Veldstra Family Adventures

In Puerto Princesa

2011-11-13T23:47:00.000-08:00

After the week at our house in Lada we all got on a van for the four hour van ride to Puerto Princesa. Five of us were supposed to enjoy a flight to Puerto, but bad weather forced us all to take the van. Those that didn't get a ride in the plane were a little disappointed!

While in Puerto we stayed at the New Tribes guest house...our favorite place to stay when in town. The kids had fun showing Grandpa and Grandma around to some of their favorite places to eat and see.

Shopping at NCCC is always a must when in town! Adams, Alyssum, and Kailee bought new hats! One of our favorite places to eat is at Chicken Inato's where we enjoy bbq chicken on a bamboo skewer and mango shakes. Mmm, they are the best!

One day we hired a driver with a jeepney to take us around Puerto. It was great to have our own wheels for the day! We started by visiting a park/war memorial in the middle of town. The park had recently been given a new look and we were pleasantly surprised at the pleasantness of the new park. Turned out to be a great photo spot!

The next stop of the day was the Butterfly Garden. It is a very small zoo/garden with butterflies and greenery in abundance! They also feature a variety of insects and reptiles found throughout Palawan. Some of the kids could spend hours at the Butterfly Garden as they are mesmerized by the beautiful fluttering butterflies

For lunch we visited another favorite spot, Baker's Hill. It is also a beautiful garden/zoo with a playground for younger kids. They have a nice restaurant and bakery.

We didn't give our food much time to settle as we traveled just a few kilometers down the road to Royal Oberoi Hotel for the kids to swim in their wonderful pool. The adults enjoyed watching the kids play games in the pool!

What a fun day touring around Puerto Princesa!

Dad and Mom visit!

2011-11-13T23:05:00.000-08:00

So wonderful to have my parents visit for a couple weeks! We were anticipating this visit for quite some time.

Steve, Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler met them in Puerto Princesa at the airport. All except for Steve got to fly down to Lada, right up to our front door, on a New Tribes airplane. Since we live on the New Tribes airstrip, Ethan and Tyler have been dreaming of the day they would get to fly with Josh in his plane.
Grandpa and Grandma decided they wanted to fly down rather than take the four hour bumpy van ride, so the three older kids got to join them. It was a short sweet flight of only 45 min! They loved seeing Palawan from the air. The road looked so smooth, from the air! Nice neat farms with small houses and trails from the main road. It is amazing from the air how clean and well laid out everything looks...such a different view than on the ground!

We spent the week here at our house in Lada and around Brooke’s Point. We took them on a “city” tour showing them some of the sights of this small town at the southern end of Palawan.


Brooke's Lighthouse named after Sir James Brooke

A view from the top of the lighthouse

Pom boats at the pier

Christmas in September!

Christmas dinner!

Christmas is just so much more fun with Grandparents so we decided to celebrate Christmas in September! Steve made a wonderful breakfast on “Christmas” morning and we had hot chocolate and apple cider for this “chilly” rainy morning. We decorated a small tree with lights brought from Alaska. Christmas music made the morning complete! We read Isaiah 53 together, and then opened presents. Mom had to get quite creative with the gifts she brought since she was trying to not bring too much luggage. Their suitcases were maxed out for weight, but they managed to fit it all in! Even a 10lb box of screws and nails for Tyler!

Birthday Boys!

2011-10-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Ethan's birthday was October 2, Adams' birthday is on October 18, and Tyler's birthday was September 4...so we had a birthday party for all of them after Grandpa and Grandma arrived.

Tyler turned 13...we now have three teenagers in the house! Ethan turned 16 and can't wait to drive! Adams will be 9...he hopes one day he will "catch up" to his brothers and sisters!

Happy Birthday to all our boys!

New School year

2011-09-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Finally school year 2010-2011 let out for this family! After a year of so many changes and then interruption after interruption in our school year, it just felt great to be done!

When we left the island in February unexpectedly we had to leave behind all of our school books. We then spent time in Puerto Princesa with family and friends. Took a two week trip to Manila to finish up our visas and spend more time with family and friends. Then back to Puerto and a move to a new house. We loved the vacation away from school and of course, we loved spending time with everyone...wouldn’t trade that for all the school time in the world. But amazingly it was two months before the kids were reunited with their long lost books! Now it was mid-April and we were only halfway through our school year! We sure had a lot of ground to cover.

Lada provided us the perfect place to accomplish that task. No interruptions and plenty of time to complete assignments. So from mid-April until the end of August the kids worked hard on completing their school year...and now we can say with much excitement, “We have finished the task set before us and have done well!” Such a good feeling!

Needless to say though, that didn’t give us much of a break before the next school year had to begin. In May I spent many hours on-line ordering curriculum for the coming school year. I had it all sent to my mom in Alaska who packed it all up for us in three large boxes to be sent by slow boat to the Philippines. It takes two months for these boxes to reach us, but for a set price the rather large boxes can be as heavy as you can manage. So they get full of school books and various other treasures from family and friends at home. My mom sent the boxes in June and sure enough by the end of August they arrived! So much excitement for boxes full of school books!

Ann Marie and I sorted books and organized binders to get ready for the next school year. And then we were off and running! School year 2011-2012 has officially begun for the Veldstra family...

Ann Marie is a Senior this year! A sense of accomplishment is such a great feeling! She told me that in Sierra Leone she never dreamed she would ever have the opportunity to graduate from high school!

Ethan is in 10^th grade and realizing the challenges of High school! So much school work and not near enough free time, but he works hard to get it all done.

Tyler is now a teenager and in Junior High! Pre-Algebra and a Drafting class are among his favorites!

Kailee is in 5^th grade. She is a voracious reader and loves to try out new words all the time!

Alyssum is in 4^th grade and loves her new Language Arts book this year!

Adams is in 2^nd grade and has become quite the good reader and story writer. He has such a great imagination!

Our house is always so busy with plenty of learning through books and life experiences!

A Visit from Home

2011-09-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it has been over a month ago since Pastor Jonathan came to visit us. He surprised Steve one day with a text asking if we had plans for the following week and then asked if he could come on over for a short visit. Steve at first said, "Sure, we would love to have you!", and then, "Are you serious?" Knowing Jonathan we knew he was serious! So we excitedly made plans to meet him in Puerto Princesa and spend our time there with him.

We met him at the airport Wednesday afternoon and spent a few relaxing days at a hotel. The hotel has a wonderful pool which the kids spent many hours enjoying!

We really enjoyed Jonathan’s visit...so good to talk and laugh with someone from home. Being able to talk face to face is so valuable. We have been so discouraged the last few months and lonely that we had kind of lost the right perspective. It was time to find it again!

We stayed at a nice hotel in Puerto Princesa and felt really spoiled! What a treat! It was certainly a great place to relax and be refreshed! Also, someone paid for all of us to get a few new clothes, so we spent a morning shopping for everyone. The kids had so much fun picking out new things! Ethan and Tyler had a great time with Jonathan and getting his opinion!

We are so thankful for the time he spent with all of us!

Braid Locs

2011-08-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Ann Marie decided to have braid locs put in her hair again. We did these quite a few years ago when she first came to us from Sierra Leone. At that time I was unfamiliar with braiding African hair and took too big of sections for each braid so the locs got too big. We eventually took them out....that was a lot of work! Since then we have done extensions, straightened her hair, and various other hairstyles. They all look great, but are difficult to do on your own. So with leaving home in the very near future Ann Marie decided she needed a hairstyle she could manage herself since she will no longer be living with her hairdresser! Braid locs need maintenance, but most of the time is a fairly simple style.

So I braided, braided, and braided some more! Over two weeks, 28 hours, and 557 braids later...we were done!! The braids are so tiny this time! Each braid is about the size of a piece of thin yarn. Because of the small size of the braid each individual braid does a ringlet at the end.

As her hair grows every couple months we use a latch hook to loop the braid through the new growth to extend the braid. So this should make the hair keep growing longer and longer. We are hoping this is something she will be able to do herself or easily have anyone help her with. The style looks great on her! Ann Marie you are so beautiful!!

Mainit Falls

2011-08-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Steve and Ethan, Tyler, Kailee, Alyssum, and Adams enjoyed half a day at the Mainit Falls and Hot Springs. It is only a few kilometers from our house, down a dusty dirt road. But a very beautiful place hidden away!

The kids would go from hot spring pools to the waterfall to cool off. The hot springs have a sulfur smell...the kids said it smelled like hard-boiled eggs.

They enjoyed these hot pools, but definitely had the most fun in the waterfall! Hopefully we will get to do this outing again while we are still staying here at Lada.

Creepy Crawlies

2011-08-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

This gecko among others has found our house to be his home. This one plus two buddies of his hide behind the refrigerator during the day and come out at night to hunt insects. They certainly keep the cockroaches under control. Check out this link on the gecko of the Philippines. (click on word gecko)

Interesting "pulsating caterpillar". We don't have any idea what it is called, but it sure is one of God's unique creatures!

This HUGE spider was found right outside our house. I don't have any idea what kind of spider this is. It was so big that we could easily see its mandibles working on lunch!

And only one person was brave enough to put their hand close enough so we could have a reference of how big this spider really is!

Brave Ann Marie!

The tropics certainly has its fair share of creepy crawlies! That takes some getting used to for this Alaskan family! Just today we found a snake skin in the bathroom. Now that's a first for us! We've seen several snakes, but always outside. We are hoping that snake only stayed long enough to shed its skin and then left because we make too much noise.

Fruits and Veggies!

2011-08-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful things about staying here at Lada is the great market in town every Monday! It is kind of a fair like atmosphere each Monday morning with so many stalls of people selling fresh produce, fresh meat, cooked food, clothes, shoes, and whatever else one might need. We have to get there early in the morning in order to get enough meat...the best cuts are bought first!

Then we fill Steve's back pack several times with fruit and vegetables!! A variety of bananas, mangoes, pineapple, and local fruit. The pineapple was in season for a couple months and so inexpensive! We made so many things with pineapple! Pineapple upside down cake, pancakes with pineapple, and of course lots of fruit salad with all the fruit!

Pineapple upside-down cake

Mmm so delicious, homemade mango jam

Vegetables are plentiful as well! Tomatoes, a variety of peppers, squash, eggplant, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and avocados. We enjoy seeing the variety of produce that comes and goes with the seasons. Avocados are now in season and are so inexpensive. We love homemade guacamole.

Homemade tortillas

Ann Marie's specialty...English muffins

So many of the foods we enjoyed at home we have to make by hand here. A little time consuming, but we enjoy them even more that way!

Science...

2011-07-19T01:16:00.000-07:00

...and crazy Scientists!!

Ethan has been studying Biology this year which, of course, involves those wonderful dissections of the earthworm, crayfish, frog, and fish. We love Apologia curriculum and its thoroughness!! The kids have all learned so much.

Ann Marie has been studying Chemistry with Apologia as well. Her experiments include test tubes, alcohol burner, and lots of household cleaning products!

More kids' creations!

2011-07-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing goes to waste around here! The kids seem to believe the saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure!"

Ethan and Tyler made a "fling sock" out of an old t-shirt. They sewed a pocket for a bag of sand and then cut the tail into three pieces to be braided. They fling it up into the air and it sails far with the weight at one end...it works great! Kailee and Alyssum liked the idea so they came up with their own except they called it "Flower Flyer"!

And of course, houses out of cardboard boxes...this is Adams and Alyssum's castle.

Alyssum got an idea one day to make sandals! So she traced her foot on a piece of cardboard and made a pair of strappy sandals...then she made some for Kailee and Adams. What will they think of next?

Kailee loves to paint and she decided her painting needed an easel...so she made one!

Braces!

2011-07-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

Tyler, almost 13, is now in braces! It is hard to tell now, but his teeth were quite crooked. He has only had the braces on for 1 1/2 months, but his teeth have already straightened a lot! His top four front teeth were in front of each other and now they are almost completely straight. When he first got his braces on, his teeth were quite sore and then when he got them tightened 4 weeks later they were also sore, but other than that it hasn't been too bad. We are so thankful for the opportunity of getting braces here at a much cheaper cost!!

Tropical Rain

2011-07-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, a tropical downpour can be so much fun! Tyler, Kailee, Alyssum, and Adams had so much fun on this rainy day...

First they started out by running in the rain and jumping the big puddle that was forming...

Then running through the puddles...

But they can't stop there! "Now we are wet and muddy, let's just jump in!"

...slide in...

Or just sit in the mud hole!!

Showers OUTSIDE are a must before coming in the house...but of course, that is all part of the FUN!!

Kids creations

2011-06-18T05:36:00.000-07:00

Our kids have always been creative, but they seem to be even more so now. Homeschool tends to draw out the creative side in kids since they have more time to spend creating. Our time in the Philippines has given the kids even more time for creative ideas since they don't have any other activities to go to. So let the creativity begin...

Cardboard, plastic, tape, and string are their supplies of choice. Cardboard and plastic bags are free, and the tape and string are very cheap. Amazing how such treasures can provide hours of enjoyment!

Kailee made a hot air balloon and made it fly with a fan underneath. Ethan and Tyler made an airplane, hoping it would be able to fly...it didn't, but looks great hanging from the rafters in their room! Alyssum and Adams each made airplanes as well as small boxes that they decorated. Ethan and Tyler also made a balloon/parachute. They throw the parachute high, it unfolds, and gently floats back to the ground.

Boys and the Motorcycle

2011-06-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Tyler talked their Dad into letting them learn how to ride the motorcycle on the airstrip. The airstrip is a 1/2 mile long of beautifully mowed grass. Perfect for learning to ride with few obstacles and a soft landing if need be. So far they have managed to keep the bike upright except for once. Then it was only a slow tip-over when the tires slipped into a ditch...no harm done to boy or bike! Ethan is now wishing for a more difficult place to drive, but still enjoys getting on the bike for a cruise on the airstrip. Tyler is just barely tall enough, but manages to keep the bike upright. He loves being in control of the bike! Boys and their big boy toys!!

Easter

2011-05-28T02:53:00.000-07:00

For Easter we were invited to a Good Friday service. The service was the joint effort of about six different churches in Brooke's Point. Each church took a small part of the service...it was a very long service!! But so good to worship with believers here and see how they are all involved in reaching out to their community.

On Easter Sunday we were invited to join the same group of people for a potluck/day at the beach. It was a beautiful day! Steve and I visited, Ann Marie and Ethan hung out and chatted with the teens, and Tyler, Kailee, Alyssum, and Adams swam and played in the water all day! Certainly a different sort of warm Easter for this Alaskan family who is used to cold Easter celebrations in the north!

In one of the boxes brought to us with our Alaskan visitors we received several egg dying kits. The kids and I enjoyed making colorful egg creations!

Tyler's oven

2011-05-28T02:20:00.000-07:00

Tyler, our engineer and survivalist, designed a small metal oven towards the end of last year. He drew up his plans on paper and sent the design to Grandpa, the welder. Grandpa told Tyler that he could easily make his oven and would send it in the next box coming our way! The oven wasn't a necessity, but just something fun that Tyler created to do his own baking and fire building! The box with the oven arrived just as we had to leave the island.

When we moved to Lada the house did not have a stove or an oven. We purchased a two burner stove top, but didn't want to spend the money on a complete stove and oven. So now Tyler's fun creation became a necessity! Ethan and Tyler made a small house for his oven and straddled the oven across two bricks so that a fire could be built underneath.

Now we just needed some firewood or something to burn to raise the temperature in the oven high enough to be able to bake. Steve found a small family store across the street from our house that sold bags of charcoal. At only 10pesos(25cents) a bag it is very cheap to use! With the charcoal the boys are able to get the temperature high enough and stays somewhat consistent for several hours as we do our baking.

We've had to be creative with our baking as a 9x9 pan is as big as it gets in this little oven! So we make round loaves of bread, six small pizzas for our entire family, pans and pans of cookies, a small cake, or many pans of granola. It is not difficult to do, but just takes a long time to get the job done!

Friday nights we make pizza and everyone REALLY appreciates the effort put into making these pizzas! Ann Marie is making the dough for our pizza crust. And then Ethan and Tyler take turns keeping track of the pizza in the oven...we don't want it burnt! It sure tastes great when it is finished!

Life at Lada

2011-05-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Our adventures in the Philippines have taken a slight different course than we had expected. Because of continued threats on our island we decided that until the situation changes we need to live elsewhere. NTM has been gracious to allow us to stay at one of their flight bases in an empty house. We are staying at the southern end of Palawan at Lada. It is on the road system so we just take a four hour van ride from Puerto Princesa to reach our home. Brooke’s Point is the town very near our place and we can get just about any supplies we need there. From here we can keep a close watch on what is happening on the island.

Being here at Lada has given us an opportunity to make up a lot of school that the kids had missed during our unexpected break. We have had such a year of unexpected delays and breaks in our school year. The kids have taken to the task of completing their school year now that we have settled for now.

The grassy airstrip provides a wonderful place for reading, inspirational writing, and a place to run and play.

Steve is using the opportunity while we are here to increase his language skills in Tagalog. He uses a computer course as well as conversing with local people in the market and elsewhere.

The house here is a little run down, but liveable. We’ve had to do a few repairs such as replacing the dining room posts and floor supports. The wood was totally eaten by termites and ants. Once it was torn apart we couldn't believe it could support any weight at all! It is so nice to have a sturdy floor in the dining room as it is one of the most frequently used rooms in the house, for meals as well as school.

The kids are always so helpful with chores and easily settle into our normal routine no matter where we are staying! For each meal I have two helpers-they help with meal preparation as well as doing dishes and cleaning up. The same team of two will do breakfast for a week and then the crews rotate to helping with a different meal the next week. Everyone washes their own dishes at each meal! I love this picture of the kids all lined up ready to do their dishes!!

Alyssum's Birthday

2011-05-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

Alyssum turned 9 the beginning of April. We celebrated with Uncle Randy, Aunt Marla, and cousins Nate, Anna, and Omega, and Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jeanie. She had a cake decorated with Mentos and butterflies! It was a fun party for a sweet girl!

More Alaskan Visitors!

2011-04-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

We were so thrilled to be welcoming more visitors from our hometown in Alaska! Dennis and Jeanie's daughter, Jenny, and her daughter, as well as two young ladies from our church, Marissa and Alecia. They were also planning to visit us down in the tribe, but plans were changed for them as well. So we greeted them at the airport in Puerto Princesa and enjoyed the time with them in the small city!

They also enjoyed a variety of things while on Palawan. The first being a three day trip into a tribal area. Ann Marie was invited to go along on this trip...here is the trip from her perspective...

The day is Saturday March 12^th and we were heading for the village of Lumambong, which is located on the northern part of Palawan. We, Aunt Jeanie, Jenny, Marissa, Alecia, Sela, and I, got up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready for our long day ahead. Our backpacks were packed the night before so we ready for the van that came for us at 4 a.m. The van took us to the terminal to pick up other passengers. We used this time to have an early breakfast of granola and yogurt. The van, which was not very big and the six of us were comfortable in, got packed full of more people. We had a squishy ride up to Roxas. There was a bathroom break and the girls got to experience squatty potties, beggars looking for some money, and vendors trying to sell their jewelry! We got back on our crowded van for another two hours; the entire van ride was about four hours.

We finally made it to a small village where a couple of boats were waiting for us. The boats were small; one was no wider than two people hips put together and the other was a little bit bigger but not by much! Most of our luggage was put in the bigger boat with Aunt Jeanie, Jenny, Marissa, and Sela. Alecia and I were in the smaller boat. It was a wavy, wet, and cold ride even though the sun was shining it didn’t warm us up. And we all got sunburn; some were really bad and some not so bad. The big boat had engine problems and they were stuck for a while bobbing up and down in the water. Our boat was quite a ways before our captain noticed and we turned around to give a helping hand. When we arrived they were bailing water from the bottom of their boat. The engine eventually started but they had a couple more breakdowns before they were on their way. The waves were huge and our boat was small so Alecia and I were drenched with salt water. The boat ride is usually one hour but due to our engine problems it took 1 ½ hours.

When we were almost there we passed up a boat that had a family in it going the other way. We didn’t think much about it until we landed and our hostess, Chris Pollock, said that the family had just brought two drowned kids. They asked if Chris could do anything but it was too late. It was a very emotional time for some.

The next day, Sunday, we went to the local church and worshipped with the native Christians. They were very friendly toward us and they were glad we came to visit them. Later, Alecia, Marissa, Jaimee (Chris’ daughter) and I went on the beach to play with some of the kids. Jaimee was our translator so everything worked out well! We also saw a boy with a third degree burn and it was really gross looking!

Our departure day was on Monday, so we got up bright and early again to wait for the jeepney. We all voted against going on the boat again, none of us wanted to get wet and stay wet all day long. We picked up a whole bunch of school kids along the way and dropped them off at school. Their ride was free. Some of our bags smelled like fish because they loaded anchovies with our entire luggage on the top! Smelly bags!! The driver and his apprentices had to change a tire and they did it with all of us still in the jeepney! Our ride was dusty and bumpy but we were sure glad we didn’t go for the boat ride.

The jeepney dropped us off at Roxas and we quickly found a van that will take us down to Puerto Princesa. This was a bigger van and we weren’t quite as cramped as last time. Our ride back was uneventful. Once we reached Puerto we had to find a jeepney that will take us to our last destination and that proved to be a chore. A guy offered to take us on his tricycle cab. So all six of us and our luggage cramped in a tiny cab. Talk about a tight squeeze!! We made it there slowly but surely with all of belongings still intact!

I’m glad I went with them; it was fun experience with Jenny and the girls. I’m also glad they came to see what we do and where we live.

After their weekend in the tribe, we spent the rest of the week showing them different things around Puerto Princesa. Because the New Tribes guest house had previous reservations, we had had to find other accommodations. Simon and Jinky at Bountiful Harvest offered their place to us and they had enough room for our large group! While staying there Steve was able to share with Jenny and the girls about the challenge of gardening on our island and the things we have learned about improving the soil for better crops. We also visited the Butterfly Garden which has many of the butterflies and other crawly creatures we have on our island. A visit to the beach, tourist shops, and an afternoon at the foot spa were part of the fun!

Our week with them in Puerto Princesa ended when all 14 of us boarded an airplane for Manila! Jenny and girls had another four days in Manila before they returned to Alaska. Ann Marie and Ethan enjoyed the teenage rowdy time with Marissa, Alecia, Nathaniel, Anna, and Omega. Lots of laughter and fun at the mall and at the Weissers!

We are so grateful for the time Jenny, Marissa, Alecia, and Sela shared with us! Lots of laughter and memories made! Thank you for coming and encouraging us!

HappyBirthday Ann Marie!

2011-03-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

She is 19 and all grown up! We had a fun birthday celebration with Opa and Oma (Steve's parents), Cedrick, Jeanie, and of course our family! There is always a party wherever we are all at!

Dinner out at our favorite place in Puerto Princesa, Chicken Inato's! Barbecued chicken and mango shakes for everyone!

Ann Marie opened her gifts and enjoyed getting things from family here and in Alaska!

The boys had fun earlier in the day making dessert for Ann Marie's birthday! Cake and cookies were very delicious!

Alaskan Visitors!

2011-03-24T03:53:00.000-07:00

We have had our first visitors...family from Alaska! Steve's parents, Al and Marcia Veldstra, came, along with Cedrick, one of Steve's nephews. Cedrick is the same age as Tyler and the boys had great times together!

We have been anticipating our first visitors for many months now and of course, had done a lot of work around our house the last two weeks prior to their upcoming arrival (the clay oven being one of those projects). Steve went to Puerto Princesa a week early so he could buy supplies. One of the big ticket items was a new generator as we had been getting by with an old one that was barely hanging on...thankfully it made it thru Steve being gone! He also wanted to buy some agriculture supplies since there was a big boat heading down our way. Amazingly he was able to get all he needed and get it all on the boat within two days of arriving in Puerto! Then he purchased a motorcycle, got his driver's license, purchased groceries including fresh meat which had to packaged and frozen. Anyways, a lot of work goes into getting our supplies for what we need on the island.

Steve met his parents and nephew at the airport and they had one day in Puerto before the day long trip down to our home. The evening before they were to come down...our plans dramatically changed! Down on the island we were told of a night time roaming group of armed men in our area. Not knowing who they were or of their intent we made the decision to leave the island rather than bring our visitors to the island. So Stacey and the kids prepared the house for leaving, each packed a backpack, and we left early the next morning while it was still dark. Scary times for all! We had a very rough ride on the pomboat and were so thankful when land approached. Steve met us in a rented van and we all rode together for the five hours to Puerto.

Needless to say we were all very disappointed in the change of plans, but so thankful to be safe and all together. It took Steve and I several days to regroup and change our thinking for our time with his parents. Instead of working around our house on agriculture projects and showing them life on our island, we were now playing tourist in Puerto Princesa. It is a beautiful place to be on vacation, just wasn't quite what we had in mind! Thankfully the New Tribes guest house in Puerto had two rooms available for the two weeks they were going to be there...so that became our home away from home!

So...some of the things we did while on "vacation"!!

Rented a van with a driver to take us to Sabang and the Underground River. The Underground River is one of the seven wonders of nature. It is an 8.5km underground river, but you can only take a boat up 4.5km of the river. The tour took us 1.5km in the cave and up the river. Very interesting with all the formations inside the cave and the thousands of bats on the ceiling! We were all wearing hard hats...probably more to protect us from falling bat guano than anything else! We spent two days in Sabang and the kids enjoyed the beach and surf!

We also visited the Butterfly Garden...so fun to see the same butterflies that we see down on the island. So many big, beautiful, colorful butterflies! Another fun feature of the Butterfly Garden is being able to observe a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis. We got to watch several emerge and unfold their wings to dry and eventually try out their new wings! They also had many other big "bugs"...like scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, and geckos.

Kailee loves the butterflies!


Guess who likes to hold the scorpion?

We took many walks around and through Puerto, swam at a nearby beach, visited a couple agriculture places, went to church, did some touristy shopping, took them to our favorite places to eat, and so much more!

Even though our plans had changed and we were so disappointed over not taking our visitors down to our home...we are so thankful they came to see us and spend the time with us! We were certainly sad to see them go as we miss all of our family in Alaska!

Clay Oven...by Ann Marie

2011-03-24T01:01:00.000-07:00

You’ve probably never experienced the joy and frustration of making a clay oven. It’s a long and never ending chore; well actually, it has to end at some point. Here’s a brief summary of how we made it.

The oven began with the building of the stand where the oven was to sit. Ethan dug the six holes where the posts were to find a resting place. From there the cement was poured into them. While this was going on, we had some big hard wood logs cut for us. They were put up and from there the platform was built. It is really sturdy.

While this was progressing, the clay, white sand, and black sand were collected from their various locations. Dad hired a group of guys to do the hauling for us. Some went to Kamarisahan to get the clay, a difficult job I was told; Kaha, our neighbor, went to Indalawan to collect white sand; and he gathered the black sand from our beach. So our yard and deck was filled with all these heaps. We found a few unlucky crabs in the white sand.

With all this paraphernalia we are ready to begin. A concrete box was built on the platform and a day or so later it was dry. Ethan filled the box with some white sand and walked on it to make it more tightly packed; an inch or so was left. Bricks, which we had bought in Manila ages and ages ago, were laid on the one inch space. We didn’t have enough bricks so Ethan made some more out clay. That sat for some time while Dad did some circular measurements on the bricks.

Finally on Saturday February 12, the fun work began: clay dancing!! We had to mix clay with sand to make a nice mixture. It is a tedious job, and some, like Adams and Alyssum had fun “dancing” on it. Mom and I weren’t there for that first day of work but we were firmly informed that the next day it will be our turn. So on Sunday Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jeanie came over for our little dance party. We got to experience the squishy, soft clay between our toes.

While the clay was being made, Tyler made a sand castle mold out of the white sand. He put some sand on the bricks, add some water, and shaped it up. This went on for quite some time before he had the right shape and size of the mold. There were a few gray clouds overhead so a makeshift roof was made out of a tarp to keep the rain out and our sand castle from collapsing. After that the fun part of putting the clay on the mold began. We had like an assembly line: one was putting clay in a bucket, another hauling it up to the deck, another getting it out of the bucket and putting it on the platform, and still others molding the clay. Before long the first layer was done and it actually looked like it was supposed to! Don’t press too hard or all our work would be futile! After lunch we did some more clay dancing for the second layer. When it was all mixed we applied it to the first layer. Now all we have to do is wait a few days for it dry!

Uncle Dennis came over a few days later and cut a little hole in the clay to get some of the sand out to get a better airflow in there. It worked out well and the oven didn’t collapse. Yeah for us!! He came over the next day and cut a bigger door and this time all the sand came out. Now we can see the inside of our beautiful work! Since we were going to be putting two doors on the oven, the boys and Uncle Dennis added some more clay to form the front door and the smokestack hole. After they were done, the oven was beautified with shells on the front. They add a nice touch to it.

So if you are ever in our neighborhood and want to stop by for a freshly clay oven baked pizza, just drop by at our house. We will be more than happy to serve you. Oh, while you’re at it you could stay for a couple of days to get to know our neighborhood better! You won’t regret it!

Bride price

2011-02-22T01:36:00.000-08:00

The kids got a day off of school recently as we all got to join an outing to a neighboring village. In Molbog culture when two people are going to get married the bride and groom’s families have to meet and decide on a bride price, when the wedding will be, and where it will be. The groom’s family pays for all the food and prepares all the food for this event. The groom’s family is from the village we live in and so we were invited to go along. A large boat called a launch was used to get everyone to the other village for this event.

So we got up at 5:30 in the morning and hiked for about an hour to where the launch was docked, waited for about an hour or so for all the people to arrive, then everyone loaded up on the launch. Getting to the launch was an adventure...we walked out about 200 feet on a dock, but about halfway down the dock there was a 20 foot gap where the dock was missing. No railing, just a narrow plank to walk across! It made me slightly afraid of heights! Oh well, the worst is I would have fallen in the water and swam to shore in the warm water! To get on the boat we slid/walked down a board while those below watched or laughed!! The board was at about a 45 degree angle and put you on the edge of the boat! We were all now safely on board! We rode for about 20 minutes. We estimate there were probably 60-70 people on the boat!

When we arrived we went to the meeting place, called a ranggar, and they served a snack. The men talk, the women talk, and the kids talk, each kind of in their own area. Dennis and Steve had the opportunity to talk to the men of the village about planting rubber trees in their area. They want to use the rubber trees as an opportunity for an outreach...giving trees and sharing the gospel! This was a perfect chance to share since a lot of the men from the area were in attendance!

The kids played quiet games inside with their friends for awhile, and then they ventured out to the beach...a beautiful white sand beach! Some other kids joined them and played games in the sand. The noonday sun was soon getting too warm so the kids wandered back inside to wait for lunch. Jeanie and I sat and listened as the families discussed the bride price...two cows, two goats, 20 chickens, a carabao, a bundle of cigarettes, a bundle of matches, and a stack of pesos! The wedding is to be in a month and a half. It was all agreed upon calmly and without fighting!

Lunch was soon served...goat and rice! At these events the men prepare and cook the meat. A goat is slaughtered and the hair is singed off before it is cut up and then the meat is cooked. The women prepare the vegetables and cook the rice. Once the rice is cooked it is wrapped into individual servings in banana leaves. Everyone sits on the floor where the food is served. We are each given a glass of water which is first used for washing your right hand as that is the hand you eat with. There isn’t any silverware so you scoop up the rice with your hand and wash when you are done! We all tend to fumble around with food in our fingers and make a bigger mess than anyone else! Oh well!

After the women cleaned up from the meal everyone loaded up on the launch and headed back home. It was very warm and sunny by then so we all got a little sunburned while on the water. Then we hiked for the hour back home again. We were all very tired by the end of the day and headed to bed at a very early hour, but we all agreed it was a lot of fun!

S'mores at the beach...

2011-02-20T01:38:00.000-08:00

S'mores at the beach until after sunset....beautiful!

Tyler and Adams floating their boats in the ocean

Kids having fun in the water at sunset!

A fun evening with Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jeanie around the fire with sticky fingers!

Life around our house...

2011-02-14T01:10:00.000-08:00

Tyler's stove in his fort

Tyler's fort...he switched from spruce to bamboo and coconut leaves

Kailee's fort...the kids built a "village"

The side and back of our house

Steve clearing trees and shrubs from the new garden area

Alyssum and Adams working hard helping Dad

Ethan and Tyler using an A-frame level to terrace the garden

Garden area with newly built bamboo fence

Generator house

Waterfall

2011-02-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

written by Ethan...
As we hike through the jungle, looking out for snakes and spider webs, I am reminded of the Planet Earth films of the jungle. It is almost exactly like it! The huge ferns, giant trees, tangled underbrush, and the wet look to it.

I have been up here many times, but for Adams, Alyssum, and Kailee, it is only their third time. We came up here to have a small picnic and just to show them what it is like up here. The first place we stop at has a small slide in the rocks where the younger kids like to play.

We hung out there while the kids played in the river. On the way up we found a huge spider web. We had seen it there before, but it had made a web to cross the trail. The trail is not exactly a manicured trail, as carabao and loggers go up and down the mountain on it. It has trenches all through it from the heavy rains that have occurred recently. When we reach the next crossing, we eat our lunch before we head up the trail to the big water fall. On the way up to the water fall, some of us stopped at the water tank, Dad and Uncle Dennis had installed, to look at it to see where it was. It had filled up to the overflowing mark, so we knew that it was working just fine. As we continued up the trail, which had steepened immensely, we hurried to see who could see the falls first. The water level hade gone down considerably, way less than right after a heavy rain. The rest of the way down was a lot faster than the way up, slipping and sliding and jumping made it lots of fun for us, though not exactly for Mom and Dad!

All God's Creatures Great and Small

2011-02-03T23:37:00.000-08:00

Can you find the lizard in the picture? Amazing camouflage!

Millipede anyone? And the tropics grows them BIG!

Centipede found cruising through our house! Such big BUGS!

For some reason I don't mind finding a moose in my garden, but finding one of these millipedes is a little frightening!

Kailee's Birthday

2011-02-02T01:28:00.000-08:00

Kailee turned 10 in January!! She was so excited to finally be a double digit!! I remember turning 10 and finally being a double digit...what a big deal it was for me! Hard to believe she is 10 already! She enjoyed pizza and chocolate/peanut butter cake, and presents from family and friends back home as well as from family here. She had a fun day and certainly enjoys growing up!!

Christmas in the Tropics

2011-01-11T01:01:00.000-08:00

A new experience for all of us…and away from everyone and everything familiar. Christmas boxes from home helped ease the longing. We attempted to make the house feel festive…a small Christmas tree, a string of lights, snowflakes, a nativity, stockings hung, and the gifts from family and friends around the tree. Jeanie and I did some Christmas baking with the kids. It was a treat to enjoy some baked goods that are favorite recipes from home. We opened Christmas gifts from the Veldstra family on Christmas Eve since that was our tradition at home. Then on Christmas day we opened gifts from the Engebretsen family and our care team at home. We certainly felt blessed and thought of!

The kids commented several times before Christmas that Christmas could pass and we wouldn’t even know it. So strange since at home we spent an entire month or more anticipating Christmas…all that it would bring and represent. The tribal people here do not celebrate Christmas although they are now more aware of the holiday than they once used to be. Their children attend school that asks for their participation in a Christmas program, so many of them play the parts of Mary, Joseph, angels, etc… But here in the village life seems to pass, each day not being much different than the day before. No Christmas lights or decorations, music or anticipation in the air. We felt sort of strange celebrating when outside our door no one else was doing the same, and sad too.

Please continue to pray for the people here…to know, understand, and accept God’s gift to everyone.


Ann Marie participates in leading the kids songs...all in local language!

The Sunday after Christmas Jeanie taught the kids at Sunday School. She is teaching through the book of Acts. All the kids are memorizing scripture...and saying those verses at home to their parents! It is so fun to see the delight on their faces as they say the verses and to hear them memorizing God's Word. Our kids have been learning Isaiah 53 and quoted part of it at the Kid's Sunday School. Even though the village kids don't understand the English, they still like to hear our kids and what they have memorized!

Traveling to Puerto...by Tyler

2010-12-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

On the sixth of December we started our trip to Puerto. The first transportation thing we went on was a little boat to get to Townsite. It was not Uncle Dennis' boat, but it was a boat that a guy owns who lives in the same village that we do. It was a boat like Dad and Grandpa rode in the first time here, but a little bigger...but not big enough! Mom had to ride on the motorbike with Uncle Dennis. The boat was still a little low in the water.(note from Mom-the boat was so low and the swells were large enough that they disappeared in the swells...scared this Mom!) When we got to Townsite we unloaded all of us and our cargo. It was a little cramped sitting in the same position for one hour. After we unloaded our stuff into a tricy-cab we started to walk to where we would sleep that night. We were sleeping over top a karaoke bar and it is kind of loud, but I can sleep through it! For dinner we went to a restaurant and you have to remember that we are still in Townsite so we have to walk everywhere. We had chicken and rice for dinner. After we were done we went back to Sing and Swing (that's the name of the bar). We sleep there because it is easier to travel in the day rather than at four o'clock in the morning! When we got back we went straight to bed.

The next day we got up at five o'clock in the morning to get on the boat to Rio Tuba. Johnny said he would come with his truck between 5:30 and 6:00am. So were were ready by 5:30, but he did not come until after 6:00. Before he came Dad got worried that we would be late for the boat so he went to sign us in. Right after Dad left, Johnny came to pick us up. He took us to a place called BCI (I don't know what it stands for). We went there because it was wavy and they don't want the boats to hit the cement dock. So they put they where it is not wavy. We did not have to wait very long before the boat was on its way. Dad said it sounded like it had a turbo in in (most of them don't), so were were going at a fare speed for about one hour. At the next stop a lot of people got on. There were about 15 people on the top and it was packed down below. So the rest of the trip was a little slower.

When the boat got to Rio Tuba all the guys wanted to carry our stuff (as usual), so we let them. They set all of our stuff down on the street. We rented a van so we thought it would come down to where we were, but it did not so we rode on tricy-cabs to get to where the van was parked. It is always a bumpy ride. Once we got there we all took a bathroom break before we got on the van. The van ride was nice, nothing abnormal happened.

When we got to Simon's, we unloaded our stuff and some of the workers carried our stuff into the house. We ate dinner and went to bed. The next day we learned about the soil and how to get the nutrients back into the soil. They have four kinds of animals at their place, goats, pigs, ducks, and chickens. The mother pig had two week old piglets; they were cute. On the second day we learned about goats and chickens. We also mixed bokashi. Bokashi is a Japanese word but I don't know the meaning of it. We mixed it up and put it in the soil to make the plants grow better. On the third day we learned about different types of plants and other things, and on the fourth day we went to the New Tribes guest house.

Since we have been at the guest house we have been shopping for Christmas gits and food. We drew names and I got mom so I had to look a little harder.

Oh, I almost forgot, I bought a boat down on the island. Our neighbor's son made it. It is made out of wood and fiberglass. It is about two and a half feet long and ten inches wide. It is made to go in the water and it is a model of a launch. A launch is a boat that carries big cargo from one island to another.

I enjoyed Tyler's description of our trip to Puerto and our agricultural training last week that I thought I would share it! Traveling to and from our island is always an adventure, but it sure is a beautiful ride! We have enjoyed our two weeks in the city, but we are also ready to go home...to our quiet, slow paced village life! The agricultural training we participated in last week was excellent. We have learned so much about soil fertility and how much the soil here is lacking in nutrients and organic material. Now we just need to take some of these techniques back to the island and help the people understand the importance of improving the soil. The second week we have spent the time buying supplies, everything from food to Christmas presents and gardening supplies. Not much to buy once we get to our island so we have to get all we need while we are in the city! We are anxiously awaiting returning home and getting ready for Christmas!

Thanksgiving...

2010-12-02T00:18:00.001-08:00

American style on a remote island in the Philippines! Who would have ever thought?? We had a fun Thanksgiving! We were all sure looking forward to a day set aside as a holiday, the only problem is that it didn't last near long enough! The turkey turned out great in the oven. Dennis figured out how to put a larger log toward the back of the oven and let it slowly burn to maintain the temperature. Jeanie made mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, jello salad, a corn dish, and a relish dish. I made rolls, pies, and the gravy. I was going to make a fruit salad, but decided we had plenty to eat! It was quite the feast, especially compared to what we normally eat which is something over and rice and hopefully a fruit or vegetable on the side, but not always!

The other day Kailee asked if we were going to be eating rice for our Thanksgiving meal. I told her no, we were going to have potatoes instead. She said, "Oh good, we are going to eat civilized food!" We laughed and laughed!! Apparently rice is not civilized food for her, but potatoes are! We explained what civilized meant and she realized maybe that is not really what she meant! But it was funny anyway!

The ants had found our pumpkin pies before we got to eat them, so we had to pick the ants out...but despite that they were good! Oh, and I had to sift the bugs out of the wheat flour before I made the rolls. ( I haven't seen that many bugs in our flour yet, but it was an older bag that was already open, so that is probably the reason for the bugs!)

The kids played games, built Legos, did sewing projects, and read books while the rain was falling in the morning, but after our meal in the afternoon the kids went out to play with their friends on the airstrip. Amazingly they never seem to tire of playing with the kids!

We got to talk to Steve's parents in the morning. We hadn't scheduled Skyping time with them, but Steve happened to catch them on Skype. It was good to be able to visit with them.

We had a good Thanksgiving Day and certainly a different sort of day in the tropics! Instead of driving through snow, ice, or cold, we slogged through mud under our umbrellas to get to Dennis and Jeanie's for Thanksgiving. We listened to the thunder and lightening as we walked and watched the rain fall even harder once we got to their house. Making memories...

A few pics of our house...

2010-11-29T02:41:00.000-08:00


Our waterbed with the mosquito net


The school room or maybe it would be better to call it our library as it mostly holds our books!


Ann Marie sitting in her school corner with the beautiful jungle view behind her!


The boys room...Tyler and Adams on their bunks secure in the mosquito nets!	-

The girls room...Kailee and Alyssum on their bunks reading books.

More pictures...

2010-10-30T02:19:00.000-07:00

Adams birthday celebration

Super-hero birthday boy!

Oh fun! Rabies vaccinations!

Everyone's reaction to Ethan's cut on his knee!

Dennis suturing Ethan's knee

Everyone getting to observe and learn how to suture!

Island Arrival!

2010-10-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

The long awaited arrival to our island home has finally happened! It was a long journey...5 hours in a van, 4 hours on a boat, overnight in town at Sing and Swing (karaoke bar), and then another 1/2 hour boat ride to "our beach". The boat ride was beautiful ...on a pom boat. For the last 1/2 hour ride we were able to get all of our boxes and supplies loaded on the pom boat to be delivered to the beach. If we had not hired the pom boat captain, we would have had to make many trips to town to get all of our supplies. From the pictures we look as though we were washed up on the beach!

It took us most of the day in the hot sun to unload our supplies, ferry them from boat to boat, and haul them to our house. Needless to say we were rather tired and sunburned by the afternoon. But ...we had a wedding to attend...so we dug in our boxes for a change of clothes, showered in our new bathroom, and made our way in the dark to the local wedding. It was certainly a fun event and a great cultural experience! We ate rice and pancit with our fingers (but only our right hand) out of a banana leaf. Ann Marie and Adams danced with the young people. It was a great introduction to living here!

We spent the first several days unpacking our boxes and attempting to get settled in our new house. So many new things to get used to with many "firsts" for this Alaskan family!

Our first time...to sleep under a mosquito net, but it sure does make you feel quite secure with so many bugs and lizards all around! ...to eat in our new house at a new table (pancakes or eggs and rice, anyone?!) ...to wake to roosters crowing right outside our window (the only problem is they start crowing at 3am!) ...to sleep with so many night time noises (the jungle is a busy, noisy place at night)! ...to celebrate Adams 8th birthday in our new home. We celebrated with Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jeanie and enjoyed delicious pizza and mango pie! Adams had a great super-hero birthday! ...but he also had a first time of cutting his thumb deeply with his new knife! ...to use jungle first-aid! Ethan sliced his knee cap with his new machete. It wasn't that big of a cut, but because of where it was located we decided it needed stitches. Dennis brought over his suture kit and closed up Ethan's wound with three stitches...front porch ER! ...to meet our new neighbors. Jeanie has been taking us house to house to meet everyone, so now we can smile and wave when we pass and send an American greeting of "Hello"! ...for the kids to make friends with kids they can't really talk to! They have all sure had a lot of fun playing games, singing songs, and learning language from each other! ...to bake bread, granola, and cookies in a clay oven! We are learning so much and yet have so much to learn in the many days, weeks, and months ahead!


Unloading all our stuff from pom boat

Veldstra family washed up on the beach!

Runsii dance at wedding

Traditional wedding

Adams dancing and all smiles!


Our first meal in our new home!

Birthday and Beach

2010-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Ethan...what a handsome young man!

Ethan is 15! We celebrated Ethan's birthday with cake, ice cream, gifts, and plenty of noise and laughter! Ethan really wanted to go to the beach, but the day of his birthday turned out to be rainy, so we postponed the beach for another day. Late Sunday afternoon we walked to the beach from the guest house where we are staying. It wasn't a tourist beach, but a beach for the local people. Not a well groomed beach, but sand, warm water, and treasures nonetheless!

Kids contemplating the water...is it really warm? Of course it is...we are no longer in Alaska!!


Alyssum with her sea star treasure!

Adams always the charmer!

Uncle Dennis...a kid at heart!

Tyler and Kailee watching the activity at the beach

Beautiful Ann Marie!

Weisser time

2010-09-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

We are so thankful for the time we got to spend here in Manila with the Weissers! Uncle Randy, Aunt Marla, Nathanial, Anna, and Omega have been great hosts and so gracious to share their home with us. They took us shopping, out to the movies, swimming, birding, gave us directions to our appointments, advice on Filipino culture and city life, cooked many meals, laundry, and so much more! We could not have done this part of our journey without them and we will be forever grateful.

Swimming at Faith Academy

Dinner time...a full house!

Veldstra and Weisser kids...a crazy bunch!

Thanks so much for the laughter! We certainly loved being here...our home away from home!

Two weeks and counting

2010-09-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

We've been in Manila for two weeks already! Wow, time flies in the big city! It has been fun and we have certainly enjoyed some great activities as well as family time with the Weissers.

One of the kids favorite activities has been swimming up at Faith Academy. They have a wonderful pool up at Faith and the kids swim and play for hours and hours in the sun! The water is so much fun, but it wears them out and they sleep long nights afterward!

Shopping in the malls, definitely a big city activity! And there is nothing quite like the malls of Manila...the noise, the people, and so many things to buy. One should be able to find whatever one wants to buy at whatever price range you can afford. Yesterday I went shopping with Aunt Marla for our new dishes, some other kitchen items, curtains, and pillow covers...it was fun to begin to make our new island house a home. In one of the malls Steve found an inverter and a water filter system for our home...just about anything can be found!

Another fun activity in the mall are cinemas, and each mall has many cinemas! In Alaska we rarely went to the theater, just so hard to pay the high price of movie tickets for so many of us. But here it is so much more affordable, only P130 or roughly $3 per person! We were all treated to a movie...so fun!

The traffic in Manila is always an adventure just by itself! Most of the time we ride along with the Weissers in their van to get to the store, mall, church, or Faith Academy, but Steve is learning his way around the city using public transportation. Jeepney, train, tricycle, taxi, bus, or FX...which one will get you to where you need to go? We have had the experience of using each one of these public transportation's in the few weeks we have been here. We much prefer our own vehicle, but when you need to get somewhere it is nice to have options...just make sure you know how to get where you need to go and how to get back home again!!

Ethan and Tyler were given the opportunity to go bird watching with Uncle Randy last Saturday. They got up bright and early to beat the heat and to be able to observe as many birds as possible. Twenty-five different species is alot of variety for only going out once. Randy is hoping the boys will learn how to identify the different birds on Balabac!

One Saturday we spent at the RBI office working as painters! They had just gotten new carpet, but the paint didn't match so a new coat was needed on the lower half of the wall. We volunteered our expert painting services and picked up paint brushes and rollers to get the job done. Not quite sure we are experts, but we had fun and made the job take a lot less time!

Today Stacey and the kids spent the day at Mega Mall with Jeanie, while Steve and Dennis went to find bricks for our clay oven and get some paperwork done. Jeanie and I found more household items that I needed to set up our house while Steve and Dennis found the necessary bricks for the base of our clay oven. They are some nice looking bricks and will be worth their weight in gold by the time we get them to our home!

We are certainly enjoying our time in this big city, but we will be very ready for the "quiet" of our island home! Not sure living next to a rain forest is considered quiet! I've heard it is very noisy, only the noise is so much different than that of the city!! No cars honking, busy traffic, or crowded stores...but more like noisy birds, loud geckos, crunching carabao, and the symphony of insects...certainly makes for a rowdy neighborhood!

We have arrived!

2010-09-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

We are all here in the Philippines...together once again as a family!

Alyssum, Kailee, Adams waiting at the airport

Kailee, Alyssum, Adams, and I had a great flight over here earlier this week. We slept for seven out of the nine hour flight from Anchorage to Taipei. We woke at one point, but all felt slightly sick from all the turbulence...so we went back to sleep. Finally woke for the last two hours of the flight, we all ate and felt much better. With only an hour layover in Taipei we had to keep moving in the airport, but we made it to our gate with only 10 minutes to spare. Aunt Marla met us at the airport in Manila. Thank goodness since our eight heavy totes were more than I could deal with myself. The heat always surprises us when we arrive and takes awhile to acclimate!

Ethan, Tyler, Jonathan atop the boat

Ed, Ann Marie, Tyler, and Jonathan inside the boat

Tyler and Ethan enjoying the ride and the beauty!

Our totes in the canoe being transported to our home. Amazing they made it from Homer to this remote island in the Philippines!

Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler with more of our "stuff" going to our home

Steve, Jonathan, Ed, Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler arrived in Manila from Puerto that same evening. So good to all be together again and to hear their adventurous stories and see pictures of our new home! What an adventure and they were only out there for a little over a week!

Our house being torn apart

Framing the walls

So much work has been done on the house and the whole team worked so hard to get our home ready for us! Amazing transformation on the interior of the house as they tore out old walls and termite damage, and then replaced it with new walls of wood. I have an amazing kitchen with a double sink and a five burner propane stove top surrounded by shiny tile. The walls have been painted white in the kitchen and dining room. The dining room now has a large table big enough for our family. The bathroom has running water with a flushable toilet, sink, and a shower. We have a room for the girls with plenty of room for bunk beds and a single bed, and a room for the boys with enough room for three beds and whatever else they collect! There is a master bedroom, office/school room, and a large pantry. Looking forward to making our house a home!

Bathroom almost finished

Kitchen being painted...so open and bright

Tyler celebrated his 12th birthday on the island. Tyler loved his gift from Dennis...a local made bolo.

We are spending several weeks in Manila with visa appointments, shopping to be done, meetings, and time spent with the Weissers. We started school today to pass the time and time to be on a schedule! School time is so different, instead of being cold and wearing layers, we sweat and have fans blowing the pages on our books! Always an adventure!

Philippines here we come!

2010-09-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since I last wrote...past time to catch up!

After we returned from our week on the road, we spent the next week and a half finishing packing up the house and then moving out on August 17. We moved to Stacey's parents extra apartment over on the homestead on the Anchor River. What a fun place to spend our last three weeks here in Homer! The kids have enjoyed driving four-wheelers, playing in the river, riding bikes, and just spending time with family. Steve and I were very busy with all the last minute details...more details than we thought possible! We were trying to get the house finished before Steve and the older three kids left, since when they left all my big kids and muscles left too! We almost got the job completed and I just had a little bit to do after they left.

Steve, Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler flew to the Philippines on August 25. It was an exhausting three day trip and they were very relieved to finally arrive on Balabac! Three flights, one van ride, and two boat rides later equals many hours of travel time. A bed surrounded by a mosquito net despite the heat couldn't have looked and felt better!

Steve and the kids went over earlier than the rest of us so that they could get some work done on our house in the Philippines. Two others went along as well to make up a team of six. They have been working long days in the heat to make our home ready for our family. The exterior of the house had some work done to it recently, like a new roof, rotten decking replaced, posts replaced, and a new paint job. The team is there to work on the interior of the house. They have removed a wall in the kitchen and added this island with a stove top to make the living room, dining room and kitchen more open and spacious. I am told that since this picture they have added shelves to the cupboard and tile to the countertop. So they are building cupboards and counters for the kitchen, remodeling the bathroom, plumbing the entire house, and doing some wiring as well. I'm not sure of all that was planned to be worked on, but I know the list was long!

Ann Marie has been working in the kitchen with Jeanie helping to feed the crew. She got to experience baking in the clay oven yesterday making breads and pizza! We will also have a clay oven to do our baking.

I have been getting daily emails from Steve although rather short since they have been working such long days! Here are some excerpts from his emails...
"We did some removal of tenants- a pair of bats, a bee hive."

"Ethan, Tyler and Jonathan went out to the water after lunch, to swim a bit, I think Ethan was not used to that much sun, and was feeling ill last night and this am. I am going to have him rest today and hopefully recover soon."

"We have been working at the house from 7 am to 6 pm, taking off about 2 hours for lunch(includes the walk time). So we have been very busy, and right after dinner, we go to bed. There is so much to do on the house. There is not enough wood for all the interior walls and more will cost quite a bit. Between the kids rooms we may use plywood- it should be fine. Dennis is flying to Brooks Point for plumbing parts. Ed has been a great help. He has done a bit of remodeling houses, so he has some great ideas, and can tell us how to do things."

"The bats are back every morning, so they really are not evicted yet. The bees are very small less than a 1/4 inch, so their sting is just a little pinch. They keep coming back too. We also found some more termite homes. There are only a few walls we have not torn apart."

"The house is coming along, sometimes I don't know if we are getting anywhere. Had to tear out a truss, it was damaged. I had been going around tapping on wood finding damage, this one was major. Then the question was what to do with the room it was connected to; make it part of the master bedroom? I think we will leave as is. The walls won't be too much to take out if we want to later. For the kids rooms we may not have enough wood for the walls, we may buy plywood from Townsite, or use fabric for a divider."

"Ethan is asking if he can work today- he does not feel feverish this am. He slept very good last night. Tyler may go with Dennis today to Townsite to get more epoxy for the tile. I think you may like the kitchen! I am excited about it. Having the dining room, kitchen, and living room as an open L shape seems like a good idea. Dennis really likes it and says you are going to love him for it. It seems we will have lots of room.
We are thinking of having a second toilet/shower outside, under the eaves of the existing bathroom. That will be later if we have time."

"The people noticed, and commented that the kids seem like siblings, they get along well. They commented that Tyler is full of energy! Wait till they see Adams!"

"Ethan helped out at the house yesterday, not working that hard, but walking the .58 mile there is a workout in the heat!(12 min walk.) So we walk just over 2 miles a day to get to and from work."

"The rain forest is just off the right side of the deck as you are looking at the house- you can see it in the picture of the house. I have been watching a flock (5-7birds)of black and white horn-bills flying from tree to tree the last two days. The butterflies are big, numerous, and varied! It is incredible.! Of course with that are the others...lots of large spiders, small and large scorpions! I found a small 1 inch scorpion in the wood stacked in the house. Tyler was cleaning up outside today and found a 4inch one! It rained this am and was cooler-79, but later the sun came out and it was a very muggy 89. Most days are in the high 80's.
Tell Kailee and Alyssum that I think of them when I see the butterflies. And Adams will have so much fun playing with our neighbors. They were having fun in the weeds the last couple of days."

"And I think of you as we work- our house is becoming home."

A week full...

2010-08-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

What a great feeling to come home after a week on the road! But then our very next thought was "this will not be home for long". That thought is both exciting and sad all mixed together.

We drove up to Wasilla a week ago Saturday, loaded down with camping gear, display table for Sunday speaking, enough clothes for the various things we were doing, and whatever else we couldn't live without. Loading up for a week was difficult, how are we going to make it packing up to MOVE!?! I know we will, but some days it just seems monumental!

For our few days in Wasilla we stayed with our friends, Joe and Jennifer Germain and their 7 kids. It was fun to reunite with them amidst the church speaking appointments, shopping, and cooking for our large crew.

Sunday was our speaking day for Church on the Rock Wasilla and Talkeetna with three services in Wasilla and an evening service in Talkeetna. We were given 5 minute spots for each service to be able to share what we will be doing in the Philippines, and we also set up our display table which gave people an opportunity to visit with us and sign up for our newsletter. It was a great day of connecting with many people! We were exhausted by the end of the day when we finally rolled into the Germains driveway at 11pm, but a rewarding day as well.

Monday and Tuesday were spent hanging out with our friends and doing some shopping for things to take with us to the Philippines. Wednesday morning we headed to Anchorage for Adams orthodontist appointment...we have been given a two year window before he will need his next surgery. His appointment was less than an hour, then we stopped at a few stores before getting on the highway once again...next stop, Hidden Lake.

So Wednesday through Saturday we camped at Hidden Lake enjoying the sunshine when it appeared and dodging raindrops in between the sunshine. Warren and Ellirene Miller and kids joined us Thursday morning, Joe and Jenn and kids came Thursday afternoon, and my dad showed up on his motorcycle Thursday evening. Thursday was a beautiful sunny day and the kids enjoyed some time in the lake. Riding bikes and hiking on the rocks is always fun too. For our evening fun we played a game of kickball with kids and adults. Dough boys over the fire has also become a Hidden Lake camping tradition.

Friday was wet and soggy. More tarps went up to make our camping experience more enjoyable! Playing in the lake, rain or shine was what the kids wanted to do, since I guess the temperature doesn't change a whole lot whether the clouds are dropping raindrops or not. The kids warmed up by the fire and some played card games to pass the time. Friday evening the rain stopped long enough for a hike on Burney's Trail to enjoy the view of Hidden Lake and Skilak Lake as the sun was beginning to set.

Thankfully Saturday morning was void of rain as we packed up all our camping gear. The raindrops just started falling as we rolled out of the campground. Another summer of camping at Hidden Lake under our belts and maybe this camping trip was cherished even more as moving to the Philippines is right around the corner. So thankful for wonderful memories of all that we hold dear here in Alaska...those memories will be loved and cherished when we are so far away on an unfamiliar island. Now back to the packing and finishing up all those last minute items!


Veldstra and Germain kids overlooking Hidden Lake


"Ahhh, mosquitoes are bad!" Except Tyler who had mosquito dope on!

"Ok, hurry up, take that picture quick!!"

Birthdays!

2010-07-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

Steve is 40!! And my dad, Allen Engebretsen, is now 60!! We celebrated these milestones in style with about eighty family members and friends. It was a beautiful wonderfully warm sunny day as we celebrated on the North Fork Homestead. We have had so many cold rainy days that it was an amazing miracle to have a nice day for our party. What a blessing!

Family and friends visiting around the picnic tables.


Steve visiting with Kevin Moyer

Theresa with her parents who were visiting from Arizona.

Eric driving and giving the kids a ride in my dad's Willy's Jeep!

Our family celebrating Steve's and my dad's birthdays!

Moving Sale and Bake Sale

2010-07-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy week of finishing up sorting and getting ready for the Moving Sale this weekend. Kathy came on Wednesday to help get things set up and priced, and then Theresa came on Thursday to do more of the same. I was so grateful for their help and it made the job a lot more fun! Wednesday and Thursday afternoon we also did some baking for the bake sale.

Friday morning started bright and early so that I could make fresh hot cinnamon twists for the kids to sell (kind of like a cinnamon roll except twisted dough). Our Moving Sale went from 9-3 on Friday and Saturday. On Friday we were very busy with people coming right at 9. We didn't have very many slow moments on Friday except maybe 10 minutes right around lunch time. By 3 we were all exhausted and ready to just relax , but the kids had sold out of most of their baked goods so back to the kitchen we went! We rearranged some of the items for sale and found more things to sell.

Saturday morning started early once again as we wanted more hot cinnamon twists to sell. The morning started out a little slower, but eventually picked up despite the rain. Thankfully we had chosen to have an indoor sale so we were able to have it rain or shine. Although the kids had their bake sale stand outside so they had to put up a tarp when the rain started falling. We ended up selling most of what we had for sale and the kids did great on their bake sale fundraiser...they made about $140!

The kids' enthusiasm for raising some money to get us to the Philippines was amazing. Tyler had this idea over a year ago of making a food stand. Last summer he built a store front and they planned a menu of items to sell. We had to modify the menu slightly, but they had such a great plan and were wonderful salesmen and women! All 6 of our kids worked hard and helped out anywhere that was needed...they are such great hard workers. And we had so much fun doing it together!

Veldstra Family

2010-07-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

Recently we celebrated Marcia's 60th Birthday with all of her kids and grandkids present and accounted for! Many of us will soon be scattered around the globe so we needed to have everyone together one more time.

Al and Marcia (Steve's parents)

Veldstra kids...Steve, Jason, Irene, Joshua, Jessica

Veldstra grandkids...

(top)Kendrick, Daniel, Atticus, Patrick, (middle)Ann Marie, Rebekah, Cedrick, Adams, Ethan, (bottom)Tyler, Alyssum, Angelena, Anneka, Talia, Kailee

Steve, Stacey, and kids

Irene and kids...Anneka, Atticus, Angelena

Jason and kids...Patrick, Daniel, Rebekah, Talia

Mike, Jessica, and boys...Kendrick, Cedrick

Joshua and BreAnn

Thanks Joshua for the great family photos!

Village VBS

2010-07-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

Ethan is off helping with Village VBS(Vacation Bible School) in two Alaskan villages for two weeks. He also went last summer and thoroughly enjoyed his time out in the villages with the kids, helping the Buckwalters, and getting to fly in a small plane! So since he enjoyed it so much, he gladly volunteered for this summer as well!

Last week they taught VBS in the village of Perryville. Ethan was a few days late as he and Dan Buckwalter got caught here in Homer with bad weather. Ethan had his bag packed by Saturday evening, but they didn't get to fly out until Thursday morning. The wait was a little difficult for all of us, but Ethan did great at finding things to do around here until that phone rang!

This week Ethan is in the village of Pilot Point. Helen said they have ten kids joining them each day...that ought to keep them hopping! We look forward to hearing Ethan's stories when he returns...hopefully by the end of the week! Please be praying they have good weather to fly home!

Hidden Lake in June

2010-07-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

Every summer we embark on our annual camping trip to Hidden Lake! It is a highlight of the year and the memories are talked about for the entire year. Hidden Lake is a beautiful camp ground in the mountains up near Skilak Lake. We usually make one trip to Hidden Lake in a summer, but this year we decided to go in June as well as July.

So a couple weeks ago we loaded up our aging camp trailer with sleeping bags, tents (for the kids), backpacks of clothes, a couple small inflatable boats, bikes, and plenty of food! As you can imagine the poor trailer was bulging and threatening to collapse on the drive up the road. We love our trailer even though it has seen better days! It began it's life some 35 years ago...but the price was right and we sure enjoy using it for our camping adventures.

My dad and mom came along to camp with us, and Omega Weisser also got to join in the fun. It was a memorable weekend of spending time with grandparents for the kids. Isn't it amazing when time is short with those you love, you value that time even more? (Hard to believe we are moving to the Philippines in two shorts months.)

We had lots of fun riding bikes, playing a game of kickball, taking walks, playing on the water in the boats, and plenty of eating around the campfire! Evenings are long as the sun never seems to set, but gives us plenty of time to laugh and play!

Ann Marie's Celebration!

2010-06-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

Ann Marie's adoption day also comes in June. She and I celebrated by going out to Sourdough's for lunch on Saturday. We had fun amidst the throng of tourists coming to Homer! What a different town Homer becomes in the summer!

Ann Marie and Adams were adopted at the same time in Sierra Leone although they had different court dates for their adoptions. Ann Marie is our last adoption, although she is our oldest child! She was introduced to us in December of 2004 and both kids were able to come home in November of 2005.

During our time in Sierra Leone we were able to spend quite a bit of time with Ann Marie's extended family in the small fishing village where she was born. We enjoyed being able to take her back to her village of birth, discover the house where she was born, and be amazed by the beauty of the area! We took several trips out to this area and look back on those time with such great memories.

Ann Marie was 13 years old when she joined our family. This could have been a difficult age to transition to a new family, new country, new schooling, and just a new life in general; but Ann Marie adjusted so well and seemed to take all the new changes in stride. We knew she missed her family and country, but she was determined to find her place with us. God has done amazing things in this young lady's life, and for that we are all so grateful! We are so blessed to call Ann Marie our daughter!

Homestead

2010-06-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

We took our picnic dinner over to the Engebretsen Homestead last week and then took a walk on a path beside the river. Our new friends, the Moyer family, joined us for the evening. My mom and dad have now lived on the homestead property for three years and we enjoy getting to spend the time at their place beside the river.

The Anchor River is a busy place for many animals that like to feast on the bounty of the river. In the winter the river bottom is a haven for "herds" of moose...my parents have often seen 15 moose together feeding on the willow along the river. For the summer months, the moose move to higher ground while the bears and various other animals inhabit the area. The eagles nest in the large cottonwood that grow along the rivers edge, and there are many different types of ducks float the river. We saw quite an array of tracks on the edge of the river...

Down the river there is a rope bridge that beckons us when we walk along the river...

Why does a winding river hold so much intrigue? It is like a magnet pulling us in...to wade in its icy pools, to catch minnows, to build dams along the edge, to cast a hook into its depths and hope for a trout, or just to amble along its banks...whatever it may be, the river lures us all in. What a treasure to behold!

Summer BBQ's

2010-06-21T23:15:00.000-07:00

Our summer tradition of Sunday evening BBQ's in our yard has begun once again. All winter long we look forward to these times of good fellowship around the fire pit and the laughter of many children in our yard during the summer months.

A couple weeks ago on a Sunday evening the younger kids and a couple "big kids" had gunny sack races up and down the lawn. The younger kids never did tire of the races, but they sure wore out the older ones!

We sure are going to miss this great summer tradition, but we will cherish each moment we share with family and friends this summer. Come join us around the picnic table on a Sunday evening...we would love to have you join us!

Adams' Adoption Day

2010-06-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

June is another busy month for adoptions in our family! Adams adoption day is June 6. He could hardly wait until it was his turn to go out to lunch with mom or dad. Lunch at Duncan House with dad was fun and yummy!

Five years ago I was in Sierra Leone wading through the red tape of adoption in a country that was on the brink of closing down its international adoption program. Despite the difficulties of getting our time in court I loved my time in Sierra Leone...getting to know Adams extended family that loved him dearly.

After our day in court we had to wait for visa approval which had a history of being a very long process, sometimes taking up to six months or more. So I went home without my kids, but hoping to return soon.

In September of that same year I returned to Sierra Leone to spend time with my new kids in their country, get to know their extended families even more, and to see if we could push a little on getting their visas. What a wonderful time we had in their birth country for two months! Some of it was frustrating since we were just waiting and waiting...and we really wanted to be all together as a family of eight back in Alaska! But it was also a time of bonding and getting to know our newest additions.

Adams was almost three years old and absolutely fearless! For instance, he had never gone swimming in either a pool or the ocean, but while I was there he experienced both. He showed no fear whatsoever as he jumped off the side of the pool...and he didn't want mom to catch him! No way!! That pool was about three feet deep and he could jump off the side and manage to keep his balance with his toes on the bottom and his nose above the water. His fearlessness scared so many of us in those first few months! He still has those same fearless qualities and a zest for life that is unmatched by many!

We are so thankful for our fearless little boy...our family has forever been changed by our African boy with his charming smile and exuberant nature!

Planting time

2010-06-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again...time to plant the garden! Hopefully the last frost is in the past and our newly planted garden will grow in the warmth of the Alaskan summer sun. Saturday was garden planting day, and what a beautiful day it was! We planted potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, romanesko, carrots, lettuce, radishes, swiss chard, zucchini, yellow squash, and various herbs.

The kids are such great helpers and they love getting their hands in the soil...just like Steve! With so many hands the work is easy.

Since we are going to be moving before the harvest season is over, we invited Danny and Kassy to help with the garden this summer and enjoy the harvest in the fall. Danny, Kassy, and their two boys will be renting our house while we are in the Philippines. So they came to help us plant...

Once the planting is finished then there is plenty of watering to do. Saturday was a rather warm day for planting so those little plants needed lots of moisture. Kassy and I will be working together at keeping the garden watered and weeded, along with the help of the kids... Summertime is so much fun and the many things that keep us so busy!

Quilting

2010-05-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

How about quilting the winter away and getting school credit for a job well done? Ann Marie and Kailee each took on a quilting project for the second semester of school and recently completed their individual quilts.

My mom was their sewing teacher and she did such a great job of teaching the girls how to sew. They chose their fabric colors and got busy measuring a grid on their different fabric colors. A grid of six squares with each divided to make 12 triangles. A grid makes quick work of creating lots of triangles and squares!

Ann Marie's quilt is for a twin size bed with a flying geese pattern, made from bright batik fabric. She spent about 60 hours making her quilt.

Kailee's quilt is a lap size quilt with a diamond pattern. She spent about 35 hours working on her quilt.
Great job girls! And thanks Grandma for helping them complete such wonderful quilts that they will have for many years to come!

Across the Bay

2010-05-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

With such beautiful weather we just had to take a boat ride across the bay! We met up with my parents at the harbor to load up on their boat the MoJo and head out. Dad's boats are always a quick ride across the bay. My kids no longer think it's fun to motor slowly across the bay, they've been spoiled with the fast Bay Weld boats!

Black bears are usually rather easy to spot in the spring in Sadie Cove, so we went there first to see if we could find any...none to be seen today. But we did spot several mountain goats high up on the mountain side. A small white dot on a dark background isn't too hard to find and then binoculars bring them into full view. We saw several eagles and an otter too.

We cruised out of Sadie Cove and around the corner into Tutka Bay. I am always amazed at the many bays and coves on the other side of the bay from Homer. No wonder so many people find that area irresistible for a summer home or getaway. It is absolutely breathtaking in between the mountain peaks! And the depths in those valleys are amazing...the depth finder on the boat read 220ft and from shore to shore was only about 1/4 mile.

We meandered up into the bay and stopped at a beach with a cabin just up in the woods. Some friends of my parents own a little property and are busy clearing trees and getting the land ready for a house and shop. Their friends live in Anchorage and are down for the weekend, so we stopped in to say "hi" and look around.

The kids had a lot of fun combing the beach for shells, and searching the edge of the water for starfish and jellyfish. Our study this year of swimming creatures makes going to the beach a lot of fun...knowing so much better what all those creatures are and how they live makes beach combing that much more enjoyable! The first thing the kids picked up was a rock with several barnacles and other creatures attached to it...all attached with God's super glue! You ever try to remove something like that without destroying it...nearly impossible.

They also found several small jellyfish and caught one in a cup, careful not to let its long tentacles touch them! Such interesting creatures as they move in the water. The kids observed the jellyfish for awhile and then let it go.

The sun was still shining bright as we cruised across the bay back to Homer. An otter seemed to wave to us as we passed by! We arrived back in the harbor as the sun was getting lower in the sky(10:30)...what a beautiful warm glow of the late evening sun!

Dad and mom...thanks so much for the wonderful evening of a treasured boat ride across the bay!

Visitors

2010-05-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

We always look forward to these visitors in our yard each spring! Cow moose and two newborn calves came wandering through our yard. The calves must have been born nearby since mama moose doesn't take them too far at first. The calves' legs were wobbly as they stood beside their mother. Such cute little moose...if you can call a moose cute!?! They stayed in our yard for several hours eating fresh green grass while keeping an eye on the noisy kids and workers nearby. They eventually ambled across the lawn and down the road, as though saying, "Thanks for the grass, we'll see ya later!"

Master Designer

2010-05-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

Science continues to be one of our favorite subjects as this year we are learning about Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day. We have enjoyed learning in depth about whales, seals and sea cows, various types of fish, sharks and rays, crustaceans, mollusks, and cephalopods. Recently we were studying about the many different kinds of mollusks. Too bad Alaska's beaches don't have a more interesting variety of shells to offer.

We talked about the mollusks we have seen on our beaches here, but then when we finished our chapter that not only talked about clams and mussels but also whelks, conchs, winkles, moon snails, cowries, wentletraps, and more, I remembered a bag of shells that I had stashed away. I thought it would take a bit of searching, but I found it easily.

Never would I have dreamed of the treasures that small bag would hold! All the mollusks we had discussed in science were in that bag! I am continually amazed at how God surprises us! What seems so small and insignificant as a science lesson, yet He cares about even those things. He wants us to see that He is the Creator and Designer of all. Nothing happened by chance, but there is a Master Designer of every living creature great and small.

The cup of small shells came from an island near Davao, Philippines. The large nautilus and other shells came from the Palawan Islands, Philippines.

Adoption Day!

2010-05-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

April is a busy month for adoptions in our family! Alyssum's adoption was the end of April and we celebrated by her and I going out for lunch. She couldn't wait to go to Glacier Drive In...a spring/summer time favorite of most in Homer!

Alyssum's adoption was a whirlwind experience! We found her photo on a waiting child list on-line in December and by April she was ready to come home! Steve and I traveled to Korea for just six days to see the sights of Seoul and to bring Alyssum home. She was the cutest bundle at 13 months old with so much wavy black hair. Her adjustment to our family was a little more difficult since she was a little older, but within a few weeks she was adjusting well. Alyssum had lived with a foster family and enjoyed her foster father, so whenever Steve came home from work she wanted his attention. When she was sitting on his lap she would put her ear to his watch...she was listening for the tick-tick of his watch! Too bad he had a digital watch! Obviously this was something she had done many times before!

Korean adoptions are not completed in country, but six months later in the United States. These pictures are from her adoption here in Homer and the celebration we had to follow with family and friends. We all enjoyed the delicious Korean food!

Alyssum has now been part of our family for seven years! So hard to believe its been that long and yet we look at our beautiful Korean daughter and see how she's growing into an amazing young lady! We are so thankful that God brought her into our lives!

Open House

2010-05-01T23:53:00.000-07:00

As a homeschool family we don't get an opportunity to show off what we are learning very often, but this year we decided to put together an Open House with a couple other homeschool families, the Millers and the Sochas. The kids all had a lot of fun displaying their talents to family and friends and the kids really enjoyed getting ready for their big night!

We began the evening with a Piano recital as five of our kids are taking piano lessons. Alyssum was so excited to finally get to play in her first recital! So our five plus three others played a couple songs each for the piano recital.

Then we had several memorized pieces to be shared. The Millers did a fun "rap" rendition of Ecclesiastes 3..."A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot..." Our kids shared their Bible memorization of Psalm 8..."O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth..." We enjoy memorizing and putting motions to our words. We have done several simpler texts this year so as to include the younger kids.

Lego Robotics demonstration came at the end and was done by Ethan, Tyler, Jayce, and Jacob. The boys worked hard for many months this winter and even though they didn't get to go to the state competition, they still had a lot of fun and learned so much. They each learned how to build a functioning robot and then programed the robot to accomplish various tasks. Programming turned out to be much more challenging than anyone thought! Like I said, we all learned a lot!!

Part of the Open House was displaying craft projects from this year. Ann Marie and Kailee got the opportunity to show off their quilts! The quilts are not quite finished as they need to put the binding around the edge. They have worked so hard on their masterpieces and the finished product is quite inspiring!

Signs of Spring...

2010-04-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

Mud, mud, mud, and more mud!
Longer days as we now have daylight from 6am to 10pm.
Melting snow uncovering anything that was left on the ground last fall.
Bike rides with my kids down the Old Sterling.
A pair of Sandhill cranes in our yard, letting us know of their presence.
Snowshoe hare in our yard, its winter coat is changing.
The woods have come alive with the songs of many returning birds.
A pair of Mallard ducks on the pond.
Red breasted robins in the trees, singing their songs.
No more snow pants or snow boots.
Now the kids are wearing rubber boots and sweatshirts.
Garden plants started in the windows in the house.
So hard for everyone to stay focused on school.
Eagles soaring overhead, looking for a place to nest.
Jump ropes, baseball mitts and balls, and bikes...

We love spring and the newness of life it brings!

Adoption Celebration

2010-04-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kailee's 9th Adoption Day on Monday, April 19. She got to do one of her favorite things...go out to lunch with Dad! We have done different things over the years to celebrate and remember each child's adoption, but the favorite is to go out to lunch.

Tonight we were watching some video footage of meeting Kailee for the first time in Vietnam. Such a sweet little baby girl! We had to make two trips to Vietnam to complete the adoption. For the first trip Marcia(mother-in-law), my mom(Linda), and I traveled to Vietnam for nine days. It was an exciting trip of discovering Vietnam... new foods, new people, and new experiences. We stayed in a beautiful, but extremely narrow hotel(20ft wide) that often saw adoptive families with new babies. I only got to hold my new baby once on this first trip as she was staying in a city three hours away. So most of our time was spent sightseeing in Hanoi.

One month after returning home, we got a call that our paperwork was complete and we could now make our second trip to Vietnam to bring home our baby girl. Steve and I left Ethan and Tyler at home with family as we spent three weeks in Vietnam to complete Kailee's adoption. We picked her up within a couple days of arriving in Hanoi and got to enjoy our new baby as we discovered Hanoi together.

It is so fun to be able to share our memories and love of Vietnam with her now. It is so hard to imagine our tall, English speaking, Alaskan/American girl growing up in a remote village in Vietnam! What a picture that paints in my mind!! We are so thankful for Kailee and that God placed her in our home, family, and our hearts! We love you, Kailee!

House full!

2010-04-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

Thirteen kids plus four parents equals lots of fun!! Our friends, Joe and Jennifer Germain and seven kids, came down to Homer last week. Their oldest four and our oldest four had SBA testing with Connections for three days last week, so they came down to spend the week as the kids had a couple hours of testing each day. While the older ones were testing, Alyssum and Adams had lots of fun with their youngest three! They didn't have to do school so they thought it was a great break.

It had been almost two years since they had been back to Alaska so it was fun to see how much the kids had all changed. Amazing how quickly the kids grow up! The house feels a smaller now with that many big kids! Legos, games, dolls, movies, outside time, lots of food, and plenty of laughter filled our week!

Joe and Jenn and kids spent almost three years in the Philippines and with that time comes lots of valuable experiences for us to learn from...gardening, raising rabbits, chickens, and goats, feeding their large family in a different country, learning a new language, setting up a house in a village setting, and many more. Our kids were comparing Tagalog with the language the Germains learned, Cebuano...some similarities and many differences, but it's always fun to try a new language on someone else that may know a few words!

It was a fun week and we look forward to seeing them a little more often this summer!

Spring time in Alaska...

2010-04-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

The snow is melting and the snow is falling...all at the same time! With the warm sunshine each day we decided to save a few dollars and hang out some laundry. Not so sure that getting snowed on is going to save us much! We love the warmer days and the lengthening daylight. With the warmth you can almost watch the snow melt each day. Ethan and Tyler have digging ditches jobs everyday as they try to make the melting snow head off into the ditch and not create huge puddles in the yard and driveway.

This morning, Easter Sunday, we woke to gently falling snow. Hmmm, snowboots and Easter dresses just don't seem to be a great combination! Oh well, I guess instead of spring bringing new life, spring in Alaska brings the cleanness of new fallen snow.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Happy Birthday Alyssum!

2010-04-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Alyssum had a fun birthday with family and friends! She is a big eight year old now! Cousin Katelyn and friend Amanda came over for a slumber party. Alyssum has a new love...penguins! So I made a fun penguin cake for her birthday...

Since it was so close to Easter we colored eggs as birthday party fun! It was fun and we have some beautiful colored eggs...but oh what a lot of eggs and dye. Alyssum got some wonderful gifts from family and friends, including a few stuffed penguins, penguin stickers, Legos, art supplies, books, collector coins, and plenty of candy from her siblings!

She also got penguin fabric to make pajama shorts with Grandma. And Grandma gave her a matching penguin lap quilt. Alyssum was thrilled with her penguin stuff! What a fun birthday for a sweet special little girl!!

Learning at its best!

2010-03-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Ann Marie are doing a research paper for their writing class with Aunt Theresa. Ethan chose NASA as his topic. We found a great documentary by the Discovery Channel called "When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions". Everyone has learned so much about the history of NASA and space exploration! I love it when the kids learn and they don't even know it!

Drawings of men on the moon, rockets, space shuttles, and the earth rising above the moon are appearing all over the house! Paper tube rockets and space shuttles are decorating each shelf! Kailee, Alyssum, and Adams were also very creative and found astronaut costumes...

Ethan rediscovered the rockets that were in his closet which sparked an interest in everyone to blast off rockets! Ethan and Tyler cruised through the Estes rockets website to see what they could find. We made a quick trip to Anchorage this week and while we were there made a stop at the hobby shop to load up on rockets and engines for everyone. Friday night movie was ousted by building rockets...

Steve has had alot of fun helping the kids, big and little, with their rockets. He takes a trip down memory lane as he tells them stories of his rockets!

Launch day was set for today, Saturday! A snowy muskeg works great as a launch area...5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!!

More of the white stuff!!

2010-03-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

And the snow just keeps on coming!! I think the weather man is making up for lost time in giving us the snow we were supposed to get earlier this year...and he is giving it all to us in a week. We certainly didn't want to feel left out of winter by not getting the snow we most certainly needed!! Well, something like that anyway!!

We all must admit it is absolutely beautiful outside as we watch the gently falling snow or even to watch a blizzard come up all of a sudden. We are always so thankful for a warm house and heat when the weather turns cold and nasty! We have had extreme temperature changes from 40 down to -14 and still the snow kept coming. Even Ann Marie had to admit the deep snow was a lot of fun as the kids all went diving into the deep powder...

Happy Birthday Ann Marie!!

2010-03-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

She's 18!! Ann Marie's birthday was on Wednesday so we had a family birthday party that evening with ice cream and presents from us. Then on Friday evening we had a birthday party with extended family and friends! It was an evening of fun and laughter!!

Can't believe she's 18...seems like it hasn't been that long ago since I met Ann Marie for the first time in Sierra Leone when she had just turned 13! Wow!! We love you, Ann Marie...our beautiful African daughter!!

Snow, snow, snow!!

2010-03-09T23:46:00.000-08:00

Winter wonderland has arrived for our kids! They are having so much fun in the snow! They are a little crazy though...they all seem to think that plowing the snow is THE MOST fun thing in the world to do! So Ethan fixed up their four-wheeler so his younger siblings could all ride along as they plow the driveway. I told them with this contraption they look a little like the Beverly Hillbillies!!