A trip to the Dentist

Back in the beginning of December, Nevi slipped on the wet marble walkway by the pool. It was raining and it was slick beyond measure. She hit the ground hard with her mouth. Oh a fat lip, blood, bruised gums and well eventually a gray front baby tooth. We decided when we got home from Oz we would have a dentist look at it. My friend, Kate had taken her daughter to a great dentist...so off we went! This is the reception desk.

This is the waiting area.

And here is some dental education on the wall leading into the office. I was not sure what the exam room would look like after being in the waiting area. But to my great delight, the female Chinese dentist was amazing. The equipment she had was reasonable and she even spoke very nice English. She declared thank god it is a baby tooth and it will come out on its own eventually. no worries. Then she looked at the teeth that were coming in...and noticed one was not having enough room. She shaved a tiny bit of another baby tooth to make room and the tooth has shifted a bit on its own! Now that is preventative medicine at it's finest...and she let us know that all 4 of Nevi's 6year molars were breaking through....so maybe that is where a bit of the clingy/crankies were coming from......ahhh haaaaa. So once again, don't judge a book by its cover...the waiting area does not the dentist make!

Here is Nevi and Hannah outside the Dentist office in their school uni's waiting for the staff to return from lunch...waiting...waiting...Malaysia time:)

Fairview International School

On January 4th, Genevieve started at a new school. She graduated from a lovely school called Hilltop in the end of November. She then had a 6 week holiday...and now she is adjusting to her new school! These are some of the staff and the gate that the children wait at for the parent to pick them up each day.

This is the front of the school. It really looks quite nice from here. Inside...well, let's say very different than what Nevi's school in the US looked like...even still her classroom is adequate.

First morning with Papa.

In her uniform...ready to go!

shoes

Let's take a bit of a break from the Australia pictures...more to come, but I thought I would bring us back into our daily life here in Malaysia. So let's talk shoes. I love shoes. I have always loved shoes. After having Genevieve my feet changed and I was not so interested in shoes anymore. But living in a tropical climate where sandals are essential- hummmm I got a bit more interested. The you see all the shoe stores everywhere. Then you see really nice shoes for under $20! This is just an example of one pair I bought in a little shop for let's see $5 USD.

so here is a little glimpse of daily life...well not daily, but occasionally.....shoe shopping! Oh very Malaysian thing to do. An expat woman I met when we first moved here said when you start collecting shoes you have integrated into the Malaysian life....ok integrated!

love to see

My heart soars with joy when I watch Genevieve climb, run, explore and frolic. The freedom that comes with being able to move your body, breath fresh air and feel no sense of being held back- this is a gift. At home, we take this for granted. We have a beautiful back yard, a lovely neighborhood to ride bikes and take walks, a park or ten near by, amazing outdoor places to explore...too many to choose from. In JB, we are so blessed to have our apartment on a golf resort. I know we do not play golf. But what this gives us is beautiful trees and green grass to look at. I appreciate the natural setting more than you could ever know...cause the rest of what is around us is pavement, buildings, exhaust from cars, trucks, scooters...and no place to walk or explore nature. Malaysia as a country has lots of green and nature to explore...just not so much in JB. So these pictures really tell you of our vacation. Freedom, Exploration, Beauty, Fresh Air...

This is the best sight of all. As many of you know, Devin rarely rests, sits still, or stops moving. Guess what neither does our daughter. This was the first time and perhaps the only time, I say Devin lay down and do nothing. Devin works so hard each and every day and night...it was a beautiful sight to see this:)

Boxing Day

December 26th is Boxing Day. We heard a few different ideas about where this holiday originates...but it has something to do with servants boxing up food for the families they work for on Christmas so they can have the day after Christmas off.....or about boxing up leftovers and sharing...either way- it involves boxing up food!
On Boxing Day- we took a slight drive and visited two local Breweries. One thing Malaysia does not have is good beer. One it is a Muslim country of course- so alcohol in general is well limited in selection. But beer- even worse than the other choices....mostly Carlsberg and the local Tiger. So as a special treat for Devin, we went brew searching.

In the Perth area, the sustainable and green building aspirations are so fabulous to see. I am so drawn to the style, look, feel of green building. I love the mixture and representation of wood and metal. I love the angle of the roof line and the long one story building. One day, I hope we can live in a home created in harmony with the earth, the sun, the air, the land. This brewery was designed really well.

In Australia or at least this part of Australia- breweries are family friendly. Look at this wonderful play structure created with shade covers for kids. Then the adults can sit, lounge, drink and the children can play! Brilliant. We had such a relaxing time, sitting in bean bags on the grass, Nevi playing and eating some pizza.

Christmas Day

Here is the view from my perch on Christmas day. Not my usual view on Christmas...no white snow, no cold temps, no sweater or hat, no rain, no fires in the wood stove...just pure tropical bliss.

That is Nevi and Devin out standing on the raft...Merry Christmas!

Yeah Xmas

Opening presents outside in the sun in a bathing suit...I know seems foreign, huh?

Stockings! Santa came! He found us in Australia! Even in our campervan!

The beautiful sunrise on Christmas morning...D and I both witnessed it as we had to wee:)