Student-Led Conferences

The kids had student-led conferences today as opposed to parent-teacher conferences.  We showed up at 7:30 am for the Kindergarten Lion King performance.  Then Audrey showed us her portfolio and took us to see what she had been doing in her specialist classes.  After Audrey’s turn, it was Joseph’s turn.  We finally left school at 12:30pm!  The student-led conferences are an interesting idea, but 5 hours later, I was really thinking that I like the old school parent-teacher conferences better.  I should just be thankful that my kids love school so much. Joseph said, “this is the best student-led conference day ever!”.  He also said, “I wish I could stay in second grade forever!”. 

The international school that the kids attend really is just a great school.   For the Lion King performance, the kindergarten kids had also helped plan and make the backdrop.  They spent months preparing for their performance. They did a great job. 

I love how the school teaches creativity.  In Audrey’s class they had made a jungle.  It was a little area that was made out of paper, yarn, and cardboard.  The kids had decorated it with hand-made animals and birds.  Audrey said she made the parrot and the peasant…lol.  I saw the peasant and told her that I think she meant pheasant…ha ha. 

Each kindergarten child made their own Power point presentation to show their parents. Audrey even knew how to make a correction on one of the slides when she saw that she had forgotten to type something. It is pretty impressive.  She showed me a book that she had written all about herself.  Her artwork was also pretty amazing.  Audrey’s art teacher said she loves art and that she is really gifted in art.  Audrey also read me a book.  She could hardly read at the beginning of the school year and now she’s a great reader.

The gym was everyone’s favorite specialist class.  The gym has all sorts of amazing equipment…balance beams, ropes, rock wall, swings, etc. The kids are pretty spoiled at the school.  The music room is also full of amazing instruments.  Joseph learned to play the gamelan this year and asked if he could join the gamelan club next year.

I am just really amazed at all the interesting things the kids are learning about and that they get to do.  Joseph created a book about Minecraft, his favorite computer game.  He also showed me his blog.   The blog entry that he showed me was the one he did about manta rays. He said his favorite unit of inquiry this year was the one on coral reefs.

Joseph’s Bahasa instructor said that he was doing very well and would probably be in the advanced class starting next term.  The funny thing is that we have never heard him speak it.  His teacher showed me a video where he talked all about himself, his likes and dislikes and all sorts of other things, all in Bahasa.  The little dude has been holding out on us.

I really shouldn’t complain about how much time the student-led conferences took this morning.  Really, it was an amazing morning. The kids were just so excited and happy to show me everything that they had done at school.  I was really amazed to see all the things that they had done.  Katelyn even had a great time this morning joining in the various activities. 

 

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Audrey is a cheetah.  She is the second from the end on the first row.

Fun Day

This morning Katelyn had a playdate at a friend’s house.  I had my usual Thursday art class.  After Joseph and Audrey got home from school, we all headed to the mall to get a birthday present for one of Audrey’s friends.  Then we met up with Doss and had passport photos taken since we need them to apply for visas to visit China.  We had a quick bite to eat at a nearby Chinese restaurant and then went to see the movie Epic. It was a cute movie. 

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Katelyn made a cute cupcake mosaic picture.  Audrey helped her.

Preschool Party

Today was the last day of our home preschool.  The kids put on a little performance and we had a yummy lunch!  This has been a really great experience for me as a mom and for Katelyn.  She has grown so much and has really come out of her shell.  I know all the preschool kids will miss seeing each other every day.  Katelyn has really grown to love preschool and asks every day if she is going to one of her friend’s homes or if they are coming to ours.  It was a little bit of an emotional morning knowing that this is the last time we are having preschool.  One of the families is moving and the other kids will all be moving on to Kindergarten in the fall.  The kids will also be spread out over 3 different schools so Katelyn will not get to see all her friends every day even after school starts.  I am so glad that I did a home preschool with each of my 3 kids.  It was a lot of fun for them and for me.

 

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Katelyn recited Hickory Dickory Dock for her part in this morning’s preschool program.  It was so cute!

Regular Monday

Today is Memorial Day in the US, but here it is just a regular Monday unless you work for the US Embassy.  Then today would be a holiday.  I taught preschool today.  It will be my last time to teach.  We are having an end-of-year preschool party on Wednesday.  Katelyn has really grown to love preschool and her preschool friends.  I hope that this was a positive experience for her and that she will do well when she transitions to the Early Childhood program at the elementary school in August.  It has been a great experience for me to have done a home preschool with all 3 of my kids.  I have met some great moms and it has been super fun to watch the kids learn and grow together.  One of Katelyn’s friends is moving and the other 3 will go on to Kindergarten in the fall.  She is the only one that misses the Kindergarten cutoff since her birthday is in October. I would keep her home another year, but there really aren’t any kids her age to do another year of preschool with.   She will only go for a half day so she will be home in time to have lunch with me after school each day.  I can’t believe all 3 kids will be in school after summer break.  It will definitely feel a little strange, but I think it will also be nice to have just a couple of hours to myself in the morning.  

I missed a couple of days of posting pictures since we have had a lot going on.  Things are pedal to the metal from now until the end of the school year. 

 

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Doss is standing next to a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.  They were having some kind of car show at the mall.

 

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I haven’t had Cold Stone Creamery ice cream since we lived in Katy, TX.  That was 5 years ago!  Doss bought me a sweet cream with strawberries…my favorite!  It was just as I remembered it.

 

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The kids have gotten into the habit of having a bowl of ramen noodles after they get home from school in the afternoons.  They have lunch at 11am so I guess they are pretty hungry by the time they get home around 2:15pm.

Strings Performance

There was a strings concert this morning at school assembly. Joseph played a cello solo. He did a great job. I was one proud mama. I would have been proud of him just for having the courage to play in front of all the parents and the students. I am glad he did well though. He was proud of his own performance too. It is a nice feeling knowing that you did something well and that all the practice paid off in the end.


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I snapped this photo just a few minutes before the concert.  He didn't want me to take his picture but I told him I wanted to have one for today's picture.

Spicy Noodle Restaurant

My friend and I went to a Korean spicy noodle place for lunch. We shared a giant bowl of seafood noodle soup. It only cost about US 7 dollars. It had prawn, crab, clams, abalone, squid, and scallops. That was a good lunch!

Full Schedule

It seems like my schedule from now until the end of school is pretty packed. My friend and I were trying to find a time we could spare a couple of hours to get a haircut but even that has been quite a challenge. I am looking forward to the kids being out of school and to summer vacation.


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Sweet Katelyn playing with building blocks.  I helped her build a little and then Katelyn let Audrey destroy her creation with the Nerf Gun...fun times.

Crazy Traffic

Traffic was unusually bad today. It took me an hour to get back to Senayan area after dropping off Katelyn for preschool. I was late for a farewell lunch for one of my Taiwanese friends that is leaving Jakarta soon. Then it took poor Katelyn longer than an hour to get home. She didn't get home until 3:00pm.

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Joseph was good about practicing his cello today. He has to play in front of the school on Friday.

Gymnastics Exhibition

The kids had a gymnastics exhibition today for the parents. Sadly Joseph was sick so he did not participate. Joseph did win a coaches award for the best boy gymnast. All the kids got medals and a bag full of goodies.

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Audrey wearing her new Supreme Gymnastics shirt she got today.

Durian Flavoring

Audrey started sucking her thumb again recently. The Mavala Stop had lost its effectiveness. The other day Doss and I discovered some Durian flavored paste that we thought might deter Audrey from sucking her thumb. It smells awful and the paste is thick so we are able to spread it on her thumb. She can't stand the taste or smell of Durian. I hope this works.

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Orange-colored  durian flavoring.  It smells awful.

Little Helper

Katelyn has been quite the little helper lately. She has been asking to help wash dishes and cook. I forgot to post a picture yesterday but Katelyn helped me make mini pizzas. She rolled out the dough for every one. She also put the sauce and cheese on each pizza. It was fun to cook with her.

Today I took the girls swimming. Doss went to Stake leadership meetings and Joseph was at a friend's house. The girls had fun at the pool. Katelyn is even swimming in the deep end of the pool with arm floats. It has taken 2 years for me to convince her to wear the arm floats and swim in the deep part. Now she really likes the freedom the arm floats give her.

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Making pizzas

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Playing at the pool

Bagus

Yay! Today in art class my teacher said my painting was "bagus" which means good in Indonesian. I am really enjoying painting although sometimes I do get a little frustrated because I have perfectionist tendencies.


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My latest painting.  It is still a work in progress, but so far it is my favorite painting out of the three I have done.

Washing Dishes

Sweet Katelyn said she wanted to wash the dishes today. There were alot of dishes since I taught preschool today and provided lunch for all the kids. She washed every single dish and utensil. She did a great job too!

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Katelyn washing the dishes...her hand is just a blur.

Laser Game

We went to a friend's birthday party tonight. First we played laser tag and then we went to TGI Fridays for dinner and cake. It was alot of fun.

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On the way into the mall to go to TGI Fridays, we saw this car parked with the back wheel up on the curb.  I guess the driver thought that was a good enough parking job...lol.

Shades

Sweet Katelyn has been taking her sunglasses everywhere the last few days. Tonight she wanted to sleep in them.

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Sleeping in her rainbow shades :)

Mother's Day

Today was Mother's Day. First thing this morning Joseph gave me a card he had made for me. It was sweet and means alot, especially since Joseph has never really been a very affectionate kind of kid.

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My card...Joseph drew a picture of us holding hands.  It just melted my heart.

11th Wedding Anniversary

Doss and I were married 11 years ago today.  Crazy how fast time flies.  We have been really happy and look forward to many more years together. 

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Joseph had a friend over yesterday for a playdate.  I took them downstairs to play soccer.  Katelyn wanted to come downstairs too.  I snapped this cute picture of her while we were waiting for the boys to finish playing soccer.  She is so adorable.  I can’t believe how much she has grown.

 

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I took this picture of us tonight.  We tried to get the kids to take pictures of us earlier, but they didn’t turn out very well since the lighting in the apartment is poor.  I got this picture of us by bumping up the ISO on my camera a little and shooting wide open on my 50mm prime lens.

Piano

I saw a digital piano for a really good deal the other day. I talked to Doss about it and we went and got it today. It's a simple Yamaha without a lot of bells and whistles, but I love it! It has the full range of weighted keys with 3 built-in pedals. The kids were pretty excited too and fought over whose turn it was to play.

Oh Dear!

 

Oh Dear!  I got behind on posting again.  I thought I had only missed a day but it looks like I’ve missed two so including today, I need to post 3 pictures.  This week has been going by quickly.  Mondays are busy as usual with the weekly grocery shopping and then the kids have after school activities all afternoon.  Tuesday I taught preschool.  Today while Katelyn was at preschool I ran to the store to buy some printer cartridges and a few other office supplies.  I got to meet up with Doss for a quick lunch before picking up Katelyn Katelyn had a friend over this afternoon so that was fun for her. Tomorrow is an Indonesian holiday so Doss will have off work and the kids will be out of school.  It should be a nice relaxing day.

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My beautiful baby girl!

 

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My preschool bunch watching the Lorax and playing with their Lorax mustaches!

 

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I love my 50mm prime lens.  I really enjoy playing with the very shallow depth of field when shooting wide open…simple pleasures.

Indonesian Wedding Reception

One of Doss’ co-workers got married.  She invited the family to her reception.  There are always hundreds of guests at Indonesian wedding receptions.  The bride and groom were dressed in traditional clothing from West Sumatra.  The food was good.  It was a little late in the evening so the kids were tired.

 

Joseph:  I went camping with my dad.

 

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Joseph requested apple pie the other day so I made one.

 

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These signs are popular at weddings.  This one says Happy Wedding Schlumberger Information Solutions. 

Camping

Doss and Joseph went on a campout tonight. The girls and I had a fun evening making scrapbook pages and watching Barbie movies.

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Katelyn was being such a goofball while we were waiting for Joseph and Audrey to come home on the bus.  The bus was 30 minutes late today. Traffic must have been pretty heavy.

Interview

This morning I took Audrey to the SOS clinic to have her cough looked at. The doctor also looked at the rash in her armpit and the infection on her thumb. We have all sorts of ointments and a Z-pack for Audrey.

Later, Katelyn had her interview at JIS to see if she would be admitted to the Early Childhood Program in the Fall. She did great! The interviewer said she was sooo cute!

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I tried to take a picture of Katelyn after the interview but Audrey kept jumping right in front of her.  This is the only picture I could get where Audrey wasn't totally blocking her sister.

Recognition

Today at school assembly, the school recognized the Coca Cola League players. Joseph got a little trophy that had his name on the front and the names of his teammates on the back.


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