We have the best sunsets here!

Enjoying the beauty with Daddy.

This is Albert. The pig we caught.

Awesome jump!

Oink, oink!

Well, I did something today that I never thought I would do. I caught a pig. Really. There is a little baby pig living outside our neighbors house right now, just for a month or so, and when we were driving back from the pool, Emma noticed that It had pulled free of its rope and was walking around loose. So, the kids went over to try and get it. The pig however, was not cooperating. So they requested more help. Garth and I went down to assist. The kids named this little guy Albert, and even though we were enticing him with bananas, he would not come. It was quite comical. Cale would corral him when he started going the wrong way and the kids and I would try to grab him as he ran by. Garth was taking pictures. Finally, we all trapped him and I was able to grab him, barely. What a feisty thing! It was great fun! One of our security men was trying to help us as well and he got quite the laughs from watching the six of us and our antics.
Yesterday we did something fun as well. We had our own Olympics with three-legged races, pillow sack races, egg games, etc. We have also started going through a Science experiment book. I want to try and do all of the experiments before the summer is over. Sophie wants to be a scientist when she is older so she is keeping track of all of her observations in a notebook. She has even set up her own lab. Every morning after breakfast she informs me, “Mom, I am going to my lab.” Also, the girls and I have been painting a mural in their room. I let them draw most of it and then we all painted it. I love how it adds their touch to an otherwise boring room.
The kids and I keep asking Garth for a dog while we are here, and he says NO. And he is probably right. With the main school road in our backyard, it would be easy for a dog to get hit. We have already had two of our cats get run over. But, now, after today, I have a new idea. Maybe he would let us get a pig…
Love you-
Rachel

Bodysurfing

I am such a geek! Really, I am on the inside. I am lucky that there is not a camera following me around all the time. The reason I am saying this is because I was just thinking about something that happened when we were in Bali. Remember when Garth was sick and I took the kids to the beach without him? Well, I saw Wyatt trying without much success to body surf, so I thought I would show him how. (it is a relatively easy thing if you do it right.) I saw a really big wave coming and was going to use that wave to coast into shore. However, I failed to notice how shallow the water was that I was standing in. I told Wyatt to watch as I caught the wave. There was NO coasting involved in my body surf. The wave slammed me onto the sand and ripped my body quickly up the beach to shore. Of course all of the kids were watching me and didn’t want to laugh until they knew I was ok. (How nice of them!) I had SOOOO much sand in my swimsuit that you could see it in heaping mounds under there. I was not hurt, and yes, I did find it funny. Later when we went home, I realized it was all worth it when I heard Wyatt say, “Dad, you should have seen Mom body surfing. It was so cool!” Now, What’s a couple buckets of sand in your suit compared to a statement like that? Ha ha ha.
Moral of the story: Always check the depth of the sand before you throw your body into a wave!
Love you-
Rachel

We are back!

We are back in Sentani safe and sound. That is always a crazy trip flying through the night and with the time change and all you land feeling like you need another vacation! Haha. Anyways, we arrived and fell right to sleep. Once I woke up I was hit with how different my life is here compared to Bali. There was lizard poop on my pillow, someone had been here while we were gone and there was unflushed stuff in the toilet, eggs rotting in a bowl in the kitchen, eating in instead of going out, etc. etc. It was so fun to be spoiled for awhile though. I feel very fortunate.
Garth is finally feeling better from that flu. It was pretty awful. Now Cale has a cold. Otherwise the kids are settled back into a nice routine. It is fun for me to be a family here and only have to think about our family. Making meals for 6 is a lot easier than 16.
Cale said some funny things the other day. He and Garth were out at a construction site. After awhile Garth said it was time to go and Cale yelled to the dozer driver, “Have fun with your mother!” And yesterday he asked to smell the gas from Garth’s motorcycle and I told him it was not good to smell that. HE looked at me and said, “I am only going to smell it Mom, not eat it.”
Well, hope you are healthy and well.
We love you all-
Rachel

Having dinner at Pizza Hut in Bali with friends.

McDonalds is a special treat when you haven't had it for a year :).

The kids (as usual) totally loved the pool.