Gallie and Grandy are coming!

Jonathan's parents are on their way and should touch down in KL at around 1 am tonight. We're so looking forward to seeing them...and the kids are excited to have both sets of grandparents here at our place for a day and a half!

Mom and Dad have been in Cambodia for the past few days and return tomorrow afternoon. Did I mention that we have been dog-sitting this month as well? I think we definitely qualify as a full-house! :)

School is still out this week, so we've squeezed in a few birthday parties and playdates in between visitors. The party continues...stay tuned! :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family across the miles...we miss you and are wishing you a warm and wonderful Christmas Day!

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Langkawi

We just returned from three days on the island of Langkawi -- off Malaysia's northwest coast. It was beautiful and we considered the sunny weather in the middle of monsoon season an early Christmas gift! We enjoyed some beach/pool fun, sand-dollar hunting, a cable car ride (the steepest in the world!), and lots of eating and shopping. Here are some pictures.



We are now back in KL and getting ready for a Christmas Eve service and dinner with friends tonight. Merry Christmas to you all -- we sure are missing you this time of year! :)

School of Hard Knocks

Yesterday, Mom, Addie and I took a tour of the Royal Selangor Pewter Company here in Kuala Lumpur. Royal Selangor was founded in 1885 and is now the largest pewter manufacturer/retailer in the world -- Malaysia is quite proud. It was an impressive place and amazing to see artisans still casting/hammering/engraving metal products by hand. We even tried it out ourselves by pounding out a pewter bowl at "The School of Hard Knocks". It was a fun morning...and now we're off to Langkawi tomorrow. More pictures to come! :)

Back from Down Under

Mom and Dad returned from their week in Australia with some amazing stories and photos! We're glad to have them back in KL for a few days before we all head north to the Malaysian island of Langkawi on Wednesday.

Here are a few pictures from their time in Australia....Perth, Sydney, Cairnes, Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock...they packed quite a lot in 7 days (Dad even climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge)! :)

Gingerbread Workshop

We had our dear friends, David and Lynda Poon, over last night for a cook-out and gingerbread decorating. The kids eventually crashed in a sprinkle/sugar coma, but it was worth it. Mom and Dad return from Australia tomorrow, so the Christmas fun will continue...can't wait!

Pere Noel's Visit!

This morning, Pere Noel (*Father Christmas*) visited Addie's elementary school and the parents were invited to join in the fun. I think the "magic" of the morning was enhanced by the French Christmas music and the children shouting out their Christmas wishes in French! (...which did spark a lengthy conversation on the way home about Santa's fluency in all languages of the world!)

Addie said she was too nervous to speak when she actually met Santa, but instead just gave him a hug. Here is a short clip from Santa's visit to Addie's classroom and a few pictures as well!

Advent

Our family lit the third candle of Advent at church this morning...the candle of peace...and a great reminder of our promise born in Bethlehem, our very own "Prince of Peace".

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
(Isaiah 9: 6-7)

They're Here!

Mom and Dad arrived on Wednesday night (2 am on Thursday morning to be exact) and it is so good to have them in KL! They survived the 36-hour journey with flying colors and we've already made it to Chinatown, Central Market, Masjid Jamek and all around Bangsar in their short two days here.

And in typical Mom style she arrived loaded down in the gifts department....she even carried on a pirate pinata and costumes that "will be perfect for Abe's birthday"! :) We're so thankful to have them here...pinata and all!

At Addie's school...

At our corner Malaysian food stall...

At the mall...

18 Hours and Counting....

Mom and Dad arrive this evening and we can't wait! Wynn and Bonnie set sail for Japan in a few hours too, so our prayers are with both sets of parents en route to Asia (...and we sure are thankful for their willingness to cross thousands of miles to spend Christmas with us). CAN'T WAIT!

Jakarta

Shortly after the Lamberts left, our family flew to Jakarta (Indonesia) for the weekend. Jakarta is known to be "grittier" than KL and is also notorious for its chaotic traffic... and after our 3 hour taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, it quickly lived up to its reputation! Although it was a quick trip, I was thankful for the chance to finally see this neighboring city -- which happens to be the largest in SE Asia and the most strategic politically within Jonathan's region.

As for sight-seeing, here are a few of our "around the town" shots:

At Merdeka Square and the National Independence Monument...

One of the public toilets :) ...

Outside the National Palace...
With a Palace Guard...
Taking a snack break...
At Jakarta's Hard Rock...
Displaying their new Indonesian Batiks...
Taking a pony cart ride around the city center...
At one of the largest malls downtown...
At the largest Batik store in SE Asia -- it went on for miles...
And you just gotta love it...

And the weekend highlight just might have been hunting down the elementary school that Barack Obama attended while living in Indonesia from the age of six to ten. When we arrived, a school guard realized we were Americans and brought us inside to tour the school and see the tributes to Obama. All politics aside, it was pretty neat!