), the pillar of our very tight knit family. We miss our granddad, Shelby, and the rest of the Svobodas as they grieve together. We are torn from the inside out, and it is hurting us to be so far away right now.

not the point, but fun just the same

We celebrated our Saviour, Indonesian style yesterday morning, and it was wonderful. Afterwards we headed to our friends' house and enjoyed delicious food, wonderful fellowship and watching our little girls have some fun. We know that eggs and ham and potatoes are not the point of Easter, but we really enjoyed it all nonetheless.

Angie made beautiful Easter baskets for the girls.

Nadia and Raquel had fun filling them with colorful, boiled eggs that they found in Angie and Dylan's front yard.

Reaching for a pretty purple egg.

Nadia was far more interested in her new Elmo Video than her hard boiled eggs. Thank you, Angie!

As Nadia reached for one of her eggs, she stopped in her tracks and yelled out, "EW! Yucky bug!"

She was right! One of us responsible adults somehow managed to place an Easter egg right behind this spider and his web.

Good girl for stopping and getting help. Even though i don't think that spider is dangerous, it's always sort of a mystery. Always better to ask.

Angie set out an impressive spread. We enjoyed ham for the first time since we've been here (a year next week!), and yummy cheesy potatoes, salad, deviled eggs, etc. We're still full.

Mango pie for dessert. I'm not very good at making pie crust, so i don't bother trying to make a nice solid top crust. I've learned to cheat my way around that with a cookie-cutter :0)

Mondays

A few weeks ago, I showed you what Tuesday is like in our house. Now, for Mondays.

After school and studying and Nadia's afternoon nap, I like to take her outside to play with the neighbors (when it's not raining). Depending on who's out, it ends up by being good language/relationship time for me too.

Yes, he did end up by throwing that little rock at Nadia. Don't worry. She threw one back.

Chatting and playing. I'm noticing that the kids are taught how to kick a ball before they learn how to properly throw (maybe because soccer is such a big deal here). It's the other way around for us, for some reason. Therefore, Nadia throws the ball to the little guy on the right, and he kicks it back.

Monday evenings are devoted to a group study. Sometimes we have it our house, and when that happens, I get to sit in.

These guys (and Tiffany and Melissa ((who is hiding)) and one other friend, Ryan) get together and talk about truth. It's a fun time of hot tea, cookies, cake and plenty of laughing. Lots of serious thinkers in this group. Feel free to think about us on Mondays. This group is sort of a sensitive thing that is close to our hearts.