This is the life...

Megann has a bit of jaundice, so we got her into the sunshine for a few minutes by the Hebron swimming pool. The elevation here is really high, so we have to be really careful but she enjoyed her short time of luxury.

Girls' Movie Night

Since the girls only had a short day of school today, we let them watch a movie last night after dinner. Here they are on the couch - all four of them!

Announcing...

Megann Maielle (my-El) born on Monday, April 5th at our home here in India. She weighs 7lbs, 2oz and looks just like her sisters! Angie and Megann are both doing great!

Addie's New Haircut

Here's Addie sporting her new haircut with her favorite stuffed animal, Jordan Bear.

Baby on the Way

Okay, it's late so I'd better stop posting and just go to bed. Here's one last picture just in case this baby is born tonight (hey, it could happen - tomorrow starts week 40).

Hiking in Coonoor

Every term before school starts we have Staff Retreat. In February it's always a special time because it's less business and more "retreat". This time we went up to Coonoor with the Hebron staff to rest and relax for the afternoon. Several people went on hikes through the tea plantations while others (like Addie and me) stayed at the guesthouse and visited with friends. Ryan and Brenna took one of the longest hikes up the hillside, winding their way through the tea bushes. What an amazing view!

Kodaikanal International School

On day two of our trip to Kodai, I spent the morning with in the Health Center with the school doctor (a great experience!) and the girls decided they wanted to go to school. Luckily, the teachers at KIS were very accommodating, and the girls ended up spending most of the day in class. In the afternoon, Ryan and I sat outside of the elementary school waiting for the bell to ring. It was kind of a strange way to spend a day of vacation, but we were really glad that the girls had such a good time. Brenna said that being in school that day helped her feel "100% American".

The view of the elementary school.

Looking down from the elementary school - over the playground.

Addie getting ready to paint in the preschool classroom - after she had run away from her outdoor PE lesson because she saw a dog on the field!

Matching glasses - Addie found hers in the dress-up box in her classroom.

Brenna working on a science project in her class.

A picture of the girls in our hotel room on the last morning of our trip - eating some amazing cinnamon rolls that Barb had found at a local bakery. Notice that Brenna is up, dressed, and ready for the day. Addie is awake, but still in pajamas. And Lauren is fast asleep. Yep, that's how it goes!

Kodaikanal

The day after the solar eclipse we went on a weekend trip to Kodaikanal. Kodai is another hill station about 8 hours away from Ooty. Some friends of ours, Barb and Torulf Holmberg, from here at Hebron lived and worked at the American school there when their kids were young like ours (actually, Torulf attended the school when he was a small boy). They were very generous to meet us in Kodai and show us around. We had such a great time - that is, after we got up the hairpin bends. The views were breathtaking, but so was the fact that we almost were run off the mountain by another bus.

Solar Eclipse

Here are some pictures of the solar eclipse we had on January 15th. It was wild -the shadows were all eclipsed (if this is the right term), and the light was really strange - like your eyes couldn't quite adjust to it. I got all kinds of comments about being outside during an eclipse while being pregnant. It's a superstition that if you do, then your baby will be born with a cleft lip. Well, you know me... I'm really not into superstition. But, if this baby is born with a cleft lip, then I'm leaving the country!

In the afternoon, once the eclipse was over, we went to a hotel across town with friends for afternoon tea. The kids had a great time playing with rabbits, riding bicycles, playing badminton, and going on pony rides. We had a great time just sitting in the sun.

Back to Blogging

Okay, so I just got on our blog and realized that my last post was over 2 months ago - how pathetic! I think there has just been so much going on that I felt a bit too overwhelmed to blog. My mom must have picked up on it too, because she's usually the one telling me to post some new pictures and stories and she hasn't mentioned it recently :) So, I'll be posting some new stuff over the next couple of days. Just don't be too surprised if it's not really "new" - it'll actually be updates on our life here in India over the past two months.