Happy 47th Birthday Dave!

Happy Birthday Dave!  

I am so grateful for my husband who leads our family to follow the Lord in serving overseas here, or wherever God may lead us in the future.  It's my dream come true, really!  He is a thoughtful and caring teacher, a loving and communicating husband, and a very quantity-time daddy as evidenced by the photos below!  Happy Birthday! 

"Daddy!  Read me this story!" says Jonathan.  "Bu!  Bu!  (book)" says Joshua.

Man-time in the play fort

The Patrow boys LOVE going to eat lunch with Daddy at school.

Definition of bliss for Jonathan:  totally devoted one-on-one face-to-face time with Daddy while swinging

Wanting to see how Daddy sees

Wanting to fill Daddy's shoes

Field trip -- Local landfill. Written by Guest Blogger Dave (aka Mr. Patrow)

The following photos are all from one day in the life of our AP Environmental Science class.

This is the majority of the class.  Three of the boys are off making trouble someplace:-)

Mr. Patrow insists that students take detailed notes about garbage.

Don't slide down this or you're in for a smelly landing. 

All smiles for the garbage dump. (The black pillars in the back are the landfill methane vents.)

 Things don't always work the way they are supposed to.  A non-functioning sedimentation tank.

Another photo of the same tank with garbage floating in the upper chamber. 

 

You can't see them, but families were sorting through this pile as we walked by.  You can see the bags of items they have collected to sell for recycling. 

Jen sharing the virtues of cloth diapers after we got back to the school.  Disposable diapers take a lot of room in landfills in the USA -- the 3rd largest item after food and drink containers.  Here disposable diapers are now commonly used and some end up in landfills.  Many others unfortunately end up shredded by dogs or in local rivers or roadside ditches.  Cloth diapers are a much better alternative!  (Yes, Jenn added a few editorial comments to Dave's one line caption here!)

The Best of 2012-- Patrow family Silly Sayings

We have some friends (are you out there Suzanne MacDonald?) with 5 kids.  All year, Suzanne keeps track of the funny things the kids say and then publishes it all with the family Christmas letter.  Although it is sometimes several pages of small single spaced type, we so much enjoy reading and chuckling along!

Last year in Singapore, the pediatrician asked us how many words were in Jonathan's vocabulary.  Dave answered 10 words.  I answered at least 50.  When we came home, I started writing down his words, and quickly surpassed 50.  In fact I quickly surpassed 200 -- I guess we were at that vocabulary explosion stage!  That was only the beginning....then came phrases and sentences and then dialogue.

Here are some of the funny and endearing things overheard at our house in 2012.  (Note: As much as I'd love to have the perfect photo for each quote, these are just random family photos from our 2012 collection, for visual interest.  Enjoy!)

Toddlernesian 2012

Helkokker -- helicopter

-Merica -- America

Eatmeal -- Oatmeal (makes sense, right? You eat it, after all!)

Wowo -- world

Jofwah--Joshua

Grow-la -- granola

Peek-you! -- Peek-a-boo!

Slivers -- fwivers
Sweeping -- sleeping, or sweeping
Blinklers -- sprinklers
Eleventeen -- seventeen
Gwinting -- squinting

APRIL

Jonathan's phrase of the month "I SO love you!"

MAY

Jonathan, learning the alphabet: "A for poo-poo!"   

Jennifer:  (correcting) "P for poo-poo.  I've got to write that one in the book….A for poo-poo."  

Jonathan:  (correcting)  "No mommy, P for poo-poo."

Jonathan, for several days after head vs. chair accident:  "I have bwoosed head."  

Jonathan, seeing a large grayish-brown lumpy thing on the ground "-tato!"  (Translation: potato).   

Jennifer:  "That's a coconut."  

Jonathan:  "Coke-nut!"

During the week when 4 month old Joshua is getting a lot of praise for learning to roll over, 2 year old Jonathan rolls over on bed and says "I roll over Mommy say Wow!"

Coming up and handing over a crumpled photograph from his baby photo album, Jonathan says:  "Mommy, I folded Grandma Coral!"

Trying to teach cause vs effect. 

Jennifer:  "If you don’t stand carefully on the stool, you could fall and hurt your head bad and have to go to the hospital. "   

Jonathan runs and puts his shoes on with unprecedented enthusiasm, goes out the door and runs to the gate.  

Jennifer: "Jonathan where are you going?"   

Jonathan: "I wanna go hospital!"

JUNE

At Joshua's baptism, our entire family stood before a large congregation.  After seeing Jennifer struggling to hold a wriggling Jonathan, Pastor Kent suggests we just put him down to roam.  "We have a free range brother," he said.

We look at Joshua's baptism cake which says "Joshua Jason, Child of God." 
Jennifer:  "Jonathan can you read the letters on the cake?  What does it say?" 
Jonathan:  "CAKE TIME!"

Jonathan singing the alphabet, "A B C D E F G H I J K Hello-lo-lo P …."

JULY
At McDonalds play structure, chasing a bigger girl around. 
Girl, to Jonathan:  "Stop, you baby!" 
Jonathan, to girl:   "Stop me baby!"

Driving I-84.  Dave, taking an opportunity to give a geology lesson: "Those rocks are lava flows from volcanos…."  

Jonathan, looking across the river "No!  They not volcanos!  They windmills!"

Jonathan (spoken very slowly as he worked it out in his mind):  "When I grow up …I'm gonna be …..a grown up."

AUGUST
On the joy of discovery, while Jonathan was eating a snack of apple chunks:   "Mommy, these apples have juice in them!  I'm drinking it!" 

Jennifer:  "Jonathan, if you eat your spinach and your chicken, it will make your muscles in your arms and legs strong." 
Jonathan eats a few bites, and then earns a few potato chips as a treat, which he promptly gobbles.  "Mommy, it's going down into my legs and my feet and making me strong!" 
Jennifer:   "Chicken and spinach are better at making you strong." 
Jonathan:  "And potato chips, Mommy!"

Sunday School Teacher:  "Jonathan would you like to be Zaccheus and climb the tree?" 
Jonathan:  Falls onto all fours and crawls away shouting & roaring like a lion

At naptime: 
Jennifer "Jonathan do you want me to tuck you in?" 
Jonathan:  "Ribbet"

SEPTEMBER

Jonathan:  "Come eat me daddy!   Pick me up and frow me in your wair!"  (translation: lair)

(Editorial comment:  I treasure this next one.  Perhaps it even deserves it's own blog post.  Does Jonathan yet understand everything about sin and redemption?  No way.  On that hand neither do I!  But this moment, while providing some chuckles, is also evidence of God's working a gradual and beautiful process in his life.) 
Randomly, while eating lunch one day:

Jonathan:  "Mommy, how does God get into my tummy?"

After some thought, Jennifer:  "Do you mean how Jesus gets into your heart?"

Jonathan:  "Yes, how does Jesus get into my heart?"

Jennifer:  "You ask him to come in.  Like the song "Behold, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock….(sings the whole song) and then you say  (singing) "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus, Come in today Come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." 

Jonathan:  Sings to his own tune and beat "Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, Thank You, AAAAAMEEENNNN!" 

Jennifer:  "Did he come in?"

Jonathan:  "Yep."

Jennifer:  "What does it feel like?"

Jonathan:  rubs his hands all over his chest and shoulders "It feels…….hot…..and fire…..like an airplane!  (singing) Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart…..and my tummy!"

OCTOBER

Jennifer:  "Jonathan how old do you think I am?  How old am I?" 
Jonathan:  "Kookah." 
Jenn, thinking a bit of clarification is needed:  "Jonathan how old are you? "
Jonathan:  "I'm TWO!!!" 
Jenn:  "Okay, so how old am I?" 
Jonathan:  "Kookah."
Dave:  "He knows it's a nonsense question since he can't count that high.  So he's giving you a nonsense answer!"

(This is one of those classic moments that's probably experienced in every home!)
Jonathan, holding Dave's child-proof vitamin bottle from the USA:  "Daddy are these your pills?  Can I open them?" 
Dave:  "Yes, those are daddy's vitamins.  But you can't open them.  It's a bottle that only a grown up can open.  But you can try." 
Dave then turns around to give Jenn and Joshua a kiss before going to work. 
Jonathan:  "Here Daddy," handing Dave the open vitamin bottle and lid. 

Jonathan:  "When I grow up, I'm gonna have wings."

After watching Joshua take medicine for his cough, Jonathan asks for some too. 
Jennifer:  "No Jonathan, you are healthy now.  You don't need any medicine.  Only sick people need medicine." 
Jonathan:  "(wimper, wimper), I'm gonna cry….in just a second." 

Apparently he learned this song in Sunday School:  "Raisen, raisen, all the little children."  (Translation:  Praise Him, Praise Him).

Upon seeing Jenn with a new hairstyle
Jonathan:  "Mommy (giggle, giggle), you look like a …..a…..gurl-lul! (giggle, giggle)   (Translation: girl)

NOVEMBER

Jonathan, holding out a small dead beetle in his hand:  "Mommy, this died!"

Jennifer, inspecting beetle, "Yes, he is dead."

Jonathan: "Do you know why?  Because I put my knee on him!"

Jennifer: "Oh, well, he's dead.  Go throw him in the toilet and flush him."

Jonathan:  "Will that make him feel better?"

On a day of special need for patience...
Jennifer (groaning in exasperation):  "Patience is a fruit of the Spirit….I want to live in the Spirit." 
Jonathan:  "I want to live in America."

At evening devotions, after singing the first 2 traditional verses of "Be careful little eyes what you see," Jonathan spontaneously composed this new verse:  "Oh Be careful little bottom where you go poo-poo.  Oh Be careful little bottom where you go poo-poo.  For the Father up above is looking down below.  Oh be careful little bottom where you go poo-poo."

DECEMBER

Jonathan:  "Ow!  Mommy, I hurt my leg-elbow!"  (translation -- knee)

Field trip -- 6th graders learn about Mount Merapi

Dave with this year's crop of 6th grade boys -- they all have amazing stories.  One was born and lived most of his life in Bangladesh.  Another lived most of his life in a remote tribal village accessible only by helicopter.  Another will be tested to see if he is "gifted" in the next few months.  One boy's father, a passionate Christian, is the owner of a successful film company.  Others are children of missionaries form South Korea.  A special group indeed!

Yesterday's post featured the 11th grade fieldtrip to search for invertebrates in a local stream.  The next day, the 6th graders went to a surprisingly good interpretive center featuring our local volcano, Mount Merapi.  After erupting quite severely 2 years ago, Merapi has been quiet enough although I hear it still burps from time to time. 

This field trip was kind of rained out ....except for the time inside the visitor center watching the short movie and looking at a few pictures, much time was spent huddling under umbrellas and trying to avoid getting wet.

Here are all of this year's 6th graders.  They are working hard to enjoy their last year of elementary school -- their last year of having recess -- before jumping into 7th grade!  Thanks for taking them out to make some memories, Mr Patrow!

Field trip -- 11th graders search for invertebrates

Dr. Livingston I presume?

For this blog post, we depart from family news to focus on what Dave has been doing at school.  Last month he took his students on a couple of field trips.  Field trips are hard to organize and a bit stressful along the way, but years later the students will remember it.  He's excited to be teaching Advanced Placement Environmental Science this year, a new class for him.   I (Jennifer) am signing off now and Dave is taking over the story....

My first field trip with Environmental Science was to a stream flowing through rice paddies.  Our goal was to find bugs and count them; which the students did with gusto.

In transit to the fieldtrip site

Most families here have a motorcycle instead of a car.  Here you see a whole line of them driving ahead of our bus.  The blue van is our town's answer to the public bus.  We normally ride these blue vans when we go shopping. 

Still in transit

Here you can clearly see the rise paddies above the stream we visited.  The students are carrying nets and buckets.

I'm doing my best to look like a true professor.  I don't think the students are fooled.

Caught one!

After catching our bugs we head back down the hill to our bus.  I must mention that it was a missionary kid who is auditing my class that found this stream for us.

And heading back to school now...

Happy 46th Birthday Dave!

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers."  Psalm 1: 1-3

Our family is so thankful for a husband and father who loves the Lord  and his family and who prays and seeks wisdom from God's word each day.  He's also a very thankful guy, which we feel in how he relates to us.  He is absolutely the perfect husband for me and I love him and thank God for bringing us together!

Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave, these are the best years of your life....but I have a feeling the bestest best is yet to come! 

Progress! Dave learning with a new tutor!

As the new school year approached, we were praying for a new language program for Dave.  The tutoring he was receiving last year just wasn't producing strong results.  For one thing, it all happened in the middle of his busy school day on campus. It was hard to focus.

We prayed for a specific person -- someone mature, male, with strong tutoring experience, and who uses a curriculum.  We followed a few dead-end leads before the Lord finally led us to Pak Sabto, who meets all of those criteria perfectly!  Pak Sabto is a full time home tutor.  He and Dave have been meeting for about 2 months now, and Dave is making progress!

Now Dave can hang out on the front stoop  of the corner store with the other men and say quite fluently "I can't speak Indonesian, but my wife can."  He's become so fluent in that phrase that people don't believe him anymore! 

Pak Sabto is 34 years old with a wife and newborn daughter.  He comes to the house on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  He has worked at language school in the past and even has written his own curriculum!

The funny thing is, Jonathan LOVES Pak Sabto also!  He calls him "Dahdo" and waits at the door when we mention that he is coming.  As soon as Sabto is in the door, Jonathan pushes a chair into the study room and sets himself in it, waiting for his lesson.  Sometimes Sabto will go over a few words with him before I lead him away and shut the door.  It's great to hear Dave and Sabto conversing diligently in the local language for their entire 1 hour lesson.

Jonathan waiting for his lesson with Pak Sabto. 

This day Jonathan got to sit in on the lesson for the first couple of minutes!  I guess he shares his daddy's love for learning!

P.S.  You see the couch in the picture?  I just have to share about the miracle that happened at our home last week.  It is the same couch -- an American hide-a-bed sofa given to us last year -- in the last video post of Jonathan dancing.  We just had it recovered -- very affordable -- and it looks brand new.  Best of all, whereas previously we were unable to fit this 83 cm wide couch through our 80 cm wide spare bedroom door, the upholsterer's assistants were able to fit it in after the work was done!  So the miracle is..... we now have a guest room!  Praise the Lord!  Let us know when you are stopping by!

Things that are different: Neighborhood work parties

Dave (in hat) cleans up with our neighbors

So the same neighborhood association that organizes the monthly baby clinics also arranges for a neighborhood work party every month or so. We usually get the official written invitation (complete with letterhead and offical stamp of the village leader) on a Saturday, calling for the work party to commence on Sunday morning at 7 am. Dave really enjoys these work parties because they happen at a good time for him and he can contribute to the effort while at the same time practice his Indonesian and meet our neighbors on a low key basis. Jonathan and I like to make a short appearance, and then head home for the baby's pre-church nap. (Okay, I must admit he is a toddler now, but we still like to get that nap in if we can!)

This week they were just doing superficial clean-up stuff -- picking up trash and leaves, cutting down the long grass, etc. Sometimes they do bigger things like dig drainage ditches or paint lines on the roads. They are always well attended -- I saw at least 20 people at work and more people were arriving as Jonathan and I were heading home.

The systems we have in America are nice, such as city street sweepers and road maintenance crews.....but at the same time, this is a great way for a community to take ownership of their space, hang out together and make fun out of a lot of hard work.