Packin' Up

We're officially living out of suitcases, as you can see! We spent our first night in the new (to us) flat, but we're continuing to sort and pack at our old place during the day. It's a little crazy trying to juggle our work schedules, our kids, and all of the requirements of moving away from India (then going to the US, then going to Cambodia). But we're learning a lot in the process!

The End is Near...

The countdown has begun - we will be leaving India in three weeks. After 3 years of living and serving in this amazing country, our departure feels very bittersweet. We will miss our friends (even more than we realize now), we will miss the beautiful Ooty climate, we will miss the amazing students of Hebron... However, we are so looking forward to what God has next for us in Cambodia. It feels good to be simplifying once again (as you can see by my smile in the pic below), and it feels good to be making conscious decisions about how God wants us to live as a family. We are committed to serving Him and honoring Him - which makes all of life's craziness (and believe me, it's been crazy) worth it!

This week we are moving houses so that we can downsize before our "big" move. We'll be living out of suitcases and essentially "camping" in a smaller apartment so that we can send off all of our stuff in the next week or so, and can focus on "leaving well". We'll be shipping a small container to Cambodia, and the rest of our belongings will go into suitcases.

Last weekend, Lauren's dorm had a Jumble Sale (yard sale) to raise money for a service project in North India and to help feed local beggars. We donated several boxes and bags of clothes and household items - they raised almost $700! It was great to donate to such a good cause (and great not to have to deal with selling it ourselves). Unfortunately, our belongings seem to be like the widow's oil that would never run out, so we'll probably be having a sale of our own in a couple weeks. The money will go towards setting up our new home, so hopefully it will go well :)

In closing, I should probably leave you with some "Bubba" cuteness. When Addie was little, this is what she called her best friend, Jordan. And this is now what Megann calls herself. The Tamils call her "Papa" which means baby, and he Ozzies refer to all babies as "bubba". So, with all of those influences, the nickname stuck. Her sisters, of course, add their own flavor and call her "Bubba Choo Choo".

New Sunday Tradition

This is tourist season in Ooty. Local schools are on summer holiday, and our town is flooded with people. I don't know quite how to explain it, but even for India the crowds are crazy. Unfortunately, our school entrance is just inside the gate of one of the most popular tourist attractions - the Botanical Garden. For the past few weeks the crowds and traffic have been almost more than we can handle, so we've been finding creative ways to escape the craziness.

Our new Sunday tradition is to go to one of the nice hotels on the edge of town for the afternoon. We can't afford to eat there, but we enjoy a cup of tea out on the lawn with friends, while our kids play with rabbits, ride bikes, and just have a great old time!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy...

Addie and her new friend playing with rabbits

Lauren, Addie and Megann playing with friends

Addie - making friends like only Addie can (no, we don't know these people)

Brenna and her new talent (whistling)

Ryan - helping Addie learn to ride a bicycle...

Giving up, but still having fun!

And one last picture for my Grandma Bass - 'cause she appreciates the importance of sticking out your tongue when you're really trying to concentrate!

Two weeks ago, Ryan's parents came to see us! They were only with us for a few days (it was an add-on to a speaking engagement already planned in India), but we had a wonderful time! We were able to spend a couple of nights in Coimbatore resting and enjoying being together without other responsibilities. We did a lot of relaxing and swimming and eating out and playing and talking. Also, it was a chance to enjoy some warm weather!

The Tooth Situation

Here's a picture to update you on Megann's teeth. One of her top front teeth is just about to come through the gum (we think that was the reason for one very sleepless night last night), so her mouth won't look like this for much longer. It does make for a very cute and ornery grin! Funny enough, Brenna's teeth also came in this order, so it doesn't seem too out of the ordinary.

Addie turns 5!

It's hard to believe that the little two-year-old girl with blonde curls that we brought to India turned 5 this month!

Addie celebrated her birthday with four friends (and her sisters) by having a Princess Pizza Party. Everyone dressed up, and we went out to our favorite pizza place in town (okay, so it's the only pizza place in town). We played games, ate pizza (veg only, of course), played more games, opened presents, ate brownies and ice cream, and sang songs in the car on the way home (what else do you do when the car is loaded with girls!?!). It was such a fun night for all of us to celebrate a little girl who brings so much life to our family - Happy Birthday, Addie!

6 princesses and one "drama-queen" (ha!)

** As a side note, I just had to add these two pictures to give you a better understanding of our life here. When we go into town, people stare at us. When go into town with with Megann, people stop and giggle and stare at us (and pull out their cell phones to take pictures). But when we go into town with Megann and 7 girls dressed like princesses, people stop, stare, giggle, pull out their cameras, and eat their pizza while taking pictures of us eating ours. I have to say, it's little weird and a bit awkward.

All this to say that these two pictures are neither weird or awkward, it's just what happens whenever we go to this restaurant - the waiters take care of Meg (and occasionally pass her on to other customers). It's cool. It's normal. This is our life.

Sweet Meggie-girl

Megann is crawling!! Unfortunately, our home is not safe for a crawling baby, so we have to watch her very closely. We have dirty fireplaces, concrete floors, steps and ledges. This, coupled with Megann's insatiable desire to chew on dirty shoes, is going to make for an interesting few months.

This is what happens when your big sisters get nail stickers from Grandma and run out of nails to stick them on - you get a faux nose ring!

Pure sweetness