Ian's determined spirit.....

Just before heading off to church today I decided to try to take a picture of the kiddos, since they were looking cute.  It ended up being a well photographed and pretty humorous example of an aspect of our little boy Ian's personality.

So right when we got out the door and I tried to get Elise and Ian to stand there for a photo, Ian caught a glimpse of the playground and that was it.  He decided he was going there, and nobody was going to stop him!  Definitely not big sis.

There he is charging off to the playground.

Oh well, so I will just take a picture of Elise.  Good job, Elise!

His mood while he was marching and drawing near to the playground was remarkably opposite from his mood a few seconds ago when we were trying to get him to stand there for a picture.

Yep, happy to reach that playground.  And he always enjoys a ride on the swing!  Too bad we had to leave for church like three minutes later!

Earlier in the morning, Elise and I made french toast (Granny Robin french toast to be exact).  It is sort of a weekend tradition.  Elise loves to help make it, and we all enjoy eating it!  Sometimes its the little things that make life fun!

Here's a quick look at where we live in Sentani, Papua.  We live right across the street from the airport.  It's no little airport either, we hear big planes taking off all day!  That sound is like music to my ears after a whole year in Java, hardly ever seeing an airplane there.

Infront of one of MAF's Kodiaks.  This is the airplane I will be learning to fly soon!

A sort of afternoon ritual of ours, after I get off work at MAF, is for me to grab the kids and go across the street to see the airplanes....or as Ian likes to call them, the "Prrrwwww's".  Actually we all call them that now.  It pleases my heart that my kids echo my excitement to go see the airplanes.  Elise asks every day!    It also gives Heather a welcome few moments of peace and quiet, and space to work on dinner.

A few Saturdays ago we went on a little adventure with our friends Daniel and Joy (the same ones we went to the beach with).  This one was local, we drove around Sentani and saw some outlying neighborhoods and villages.  So in the background is the beautiful mountain that our home is close to....it's very beautiful here!

Here is the huge playground that is right outside our front door.  Elise runs over there every day and plays with her new friends.  We head out there with Ian sometimes and he always goes straight for the dirt!  What a blessing that playground is.  There's a good sized field and a basketball court on the other side that many of us end up hanging out on in the afternoons, throwing frisbee etc.

They had a welcome potluck for us the Sunday after we got here.

Below is the album i pulled those photos from, with lots more.  Near the end of the album (it goes backwards in time)....are pictures we took with some neighbors and friends from Java before we left.  We saw those the other night for the first time and it made us a little sad thinking about our friends back there!

Link to Photo Album for Ipad users

Last week I underwent training on MAF's inspection procedures and got to help with my first inspection.  About mid-way through the week, I learned the airplane we were inspecting was the same airplane that MAF sent to Haiti to help with earthquake relief when the big earthquake happened a couple years ago (in the picture above).  It spent hundreds of hours transporting people from Port-Au-Prince to places where they could get better medical care.  Before it was just an airplane to me, but after learning that I was sort of in awe to think of all the people in Haiti whose lives have already been changed for the better through the use of this airplane!

To market to market!

Well Elise and I had a little un-planned adventure yesterday.  While Heather was home with a napping Ian, we were sent off on an errand to find a "fruit stand" and buy some fruit.  As we drove through our new town....no fruit stands caught our eyes  (yes Elise was looking out for them too!). So near the "end of the line"....all the way down on the other end of town, was the "Pasar" AKA open air market.




(I added this photo after writing this blog entry....it is of a different pasar here in Sentani....yes there are two!  But it's the same general idea....lots of people sitting around ready to sell you things)

Back in Salatiga, there was a Pasar, but we hardly ever went because there were other, less "scary"  grocery store type places to shop at.  So far, I dont know really where to get fruits and veggies here besides this pasar place, or maybe a mythical fruit-stand.  So Elise and I went ahead and went to the pasar!

Unfortunately I violated my "always carry the camera" rule!  So there's no pictures to share (maybe another day!).  But Elise and I almost thoroughly explored this new strange place.  Almost immediately, we walked by the tables with fish laying on them, and beef and chicken "Elise hold your breath!!"...we would walk by somewhat quickly.  People were fervently fanning the dead fish with leaves to keep the flies off.  Eventually we made it to the back side of the Pasar where it seemed most of the ladies who were selling fruits and veggies were sitting.  We "negotiated" a few bunches of bananas for dua puluh lima ribu rupiah (twenty five thousand Rupiah, or about two and a half dollars)  (Confession...I am a horrible negotiator and feel bad doing it...and unless the price seems horribly high, Im a sucker and I just pay it!).

We found lots of people selling tropical fruit.  We paid 30,000 rupiah for two pineapples (three dollars)....have we mentioned how heavenly the pineapples are here!  I may have over-paid on those....especially seeing as we have about thirty growing in our yard right now!  We picked up some papaya and "mangga".....is it the same thing as Mango?  I should know that by now, but it's yummy!  We got Elise a balloon from the balloon guy on the way out, holding our breath in a few more places.  We dropped off our heavy load in the car, then went back one more time for eggs.  They sell eggs in huge cartons that hold about a couple dozen eggs.  What's amazing is there is no top.  But they grab another carton and some string, and do some magic with that string, and turn it into a little carrying case that you can carry vertically!  (Have I mentioned Indonesians can do amazing things with string?)

On the way out, I praised Elise for doing such a good job, because she really did.  She just sort of took things in and never complained.  And I asked her.....so Elise, what did you think of the Pasar?  She smiled and crinkled her nose and said  "It was STINKY!"  "But did you have fun?"   "Yes, I did have fun!"

Today was a lot of fun.  Being it a major national holiday today, the whole country was "shut down" pretty much.  So we took advantage and went to the beach!  We went with our good friends, Daniel and Joy and their baby Zoe.  It was a short drive to the boat dock, then we boarded this boat for a half hour ride across the bay to an amazingly beautiful and rather remote beach.

Yes by American standards, the boat was a little rickety.  But it was very fun.  We all enjoyed our day, Elise and Ian included.  Maby one of the more fun little surprises was that we learned on this trip that the Papuans, like the people back in Java, absolutely love kids and babies too.  We had many people stop and play with our kids and take pictures with them.  How fun!  There were a couple little girls that hung around almost the whole time playing with Ian, Elise and Zoe.

Daniel, Joy and Zoe

180 degree shot of the beach  (If you come visit we promise to take you!)

Our boat and the guy and his son that drove it.

Zoe and Joy

Kids pose with Ian

Some young Papuan girls hang out with Joy

This little girl, Ellen, played with our kids almost the whole time we were there.

Ian is just in his element anytime he is playing in sand or dirt.

Hmm, should I go with the sandwich, or the cliff bar?

Some of the many folks who wanted a picture with our kiddos.

Hilarious.

A family asks for a picture with Joy and Zoe

Family shot on the boat ride!

Elise and Ian had a blast playing in the sand.

Zoe did too!