Christmas break was full of relaxing, special time with each other and friends, and a great, memorable trip to Thailand. We decided to spend the first few days of break in Jakarta and we were so glad we did. It was nice to chill at home after a busy few weeks at school. We also got to enjoy a special Christmas Eve service with our sweet church family- and the Trammell's (Chris' parents) were here visiting so we got to see them. On Christmas morning after we celebrated with some small gifts and stockings, we headed to visit Thailand with our friends Mike, Meg, Stephen, and Madi. It was such a fun trip. We saw some beautiful temples, had some yummy food, stayed in the middle of the mountains in a bungalow, and rode some elephants. It was definitely a memorable Christmas!!
{check out tons more pics on Facebook if you haven't seen them already}
After we got back from Thailand, we had a few days to rest and unpack and then Lauren arrived!!! It was such a sweet time with her. She was able to stay here for about a month so she really got to experience life with us which was so special. She spent plenty of time walking around Kemang with us, coming into school to spend time with my students (they really loved her), watched some basketball games, hung out with our friends, and we spent lots of time hanging out together at home. Besides just hanging out in our area, we were able to take a special trip to a nearby(ish) city called Bandung for La's birthday. We stayed in a cute hotel, saw the area, and visited the popular volcano there. It was so much fun- and really memorable. The time Lauren got to spend with us will always have a special place in my heart. I am so thankful she was able to come. What a blessing!!
Thinking back, it really feels like just yesterday Lauren was here. February has flown by! I can NOT believe next week is the last week of the month. We have been crazy busy with lots of different things. School is super busy for Erik especially. A few weeks ago, Erik's basketball team finished up the official season with the league we joined this year. The boys did a great job and ended up placing 5th in the league- which is great considering this is our first year participating in the league- the team has come so far! Even though the official season has ended, the boys (and other sports teams) are still practicing and playing games that are usually organized and put together by Erik (lots of work and details). So, Erik definitely stays busy with planning and organizing all of that stuff and also teaching PE classes on top of that. In Grade 1, we have been busy with reading month (fun special events and dress up days), Valentine's day fun, and other random fun stuff. My kiddos have been 1st grade for more than half of the year now, so they are closer to 2nd grade than they are to Kindergarten anymore, and I can really see their growth! :) Even though we both stay busy with school stuff, and it can be easy to complain about it, we both love our jobs and God is doing awesome things in our school and in the lives of our students and we are so thankful to be a part of it!
And of course another HUGE part of the last few months has been the amazing fact that I am carrying a human being in my belly! :) :) It is such an exciting time and we still really can't believe it's real. When we saw the little shrimp for the first time, we were both elated. What an awesome thing to experience. We also got to hear the heartbeat and we saw it move around. I am about 13 weeks now, and we love keeping up with how the baby is growing inside of me - right now baby is about the size of a plum. So much fun and an amazing miracle to be a part of! The most fun was telling my kiddos, they were SO excited for me.
As Erik and I begin to think about having a family, and moving back to the States, it is an exciting and sweet time. But at the same time a little scary and sad. It's weird thinking about having less than 4 months left here and if it's anything like the last few months, I have a feeling it's going to fly by. In April, we are going on a trip with the high school art students to Europe (we are SO excited). It will be our last big holiday and we are very much looking forward to it- and how special that we get to spend it with each other and students - in EUROPE! :) We are still praying hard about where God wants us to be when we move back to the States. Erik is in the process now of searching and applying for jobs. So please join us in praying that we would have wisdom and that God would lead us. It's a little scary not knowing exactly where we are going to be, especially since we have a baby to think about. But we are trusting (most of the time, haha) and we are super excited to see what God is going to do.
Well, I think that's about it for now. Thanks for sticking with me until here - and thanks as always for your prayers, love and encouragement. We love you all!
Bye for now <3
