Gymboree Music Class with mom!

Nykolas' Favourite Book

Non-stop fun in Manila....

Mia started solid food this week!...well sort of solid, milk with baby food rice. She is doing great and hopefully in several days we will be able to drop the midnight feeding....I might start getting a full 8 hours of sleep again soon. Not that I have anything to complain about, my sweet girl has been sleeping 6-7 hours every night since she was just a few days old.....but that extra hour or two will be so nice!

Nykolas thinks the parquet flooring in the bedroom is a giant jigsaw puzzle just for him. Drives me crazy!! As he walks in and out he listens for loose pieces, of which there are a lot, and reaches to grab them and play in the dirt underneath...gross! If I happen to hear a loose one first and put my foot over it, he drops to the floor and digs his little fingernails into any available crack trying to pry them up. AHHH!

Nykolas and Mia are now in the same size diapers! It is very handy for me just having to buy one size but it is weird having kids 16 months apart wearing the same size!

Short Holiday

With Chad out of town he thought it was a good idea to get me and the kids out of town too...to break up his absence a bit....so here is the skinny on the pictures to follow....

We went too Caliraya which is a mountain lake resort. Just so you know, in the Philippines they use the term 'resort' fairly loosely. So I wasn't sure what we were getting into. Turns out it was more of a camp sort of setting....clean and simple. Which was perfect for us. Reza, Pastor Rene and his wife Lenie went with us. Reza and Lenie are sisters so we had a fun late night chat...by the end of our stay I felt like another sister.

It took us about 3 hours to get there and then we had to take a boat across the lake, as the resort is on an island, then a jeepney up the hill to the hotel. Nykolas loved the pool but I think he enjoyed the oudoor shower the most. He discovered a new bug, ate Jack Fruit, sat on a horse, and met a new girlfriend...a little Chinese girl his age named Rebecca.....he bought an ice lolly from the snack shop, really enjoyed the grass and fresh air, and got lots of exercise as the hike from the pool feels like a million stairs. Mia was, as usual, a wonderful baby! I do think she is looking forward to being able to take part in all the fun stuff instead of just eating, sleeping and watching!

We only spent one night but the drive and the stay was a great break from the city. We passed water buffalo, watery rice paddies, lots of green mountains covered in coconut trees, and saw Laguna Lake (look on a map of the Philippines and you'll see it....it's huge!). The last picture is of our car....just so ya can imagine us in our wheels!

Here are the pics....

Church last Sunday

We visited Reza's church on Sunday evening....just me and the kids as Chad was out of town. It was wonderful! Nykolas and Mia had kids, teens and adults just hovering over them the whole time. I was able to enjoy the service as the kids were being cuddled and entertained. The worship was great and the sermon was translated by Pastor Rene's (our driver) daughter. She is 15 years old and so sweet....although I think I heard more about her life than the sermon....she is the one with the blue and white flower shirt on. The services are held on the third floor of a building, open air except for a roof over head. It's right on a river off a narrow side street.... After the service they took us to the back of the sancutary for a meal....the monsoon rain hit right as we were sitting down. With the rain pouring, geckos running the ceilings and joyful fellowship with the saints....we had a truly memorable Sunday!

Check out more pics.....

Life in Manila Pictures

Our new friend and extra set of hands....

This is Reza...we are all quite taken with her!

So another week…. Chad gets back from Hong Kong this evening late. We are so excited. He says he loves it there and wants to take us sometime. Yet another adventure!

Our new maid/ya-ya started yesterday and Reza is wonderful….wonderful with the kids, wonderful at cleaning and ironing and wonderful companionship….. We are taking Mia and Nykolas to the zoo this Thursday. I know they are really too young but at their ages there isn’t much to get out and do, plus I never tire of animals (except when they have accidents in my house, or bark too much or….).

Yesterday we did the doctor thing. I found a Blue Cross/Blue Shield recommended pediatrician at the Makati Medical Center. It takes a while to get there but it was worth it as the doctor was very nice and up to date on western vaccinations. The whole office was fascinated with the kids and our story. Mia is caught up on all her shots and they would like to see her monthly for the next several months just to monitor her growing and such….which doesn’t seem to be a problem as she is 11 pounds now! Nykolas better start eating more.

Today I spent baking snicker doodle cookies to give to Nykolas’ friends downstairs (the security guards in our building)…always good to have them on your side. We will probably take a batch to the office for everyone to take part in…..it’s great being so close to the Festival Office….just 2 blocks….from my bedroom window I can see Chad’s office!

This is pretty cool…a couple that my family went to church with a hundred years ago is here for a few months taking care of the Wycliffe Guest House. The Jones’ are coming over for dinner Friday evening. They have several small grandchildren back at home in Atlanta so being with our kids will be fun for them.

By the by….we LOVE getting letters in the mail. Nykolas and I go downstairs and look in our mailbox often….we haven’t found anything there yet! Don’t send anything other than flat letters and cards as I am sure that bigger things get pilfered through. Our address is at the bottom left of this webpage.

Big Brother

Big Brother
Originally uploaded by Silverbrae.

Nykolas is doing a bit better at the sleeping thing….although we thought he was sleeping through the night and someone spent the night with us in his room and he was awake playing from 1:00am – 4:00am. O well, at least he is happy and not crying.

We have a wee gecko that lives in the kitchen. I’ve only seen him once or twice but he is very cute and I’ve named him Juan. It’s my attempt at a pet…..I don’t have to feed him or take him out and no vet bills!!

Today we went to a birthday party of a six year old daughter of a friend of Chad’s. Nykolas’ first birthday party….and what a party! It was at the Makati Polo Club and I have never been to a six year old party like it. There was cotton candy, ice cones, little chicks dyed different colours that the kids could take home, the emcee was dressed like Prince Charming, there were acrobats and magicians and wonderful adult food as well. He had a ball, really we all did.

Our neighbors, co-workers and dear friends the Kennedy’s have been over for dinner twice. We played spades and another card game they learned in Angola. It’s been wonderful having company. The kids love them and we really enjoy one another. It is so good for Nykolas and Mia to have a Granny and Granpa while here. Annie is in a wheelchair because of hip problems and Kola thinks her chair is the coolest thing ever!

Chad leaves for two days in Hong Kong tomorrow. We have a new maid/ya-ya starting on Monday. We think it’s going to work out great. She is two years younger than me and has several children. She loves the Lord and has a very sweet spirit and she is great with our kids.

Well off for now……….Check out other photos by clicking here