Letter: 18 November 2007

Halloween

The boys had a good time on Halloween this year. We had a family Halloween party on the Monday night before Halloween, including our traditional soup and bread-stick bones dinner, some kind of a drink with green ice cubes and worms, bobbing for apples, eating donuts from a string, and pumpkin carving. On Wednesday night (Halloween night) we had invited over a group of 7 Indonesians for dinner. They are taking an intensive English language class (run by the church) during the day and then go over to church members’ homes in the evening to practice speaking.

Some mothers at the school organized trick-or-treating on Friday, Nov. 2. The families that live around the school sign up and then the list of houses is handed out to those that signed up. Creed took Mallory, Luke and Nash (Grant was at one of his good friend’s birthday party) around in the car to the homes while I sat here and handed out candy.

The week after trick-or-treating Mallory came to me holding the DVD of Mickey Mouse Club House Halloween special. On the back of the DVD is a picture of Mickey Mouse trick-or-treating walking from house to house. Mallory looked at me holding the DVD and pointing at the picture. She had a scowl on her face and she said to me: “MOM! We not ‘posed to drive to go trick or treat. We ‘posed to WALK!” She was so mad she had to go in a car to each house.

Mallory’s Birthday

We can’t believe Mallory is three. She had a great birthday. It was a Saturday, which is always nice since everyone is usually home. She was so excited to open her presents in the morning. We let her open a couple of them at breakfast and saved the rest for the evening. While she was admiring her presents in the morning, we were telling her to open them. She just kept smiling and clapping her hands and jumping up and down. Every once in a while, she’d reach down and turn the present around and then just look at it. Finally, she leaned over to Luke and said, ‘Um, how do you open it?’ We all started laughing and Luke showed her how to rip the paper.

She was a very gracious little three year old, exclaiming pure excitement at each and every present even though she didn’t know what they were and also immediately saying, “Oh Thank You!”

Her request for the style of birthday cake kept changing. Finally she settled on a “Mallory Cake.” I wasn’t sure what that was supposed to be so I made her a Cinderella cake.

Talent Show

Grant and Luke signed up for the talent show to perform Snowman II. They polished up some of their moves and added new ones. It was pretty funny and the facial expressions were great. The talent show was last Friday and the boys were a hit. The crowd even cheered as they were being introduced. I’ve had several parents tell me the boys will be super stars some day. Another Mom was disappointed that we are moving at the end of the year and won’t be in the talent show next year. She said her family looks forward to it.

Soccer

Grant and Luke finished up the soccer season last Saturday with a long tournament. They enjoyed the season, made some new friends and improved quite a bit. We now have a break for a few months since the boys aren’t interested in playing baseball. It looks like Luke wants to do basketball again, which starts in February and Grant is going to start the swim team in January.

Photos: Oct 2007 - Family Halloween Party

Carving the pumpkin, from Arti's (our maid's) family garden in Surabaya - her mother carried it with her on a 28 hour bus ride from Surabaya to Jakarta, just to give it to us.

Bobbing for apples.

Donuts on a string.

Photos: Oct/Nov 2007 - Storm, Soccer, Trick or Treating

In our house, I don't think you need a reason to pose with your pajama shorts/pants on top of your head.

One of the trees in our neighborhood blown over in the rain & windstorm.

Mallory found one of her kind (curly-headed little kid) at the soccer game (this is one of Grant's friend's little brothers).

A pharaoh, a princess (Cinderella, I think), and Luke Skywalker - getting ready to go Trick or Treating in the neighborhood.

Photos: November 2007 - Mallory's 3rd Birthday

Mallory posing in her new birthday dress.

Luckily, she can still do her famous 1 foot in the air trick.

Playing the princess / jewelry game on Mallory's birthday.

Photos: Nov 2007 - Talent Show, Hole in the Wall & a Fire

Luke & Grant on stage at the elementary school talent show performing "Snowman."

We had a leak in one of our walls and near it, an electrical outlet that didn't work. After a phone call or two to the landlord, they sent a repairman to the house. After a couple of visits from the repairman, we ended up with a hole in the wall on the outside of the house near the leak & electrical outlet problem. Heidi said that when it rained, water would gush out of this hole. Also notice the leaf that someone stuck inside this hole. Why? We're not sure. Mallory seems particularly alarmed by the hole & leaf.

Nash wanted to practice making a fire for one of his scouting requirements, so we gathered up some sticks from the neighborhood and made this fire in the ditch in front of our house. We took the opportunity to roast a few marshmallows.