Its Christmas Time!

Its that time of year again! Time to "Deck the Halls and Light the Lights" ;)  However, our experience this year is a little different than what we are used to. We moved again (this time for the last time until after Baby White #2 is born) and the city we are living in does not celebrate Christmas the way we do. Actually, Christmas is not a holiday that is widely celebrated in this part of the world in general. The stores are void of the Commercial Christmas decor, there are no houses decorated with Christmas lights or plastic Santa's displayed in their yards and good luck trying to locate a radio station that is playing any holiday songs. So we decided to take it upon ourselves to make it feel a little more "festive."

Hudson Making Christmas Cookies with Daddy :) He really enjoyed the flour ;)

Cookies that are all ready for the Oven!

Decorating (& eating) the finished product :) 

 Decorating the Tree for Christmas. We feel so Blessed that we were actually able to get a tree this year,  especially considering that Christmas is not a holiday that is widely celebrated where we are ;)

Some Decorations that Hudson and Mommy Made. 

We had fun doing Craft Time for a few days in a row & the finished products don't look half bad ;) 

We are also Blessed to be able to have a Nativity this year! Nativity scenes are not something that one can easily attain in this country and we are so thankful that we were able to get one :)

Requests:

Please be Lifting Us Up during this time as we will be celebrating the Holiday's away from home for the first time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have officially completed our First Major Holiday Abroad :)

We were able to pull off a "Traditional Thanksgiving" complete with the usual staple foods including a Butterball Turkey, Canned Cranberry Sauce,  Green Bean Casserole, Pumpkin Pie and of course Pecan Pie :) 

This was our first Thanksgiving that we have ever celebrated where we actually made all the food and preparations ourselves. 

Handmade Table decorations that Hudson and Mommy made.

Getting Ready to Sit Down & Enjoy the Feast!

We did have on minor "goof-up." Being that this was the First Thanksgiving that we had cooked the turkey all by ourselves, we didn't realize that when you are preparing the turkey, you need to not only take out the neck (which is in one cavity) but apparently there is a plastic bag full of Turkey Organs in another cavity!

So we cooked the turkey with the plastic baggie full of organs and didn't even realize it until we started carving up the bird!

Making a wish with the Turkey Wishbone ;)

Bo Goes to the Hospital....

It has come to our attention that there has been some confusion as to "what exactly happened" to Bo that he ended up in the Hospital, so this post will hopefully clarify some peoples misconceptions :)

The first week we arrived in The City,  Bo woke up in the middle of the night with extreme chest pain. We assumed that maybe it was something that he ate (since the foods we have been eating here are quite different from what we have been consuming these last few months in the mountains.) 

So a trip to the Hospital didn't seem necessary.

 However, the same thing happened again about a week later and thats when we decided that we better get "this thing" checked out. 

We hailed a taxi at 3 o'clock in the morning (which was an experience in itself... ;)

[[I am sure you can imagine what it must have been like having a Man hunkered over in severe pain and a Pregnant lady holding a 3 year trying to get a ride to the hospital in a foreign county ;) ]]

Once we finally arrived at the Hospital, we were rushed to a the emergency room and Bo started to undergo a battery of tests. 

He had Ultrasounds, X-rays, Blood tests, Body scans, Needles stuck in his arms and Tubes stuffed down his throat (all while still being in server pain)

The pain did not subside until somewhere around late morning/ early afternoon! (even with the the pain meds he was administered)  

Finally, somewhere in the the early afternoon, the doctors concluded that he has Ulcers. 

However, he does not have just one, or Two, or even Three! O no, Bo has a grand total of SIX Ulcers! That's Six Open sores in his Stomach!

(No wonder he was in so much pain)

(In the Emergency Room, trying to pretend that the pain is not there.)

He was treated with Medication and put on a Strict "Bland" Diet that included, No spicy food, No heavily seasoned meats, No acidic fruits or vegetables, No Sugar or Creamy foods, and the list goes on :(

So even though the endeavor was quite the experience, we are Soo Thankful that the problem was diagnosed and treatable! And are Happy to report that Bo is doing well. He has had only one more "incident" since the Hospital visit (and it was not as severe, lasting a much shorter period of time.)  

Requests

1. Continue to the Lift Up Bo as his body continues to heal

2. Ask that would we have a smooth and easy transition into our new home. 

DiWali!

So we have experienced our first Diwali Festival!

It is commonly known as "The Festival of Lights" & is a Super Popular Festival in this part of the world celebrated by Most of the population with a wide range of traditional activities. Some of the activities include sharing special meals and exotic foods with family, Special Decorations such as paper lanterns, Flower Garlands, Twinkle Lights, etc. 

However, the most common traditional activity seems to be that of setting off Fireworks!

The Fireworks start early in the evening and last all through the night (for a few consecutive nights.)

The best way I can describe this festival is the the Commercialism of Christmas 

meets the

 Explosions of Independence Day ;)

The Nonstop fireworks were a little too loud for the Boy ;)

Candles that are commonly seen and lit around Diwali

Enjoying the Diwali twinkle lights at a local mall.

Requests:

1. Bo has recently been diagnosed with Ulcers. 

Please Lift Him Up as he is going through treatment. 

Ask that the Ulcers will be under control quickly to avoid further pain and discomfort and so he can get back to his Normal Routine. 

'reverse-reverse' culture shock?

About two weeks ago, we left our home in the Mountains to move to the City. It was almost a bit of "reverse" culture shock, going from such a rural setting to a very urban "metropolis".  In the Mountains, things like reliable electricity and running water were never a constant.  We had also grown  accustom to doing all our grocery shopping in Open Markets; buying produce from random roadside vegetable stands and meat from Butcher shops (where you actually pick out an animal and they slaughter it to your liking right there in the shop.---talk about Fresh! ;) 

 However, now that we are back in the City, our way of life has changed again. We had to get used to there being grocery stores, using public transport like metros, shopping in malls and we had to get ourselves adjusted to not hoarding buckets of water for when our water would run out (because in the city, this is an irrational notion ;)

We are also enjoying that establishments are still opened later than 8pm :)

The Train ride from the Mountains to the City was about 7 hours, however we must have eaten about 8 times through out the duration of our ride. They just kept bringing treys of food down the aisles; bread rolls and soup, yogurt, chicken and rice, ice-cream, etc.

All the eating wore the little guy out ;)

To celebrate our arrival to our new home, we had a "Cup-Cake" Party.

While trying to take a more-up-to-date Belly shot, Hudson kept photo-bombing ;)

This years' Pumpkin Party. Hudson was BatMan (making his Daddy Proud ;)

Requests

1. Ask for continued guidence in the Work we are doing here.

2. Language Learning Comprehension. Ask that we would be able to communicate effectively in the local language. 

Pink or Blue?

Well the answer is actually Green ;) We are past the halfway mark in our "South Asian Pregnancy" and normally this would be about the time that we could find out the gender of our child. However, in this part of the world, that luxury is actually illegal.  We were told at our first prenatal appointment (before even asking) that we would not be able to find out the gender of our baby and not to push the issue with any medical personal. At first I thought this was a little strange, however, after becoming better acquainted with the culture here, it became evident why this policy is in place. 

In this part of the world, as a general rule, the male gender is favored over the female gender. That being said, typically when expectant parents  find out the gender of their child before the child is born, some couples opt to terminate their pregnacies if they learn that they will not be giving birth to the "preferred" gender. 

So what does this all mean? Well, it means that we will be having a Surprise come this March :D

So we won't be going out and purchasing any gender-specific baby items. However, we did decide on a general "theme" for our childs' nursery and that will be The Jungle Book (we know its cliche, but whatever).  It seemed very fitting since we are living where the whole thing takes place.

So think, Elephants, Monkeys and Jungle leaves ;)

We also decided on some general colors of Green and Chocolate Brown ( jungle inspired of course ;)

Requests:

1)Continue to Lift Up Stephanie as she progresses in her pregnancy. 

2) We are finished packing and getting ready for our Big Move in less than week! :)

Please Ask that it will be a smooth and easy transition from the Rural Mountain life we have grown accustom to, to our new "Big City Living" ;)

Hail in India?

When one thinks of india, normally thoughts of warm weather come to mind. However, that was not our experience this last week.  Being that we are in the mountains, we honestly have yet to experience the “hot and sticky” weather that is so famously associated with South Asia.  Believe it or not, we have actually entered into “Cold” Season.  The temperatures are so cold in fact that we have actually had to break out the cold weather snow jackets! We even experienced HAIL last week!

The Hail piles on the roof tops and side walks.

You can see the Hail in the grass pictured in the top photo 

and us bundled up nice and snugly to brave this new cold front in the bottom photos.

Also, it could not have been better if it was planed this way, but our Hot water Heater had quit working only a few weeks back and we were without warm water for showers for a few weeks.  We took the heater a part and tried to diagnose the problem, but it proved to be quite a difficult task. However, we were totally provided for, because right before this cold front set in, our hot water heater was fixed! Literally only a matter of days before the Hail started!

Hard at work trying to fix our hot water heater.  

To say that the whole "process" to fix the heater was a Big Mess would be an understatement. Having never taken a Water Heater apart, we didn't realize just how Messy and Wet  the project we were undertaking was. However, now we can add this new accomplished task to our ever-growing list of skills that we have accumulated since living abroad.  

Requests:

1.We are going to be embarking on yet another transition in our lives in less than two weeks.

 Please Ask that this transition will be smooth for us and that we will settle into our new home with ease.

Our First Boo-Boo Abroad

So it took three months, but it finally happened. Hudson had to take a trip to the hospital. Honestly, with how active of a child he is, we are surprised that it didn't happen sooner.  He was pretending to be a super hero and he hit his head on the bed :( 

You wouldn't think that a bed could do so much damage, but the furniture here is not as "safe" or "child-freiendly." Combine that with an "active 3-year old" and you have a perfect recipe for an accident. 

Pictured above is the little guy at the hospital. 

The top left is a picture of the head wound before being bandaged.

The top right is of the little guy getting his vitals checked.

And the bottom photo is of Hudson being super brave, while waiting for the doctor. 

It helped that he had his favorite Backyardigans episode to keep him company while he waited.

He was super brave and did very well. We are pleased to say that the doctor did not think the wound needed stitches and should heel up on its own.

Here hudson is enjoying some pampering. Eating "Yuckie Charms" - as he calls them - in Mommy and Daddy's "Big Bed" while watching some Jungle Book.

The Batman design on his head bandage is curtsy of none other than Daddy ;)

Requests

Please Ask that Hudson's head would heal up quickly and with no complications.

A week of Firsts...In Pictures

This last week we had a lot of "Firsts" happen. 

We had Bo's first Birthday in a foreign country, Hudson's First Haircut abroad, and the first time we had to deal with a wondering cow invading our compound. 

The Wondering Cow and her Calf who invaded our compound. 

They were super stubborn and no matter what we did, they we adamant about staying and eating all our   vegetation.

Bo the "cow wrangler" finally figured out how to make them vacate the premises by making loud noises and flapping a reed.

A Happy boy before the Haircut. His hair was getting long and out of control.

The "authentic Male-only barber shop" where Hudson had his first Indian Hair Cut.

 

 The Hair Cut experience.

The Birthday Boy and his "Party Table." 

His sister surprised us with a "Party Package" from a local bakery which included, a Cake, Candles,  Balloons and...

..Silly String!!

Hudson really liked the Silly String at first...

But the novelty of the thing wore out quickly once he realized how "sticky" it was.

Requests

1. Ask that we would continue to well in our language learning. 

Ask that as we are out in our community, we would have good memory recall and the words would come to us in the native tongue.

India's Independence!

We were able to experience our first Holiday in India a few weeks ago. It was India's Independence Day! Language classes were canceled for the day and instead of sitting in a class learning, we were able to to partake in a "celebration." The festivities began with a Flag raising ceremony in the courtyard, than we all headed upstairs to enjoy a plethora of entrainment performed by School Staff and fellow language students.  Some individuals sang songs, while other's did poetry readings.  We performed a few songs that we had learned in language class (complete with hand motions) ;) One was a song about the Days of the Week in Urdu and the other was a jingle to help us remember "directional" phrases, like Up, Down, In, Out, Etc.

Afterwards, there was a reception with, what else, but 

Chai, Samosa's, IndianSweets and Cake! :)

It was a great time to hang out and meet some new friends at the school (plus the day off from classes wasn't bad either ;) 

Language Students walking up the steps to the "celebration" room

Hudson Playing with the balloons in the courtyard! He collected a lot!

Later that day we hosted an old Fashion Bar-B-Q with some friends. Not necessarily a traditional Indian Independence occurrence, but what else dipicts "Independence" better than a Cook-Out compete with grilled meat, potato salad, deviled eggs and good friends ;) 

The only things missing were the fireworks ;)

Happy Family on Independence Day!

Requests

Steph has been having some morning/all day sickness, ask that it will subside as her pregnancy progresses.

Monsoon Season

They weren't kidding when they said that Monsoon Season was WET! We have officially been here a month and it is progressively getting wetter ;) Monsoon started late this year and so we were able to enjoy about two weeks of nice weather before the rains started.  Now, when I say rains, I mean a Hard, Heavy, Downpour that lasts for Hours and turns the streets into Rivers! Hudson is really enjoying the rains because he loves getting to use his "hand-brella" daily and jumping in all the Huge puddles that are left behind when the rains take a quick break ;) 

The rain also gives us Plenty of time to study! The temptation to play outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery is gone when all the hiking trails are sopping wet and the steep, downhill walk to the markets are dangerously slippery ;) So I am pleased to say that we are doing Really well in our language acquisition :) We are beginning to have more meaningful conversations (aside from "hello, my name is..

.I would like to buy ...") We are also doing fairly well in the "Reading and Writing department" :) The "squiggles, lines, dots and dashes" are actually looking like words and phrases :)

Requests

1. Ask that we would continue to do well in our Studies. 

2. Ask that we would have a continued urgency to share the Good News!

The Wildlife

We have been in the mountains for over a week and our time here has been interesting J There are a few things we have adjusted to that are different that we had orginally anticipated . We had thoroughly expected to be confronted with power outages and bargaining in the markets for groceries as a way of life. However, we did not expect that we would be in the same town as big chain restaurants like Dominos or Baskin Robbins. Which I am happy to say are near and available to us J 

Also, most places have pests like Squirrels or Raccoons, however we have Monkeys! They are everywhere! They tend to wake us up early in the morning from jumping on our roof top  and like to follow us on the road when we are carrying groceries.

Some monkeys in the street eating garbage (or maybe they actually succeeded in snagging someone’s grocery bag ;)

We also have encountered some very different kinds of Bugs. Like Big Beetles!

 We found this "little" guy on our neighbors porch! The picture doesn't fully do it justice because it was a least 5 inches long! 

We had also heard that Cows are a common sight on busy streets. Roaming with no owners. However, we did not see our first and, only Roaming Cow so far, until this last week!

Roaming cow ;) Hudson was soo excited!

However one thing seems to never change with us and that is the beautiful mountain scenery and nice cool weather. It seems that this is the environment we find ourselves in more often than not ;)

The view from our kitchen window: the Beautiful Himalaya Mountains.

Onward we go...

We have made yet another move ;) This time we went up to the mountains and we will be here for a while, learning language. J  The trip to our new home was an experience in itself.  We woke up early so that we could take a passenger train. The train was similar to that of an airplane in the way that it was air conditioned, you are assigned a seat and meals, snacks, & beverages would come through periodically for you to enjoy.  A significant difference is that before the train leaves, vendors are permitted to board the train and sell you “comfort” items such as gum, chips, as well as little toys for the kids.  Hudson was amused for hours with a simple “sticky- Spiderman” wall cling.

 He would throw the Spiderman on the window and laugh every time it slowing made its way down the wall—it looked like it was climbing down.

After our 5 hour train ride, we loaded up in taxis that took us the rest of the way up the mountains.  It was about an hour trip in which we went form sea level to 7000 feet in elevation.! The roads were windy, but the scenery was beautiful and the view form our new home is Incredible!

Requests

Ask that we would transition well into our new home and that we would make good connections with people here.

Also, Ask that as we learn language, it would come quickly and we would be able to communicate with ease.