Broadbents in Town

My parents, not known as international jet-setters, did wander across the Pacific to visit us last month.  First came Mom:

As documented previously, my mom is wonderful.  She was a delight to have in our house.  

When Dad came out, we set out to Laguna.  Dad lived there 40 years ago, which is pretty much the only reason they ventured this far (and we keep their grandkids for ransom).  I rolled my eyes at his wide-eyed optimism that he would remember people or they would remember him after 40 years.  So we pulled into church in Los Banos:

It was a great building.  Centralized air conditioning!  White boards instead of chalk boards.  Chairs with desks attached (for Sunday School).  This place was on the cutting edge of church buildings.  And lo and behold:

These are all the people that knew Dad (well the three older people at least - they are all siblings).  They all thought he had really fattened up.  If you don't know him, you can guess which one is my Dad.

The next day we went on the awesome Pagsanjan Falls river ride.

That's the boat with Jeffrey and me.  The guides were also a father and son combo.  I should have figured from the way the guy in back kept correcting the guy in front.  My parents went in another boat.  For you movie buffs, this is the same river in which they filmed Apocalyse Now.

These are the falls at the end of the ride.  Our canoe guys couldn't take us on the raft that went under the falls.  That apparently was handled by a different union.  The falls were a little smaller than expected, but I think there are more higher up. 

The next day we hit the zoo with Laird and Lucy.  No rain this time.

I gave my parents a quick tour of US Embassy Manila.  That same flagpole was used when the flag was raised after Manila was retaken from Japan in World War 2.  That is the main Embassy.  I work off to the left in a less picturesque building.

And here is the obligatory picture of James, here looking very serious.  Thanks for coming Grandma and Grandpa!  You can read about their version of the story here.

A Special Day

My previous habits of blogging at night have proved ineffective with four children.

But the stars have aligned, with the toddlers playing quietly and James sleeping.

So finally, photos from March 8.

James enjoyed his blessing day.

His sweetness and pleasant personality have impressed us all.

His cute little Filipino outfit.

His personal attendant. She can scarcely stop fussing over him,

whether to adjust or change his blanket, rock him,

find a pacifier, or whatever she deems necessary.

After church, our family with Pete's parents.

We were so grateful they could come so far!

Grandma with James. She has such a talent with babies.

Our delightful dinner guests that evening, the Dobsons. Brother Dobson served in the same mission as Charlie many years ago. They live on the other side of Manila.

Boys and Bowling

Jeffrey turned 8 yesterday. We celebrated at the bowling alley.

Wearing his favorite shirt.

We opted for retro party hats.

The bowling cupcakes.

The birthday boy came in second at 87. Judging by their stances,

most of the boys have never been bowling before.

Tai and Jeffrey have been friends ever since we moved here.

Our last round of bowling was silly and quickly proved the chaos theory.

This was Jeffrey's favorite, where everyone had to bowl through his legs.

The boys were very hungry after bowling for two hours.

Note to self: 7 boys + pizza + bowling = craziness.

But Jeffrey's wish for a bowling birthday came true.

Happy Birthday to a wonderful boy!

Appreciate Your Wife Week

James was born a little bit earlier than we expected.  The plan was for him to born around February 14th.  My mother was scheduled to arrive on February 11 and I was planning on taking the last two weeks of February off.  I figured that  between my Mom and I, we could more than make up for Sheralie's absence.  I was actually counting on it being fairly restful, since my Mom has amazing mothering/cooking/babying skills.  


It didn't work out that way.  James was born January 20 and I had to take a few unplanned days off of work.  My mother-in-law, since she is a saint, jumped on a plane almost immediately and pitched in for a week.  Then it was my turn.  I had another two weeks until my mother showed up.

The gang

I kind of knew what I was in for, having taken several weeks off when Lucy was born.  But juggling with two balls is a snap, the real skill comes in juggling three.  I cannot juggle three balls.  Similarly, handling three children, even very good children such as mine, is a feat of strength.

Some observations:

1. Children are very, very demanding.  I deal with people all day at work, but very little of my job has to do with teaching, cleaning, feeding and caring for children.  Adults are fairly predictable.  Children are not.

2. There is no end to housework.  Just when you accomplish one task, another two are right there behind it.  And the tasks repeat themselves, sometimes many times a day.

3. Children soak up everything you say.  Even when you think they are not listening.

4. I don't understand why any self-respecting child would not want to take a nap.  While staying at home, I found myself wanting to take three naps a day.  I could usually grab one, but not always.

5. I love my little Lucy.  I hope that even when she gets over being jealous of James she still loves her Daddy this much.

6. There is nothing quite so sweet as children falling asleep, especially babies.

7. Potty training tries men's souls.  I had no idea what Sheralie went through with the first two.

8. Adult conversation is very important.  This is not something I fully appreciated until most of my day was spent talking to a 4 year old and 2 year old.  And I even had Sheralie to converse with.

Valentine's Day Meatloaf

9.  My sincere thanks and love to my own mother, for raising us six kids.  I know we weren't the most helpful of children.

10.  Hooray to mothers everywhere who stay home with their children.  There is so much opportunity to influence your children for good.  Even the best daycare centers can't take the place of a loving and caring mother.  Men, appreciate your wives.  I don't care what your job is - their job is much harder and much more important.

In our Prayers

My sister's running partner and friend, Chelsea, has suffered a tragic death. The community is rallying around her family, at church, at school and at home. Her family is in our thoughts and prayers.