Yikes!

We are leaving tomorrow and I haven’t even started packing yet.  We have been so busy the last few days.  I was expecting to have another week to prepare for a long trip.  We just got our tickets to go to the US a few days ago so it really did not leave me much time to get things ready. Plus, I have been overbooked with other commitments.  There just is never enough time.

A friend of mine had talked me into helping her with her daughter’s birthday party.  I ended up making mini pizzas, cupcakes, and 2 pans of lasagna for the party. That pretty much took up most of the day yesterday and this morning.  The party was this afternoon.  After that party, we had previously agreed to go to another party.  This was a fun day but super busy.  I finally put the girls in bed around 9pm.   Doss and Joseph went to an Elders Quorum sponsored game night.  They are not back yet.

I still need to finish preparing for tomorrow’s Primary Singing Time.  I also need to start packing!   All I feel like doing is going to bed…sigh. Oh well, ready or not, we are leaving for the airport around 8pm tomorrow.  That midnight flight is going to be brutal on the kids.  At least we are going all the way to Doha.  Normally we take the Singapore Airlines flight which is a short, late flight from Jakarta and then a 3 hour layover with the next leg leaving at 2am.  That second flight is always ugly.  I am hoping the kids will be okay for the midnight flight if I can get them to take a nap.  Well, I guess I better get packing!

Julia: #165/365

Our bench was delivered on Friday!  Doss and I are really happy with the way it turned out.  We are excited to see the matching coffee table which is still in the works.  The thing weighs a ton! It is super solid.

 

Julia: #166/365

Katelyn having fun with the helium-filled balloons at one of the parties. 

Eek!

I am so freaking out since the kids and I are leaving Sunday evening to go back to Texas. We had a busy weekend planned since we were originally going to leave on the 22nd to go to China. I guess ready or not, we are heading out soon.

This morning I gave the girls haircuts. This is the first time I have ever cut Katelyn's hair. I kept her hair since it had never been cut. She looks so much older. She said she wanted her hair short. Later she said she missed her long hair. Doss and I miss it too, but a haircut was years overdue.

Julia: #164/365

My sweet baby girl has short hair now.

Purging

I have put off spring cleaning for the two years we have lived in the apartment. We are so drowning in kids' art and school-related things. I spent all day yesterday cleaning and purging. I made good progress but I need more time to get everything done. We are leaving to go back to the US soon so I may have to finish up when I get back. I just want to have everything organized before we embark on the next school year.


Julia: #162/365
This couch and table in our bedroom used to be covered in toys and other miscellaneous stuff.  Now we can actually sit on the couch.

Julia: #163/365

I stopped by Batavia 3 to take a look at the bench we ordered.  It looks good.  The shop will put the finishing touches on it and deliver it on Friday.  The carving is a Dayak inspired pattern from a shield that Doss bought in Borneo while he was a missionary.

Pearl Shop

My friend wanted me to go shopping with her this morning. We were going to go to a pearl shop and then stop by a furniture shop. We were at the pearl shop forever! I wasn't planning on buying anything. However, the prices really were very good so I ended up buying a couple of necklaces and a couple of pairs of earrings.

Julia: #161/365
This is one of pearl necklaces that I purchased this morning.

Change in Travel Plans

We tried to get our visas to go to China this last week. The Chinese Visa Service Center declined my application. Doss will try and get our flights changed sometime this coming week. Hopefully the airlines won't give us a hard time about changing flights. I was rather bummed about the whole situation earlier this weekend but I am over it now. I am looking forward to spending more time with my friends and family in the US. I just wish we had not planned on going to China with Doss in the first place because we could have already been in Texas. Last year we left the day after school let out. Oh well. It is what it is.

Julia: #158/365

We spent Friday afternoon hanging out with friends at the American club.  The kids loved the big pool there.

 

 

Julia: #159/365

 

My sweet Katelyn is so adorable!  We all love our little Nunu but she really isn't so little anymore.

 

 

 

Julia: #160/365

 

The kids wanted pizza for dinner.  I made them a cheese pizza and I made a chicken and asparagus pizza for me and Doss.  It was so yummy!

 





 

 

Holiday

Tuesday was the second grade class party.  I made 60 mini pizzas and the kids pretty much consumed the whole lot during lunch.  Yesterday was the last day of school. The kids only went for a half day. After school, Joseph had some friends over for a playdate. We had a fun afternoon. 

Today was an Indonesian holiday so Doss had the day off. We stayed at home for part of the day. Later on we went to a friend's apartment. Their kids are about the same age as ours. The kids played really well together. We all had a great time.

Julia: #155/365

 

 

Julia: #156/365

 

Audrey and Katelyn rode bikes around the multi-purpose court while Joseph and his friend played soccer.

 

 

Julia: #157/365

 

Normally I have my art class on Thursdays, but the art center was closed today.   This is what I have been working on recently.  It is not finished yet, but last week my teacher said it was "bagus" again which means good.

KG End of Year Party

The KG end of year party was today. I went to school early to register Audrey for gymnastics. Then Katelyn and I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I spent the rest of the morning making food for the party. Katelyn and I went to the party around noon. It was so fun for the kids. After school Audrey went to a friend's house. I picked up Joseph from school since I was already there. I spent the rest of the afternoon making mini pizzas for the second grade end of year party tomorrow. I am so ready for summer!

Tonight after Audrey got home from her play date, we all went to eat dinner at the Chinese restaurant at the hotel. The food was quite good. It has been a long day but it was also a very good day.


Julia: #154/365

Joseph ordered noodle soup with 5 spices and beef shank. He said it was really good!

So Many Buses!

This morning we were so proud of ourselves for getting out the door before 7:30am. We thought for sure we would make it to church on time this Sunday. Every Sunday is a bit of an adventure getting out of our complex. How long it takes to get to church depends on what is going on at the stadium next door and how long it takes us to make it to whatever exit happens to be open. Today the stadium was closed off and they let us out onto Gatot Subroto, one of the major roads. We were pretty excited about not having to go through the stadium until we exited onto the main road and found that we were in a sea of buses. It took us literally almost 1.5 hours to get to church. It was a mess. Two lanes of the road were literally bus parking lots. The drivers had parked and left their buses in the road! Then one bus was broken down in the bus lane. We were pretty exhausted by the time we got to church plus we were sooo late!

This evening made up for everything. Doss grilled some yummy food. We had chicken satay and shrimp brochettes. We also roasted marshmallows. It was a delicious dinner!

Julia: #153/365

Audrey enjoying a roasted marshmallow.  We found a brand of marshmallows that melts really well.  It works great in rice crispie treats and is also good for roasting.

Tournament

Joseph played in a soccer tournament today. His team played 5 total games. It took up most of the day. The Dragons won the tournament. Joseph played really well. We were all exhausted by the time we got home. Most of us were also a little sunburned. We were outside for a long time and it was hot. Joseph got a certificate and a medal and the team got a trophy. It was fun to watch the games.


Julia: #152/365

Got a fun picture of Joseph kicking the soccer ball.