Blogging Through 2006

Some friends of ours (Ben & Heather) did this great thing on their family blog, showcasing the first few lines from the first post of each month to get a good summary of 2006... and I thought it would make a fitting "summary" of ours to do the same thing. (If you want to read the full posts, you can use the "archive" menu down and to the right to access our blog, month by month.) So here goes:

January 2006

(no blog posts, but we started out the year snug in our home in Midlothian, Texas)

February 2006

(again no blog posts, but we were living in Virginia, doing some cross-cultural training to prepare for life overseas)

March 2006

"Transported to Another World" - city#1

For our first post from the other side of the world, we'll give you a taste of some of the fun things we saw on the roads here in a 15 minute walk home after lunch. They're just a smidge different than what we saw every day back in Texas!

April 2006

"East Meets West" - city#1

It is incredible to see the blending of American culture even into this remote part of the world! This province is a mix of central and eastern Asian cultures, and now... American culture as well! Colonel Sanders is expanding eastward!

May 2006

"A City With Style..." - temporary city

We are visiting a new city, en route to Thailand to have our baby... Though in the same country, this city is a completely different world than where we've been living. There is a significant middle class here, with a large amount of purchase power, that just doesn't exist in our city. It is interesting to see a different part of this country we now call "home".

June 2006

"Would You Like Lizards With That?" - Thailand

The other night we went out to a place called Mike's here in Chiang Mai Thailand that is well-known for its great burgers. ...With it being one of Jessica's mom's first nights in Thailand, we were trying to ease her through the culture shock of her first time abroad, so we thought it would be a great place to get an easy, familiar meal. Just after they brought us our fries, she looked down and right next to her basket of fries was a lizard...

(Indulge me and allow me an additional entry for June!)

"MARANATHA HAS ARRIVED!!!" - Thailand

Yesterday, nearly 24 hours ago, Maranatha Pearl Connell entered the world on June 4, 2006 at 1:23 p.m., here in Chiang Mai, Thailand! She is such a precious baby and the boys are enjoying this new wonder of having a baby sister.

July 2006

"Goodbye Thai, Hello Home!" - Thailand

Well, tomorrow we'll be on a plane out of Thailand, headed back to our new home. Saying goodbye to Thailand isn't going to be difficult for us- we're ready to get back to some semblance of normal. Even Maranatha's crib has been strange here...

August 2006

"You Say Goodbye & I Say Hello" - transition from city#1 to city#2

Well, after countless days without internet, we're finally online again! In our old city, we said goodbye to friends, young and younger; A sad goodbye to Jessica's language tutor, who the kids had grown fond of as well; And now we're saying hello to a new place! These 2 youngest members of our family are getting used to the new apartment...

September 2006

"That's Quack-tastic!" - city#2

We went to a Beijing Duck restaurant tonight and tried the famous dish... the best part was the little tortilla-like things that come with it, because we could fill them with sizzlin' beef, and it ALMOST tasted like fajitas.

October 2006

"Home Sweet Home" - city#2

Here's a picture of Maranatha & I showing off our front door and entry way, complete with coat hooks, cabinets for shoes, and a "No Smoking" sign just to the left of our door.

November 2006

"Goodbye, Daddy" - transition from city#2 to Hong Kong

The kids give daddy bye-bye-hugs. After Doug's extreme exhaustion & fatigue over the last 4 days, the doctors decided he needed to go to Hong Kong for further observation and evaluation. A friend offered to go with him for initial testing until we have a better idea of what's wrong and how long he'll need to be there. Because of the age of the kids and logistics of getting our whole family there, we decided it would be best for me to stay here with the kids for now. Last night, we had a sad goodbye.

December 2006

"Live From Hong Kong"

Forgive us for not posting before now. As you can imagine, it's been a task just getting Jess and the kids to Hong Kong, getting semi-moved into our apartment here, getting groceries (everything's SO expensive here!), and taking care of all the details involved. This is a HUGE city! Just getting around here takes forever, especially with 3 little ones. Doug is feeling better, aside from some really annoying muscle spasms and pin-prick-like pains that come on randomly in his limbs. And so far, all the tests have come back normal, which is a blessing, but also is puzzling...

To sum it up in a word: transition!
West... to East
4 person family... to family of 5
Steady family life in a 2-story house... to ever-changing life in multiple locations: a 4-apmt quad, several 6-story apmt complexes, innumerable hotels, a teak bungalow, and now a 17-story city apmt building
Preparation & packing for life overseas... to the Real Thing
Being an everyday American... to Being the only Americans in a city of over 300,000 people
Eating the familiar (and fattening) foods... to eating differently but much healthier
Being a family that almost never got sick... to having a year filled with sickness & injury

But, through it ALL, Jesus has been our Constant Source of strength,
proving Himself Faithful and True.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8

Though we are still uncertain about the future of Doug's illness, and uncertain about where we'll be even next week, we are certain of this: He Who has held us and kept us and brought us this far will hold us and keep us and take us where He wants us for the rest of our days. We hope 2006 has been a year of God's unfolding faithfulness in your life as well.

Grace and Peace to you, from the Connells (currently in Hong Kong)

Goodbye Thai, Hello Home!

Well, tomorrow we'll be on a plane out of Thailand, headed back to our new home. Saying goodbye to Thailand isn't going to be difficult for us- we're ready to get back to some semblance of normal. Even Maranatha's crib has been strange here... it's made out of bamboo and mesh netting to keep the mosquitos off of babies-- take a look:

We're ready to get back to where we at least know SOME language, SOME people, and have normal things- like a living room for our family to relax in, and some sort of a routine to life, rather than this in-transition life we've had for over 6 months now... So, happily, we're signing off for the last time from Thailand!

Kiddo Pictures

OK, this is an unapologetic post to make grandparents happy! SO here's a photo or 2 of each of the kids in action lately:"Can I hold Maranatha for a little while?"

Baxter exercising a healthy lack of caution (ball pits are WAY too much fun to not let loose a little bit!)

Ethan and his buddy Joseph doing some crazy sliding

"Y'all come back now, y'hear?"

The Mad Hatter

This was too funny not to share!

Groupie Alert!

Tonight, we went out to eat at a restaurant we've become fond of, and as we sat down, Doug informed me we were sitting right next to the band Sonicflood. Sure enough, there they were!

We knew they were coming here; we have tickets to their concert here in ChiangMai on Saturday night. But we had no idea we'd get so close to them. After we finished eating, Doug walked over with Ethan and they met Rick (the guy in the center of this photo) and told him we often have dance party to their praise songs in the mornings! He seemed pleased, and was real nice to Ethan. Now it will be even neater to go to their concert with the boys!

The Falling Cost of Medical Care?

Today I took Maranatha for a visit to a neonatologist (not just a pediatrician, but a specialist that focuses on newborns), and had about 25-30 minutes with the Doctor (who speaks great English). After discussing her congestion and giving her a thorough check-up, he prescribed a light medication that I can try if her sniffles get worse. The hospitals here have pharmacies inside, so it's one-stop shopping. You see your doctor (in the hospital), get your meds, and pay for it all in one building. (And if you needed lab work or an x-ray, that would be easily done as well-- which makes me wonder why don't we do it that way in the US?... anyway, I digress...). So all of this- a visit with a specialist, medicine, and a bottle of saline drops to help her nasal congestion- cost 337 baht. At the going rate of 37 baht to $1 USD, that comes out to NINE DOLLARS AND TEN CENTS!

While medical costs are growing more and more outrageous in the states (largely do to our litigious society), medical costs here (at the same level of medical care) are outrageous-ly low!

Relatively Safe

It's wild how things in a new place become "normal", when the same thing NEVER would've been acceptable before. Particularly regarding this idea of what's "safe"... Doug's brothers commented that the river raft (see previous post about Ethan & Baxter's birthdays) looked less safe than what Tom Sawyer would have ridden on! :) And it's probably true! Here's a look at the vehicles we've been travelling in these past 6-7 weeks! The most common "taxi" is the song-tao:

Here's a view of the back (it's a bit unnerving the first few times you ride in one of these going down the highway at 45-60 mph, seeing the pavement flying past the opening at the back):
(mind you, lest this picture deceive you or have you send the CPS people on the next flight to Chiang Mai, Ethan doesn't sit anywhere near the back when the thing is actually moving!)

This is called a tuk-tuk (pronounce took-took). We like these because you get more of a breeze.
And finally, check out this "ride" Ethan & Baxter took in the mall the other day. These panda bears have wheels and kids can drive them around the kids' section of the mall! WILD!

Texas girl

Our little bonnet-clad beauty
(the actual photo is not as washed-out as it is here on the blog)

Thanks, GranBren & Granpere for the beautiful dress, blanket, and bonnet!


And you can have the girl out of Texas, but it just wouldn't do to keep the Texas out of the girl! Here's Maranatha wearing 1 of the 2 onesies that Uncle Aaron sent to fire up Texas pride in his new niece:

Fiction stranger than real life!

Giving credit where credit is due, this post was inspired by a fellow blogger's post on mannequins found in their city in China... you can check out their blog here.They say real life is stranger than fiction, but after seeing the mannequins loitering around Chiang Mai malls and shops, I'm not convinced! This one in the middle is your every-day giraffe neck mannequin.
Whether you've got blue or pink hair, feeling goofy or extremely serious, these clothes are for you!

For the not-so-masculine male graduates out there intending to wear a wreath in lieu of a graduation cap:

This one reminds me of Monty Python and the Holy Grail... a knight guarding a path has been bested in a fight with King Arthur and is sitting upright on the ground armless and legless. and despite his losses, is still taunting the King... "Come back here, ya' pansy"
For all those contemplating June weddings, you've got options: Option A: traditional- Option B: "exotic"
Who knew Backstreet Boys were popular enough to be made into Thai mannequins?

And finally, there's always one who thinks she's better than everyone else... (with or without arms!)

Happy Birthday, Ethan & Baxter!!!

What a birthday celebration we had! We opted to celebrate the boys' two July birthdays a few weeks early while Nana was here with us! (Ethan turns 4 on July 7 & Baxter turns 2 July 19.) So we went to the Mae Tang Elephant camp outside Chiang Mai, where they have over 40 elephants of all ages! It was so incredible! What a day!

The boys got to feed the elephants (we didn't know this, but they eat whole bunches of bananas- no need to peel or separate them... they just eat the whole thing!)The elephants put on a little show for us where they played soccer (called "football" in this part of the world), painted paintings, played harmonicas & drums, rolled logs, and danced, and then we went on a 45-minute elephant ride. Ethan rode with Nana & their elephant had a baby that followed them the entire time (you can see it tearing at the bark of a tree along the trail)
Here's an idea of the beauty we were surrounded by on this incredible day:
We also got to ride an ox cart (obviously, the people in the picture are not in our "party", but I wanted to give an idea of what an ox cart ride looks like!
and had a 40-minute bamboo raft ride (it rained part of the time) to end the day on a cool note.

Meaning of the name "Maranatha"

I got to thinking that some people may not know why we chose the name Maranatha for our new daughter, or know the meaning of this word. It is an Aramaic phrase meaning "Come, Lord" but it also has other meanings. Below is an article that will give you deeper insight as to why we chose this beautiful word for our daughter's name.

The article below appeared in the March 2003 edition of The Connection -

As we are moving from celebrating Jesus’ incarnation towards the celebration of His death and resurrection I would like to share one word with you, “Maranatha.” I hope the meaning of this word will be an encouragement to you. “Maranatha” is found only once in the Bible (1 Corinthians 16:22), yet the three meanings of this word encompass the essence of our Christian life.

The first meaning of maranatha is, Our Lord Has Come. What a tremendous encouragement to our faith. For centuries God had promised the provision of salvation. Because of Jesus, the Christ, we know that God’s promises are kept and that we have available to us the abundant life He has promised.

Our God is the faithful God who has demonstrated His own love toward us. Even though we live in sin, separating ourselves from His promises and love, He has come to dwell among us, to offer Himself in our place as the atonement for our sins (Romans 5:8). As Christians we are not waiting for some unknowable god to reveal himself to us. We have the reassurance of knowing the faithful God who has come!

The second meaning of maranatha is Our Lord Is Now Present. Many teach that Jesus was a great prophet who lived long ago. Many ask us to live in the “spirit of Christ,” as though Jesus were dead and only His teaching and philosophy live on.

Are you discouraged, depressed, alone? Are the pressures of life crushing you? What good is a dead god? The joy of knowing Jesus is found in His presence with us each day of our lives. As a great hymn of our faith declares, “I serve a risen Savior...He lives!”

Each day, know that you are never alone. God is with you. As you trust Him His power and wisdom will help you through whatever circumstances you may find yourself in.

The third meaning of maranatha is Lord Come. This is the future hope of every Christian. The coming day when all will be put right. When our wounds will be healed. When all tears will be dried. When we will be reunited with our loved ones who have died knowing Jesus. When we will rise to see Jesus our beloved Savior face to face (Revelation 21:1-8).

The God who has demonstrated His faithful love towards us - the God who is presently with us - will one day call us together for eternity in abundant joy to rule and reign with Him. What a hope! May we live each day as the beginning of our eternity to come. Maranatha!

Mountaintop Experience

Doug & Debbie (Jessica's mom) had the opportunity to go to a tourist spot near the top of a mountain just outside of Chiang Mai: the Buddhist temple, Doi Suthep. The view of the city was beautiful. But some of the other things they saw were heartbreaking.

Thoughts on Beauty...

I'm convinced there's nothing on earth quite like a daughter to show you what's truly beautiful!

And there's nothing quite the same as seeing your face reflected in your child's face. (My dad and I have these same forehead wrinkles that you can see on Maranatha's forehead!)

Monkeyin around...

Last week we had an afternoon of monkeys, snakes, and orchids! This orchid farm has beautiful rows of orchids in hundreds of colors and butterflies as big as frisbees. We've never seen anything like it!This snake trainer threw the python into the water and came up with it wrapped around his neck. Doug helped him unwrap it from his head. (yikes!) And this guy was catching snakes by their tails:The monkeys were precious- our two little monkeys and the ones in the show were too!

Waterfall Road Trip

We hired a taxi and went on a trip to some waterfalls about 1 hour outside Chiang Mai today - it was BEAUTIFUL! The water was just spilling down the hillside and looked like frothy milk:Even the roadside scenery was so interesting- mountains, rice paddies, people working in the fields...We had a great time getting out to see God's beautiful creation here in Thailand!

Larger family = More love to go around!

Ethan's doing a great job learning to be a big brother! He wants to hold her and burp her, and Baxter is being SO careful and gentle, surprisingly so! We are so proud of these big boys and how they're taking care of their new baby sister! Here's a picture that's dark but beautiful. This little girl makes it a constant temptation to be flashing the camera at her, even though you may risk waking her with a flash! She's just so pretty!

Boys will be boys...

...even when they're 27 year old boys! Here's a picture of the Connell men doing their best WWF impersonation (without the costumes!):Ethan picked out some army men & a whole army "set" before we came to Thailand. Surprisingly, yes, the army men are all Americans! Here, he's sprawled out on our porch, making battle plans:

Lions and Tigers and boys, oh my!

Being overseas and seeing the "unsafe" but extremely fun playground equipment makes you realize what a litigious society America has become. This train was creaky metal, hanging by metal bars, and the entire thing (about 20 feet+ long) swung forward and backward. The boys had a blast, but this would NEVER make it in a playground in Texas- they'd be too afraid of a lawsuit!

Though there is certainly a new "focus" on a new little person in our family, you can rest assured, the boys are having fun and getting attention too!