Niah Caves, Malaysia

Among many of places we want to visit while we are living in Asia, the Niah Caves is one of them. After crossing the border into Malaysia we arrived at the Niah National Park about 2 hours later. From the park headquarters we boarded a small boat to cross the Sungai Niah. Once across the river we followed the raised boardwalk to the caves.

While walking through the rain forest the sights and sounds were amazing. At some points the sounds of the insects were similar and as loud as a dentist's drill. There were the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen, some as big as a small bird. Kieran was wearing shoes with neon green laces. The butterflies were attracted immediately to them. He could have easily have had 2 or 3 of these winged creatures land on him if he hadn't have scared them away. As we walked the butterflies seemed to follow us all the way to our destination.

From the trail head it is a 3.1km walk to the Great Cave and another 1.4km to the Painted Cave. The top pictures you are seeing is called Trader's Cave. This is where the earlier bird's nest (used for the famous bird nest soup) collector's lived and carried on their business.

As you round the corner from the Trader's cave you come to the Great Cave. This impressive cave measures 250m across at the mouth of the cave, and 60m high at highest point. This cave is home to thousands of bats and millions of swiftlet birds. Upon following the boardwalk deeper into the cave the light gets more scarce. There are many pockets of light that dot the cave throughout so you are never in total darkness. We weren't able to continue on to the Painted Cave as it was getting late in the day. We'll save that for next time!

We headed back the way we came with a refreshing breeze steering us towards home. The boys had a great time exploring. It really is an amazing place to be in the midst of a lush rain forest. On the way back we spotted a huge centipede and some sort of green lizard. We were all weary from the distance we had walked, but left there so glad we came. I can hardly believe we have lived here this long with such a wonder in our own backyard.

Sports Day

Kieran also recently participated in a Sports Day that was held at his school. I was unable to be there, but luckily someone snapped some great photos for me.He has always been naturally athletic and has excelled in all his sports.

This year he competed in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and a boys relay race. He came in first in all his races! Well done, my son!

Junior Athletic 2012

Recently Evan was chosen to compete in the Track and Field competition at JIS. JIS stands for Jerodong International School, and it is the school Kieran attends.

Evan was in 4 events, 60m, 100m, chest push throw, and 600m relay race.

He did quite well. He came home with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbon. He had a great time hanging out with his friends. Kieran was able to come and watch his brother in his races as well. It was a long and hot day, but one enjoyed by all!

Chinese New Year

Anyone who know me well, knows that my pajamas are calling to me shortly after my kids go to bed. I'd like to be a night owl... but I'm just not. Oh... I can only imagine all I could accomplish with a little less shut eye?

So needless to say, New Years was never really celebrated in our home.

But...

This year thanks to my friend Laura, I stayed up to ring in Chinese New Years. During the week before the official day, fireworks lull you to sleep almost like the croaking frogs. Just kidding... But really they are almost always in the background.

So for about almost an hour after the clock struck 12, the amazing display of fireworks lit the sky. Here are just a few of the festivities that I captured.

It was a fun night.

But the best part was when once again I was snuggled up with my jammies on.

Home Away From Home

A little over a couple of weeks ago we moved Kieran into his new home away from home. If you asked me a year ago if I would consider sending my son to boarding school, I would have been shocked at the thought. But I guess until you face all your options things change.

So the day was upon us to settle him into his new room. He shares a room with 3 other boys. He was lucky enough to have a good friend of his in his room. He takes the bus up to the school on a Sunday evening and arrives back home on Fridays around 2pm. I wouldn't say the situation is ideal, but so far he is enjoying it. In fact, I'd say a little too much somedays. It is all good though and he is keeping up with his studies in spite of the busy social life.

The above photos are of his boarding house. The school itself is like a huge university campus. Within each house is about 16 boys. There is a common room in each house with a TV, ping pong table and kitchen. They eat in a cafeteria adjacent to all the boarding houses. Now that he is boarding he is able to take advantage of a few more of the afterschool activities. He is currently in an outdoor education hiking club, squash, tennis, and soccer. His days are packed with activities and he only finds a small window of time to call home.

Of course, like any Mom who has the first of their children leaving the nest, it feels very surreal. I miss him, as does he. But, I do find that our chats have more depth. We genuinely miss each other. And, believe it or not... So does his brother. So as the bus pulls in each Friday... I am excited to throw my arms around him!

New Friends

Recently our church held a conference for pastors from the Phillipines. After offering my home to be used for accomodation, I was blessed to be able to get to know these three lovely ladies over the next few days. It was really fun touring them around Brunei. What I loved the most was our time in the evening where we would just sit and talk, comparing notes of what each of our lives looked like. These 3 ladies have planted an amazing number of churches. They make a difference in this world where ever their feet walk. I witnessed the way they make strangers feel so loved. They left me wanting to be more like them.

So let me formally introduce them to you. In the group photo, from the left is Haidee, then Margie, then Evan, Kieran, and I. On the right is Malou.

On one of our evenings together we had an amazing time singing together. Evan was on the drums and Kieran played the guitar. Not only did these ladies leave a mark in my heart, but my boys as well. Needless to say, when it was time to say goodbye, the tears came. It is funny how complete strangers can come into your home and within a few days can leave memories that will never be forgotten. I do hope to be able to visit them again. This time in their country. I know that even though their are many miles that separate us... our paths will once again cross.

:: Double Digits ::

The start of a new year always begins with a celebration. My sweet boy Evan was born one week into January. While I must admit, that after the chaos of Christmas, planning a birthday party is not an easy transition for me. I still love to see his smiling face on his special day.

This year Evan turned 10! I know every parent has used the expression...

Where has the time gone?

But it is true! I have been parenting this sweet boy for a decade. When we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversay (now we are in our 15th year) I found myself feeling like... Wow, we made it this far!!

So again I find myself in awe. Not just how far into the parenting marathon we are, but also that in spite of my inadequency and inexperience our boy is turning out well.

No one can imagine how a child will turn out when you bring this bundle home from the hospital. Of course, we had hopes and thoughts in our minds as to the values we'd like to instill. But it isn't something you can attain in one big step. Day by day, and trial after trial, our boy has been shaped from a baby, to a toddler, and to now the 10 year old we are seeing today.

I can't claim that I am the author of who he is today. I stumbled daily with mistakes and thoughts of what kind of a parent am I??

But with God's grace, all my mistakes and bludders have not left my boy chipped and scarred. He is who he was meant to be... and that is still what I am watching unfold daily.

I know there is a plan for his life. A plan that in spite of his well intentioned, but flawed parents, he will attain.

They say that between the ages of 7 - 12 are the golden years! Yes, this stage of parenting is exceptionally easier than the previous years. I think these are the years when parents get a little ease until the teenage years hit. So I sat thoroughly enjoying the delight on my boys face as his friends surrounded him at his party. He is a boy who loves life! He is kind, confident and loves to make people laugh.

What more can I ask for??

Last Day of 2011...

Today is the last year of 2011.

What did we do to remember it?

We spent the day much the same as any other day... with the ones we love!

This year has been a busy year filled with many highs and moments of mediocrity (not lows). I have much that I have been blessed with. My eldest has settled into school here and is doing fabulous. He had a great summer doing the things he loves in Canada. Kieran and I were able to take 2 trips together. These are moments that I will treasure for many years. When I look at my now teenage boy, I can still remember the sound his little feet made as he hit the floor from his crib. He is now almost taller than me and growing into an amazing kid. So I will leave you with some photos that show who he is... He is kind, tenderhearted, athletic, succeeds in all he attempts and is very handsome.

But my heart holds two boys very close. So what has life looked like from Evan's viewpoint?

Evan too has blessed our family in many ways. He has always been our outgoing, confident and social boy. Evan took his talents to the stage in his first ever pantomine. Since then we now have a drummer in our home blessing us with his beat. When he was a baby his curly blonde hair and huge smile won most onlookers. Even today, whatever he is doing it is with gusto and a beaming smile on his face.

So as we say goodbye to another year, and end our story of 2011, I wonder what awaits us as we turn the page of The Story of 3 Men and a Little Lady!

Kota Kinabalu - Christmas Trip Part 2

We spent most of our days enjoying the hotel and the pool. We did take one day to do a bit of Christmas shopping. At the hotel there were lots of things to keep us busy. Rob and Kieran would work out at the gym in the morning while Evan and I played table tennis or badminton. In fact, our family has found a love of badminton. We played several times while we were away and have since bought ourselves some racquets. It is suprisingly fun!

For Christmas dinner we repeated a tradition we started last year. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant not too far from where we were staying. They have the best buffet full of seafood and all the Christmas trimmings. The boys especially love the dessert bar. After several trips to refill our plates we walked our meal off by the sea. Although Christmas here for me is difficult. We weren't able to dash through the snow in a one horse open sleigh... but we had a great time in the sand and surf!

Kota Kinabalu - Christmas Trip

We got up bright and early ready to hit the road for our trip to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. We had to pass through multiple border crossings and we heard the lines could be lengthy during the holiday season. We past through many little towns on our way to KK. The further we drove, the more lush the rainforest became. All was well until we came to a line of traffic waiting to get on the ferry. Not having been there before, we had no idea how long the line really was. Where I am from in Canada, we too live on an island. The ferry lines were always a bone of contention for us islanders. But I now have a new appreciation for BC Ferries. We waited over 3 hours to cross 50 meters of water! It was the most frustrating situation. Not only were we hot, but we hadn't planned ahead with any food and there was none around. We arrived at our hotel in KK around 7pm, 10 hours from when we left our house.

The hotel was a welcome sight. We had a quick bite to eat and then enjoyed a pina colada by the pool. The 3 islands you see in the bottom photo are the snorkelling sights famous in KK. You really can swim with schools of fish surrounding you. Really beautiful!

This is the view from our hotel room. Unfortunately, I waited until the final day to snap a picture and the day was slightly overcast. But the view each day was really breathtaking. The boys had a room of their own. It was the first time that I have been able to cut the apron strings and let them grow up. They loved it! I think there were many a late night for them as they watched movies from their bed. But suprisingly, each night I would go to tuck them in and they had showered and brushed their teeth. Something that usually only gets done with lots of my nagging!