Taking it easy

Hi folks,

Sorry for the lack of posts, Internet connection was down... we are now posting from a Thai/Italian coffee shop which serves home made ice cream, (it's a dirty job but I have to get a connection, don't I?)

Last night our little daughter played a blinder - she slept to 4am, and then slept right through to 8.40... hallelujah!

Lesa left me in charge of the kids this morning, as she went off for a pedicure. I thought it would be a complete disaster, but it turned out as easy as pie - I even was able to change a dirty nappy without Tamah screaming the place down.

Yesterday, after having too much sun the day before, we took it easy... playing in our room, going for walks, and then out to the night market. The night market at the back of our hotel is the best, all the Thais go there. The smells, the food and the clothes are brilliant... they even sell dogs, (let's hope they are not part of the menu!)

Joel is getting excited about his birthday, which is tomorrow... he'll be 8... it makes me feel so old. Having Tamah with us this year makes this birthday just perfect. As Joel says, she was his Christmas and birthday present all wrapped up into one. 

He has become besotted with chess, and is able to stuff his mum, (which is no real challenge). Today while he was playing his DS, Tamah was clambering all over him - it is so lovely to watch the 2 of them grow in their confidence with each other.

On a different note, we are coming to the end of our trip here in Thailand, and we all have mixed emotions about heading home. Being here for 3 weeks, you settle into the pace of life, the sun, and the fact that in hotels you are waited on hand and foot. But we have to go home, and we want to, but we are anxious about how Tamah is going to 

cope there. Part of me feels guilty about bringing her away from everything that she has ever known. On the other hand, what sort of life would she have had if she had just stayed in Pakkred. Sure she was loved, you could tell that the volunteers and the staff thought that she was a star, but what hope is there for one kid among 35 others and just 3 staff?

We know that we are doing the right thing, we pray that Tamah will see that in years to come.

The Thais are so good... just now, we were sitting have our ice cream and this guy just gave Joel a bracelet just out of the blue.

We'll really miss this place, but then again I don't think that this will be the last time we will be in Thailand.

Sawadee krup,

The Martins