What does a newborn dream?

We’d like to introduce you to Senna Lilly Kleinert. Born in our apartment on April 5th, at 9:38am. 7.1lbs and 19.9in.

Senna means “brightness” and Lilly comes from Shorel’s great-grandmother, Lilly McMurray.

Our prayer is that she would reflect the light of Christ on this world even as her great-great-grandmother did.

Mid-morning, I had a meeting with our midwife, Abigail, who also happened to be visiting Kunming. Schäfer played quietly, but the girls were active so Hubs took them outside for a walk.

While Hubs was outside, a friend sent a text about a car that would drive to Dali. Because of the holidays, we were unsure if the bus station would even have tickets available, so Hubs went ahead and booked the car.

Somehow, I ended up in the back seat with 2 big kids, a suitcase and a carry-on. The sun was so hot that I put a blanket up to shade us from the bright light.

This sweet one slept in my lap almost the entire ride home.

It was so great to be home. We ate lunch leftovers for supper. Bathed the kids and had everyone snuggled in their beds by 7:30pm.

To our surprise, the weather is much warmer than when we left for vacation. Normally, we have a difficult re-entry going from balmy Thailand to the frigid heartland of China. It’s hard to put on 3 layers after spending the past few weeks in shorts, t-shirts and sandals.

As soon as we stepped off the airplane, we noticed that the weather in southwest China is much warmer by March. We were surprised to find our outdoor thermometer close to 60 degrees + winds.

We had a surprisingly quick trip to the airport this morning. Bangkok traffic is notorious, but today the roads were clear.

Once we got to the airport, we joined the masses waiting in line to check-in. It took us over an hour and a half to get through check-in and security. Thankfully, the kids love airports so they were all well behaved – not to mention the abundance of snacks in my bag.

Today, we flew from Bangkok to Kunming.

Selah was so very 2 on the flight. I gave in and just walked around the plane with her.

The big kids watched movies and played with new, small toys

When we landed in Kunming less than 3 hours later, the kids were tired. Schäfer fell asleep on the van ride to our hotel.

Normally, we would go straight to the bus station with our suitcases and 3 kids to purchase tickets for the next bus to Dali. Depending on the bus schedule, maybe immediately or maybe an hour later we would begin the 4+ hour ride back to Dali, but because of pregnancy I just can’t push myself to travel that much in one day. It’s really, really hard on the kids too.

Tonight, Kunming set off a large amount of fireworks to celebrate Lantern Festival which marks the official end of Chinese New Year. To our surprise, all 3 kids slept through it.

I put the girls and myself down for an afternoon nap while Hubs and Schäfer went to the hospital to pick up some test results. Then they went to Toys R Us to find a vacation toy.

It was so great to be back with my little girls.

They are a wild, precious gift.

I thought that we had another day in Bangkok, but as usual I’m confused. We leave tomorrow. Time has passed so quickly. Hubs never bought the waffle iron he’d been eying. I never got to eat at my favorite salad place. Nor did I make it to a grocery store to pick up mouthwash for the kids.

Tonight was about repacking, booking transportation, and getting ready to travel once again. Thailand has been a wonderful place to visit. I’m ready to begin the long journey home.

This year looked a little different than last year.

For example, last year, Sandra took Selah to the homeschool gathering because she was still breastfeeding. Schäfer and Sianna joined me for Camp Papa 2012.

This year, Schäfer was invited to the homeschool gathering because he is in kindergarten leaving Sianna and Selah to attend Camp Papa 2013.

The girls and I stayed at a guest house in Bangkok. Therefore, we had a greater variety of intercultural and athletic opportunities available.

02.19 – I took the girls shopping at Carrefour (a French grocery chain) and bought them some Dunkin’ Donuts (quite American).

P.E. consisted of a daily swim in our near Olympic size swimming pool. (Perspective matters.)

02.20 – The culinary adventures continued at Smoothberry with a lingonberry, raspberry, blueberry smoothie.

02.20 – Camp Papa always encourages self-discovery as a key to learning. About this time, Selah discovered the guest house had a refrigerator stocked with chocolate and regular milk cartons. Simultaneously, she discovered how to insert the straw. Within a half hour period of time she had drank two regular and one chocolate milk and had eaten a quarter stick of butter. Naturally, Camp Papa accountants reimbursed the guest house and kept closer watch on Selah’s future forays into the kitchen.

02.21 – Social development is a crucial aspect of Camp Papa. We made a field trip with other papas to a local discovery and play zone called Funarium.

We taught intro to gold mining so that the children could take an active part in facilitating their family’s finances.

Eureka!

This year, we included a little more fine art motor skill enhancement.

We reinforce positive behavior at Camp Papa with tangible treats such as Jello and chocolate milk.

After a hard day of mining, it was time for a quick cool off splash.

Climbing is an essential skill developed at Camp Papa.

Along with basic acrobatics. (Shoes are optional.)

This year’s Camp Papa culinary excursions (mostly courtesy of ChefsXP delivery service, best in Bangkok) included:
Mexican (Sunrise Tacos)
Greek (Olive Kebab)
Egyptian (Nasir Al-Masri)
American Burgers (Firehouse)
American treats (Smoothberry and Dunkin’ Donuts)
Lebanese (Beirut)
Thai (street food)
Hong Kong (egg pies in a mall)

02.23 Once the Mommy’s returned, the Papa’s went to Outback to celebrate a job well done.
Well done papas, one and all!

Yep. This trip to Thailand was about medical checks + vacation + homeschool. We try to squeeze in as much as we can when buying 5 plane tickets.

Last year, I attended the Homeschool Gathering as a Mom rising into homeschooling. Selah and I both went because she was still nursing. (Schäfer was not invited because he had not officially started school.)

While away from Hubs, Schäfer and Sianna for 8 days, I unexpectedly saw many friends and learned a lot about curriculum options, but I had a difficult time processing exactly how homeschooling was going to look for our family.

Almost a year later, I can say that going back to the conference was beneficial. Schäfer and I haven’t had an easy year of homeschool mostly because of an exhausting pregnancy but also because of local commitments to Chinese school and the Learning Center.

Schäfer loves to learn and is always willing to do math… and sometimes even phonics with joy, but I have had a difficult time maintaining momentum because of all of our commitments elsewhere.

Here’s how I would sum up the 2013 Homeschool Gathering:

The Varsity.
My entire Varsity Team was in the room. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more giddy. Remember, The Varsity doesn’t know their on the team, but it was so great to talk with each of them face-to-face as opposed to e-mail or Skype.

On day one, two Varsity Mom’s spoke into my life and it was surreal to receive because they are so much further along on this journey.   I loved being around these ladies.

confirming.
I like the curriculum we’re using. I like where we’re going. I met several others who are on the same path.

new ideas.
There are a couple of items that I would like to add to our first grade curriculum. Otherwise, we’re staying the course.

What it was not:

slow.
Whew. We started bright and early each morning and rolled on into evening activities. By day 3, I was so exhausted that I had a teary phone conversation with Hubs. I felt much better after talking with him.

My word. I was so prego tired. I went to bed by 9pm almost every night. I never turned on my computer or edited photos or checked e-mail.

a personal retreat.
Yes, I got to see a bunch of friends and feel some love from The Varsity, but solitude was not part of the schedule. I adore solitude and wished I could slip away just to think.

chocolate enriched.
You’d think a meeting with a bunch of women would have bowls of chocolate everywhere.
Wrong.
The entire week, I craved sauerkraut, German sausages, Nacho Cheese Doritos and dark chocolate. Yet, the entire week, I ate Thai food. Don’t get me wrong – Thai food is delicious except for when you are 8 months pregnant and craving sausages – not papaya.

Some highlights from the week included:

One night, there was a Storybook Character Parade. Schäfer dressed as Fritz from The Swiss Family Robinson. (We modified a pirate costume and Hubs made a musket out of cardboard and electrical tape.) Schäfer seemed pleased with the costume.

Each child who participated in the Storybook Parade got to go on stage and say their name, character name, and book title. Schäfer wanted to go on stage by himself, but he wanted me to go after him.

I introduced myself as the Zebra from Swiss Family Robinson.

Fritz & Zebra. Participating in this Storybook Parade is something that Schäfer has been looking forward to for months.

The next night, each child put their costume on again and presented their Quilt Square.

Schäfer’s quilt square is a picture of Fritz hunting a leopard with a seagull flying above.

On this evening, all the kids shared their quilt squares and read a portion of their book. Since we did not have an “easy reader” for Swiss Family Robinson, I read from the original.

Each afternoon, Schäfer went swimming to work out some energy after sitting in a classroom all day. The poor child has never done so many worksheets in his entire life!

At the end of our gathering, Schäfer received a certificate for participating in the Storybook Parade.

We were thankful to attend this Homeschool Gathering. It was good for me to meet other Mom’s who are on the same path. It was good for Schäfer to meet other kids who also learn at home.

Back to Bangkok to see Hubs and my baby girls…

02.09.13
Sometimes when I look down, I can see feet, but they don’t look like my feet.

02.09.13
And it seems like half my child’s head is always missing…

My reflection is much larger than I remember.

02.17.13
baby #4 @ 33 weeks

Me & my girls. (Schäfer was too busy playing in the sand to come for a photo.)

This pregnancy, I haven’t had hardly any swelling, but once we landed in Thailand swelling has been a challenge. (Maybe because of the heat and humidity?)

Being at the beach has been a wonderful remedy. Swimming in the pool for 3 hours each morning has kept most swelling at bay. (My hair, on the other hand, may never return to normal.)

I’ve also enjoyed 3 meals a day cooked by someone else, free laundry service, afternoon naps with the girls, air-conditioning and popsicles.

Thank you vacation. You’ve been good to me.

In July, we moved.

In August, we went on a 3 day family vacation to Lijiang – an ancient city in China.

Schäfer summed up our vacation by asking, “What are we doing? We’re just walking around!”

It was true.

We squeezed in the “vacation” between work projects and there was really no time to go anywhere except a quick train ride 2 hours away.

When we got home, I asked Hubs to write the guest house in Dolphin Bay, Thailand to see if we could come for a vacation in February. They reserved our room.

(Yes, we still sleep 5 to a room. It’s easier on the finances, but our days of pulling this off are limited.)

Since August, I have looked forward to getting away from it all.

Day 1 – everyone is ready for the pool!

Each day in Dolphin Bay was basically spent like this:

7:30am breakfast
8:15am we were the 1st people to be in the pool
11:45am out of the pool
12:15pm lunch
1 – 4pm the girls nap
1 – 2pm Schäfer and I do a little homeschool
2 – 4pm Schäfer and Hubs go to the beach
4 – 4:45 the girls and I join everyone at the beach
5 – 5:25 back in the pool
5:30 supper
6pm back to the pool or onward to our room for showers
7:15 pm in bed. lights out.

Each day, the girls took a solid 3 hour nap.
Each night, Schäfer slept a solid 12 hours.

Hello vacation with littles.

To our surprise, Selah immediately wanted to go down the slide. She loved it. “Ah – gaim!” she said.

Schäfer was also excited about the slide.

When we took the kids to the beach, Selah started running and spinning.

Then, she lifted up her arms as if to say, “No concrete! No buildings! Just wide open spaces!”

During the afternoon, we liked for the kids to play in the shade of the palm trees.

Hubs brought his hammock + kindle to ensure that he got some vacation time.

Sianna loves the sand.

Schäfer swam in the ocean, but said he liked the pool better.

The girls played so well together.

Schäfer spent a lot of time like this.

Sianna loved this yellow tutu swimsuit more than I knew possible.

She is so girly! She knows exactly what she wants to wear and exactly how she wants her hair styled.

Age six!

Sweet daughter.

Walking with her Papa.

Sianna is totally content with a shovel and some sand.

Fearless. Selah started going down the slide backwards. Nobody suggested it. She just did it.

Hubs totally lets her land fully in the water. She doesn’t mind. She pops up and says, “Ah – gaim!”

Adrenaline junkie.

Finally! A shovel that matches his sand castle goals.

Hubs encouraged me to give his hammock a try. It was unbelievably comfortable. Of course, Selah wanted to join me.

We watched Wall-E one evening. (Can you find Selah’s legs?)

The sandcastle Schäfer and Hubs built.

Fearless.

Sianna is my safe one. She’s always careful and loves any type of floatie.

Hubs lifting her up is enough adventure for one day.

Hubs took Schäfer kayaking to Monkey Island. Selah tried to keep up, but eventually I had call her back to shore.

The girls played with bubbles while the guys kayaked.

As soon as the guys got back, the girls wanted a turn.

Swing love.

One afternoon, Schäfer and I were invited to go exploring with some friends. The boat took us to Monkey Island where another Mom and I refused to let our children off the boat. There were 23 monkeys all waiting for food.  (Earlier in the week, a doctor at the guest house informed me of the diseases monkeys carry.) No way were we getting off that boat.

Our room.

Hubs took Schäfer hiking at Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park.

Slide love.

He loved it too.

Sianna with Disney Princess floaties and a sword. Princess indeed!

On our last evening, we rode bikes down the beach to get some family photos.

Schäfer age 6                                  Sianna age 3.5

Selah wasn’t feeling well so she only wanted to be held.

SK5.5 – Dolphin Bay 2013

Unlike Chinese tradition, we gave each of the kids a bit of money to buy some ice cream.

Schäfer asked if 100 Baht was the same as $100 USD.

(100 Baht is $3.40 USD – so not quite the same.)

For us, being at the beach was the perfect place to welcome to the Year of the Snake!

We rang in the New Year by…

swimming…

floating…

eating popsicles…

and walking.

No loud fireworks during nap time.
No friends handing our kids overly generous amounts of money.
No traditional meals.

Just quiet. And laughter. And fun.

Once I had the clothes sorted and folded properly, Hubs and I switched stations. He came in to finish packing while I played with the kids.

Our extra two days in Bangkok were nice, but I don’t think we’ll be adding much additional time in the future. Bangkok is a mega city. It’s loud… congested… and the pollution gave me a sinus infection.

We are so ready to get to the beach.

Selah will surely miss this play set.

By 12:30pm, a van appeared at the guest house ready to drive us to the beach. Hubs purposefully planned for the van to come around nap time.

Sianna was the first and easiest to fall asleep.

Selah eventually made it to dreamland.

Schäfer watched “Swiss Family Robinson”.

At 5:30pm, we arrived at the guesthouse thanks to Hubs and his clever iPhone. The driver was a bit lost, but Hubs had an app which helped us find our way down back roads… in Thailand. I loathe and love modern technology.

We pulled up right in time for supper: fried chicken, homemade rolls, salad and banoffee pie. Yes please!

After supper, the kids wanted to explore on the beach.

Sianna immediately started organizing seashells.

Are you guys watching me?

Because I’m going straight into the ocean…

I am so thankful for our little family vacation at The Tree.
Free laundry service.
No meals to prepare.
No restaurants to find.
No meetings.
No deadlines.

Hello vacation.
Hello swimming pool.
Hello ocean.
Welcome rest.