Lollipops and Futsol!

We had a busy Saturday! It felt good to be out and about almost as if we have lived here forever, except for the fact that the minature golf place that supposedly exists does NOT in fact exist any longer, and is instead a big trash pile with homeless people living there. So instead, we went over to the mall and showed dad Lollipops and you would have thought Tanner was 5 years old again. He had a blast running around with the boys and shooting the ball guns at the other little kids and sliding down the inflatable slides. Even Audrey got in on the action a little bit.The boys had a blast and wore themselves out just in time for us to go home and put everyone down for naps so that Tanner and I could go play tennis with some friends while Siti stayed at home with the kids while they napped. We had fun and won the game. Both of us need some lessons and practice, but we're a good team together.

We returned home just in time to get the kids up and ready to go out again. We had been here oh about a week when Tanner found out about the embassy's futsol team. It's like soccer but is on a much smaller field so it is super quick and fast. It is very entertaining to watch because there is always a lot going on and more goals seem to be scored. Tanner of course had to get in on the action. His back apparently is feeling great...until it doesn't ;-). The team had a game Saturday evening that was a two hour marathon of 4 games. We decided to be crazy and take the whole family. It actually ended up to be a lot of fun. The boys played with a soccer ball back behind where the game was being played and the place provided drinks and snacks gratis so everyone was happy! Audrey chilled in the baby bjorn and slept through most of it. Clark got a soccer ball right in the face when he was watching the game a little too close to the neting and someone on the opposing team just happened to kick the ball in just the exact right spot to have the ball go hurtling into the net and into Clark's face. Sweet. Clark decided he was done watching after that and found a kid playing a DS and zoned out watching him play the rest of the time. Andrew was the dance machine and got down and boogied to the music that was playing in the back ground. Tanner scored two awesome goals...one off of some guys face (not the face of the guy that got Clark in the face;-). Anyway, it was so much fun talking to more locals and playing with them. Everyone was super nice and it was just a fun night out with the fam watching dad play.

Air Shipment Arrival

Our air shipment arrived after just over a month, and we were all very excited to get some toys, linens, clothes, baby gear, and other goodies we pack in our air freight. Now that we have done it once, I think I would not pack some things to be air shipped and make sure to pack others, but all in all, we have everything we need for the moment, and certainly given the craziness of moving at the time, we did a pretty decent job. The number one thing was of course the boys' toys and their bikes. They have been having fun playing with familiar things and riding around the neighborhood. Audrey got a bunch of her baby gear: swing, bumbo, cradle, etc. and she is enjoying lounging in them......although someone else seems to be enjoying her gear as well...We also packed some tupperware, and I was so glad we did because it has been annoying trying to store leftovers and lunch for Tanner to take to work without it. I thought it was interesting when I looked at our air freight tags and saw that they had been flown through Gatwick Airport in England...my old stomping grounds. It just kind of put a smile on my face.

In other news, we received a package from Tanner's parents, and we were ALL excited to see the yummy treats and goodies inside. Thank you for everything. The boys have been taking their monster trucks and motorcycles everywhere with them!The rest of our stuff that was shipped by boat will arrive in country on Aug. 2 which means we will probably have it by the middle of the month, which will make it two months for us to get everything...not too bad.

I Love Late Birthday Presents!

So Tanner kept saying how sorry he was for not being 'on the ball' with my birthday this year because of moving here and getting settled etc. etc., but I honestly didn't care, I was just happy to finally be here with my family and to not have completely lost my mind (emphasis on completely). Anyway, Tanner came home one night, plopped down on the couch, threw a little drawstring bag in my lap and said "Happy Birthday!" When I opened it, it was a beautiful pearl necklace. I loved it! He then lobbed three more bags in my lap and enclosed were two more pearl bracelets and another necklace made of crushed pearls. I felt like the luckiest girl ever!
The local pearls from Indonesia are beautiful. Apparently there are freshwater and salt water pearls (I am clueless when it comes to these kinds of things). The salt water pearls are more rounded and smooth, and the fresh water ones tend to have more ridges on them and not be quite as round due to the lack of salt. My bracelets are fresh water and my necklace is salt water. The other wonderful thing about buying them here in Indonesia is that they are incredibly affordable. It was the best gift because I really want to buy things that I can have for a long time and even pass down to my children and grandchildren. My mom let me wear her pearl necklace that she received from her mother on my wedding day, and I hope I can have the same kind of tradition with my daughter one day.

Quarterly Clarkisms (and a few Andoozies)

Reader Discretion is Advised:

04/06/10
Cherylyn: Clark, did you go potty?
Clark: Yep I already did. There’s no more potties, see, can you hear it?
Clark: See, no more potty.

04/13/10
Clark: (while going peepee in the toilet) Dada, when I was at Thatcher’s house, I went peepee together with Thatcher … and we made an X!!!

Tanner: (after Andrew threw his shirt in the laundry basket) Good job Andrew!
Andrew: You wecome [sic]!
Tanner: No, you say thank you, and then I say you’re welcome.
Andrew: You wecome [sic]!

04/17/10
Clark: Mom, I love you.
Cherylyn: I love you too babe.
Clark: No, I love you bayba bayba.

04/18/10
Clark: Mama!
Tanner: What?
Clark: No, I’m asking for mama. Mama!
Tanner: What (in a girl’s voice)?
Clark: No, I want to talk to mama.
Tanner: Why don’t you want to talk to dada, dadas are pretty cool.
Clark: No, mama is SUPER cool!
Cherylyn: (bursts into laughter in the adjacent room)

04/23/10
Tanner: Okay Clark, its time to take a nap.
Clark: (while bursting into tears) But Dad, that is serious for me!!

04/27/10
Clark: (When being disciplined) Dada, don’t spank me!
Tanner: I’m not going to spank you. Why do you keep using the word "spank"?!
Tanner: (puts Clark in timeout in his room and locks the door).
Clark: Nooo! This is like spanking me!!

04/29/10
Clark: Dada, you’re the greatest!
Cherylyn: What am I?
Clark: You’re the smartest!

05/03/10
(Clark’s best friend from school, Caroline, came over with her mom to drop off food. Clark peed his bed during his nap, so needless to say, we opted to leave him in his room during the visit). Afterward:
Clark: Is Caroline still here?
Tanner: Nope, she left.
Clark: (crying) But I wanted to see her!
Tanner: I’m sorry, but if you hadn’t peed your pants you could have.
Clark: (crying) But I didn’t get to tell her something that I needed to!
Tanner: What?
Clark: That Jonah’s (Clark’s cousin) leg had blood on it!

05/05/10
(Clark throwing the ball with an 11-year-old at a baseball game)
Clark: Dada, I’m throwing the ball with this guy.
Tanner: What is his name? Ask him his name.
Clark: Hey, what’s your name?
11-year-old: Brady.
Clark: That’s a great name!

Clark: Mama, did you know that Audrey has three mamas?
Cherylyn: Um, no. Who?
Clark: You, Grammy, and Tricia.
Cherylyn: Well, Tricia is Audrey’s aunt, which means she’s your aunt too.
Clark: No, she’s my snake!

(Dad walks out of his room donning his former Boy Scout uniform)
Clark: Cool shirt Dad!!!! It’s my favorite!!

05/11/10
(Clark crying because he was told he can’t play any more games)
Cherylyn: Clarkie, you need to stop crying.
Clark: I can’t stop crying
Cherylyn: Why not?
Clark: Because my heart is making me sad!
(when putting Clark down for his nap, Tanner “fixed” his heart by tickling him to make him feel better)
Clark: Nana, guess what Dada did?! He fixed my heart so that it wasn’t sad anymore!

05/12/10
(A minute after Tanner called Baby Audrey bayba-bayba)
Clark: Dada, Audrey is not the bayba-bayba.
Tanner: She’s not?
Clark: Nope, she’s the baby, and I’m the bayba-bayba.

Andrew: Baby Audey [sic] is supa [sic] cute!
Tanner: Is she super cute?
Andrew: Dada, you supa [sic] cute too!

05/19/10
(after Clark pushed Andrew on the ground, he himself fell off the couch and began crying)
Tanner: Clark, that’s karma.
Clark: (crying) Dad, that doesn’t even make sense!

Tanner: Andrew/Clark! Stop playing with your milk and drink it. Now you have milk all over your faces and clothes…. Do you see milk all over my face?
Clark: No, I only see spices (facial hair). You have spices on your cheeks and here under your chin.

05/25/10
Tanner: (talking with Cherylyn regarding an upcoming Indonesian language test) If I got 2s on the test, I wouldn’t feel stupid.
Clark: Hey! We … don’t … say … STUPID!
Tanner: Okay, I wouldn’t feel like a nincompoop.
Clark: Hey! We … don’t … say … POOP!

(Clark, with a stuffy nose, crying at the dinner table)
Tanner: Clark, say the prayer.
Clark: I can’t because my nose is grumbling!
Tanner: Its okay, just relax. Say the prayer.
Clark: I can’t. I can’t do this (sniffs in) because my nose makes a big mess!
(2 minutes later)
Clark: Nose, stop doing that!!

06/05/10
Andrew: grr, dada I angry with you.
Clark: Andrew, why are you mad at dada?
Andrew: no! I angry with dada.
Clark: Why are you angry with dada? He’s the greatest.

06/06/10
Clark: (talking to the TV while playing a Wii game) Hey, stop that I say!

06/25/10
(When pulling out of the driveway of our new house, Clark and Andrew see a friend coming down the sidewalk, and start crying hysterically because they want to play. We, including the driver, start laughing)
Clark: Dada, that’s not a funny joke!

06/26/10
Tanner: Clark, what are you doing?
Clark: Um, your game phone (iPod Touch) ran out of gas.

06/28/10
Tanner: Alright boys, go upstairs to bed.
Clark: But dad, this is terrible for me!

Miscellaneous and Murder?

So we love our house...not just because it is totally retro 60s-70s (yikes!), but because it seems at least 4 times the size of our house in Virginia. The boys are having fun running around getting used to the space, but also finding out that falling and hitting your head on the tile floor is NOT awesome. Thank goodness for GSO who will install carpet in two rooms downstairs this week. GSO provides all things maintenance for the house...it's great. In two weeks we have had a new shower head installed, the grout fixed in all three bathrooms, a new vacuum delivered and the list goes on...you put your request in via email and they show up either that day or within a day or two. Sometimes the problem doesn't get entirely fixed, but hey, at least they are timely.

I can't say as much for the internet and cable services. Is there some written credo that spans across all countries and nationalities that all cable companies must be completely incompetent? So, we got our cable t.v. and internet installed, and I received a bill a few days later saying our first payment would be due July 15th. On July 9th our internet and cable went out. When I called to find out the problem, they said we hadn't paid our bill. Excuse me? We just had it installed one week ago! Thinking it must be some lost in translation mistake, I had our pembantu talk to an Indonesian customer support representative, and they said the same. Then I called again and they admitted that they had made a mistake on the bill and we were supposed to pay for the first month within 3 days of it being installed, and despite their mistake, we MUST pay before they can turn it back on. What kind of messed up policy is that? Anyway, of course we can't pay like in the states because here, if you pay over the phone, your credit card number is likely to be stolen, so we have to do most things like that via the embassy.

So now that is all fixed, life is mostly normal...if you don't count the call we received from our driver saying he needed pulsa (money to recharge his cell phone) because he was at the police station after he murdered a 10 year old at a school. Yes, you read that right! Tanner thought his Bahasa language skills were severely lacking and pulled out his dictionary just to make sure he had the word "MURDER" translated correctly in his mind. He did. It was all very weird since our driver is this nice older gentleman with grown kids and is very sweet to our children. I was seriously starting to question my ability to read people's countenances correctly. Then we started piecing together the fact that when this guy called, Tanner asked if it was our driver, and he just said yes, just wanting to keep Tanner on the phone. They talked for a bit, and Tanner, sensing something was amiss, asked to talk to the policeman at the station and they hung up. We ran over to our friends' house, who confirmed this kind of thing happens quite frequently here in Jakarta and that people get strange calls all the time from individuals trying to scam or solicit money. We called our actual driver and he was at home having a nice relaxing Saturday morning with his family. He laughed when we told him the story. What we still can't figure out is why this guy would think someone would want to give him money to recharge his phone if he had killed a 10 year old boy at a school. Seriously, couldn't you think up a story that might just be a little more endearing than one involving murder...think before you scam man! This story will forever be placed in our "Only in Jakarta" file.

In other news, we celebrated the Fourth of July and my birthday by going to an Embassy party and then swimming with the kids on Saturday. Our experiences at the pool have much improved since my last writing on the subject, particularly since now I can leave Audrey at home with our pembantu while I go with just the boys for a couple hours. They love it and are both jumping off the diving board with gusto. Clark is still in floaties and Andrew still wears a life jacket type suit, but they are doing great and hopefully we will have them in swim lessons soon.

Me and my boys on my birthday

Tanner and I also went and saw Eclipse together at the Premiere Movie Theater. Here you pay $5 to see a movie and you get a full on personal lounge chair AND a blanket! They will also bring you a menu to order food and drinks, which they will also have a waiter come and bring to you. Needless to say, we are big fans...but weren't such big fans of Eclipse, unfortunately.

Tanner started driving...I swear he tried to run me off the road a few times, but he just thinks I was being paranoid...

OR

maybe he forgot there was a left side to the car. Also, he sometimes turns on the wipers instead of the turn signal sometimes, but don't tell him I told you. We have only almost got into an accident once, which is actually great for Jakarta! He loves driving here in the chaos, and truth be told, he is getting pretty good...but I am glad he only drives on the weekends.

Audrey and I have been struck with some kind of bug, and I just barely managed to get through my talk on Sunday without losing my breakfast. The kids have been pushing the limits at church and you just can't get away with it when there are only 50 people in a chapel. So we came home, and we "practiced" church for the next 45 mins. The boys had to sit on either end of the couch without speaking or moving around. They did it, and it was quite peaceful. I am up for practicing church at home more often I must say. Anyway, I ended up taking Audrey into the embassy doctor today since her fever was at 101. They did a complete workup, and said she is fine, just fighting a bug, and that we should watch her fever. I have the same thing, so hopefully we will get past it soon.

In better news, we received our first surprise goody package from Tanner's brother's family last week.
Thank you!!!!! We loved everything in it and the boys have colored every day, and it has been a great activity for them, since we are still awaiting our air shipment, which hopefully will arrive the end of this week or next week since they have been doing a lot of this

while waiting for more toys to arrive.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks because obviously this post has not been long enough...My first local purchase. This is a ceramic pot decorated with painted dots. I can't imagine how long it takes the artist to make one of these (I should have asked him) but I think it is super cool. Tanner's first purchases were two dart guns and a bow and arrow set (shocker).

Nice fountain! My favorite so far. It's actually a big roundabout in the middle of the city...

Me and my little girl on my 29th birthday and her just over 3 month bday