February 21, 2008 - Bikes and shoes

I forgot to send out this email with all that was going on with Garth in the hospital-but here it is.


Today is National Bike Day! Well, not really. Just here in the Erickson household. Wyatt and Cale got bikes. Wyatts’ is the bigger one. Ha ha! Garth’s Dad and Priscilla gave the kids money at Christmas - fun money. We were saving it for just the right thing. (Until today. Then we blew it on bikes, and shoes.) I am so thankful that there is even a store here that sells bikes. Wyatt has two friends that live right by us and they both have bikes. They go biking here a lot and Wyatt always has that look of longing in his eye when he sees them whizz past. He has been content to try to keep up with his skateboard, but will have more fun now joining the group. I mentioned shoes before because Emma and Sophie each got a pair of “grown-up” shoes. As soon as they got home, they cleaned the shoes – most things here have quite the layer of dust on them-and then they played dress-up. They were practicing how to walk with heels. My two little supermodels.
Our road was closed off today so we went down to see why. There were people setting up a tent in the street with at least 100 chairs. It was a memorial service for a man that died in January. Apparently here, they have a funeral when someone dies and then 40 days after they have a memorial service, and 60 days after and 100 days after. It is interesting to learn the culture here. Some things are so different and some things are the same.
I often think about that when I watch the kids playing. Running around, kicking a ball, full of laughter, holding hands, hugging… We look so different, yet we are so much the same. I told Garth today, I wish I could just drive around all day taking pictures of the kids, and the Moms with their babies. There are so many beautiful people here. I love their eyes.
Well, I should go for now. Cale needs help with his bike.
Love you
Rachel