Let's make new friends

We live in a unique housing compound and our children are free to ride their bikes to the park, pool, or to their friends homes. After they do their homework, they can have friends over or they can go to their friends' homes. Most of the time, they end up back at our house since we have kids from two to twelve years of age. I love hearing my children laugh with their friends. I want our home to be where everyone feels safe and comfortable. With plenty of fresh baked cookies and popsicles, we can keep everyone happy for a couple of hours.

Fun and silly new friends, Gabby, Carissa, Caroline, Kyla, and Lindsay

Making cupcakes for Brent's birthday


Shannon and Anne



Jane and Isabella enjoying a girls day in and enjoying popcorn and a movie.

Ben celebrated his 4th birthday with new friends

Jane also has new friends, mainly boys.

When we left our home last year, we left many friends. The kids were not sure if they would make any friends in Thailand. After the first week of school, word got out that we had a house full of kids and that we had plenty of snacks to share. That was the beginning of our friendship making in Thailand. Thanks goodness for good friends, old and new.

Mali

Welcome to Jane's first house

After we unpacked our boxes, one of the movers made a house for Jane. He took a knife, some tape, and some boxes and made Jane's house. The house lasted for about a month or so until I thought it was getting too beat up. It was great while it lasted.

Welcome to Thailand, Jane!!!

Out of the box

Oh yeah. Our house looked like a tornado had hit it for about a week or so. I think we brought too much junk!! Well, I guess we will have to leave a lot here in Thailand.



So after 3 months , we finally got our household shipment. There were so many boxes to unpack. The kids were so happy to see their things again. I was so excited to use my Kitchenaid to make cupcakes and cookies again. It was like Christmas!!


Out of the box came our toys, books, clothes, family pictures, and my familiar kitchen gadgets. It made me feel like I was home again.

What things will we leave behind when it is time for us to pack up again?

Life for Ben and Jane in Thailand

When we moved to Thailand, Ben and Jane settled fairly quickly into the routine. We met new friends at playgroup, took swimming lessons, and played inside the house.

Jane always wants to help the maintenance crew.

Ben and Jane are really good friends. They love to chase each other around the house.

I love this picture.


Choo choo trains are fun to play with now.



They have fun bumping into each other, too!

Jane and Ben celebrated their birthdays with their new friends.

Thanks Ben and Jane for being awesome kids. Love every minute I get to spend with you!

Let's start from the very beginning

This is going to be so exciting. I have been wanting my own blog for so long. Now I get to be a blogger and a journal keeper for my family. I want to start from the beginning of our life here in Thailand and write about all the amazing experiences we are having in Thailand.

We arrived in Bangkok on July 29th and moved into our new home. We were so excited to finally arrive that we did not know how tired we were. I think we did not get to bed until 1 or 2 in the morning. We had to make the beds and unpack some items for the kitchen. Our office sponsor was so kind to stock up the fridge with milk, juice, bread, and cereal. The next day came too early. We had to report to the embassy and check in. That went smoothly and we rushed home so we could take naps. I will never forget our first days and nights here in Thailand. One night around dinner time, the kids told me they were hungry. So I started making some pasta and when it was done, I called the kids to come eat and there was silence. I went to check on them and they were all sleeping. So was I mad that they fell asleep and not get any dinner? Nope, I was tired myself and went to bed. I came around the next day around 3 or 4 in the morning and the kids were up and full of energy. Our schedule was so messed up. So the next day, we ate dinner and went to bed around 7pm and eventually our bodies adjusted to the time change. I can still remember feeling so tired and ready for bed by 7pm for the first 2 weeks or so. Here are some pictures of our home in Thailand.

This is our formal living room where we have FHE and have grown up conversations.

Our kitchen is a very busy place. With an American oven , we can still bake pizzas and yummy cookies.

Our house has four bedrooms and five full bathrooms. I am so thankful that I do not have to clean this house!!

We had to paint one of our dining room walls a nice red. Painting always makes us feel like it is our home.

We met our maid, Nampung (Honey), our first day in Thailand. She used to work for another embassy family for 5 years and they were heading back to the States. We hired her to take care of our children and clean the house. Nampung does most of the cleaning and maybe cooks twice a week. I love how she wants to learn how to cook western food. My children are picky eaters so I have taught her how to make pizza, casserole dishes, and cupcakes and cookies. It is such a relief to have a helper. She cleans the house really well and loves the children. While Anne, Maggie, Sarah, and Ben are at school, Jane stays home with me. Nampung has been a great help to me. I feel completely comfortable going to study group, shopping excursions, and attending school events.

Nampung loves to play with Jane.

We helped Nampung celebrate her birthday. Thanks Maggie for covering Jane's mouth so Nampung can blow out her own candles.

After we moved into our house and found a helper, we needed to get a car that would fit us all. We left our minivan in Utah with Brent's parents which meant that we had to buy a car to haul our crew around. We purchased a car from IBC Japan and got our car about 2 months later. In the meantime, we had to take taxis everywhere. From our house to the embassy, it is about 180 to 200 baht which translates to $5.50 to $6.20 one way. It added up fast but we had fun riding in brightly colored taxis. For church we would ride with families that had big vans. That was such a big help.

Two months after arriving in Thailand, we got our 2000 Toyota LiteAce Noah. Never heard of this type of car before. Never smelled, drove, or seen the car before we purchased it. It is a mini minivan but it holds eight!! So far it has taken us to Hua Hin, Koh Samet, Chokchai farm, and around town. Thanks IBC JAPAN!!

The international school here is very good. It feels like we are in a school in America. The teachers are all English speaking and it is an American based curriculum. The girls settled right in and made fast friends. Where we live there are many people from all over the world, working for a variety of companies. Chevron, Adidas, US Embassy, other embassies, PEPSI, Foremost, Nike, and so on. We have made so many wonderful friends since we have moved here and will continue to keep in touch when everyone leaves for their next posts.

We survived the first day of school!! Look how short Jane's and my hair was.

The kids have to wear uniforms and hats to school. It is hot everyday so they have to drink lots of water and wear sunscreen. The girls love their school here in Thailand.

I guess I did start from the very beginning of our new life here in Thailand. Living in Thailand has been amazing so far. I cannot wait to share our adventures with you!! . Thanks for visiting.

Mali