Weber Kids in Thailand

RVCS!

2011-09-05T01:44:00.002+07:00

August 22nd was our first day of school. It's our first time to be at a regular school. Jojo is in 5th grade with 19 kids in his class. Boom-Boom is in 2nd grade with 25 kids in his class! We love being at Roanoke Valley Christian Schools (RVCS). Since we live at Shenandoah Baptist Church's missionary house, we only have to cross the street to go to school. We look forward to recess and snack time. We like having classmates but we don't like homework.

Here we are at our first day of school. Jayjay is sad because he can't go to school with us yet.

Catch-Up Post

2011-09-04T08:05:00.000+07:00

Well... It's been eight LONG months since the last posting. Jojo and our mom has not been doing too well keeping up with this blog. Life is crazy with school and ministry, and plenty of traveling.

Here's what happened these past several months.

February
Our neighbor got a new bunny pet and they let us borrow and play with it for a few hours. We begged our dad to buy us one but his answer was... Nope! Oh well.

Jayjay and mommy went to the Philippines to visit Papa and Mama Taquiso (our mom's parents) for a couple weeks. We wish we got to go with them but we couldn't afford the plane tickets and we had to do school.

March
The highlight of the month was being able to go to a watermelon patch. The watermelons were so huge! Two of them were 25 lbs combined. It was a hot day but boy! The watermelons were so juicy and sweet.

April

Every so often, our moms would take us biking to the railroad tracks in the afternoons. It's about half a mile behind our place. We like living out in the country.

May

Every year on May 1st, a village in our town celebrates a rocket festival. They launch rockets made of PVC pipes with home-made gun powder. They do a contest of which rocket stays up in the air the longest.

June

Two awesome things happened! We took our annual family trip to the beach and we flew back to America for our scheduled ministry furlough.

We are having a blast with our American friends.

July

For almost two weeks, our parents were in Pennsylvania for some training. We stayed with friends in Virginia. We had a lot of fun with the McFalls family. We swam in their pool almost everyday, hang out with friends, went to the library, and a picnic at the Roanoke star.

We got to tour the Hershey Factory in Hershey, PA.

The Amish country in Lancaster, PA

The Civil War battlegrounds in Gettysburg, PA

I Love Being an American

2011-02-15T08:11:00.000+07:00

The things I like about being an American is that we have freedom. There is plenty of fresh air. There is a language I can understand and all the friends I have. But few things in America are cheaper than things in Thailand. My friends are 10 Thais out of 5-8 Americans.

- Jojo

My Toys

2011-01-18T10:21:00.004+07:00

I have lots and lots of toys, but I play with only a few of them at a time. Here is a list of them:

trains, planes, legos, building blocks (bricks), cars, guns, and dominoes. Some listed are least played with. I still have more I haven't listed, so I don't play with them. I would like to give 'em away.

PK Fellowship, December 2010

2010-12-17T11:15:00.005+07:00

The pastor's kids fellowship was last week. It was not what I expected, though. I thought it would be in a park like others were in the past. Games with singing, eating, and more games. But was in a church and with less games and singing. It was fun though, and O.K. I even got to see my friends! I didn't eat much, though.

Yesterday's Sand Battle

2010-12-09T11:19:00.004+07:00

This is us with Art and Film

It wasn't my fault that it happened to turn into a disaster. We were racing, then Film (my thai friend) started it. We all were playing in the sand, until Art (another thai friend) threw a cup of sand in the air then poof! a nuclear-like form was made when it hit the ground. Then we did it over and over again. We started filling a bag with dirt, and then we threw it, but it broke. Then it got worse, a bottle of dirt was thrown, forming a trail. We filled it again and threw it .Well, I stopped first and went home to shower just to finish and dress to eat.

Jayjay stayed behind and guess how he looked... HE WAS COVERED IN DIRT!!! Our mom had to scrub HIM HARD!

I Were A Bible Character...

2010-12-02T11:51:00.003+07:00

If I were a Bible character, I would be Joseph. I would have a new cloak, get thrown in a pit, save Egypt from a famine, see my family again, and live happily again.

I want to be Joseph because he gets a nice cloak. He also gets more respect from his father.

My Favorite Class

2010-11-17T11:15:00.003+07:00

I love my Reading class. It's my favorite and the easiest class for me. The work texts are easy and you read only during the first half of the class. When I read the stories I get excited until the end.

I Love Kite Flying

2010-11-10T14:51:00.006+07:00

Hi! Remember me? I'm Jojo. Like I said, I'm your new blogger. Today is about my

kite flying. I have a big kite.

My favorite past time is kite flying.The kite is big , as long as my height. My kite looks like a jet with a pilot. If the wind is strong, I can fly it. My dad takes my brothers and me to the airfield at a factory compound.

I'm Three and I'm a Coffee Drinker

2010-11-09T11:00:00.019+07:00

I liiiiiikke coffee! I like to sip from Daddy's iced coffee and from Mommy's hot coffee. Don't get me wrong, I still drink a whole load of milk everyday but I just really like coffee. Today, I stole my Mommy's mug and drank all of half of the coffee that was left in it. When it was finished I said, "Mommy, my coffee is gone! More please!"

I'm Jojo. I'm a Sleepy Head.

2010-11-04T10:43:00.005+07:00

Hello! I'm your new blogger here. My mom thought it would be a good idea for me to do my Spelling class journal here. I do my journal once every 5 lessons.

Today's journal is about either being an "early bird" or a "sleepy head" . I am a "sleepy head." I wake up between 7:30-8:00. I feel sleepy when I wake up. I look forward to the holidays. It is important to be happy in the morning so I won't be grumpy.

Ministry Helpers

2010-09-21T17:48:00.007+07:00

We asked the boys if they were willing to scrub the chairs in preparation for the weekend English ministry.

They were so into it.

When they were done with the chairs, they asked if they could also scrub the tub where we store rain water. Sure!

Later that day we did a little bit of gardening out front. They volunteered to help.

A friend of ours drove by on her way to the market and the boys asked if they could go with her to buy drinks at 7-Eleven. We each gave them 20 baht (US$0.66) as their "wage." They were happy.

Brothers and Team Work

2010-09-01T13:08:00.003+07:00

We think the words "brothers" and "team work" are synonyms. We argue everyday. We fight over toys and other things, but we do love each other and work together.

New School Year... Again

2010-09-01T12:32:00.004+07:00

And so we began another school year at home. Jojo is now in 4th grade. Boom-Boom is in 1st grade. Jayjay, he's learning his colors and mastering counting through ten or twenty sometimes. But he's really not into all that school stuff yet. He's not quite three years old so he's more interested in causing trouble than anything else.

Where Did Our Summer Go?

2010-09-01T11:56:00.003+07:00

Good question! When we started our new school year at the end of July, we asked our Mom, "But we want a two-month summer break from school!" And she said, "It has been two months, guys." Oh no!

We were having so much fun that we didn't realize it was time to start school again. During our break we went to the beach two times, went to the big city several times, stayed up late, slept in late, rode our bikes, played in the rain, jumped into mud puddles, watched reruns of "Gomer Pyle" and "Andy Griffith Show," ate popcorn for dinner, and lots more!

Vacation!!!

2010-06-27T18:22:00.007+07:00

We finally had our long-awaited vacation. After we finished our school year, Mom and Dad couldn't decide when or where to go. We all decided to go to our favorite beach, Jomtien Beach in Pattaya City. We were so excited to find out that June is low season so the rooms at our favorite hotel were 40% cheaper than the last time we were there. Also, our bedroom was just a few steps from the pool. Funny, we went to a beach resort but didn't get to play at the beach or swim in the ocean, AT ALL! We just enjoyed the pool and we went to see many different things in the city.

Day 1 was Daddy's Choice - Ripley's Believe It or Not: We went to the Ripley's Museum, Infinity Maze, Wax Museum, a not-so-scary Haunted Adventure, and a 4-D Moving Theater.Day 2 was Mommy's choice: a botanical garden. We did see other cool stuff other than just plants and flowers. They had a "garden" with flowers and plants made of clay pots. They also had a vintage car collection show room.Day 3 was our choice: some pool time before breakfast, trip to a water park, and malling.Day 4: More pool time for us; Daddy got the TV remote all day; and Mommy took as many pictures as she wanted. We were all happy and content.Day 5: We watched some movies, played in the pool some more, and stopped by a place with miniature replicas of famous structures around the world before we drove home.We had so much fun! We got to eat burgers and ice cream and more ice cream. One evening, Daddy surprised us by buying some kiddie firecrackers and a Thai lantern to fly on the beach. We look forward to our next vacation - whenever that may be!

School Year 2009-2010 Is Over!

2010-06-25T21:55:00.003+07:00

We thank God for helping us finish another school year. It felt very long. We had a lot of interruptions but Mommy made sure we made up for missed school days when we weren't traveling or visiting folks. Daddy would occasionally take us swimming or go hit some golf balls at the driving range.

Jojo finished 3rd grade with very good grades. Multiplication was a little tough. His favorite classes were Science and Reading.
We discovered early on in the school year that Boom has dyslexia but he pushed on and has learned to read. It's still a struggle but we thank God for helping him try his best.
Jayjay is a handful and likes to disturb us during school time. He likes to get into everything. (Like the picture below. He got into a bag of powdered tile grout) Thankfully, our Daddy helps out our Mommy a lot by entertaining Jayjay or taking him out for a spin on the motorbike.
Thank you for praying for us when you pray for our Mom and Dad. We thank you for supporting our parents so we can stay in Thailand. We love it here.

"I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord," Jojo

2010-06-25T21:43:00.002+07:00

Video taken in November 2009.

"Amazing Grace," Jojo

2010-06-25T19:53:00.001+07:00

This video was taken in September 2009. This is a piano arrangement of "Amazing Grace." Took him about a couple months to learn, master, and memorize it. He made one little mistake but he did his best.

They're cute! I Know We're Biased!

2009-07-18T19:33:00.003+07:00

Just wanted to share recent portrait pictures of the boys. Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord. God has truly blessed us! These boys are a joy to us.

Jojo at 8 1/2 years old

Boom-Boom at 5 years old

Jayjay at 21 months old

More Tan for Tan Boys

2009-07-10T22:53:00.004+07:00

Last week, our parents treated us to a pre-school year trip to the beach for two days. We had fun swimming in the pool and playing in the sand. We came home with more tan on our tan skin! No sunburn, though, considering our Mommy forgot to put sunblock on us.

We had fun swim racing in the hotel pool.

Jayjay didn't want to be in the water. He just wanted to give Mommy kisses.

We chased after hermit crabs.

We had dinner at a Thai seafood restaurant and it was yummy! And the shrimps were HUMONGOUS! Look at the size compared to our Mommy's thumb!

And of course, we let our Mommy do a little bit of shopping at an outlet mall eventhough she didn't find anything worthy of buying.

Critters Crawling Around

2009-06-25T00:59:00.003+07:00

Life is never dull here. Last week when we were at a local high school with our parents, helping teach in an English camp, a snake crawled by just a few feet from us while we were eating lunch!

And then... last night, this baby lizard crawled onto our mom's computer monitor. Not sure what it was after... maybe the cursor moving around? Hmmm...

And then... today our mom took us to a park for a lunch picnic. As we were leaving in our car, our mom saw a HUGE spider inside the car! We don't have a picture of it, though. We didn't see it crawl out so it might still be there! Hope not!

Jojo, the pianist

2009-06-19T00:42:00.003+07:00

Jojo playing "Arabesque." He diligently worked on this piece for 5 weeks - from learning the notes to memorizing it.

Boom is 5!

2009-06-10T17:54:00.005+07:00

Wow! It had already been five years since the first time we took a peek in the baby nursery at the government hospital in Sakaew city, about forty-five minutes from where we live. Bottom sticking up in the air under UV lights. We were there to visit. Who would have thought that ten weeks later he would become ours! Only God. He wrote our adoption story a long, long time ago. It is nothing short of an amazing display of God's sovereignty in the Weber and the Hongchuta families. Happy birthday Boom!

MK Friends Again!

2009-06-04T14:58:00.003+07:00

Last week we had an unexpected but delightful visit from our MK friends - Lindsey, Erica, Trevor, and Tyler Jones. Their family stayed for two days and it was nothing but PURE fun! Seven kids eight years and under! Mr. & Mrs. Jones minister in Surin, about five hours from where we are. The Jones and the Weber kids are homeschooled and use the same curriculum.

Aunt Jenni reading us a story

our moms took us for a lunch picnic at a

nearby park while our dads went to play golf

minus the babies

looking at the fish

playing follow the leader - Jojo was the leader, being the oldest
Weee!
we abused this park dog BUT we did feed it with our lefovers
running down the hill

School Year is Over!

2009-06-02T16:34:00.006+07:00

A few days ago, Jojo finished second grade and Boom-Boom finished K4. Yey! Jojo said, "The year didn't seem long." Mommy is relieved to hear that. They both have learned so much in a year - both in classroom and in life. The two boys are displaying special skills in different areas. Jojo in music; Boom in art. We can't wait what the Lord would have them do in the future.

Next school year's books are ordered. Jojo is excited about being in third grade. He wants to start right away. Hmmm.... maybe mid-July is too long of a wait. Ha ha ha! For now, Mommy just have to find something for them to do, other than watch movies and play videdo games. Swimming lessons, maybe? Well see...

Keepin' Cool

2009-05-30T16:28:00.004+07:00

March and April are very, very hot months in Thailand. Aside from staying in our airconditioned bedrooms for most hours of the day, we did many things to keep cool:

* Play in a big tub.

This blue one was too small of us three boys...

...so Daddy bought us a bigger one.

Even Mommy joined us...

* Lay on a wet floor with no clothes on.

* Go swimming!

* Drink shakes! Mmmmm!

We had mango, strawberry, banana, and coconut.

* Just wear a diaper and nothing else.

MK Friends from Mongolia

2009-03-10T11:02:00.004+07:00

Just a few days after we got back from the Philippines in mid-January, Filipino missionary friends from Mongolia came to visit us. The last time we saw each other, Jojo was only 13 months old! Their boy, Kevin, or Boom-Boom or Jayjay weren't born yet. We learned from them that Mongolia is VERY cold and has very long winters, and no beaches! So we took them to the coast. We played on the beach, went on a quick speed boat ride, swam in the pool, and window shopped at a mall. We had a lot of fun! We miss them already!

with our friends, Kevin, Karin, and Kara Ceballos

Fun in the Philippines

2009-03-10T09:41:00.006+07:00

We have been busy. Yes, we kids do get busy. We do school while at home, meet friends when go on trips to Bangkok, and get dragged along everywhere by our parents. In mid-December our family flew to the Philippines for a month. We were in the provinces of Davao, Bukidnon, Cebu, and Negros Occidental. It was vacation with some ministry opportunities for our parents and for Jojo. We had three beach times, several malling times, tricycle and jeepney rides, hang out times with cousins and friends, and everyday trips to Jollibee with our Dad! It's the Filipino version of McDonalds, except it's better because they serve rice and the oh-so-yummy Filipino spaghetti!

Bahay Kubo (Filipino hut)

the best toy ever, a huge box where all three of us could fit in! Jojo at a family reunion. He also played the piano and sang at Papa & Mama's church twice playing with cousins we love Jollibee!!! tricycle rides in Kabankalan City were fun! Jojo turned 8 years old while we were there celebrating birthdays with cousin Jaja

cousins, lots of cousins!

getting some more tan

LIFE Camp Fun

2008-11-02T15:47:00.005+07:00

The week of October 13th-16th was a fun week for us. We were at L.I.F.E. camp, an evangelistic English camp, held annually at Wangree Resort in Nakhon Nayok. We had so much fun with our American teachers and we got to meet many new friends.

Jojo reciting a short poem with his classmates

Boom-Boom singing with his classmates Jayjay singing along with other kids... ...then got so tired from too much socialization, passed between SO MANY people like a football, and lack of nap times

We had fun playing with our MK friends - Elaine, David, and Autumn Scott

Flood, flood, flood!!!

2008-10-21T12:20:00.017+07:00

The month of September brought lots of rain and plenty of it! Several days into the two weeks of non-stop rain, we knew right away that Kabinburi was going to be flooded again this year. It was the worst that we have seen since we moved here in 2003. The picture below is a plot of land on sale. Ha! That's going to take a whole lot of fill dirt!

This is our downtown post office. We didn't get mail for about a week.

Kids had no school so they took the chance to play in the water on the streets!

For most people, they didn't let the flood interrupt much of their daily routine. For many, it was business as usual, just like this grilled chicken vendor.

Thankfully, our house/ministry building is on a higher ground. When the street next to us got flooded, we decided to join in the fun. For several days in a row, many people came to this street to have a tailgate party, wash their cars and motorbikes, fish, wade in the water, and swim. We did all of the above except for the tailgate party and fish. :D

Rainy Season, Fun Season!

2008-09-29T02:19:00.005+07:00

May through October is rainy season in Thailand. Sometimes we get lots and lots of rain in a week, then no more rain. Then more rain again. Then lots of sun again. But this year we have lots of rain. Sometimes our Mommy lets us play in the rain and water puddles. What a fun break from school time!

One time, Aunt Jenni and Mommy took the Student Center elementary kids to play at a public park but whoa! It had a lot of water from the previous night's heavy rain. More water, more fun for all of us!

A New School Year for Us

2008-07-30T20:18:00.003+07:00

A new school has started for us. Jojo is in 2nd Grade. Math is his favorite but he also enjoys studying Ancient Egypt for history class.

Boom-Boom is in K4 and so excited to be doing school just like his older brother. He keeps begging mom for more school work and color sheets. Don't worry, Boom, it will all come soon enough!

Jayjay likes to get into his brothers' school stuff so Mom tries to put him down for his nap during school time!

here's a picture of us with our Aunt Jenni taken two weeks ago

Boom-Boom is four!

2008-06-13T15:00:00.006+07:00

Boom-Boom turned four last Monday. Aaah! We're over the terrible 2's (or 3's)! We can't believe it's been four years since we first saw this baby boy at the hospital when his Thai mother gave birth to him. He makes us laugh (and mad too, of course!)... and when we laugh he'll ask, "What are you laughing about?" He is a clown!

We had a birthday party for him on Saturday, the 6th, with the Scott and Beckman kids, plus his birth sister and three other friends. Boom wanted cake and Jell-O for his party so we had that, along with chips and hotdogs. It was fun!

He loves art. He colored a whole "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" full-color, hardbound book one time. (That didn't make Mommy very happy) He can sit for an hour and color a coloring book. Everything revolves around Good Guys and Bad Guys. Double click on the drawing below to see his art work clearly and find out who the Bad Guy is this time.

Finished with 1st Grade

2008-06-03T14:50:00.009+07:00

Jojo is officially ready for 2nd Grade. He finished 1st grade last Friday. He did so well this past school year despite the many interruptions - a missions team, lots of friends coming to visit, a new baby brother, Papa & Mama Taquiso from the Philippines who came to stay with us for five weeks, and many more but good interruptions.

He is a very good reader but enjoys Math more. Science was OK. Handwriting, not his favorite. Piano is excellent. Now he has more time to ride his bike, watch movies and goof off with his brothers.

Yippee! We got new bikes!

2008-06-03T12:09:00.001+07:00

Thanks to Grandma Sunny (Daddy's mom), we got new bikes! We really like our sparkling red and black bikes. We rode around the park and it was fun! We can't wait for Baby Jayjay to come join the race.

That's our dog, MooMoo in the background.