Our Big News

Baby Bond #2 is due July 6th, 2013

(In two days I'll be 12 weeks)

This was our first ultrasound back at the beginning of November, so the baby was really little. Neal was trying his best to show Elijah his brother or sister, but he was more interested in the computer keys than the screen. 

Our Little Jedi

He's wearing one of my dupatas (head covering).

Only in India #35

Only in India...

Yes, that is a bus all those guys are climbing on and off of in the middle of traffic. 

Only in India #34

Only in India does your neighbor come to your house saying, "I've wanted to come talk with you for a while." Then, after hardly taking a breath, asks you to give her 3000 US dollars.

What?

Excuse me?

Sorry, I don't have $3000 laying around to give to people. 

The Gatekeepers Daughter Helping Kristen Cook

One evening Neal and Elijah stayed down in our garage for Elijah to play with the other kids in the apartment complex while I went on up to our house to start dinner. I hear a knock at the door a few minutes later and it's our gatekeepers youngest daughter. She asked if Elijah could come up to our house to play. I knew she was just down stairs with he and Neal, so I told her she'd have to go ask Neal since he had him. Then she just stood there and I could tell she wanted to come in to be with me. I told her I was making some American food if she wanted to come in and help. She was more that happy to come in. 

We made spaghetti, so she helped me stir the noodles and sauce, and cut the mushrooms and tomatos. 

When Elijah and Neal got back home, Elijah was so excited that we had a guest helping me in the kitchen. He started dancing and clapping.

 Right before we started putting the chicken into the sauce she asked me if the noodles were ready, and they were. So, before I realized what she was doing, she got a big spoon full of the noodles and dumped them into the sauce (you can see the pile of noodles in the middle). I laughed and told her that we put the sauce over the noodles later. 

No one really eats cow meat here, so we use chicken in our spaghetti. As she finished the last piece of chicken her brother came in to watch. 

She was such a good helper!

Our Home Decorated for Christmas

We were blessed that a shop here in 'Kite City' had some Christmas trees. It isn't too big, but we really like it. Honestly, we're thankful it's not bigger with Elijah being so curious and wanting to take off every ornament...he's pulled the tree over a few times already.

My parents (Kristen's) and siblings sent us some presents for Christmas. With the presents Elijah got a Fisher Price manger scene that he could play with. He loves it...finally something that's okay for him to touch that's close to the tree:)

One of the things my mom sent in a package was a wreath and greenery. I was overly excited because I  hadn't found anything like that here or in Delhi. 

This is the bow that hangs on our front door. The ribbon my mom also sent...thank you mom for everything!

Only in India #33

Only in India does the owner of the gym I go to call me into his office to ask where I've been the past 10 days (wow, you kept count, I thought). Then he begins to explain how important it is for me to be there because I'm the "most valuable customer". When asked why I'm the most valuable customer he lists 10 different reasons...none of them being the color of my skin or that I'm a foreigner, which I'm sure is the honest reason why he thinks that.

New Friends

Neal and I have been walking each week through the street of a new neighborhood in hopes of making new friends. One morning I was walking not with Neal, but with another friend. We'd just asked God to give us a person who would be a good new friend when a woman standing at her front door asked us in for chai. She was so kind! She hugged both of us and said she wanted us to meet her whole family. So, we walked one street over to meet her daughter who didn't live at home. Her husband and kids were just as welcoming as the rest of the family we'd already met. 

Drinking chai with the mom and youngest daughter 

Here's their front door with the daughter looking out.

The next week my friend and I went to visit them again and took our kids. They loved seeing the little boys! Elijah really enjoyed them taking him to the roof to play. 

While we were there it seemed that half of the neighborhood came as well. Their house was packed with girls and young women all gathering around to listen to our conversations with the mom and daughter. It was neat to meet so many new people. Thank you God for new friends!

Only in India # 32

Elijah's Gifted Clothes

For his birthday, a friend gave us a set of clothes for Elijah. We didn't let him wear them because they were too big. But now he can fit them and there is no excuse for him not to wear them.

This is a totally "Normal" Indian set of clothes. 

Take a look and tell us what you think in the comment page....

Yes that is Goofy on the back (fitting).

G.Q. baby, 1992.

(notice the ruffles)

What does Michael Jackson have on that hair?!

Thriller!

Only in India do your kids get clothes from the 1990s as a gift.

Thanksgiving Day (with a new tradition!)

This year was our first Thanksgiving in India. And it was not spent with our family like many other americans do. 

We explained to our friends and language helpers about the "first thanksgiving". They were interested in such a uniquely American holiday (trying to explain why we once called Native Americans, Indians was confusing). But they had an even harder idea for exactly a turkey was (we said it was like an ugly peacock). 

We looked all over Delhi for a turkey to cook in our new oven. But we could not find one. So we had to settle for few chickens

But we mostly spent the holiday with our American friends. All the families brought some really good foods (that are extremely hard to make here). They were all great! Thanks especially to the ladies! We cooked and cut up the chickens and sat down to enjoy a tasty meal. We enjoyed what we could of it. Since we did not have any family members nearby, we spent as much time chasing down our kids and disciplining them as we did talking about what we were thankful for. 

Then we began a "new" tradition. One of our friends has a family tradition of making gingerbread houses. This was difficult because there is no place to buy graham crackers here. So she made it and brought all the items to make our houses. It was a fun task. 

Which one do you like most?

Can you tell which one is ours?

This one our friends made with their son, it is a trailer with a helicopter pad (and helicopter) on top.

This one is the "Indian" gingerbread house. It has a large terrace and a night guard. It also has a small top room for rent. According to its owner, the renter is stealing electricity and the satellite signal. They also have trash spread over the property. 

This one is ours... it is the typical American gingerbread house. It has a fence and a skylight. It also has a smokestack.

It also has a snowman out front. That is not common here!

The kids had a good time playing together. They call themselves the cleaner team. Coming to a home neaer you!

Neal's Birthday

For Neal's birthday he wanted to have a few guy friends over. He invited his American and Indian friends, so he wanted both types of food. So, homemade pizza, biriana (rice and chicken mix), chicken korma (chicken in some oily sauce), and roti (bread) were on the menu.

Neal with his new picture from Nepal for his Birthday. The man in the pic framed it for us.

We started the night with a game of Uno.

All my friends showed up on time. We had a good time.

Kristen made some great pizzas - chicken and pineapple, and all veg.

Our friends loved having Elijah around.

Two good friends gave me gifts from what little that they have.

Elijah made a great card with his hand prints on it. It was really a great Birthday.

School for Poor Children

I (Kristen) have been going for quite a few months now to a school for poor children. When I first started going, my friend and I would meet with the lady who started the school in the back of her house. Her family used to own a brass factory on their property. The factory hasn't been running for many years, so she turned the rooms into classrooms for poor children who wouldn't otherwise get an education. Because they are poor they don't have the money for school (in India you have to pay to go to school), so she provides schooling and lunch for the children for free. It's really so neat what she does. 

My friend and I had been wanting to work with the kids, but an opportunity never presented itself. However, a few months ago I talked with 'Maam' about reading one day a week to the kids since they are teaching them English. She thought it was a wonderful idea because they would hear a native English speaker. We knew they might not understand everything I was saying because she wanted me to speak 'normal' and not like an Indian. But, with time we both thought they'd be able to understand more and more. 

So, I've been reading a story to the 5th and 6th graders every Tuesday, and doing some type of activity with them. 

 We read a story about a lighthouse and how it helps to guide boats. Afterwards they drew a lighthouse like the one in the book, but colored it whatever color they wanted. I thought they looked great!

This day I read the 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' and had them draw the lifecycle of a caterpillar to butterfly. The great thing is that they remember what they learned when they get to do an activity. 

After I work with the older students I go into the kindergarten and 1st grade class and sing a song to them in English. They are just too cute!

Here's a video of the older students singing 'This Little Light of Mine' that I taught them.

Diwali!

So we made it in to Delhi on the night of Diwali, arguably the biggest holiday in India.

It is a celebration about the victory of good over evil (at least that is how the Hindus describe it most of the time).

They used to just light lamps and sit on the roof. 

But now they hang christmas style lights and shoot off fireworks! (Kristen said, "Great, a combo of Christmas and the 4th of July!")

They also add flowers over their doors... this shop was super extravagant. 

Check out the lights in the market!

We were able to go to the roof of the hotel and see all the fireworks.

They were really beautiful!

They were everywhere! We could see them over

 all of the tops of the roofs

By about Midnight, we were tired and had enough...

But they kept coming!

Its okay though, we are used to these kind of things, 

we were too tired to care.