We are so thankful!!

As you know my wonderful gramma passed away and so these days have been difficult being away from my family. I will ALWAYS have my gramma in my heart and be thankful that I had so much time with her as well my kids were able to experience some memorable times with her.
Being away has been hard, yet having three little kids to chase does not allow you to sit and be sad the way I would like at times, I still have to be a nurturing mom for them. What I am most proud of is that our kids don’t associate death as negative because my dad & auntie Wendy (whom passed six years ago) They think being up with God is great and one day they will get to meet Pops (my dad) who they hear about all the time. To see them talk so freely about Gramma is refreshing for me.

So as my gramma has said “This is life now deal with it” tough nut she was.

Thank you to your supportive email to me and my family, I have appreciated them very much..

Now on a happy note. We have ventured and seen a few things lately. The weather still has not turned around and so it is to cold to go to the beach or pool except for this afternoon the sun finally showed itself.

The Phuket Aquarium was interesting, we saw many Nemo’s there, a walk through tunnel to watch all the fish swim around us. At ocean park in Hong Kong had the best fish aquarium I have ever seen so this one here in Phuket was ok. We saw these unbelievably huge Giant Gruperts. I could not believe how big they were, they would swim around and roll their eyes to look at you, it was kind of creepy. ( I don’t have the disk with me of the picture right now, next time)

Then we were out for a drive in the morning looking for a waterfall in the hills and we came across this elephant safari. It was the neatest thing. Trent, Emma & Easton loaded up on one very big elephant and Everett and I boarded on RAMBO our 10yr. old elephant. I said to Trent if the animals don’t look good we are out of here but again the handlers were very nice and always had smiles on their faces.
It was one of the greatest experiences. Trent and the kids were in lead as we were walking. Our elephants had to go down this big embankment to get to the river, Trent was hanging on for dear life, he almost went off. This slope was pretty big and these enormous animals had to take it nice and slow. Of course the kids thought it was great and they got to be in the presence of these very powerful animals. As we were walking Trent’s elephant had to move a log with its trunk, he picked it up with such ease.

We were up on their backs for about a half an hour and amazingly enough Everett sat down with me. He thought it was pretty neat to yell “daddy” and wave. I never really noticed and thought about it but elephants have a lot of hair all over their body, very black hair.

I wonder what the elephant thought when Trent go off his back. The handlers picked Trent to come to the front to make sure he was on the largest elephant out of the four of them.

When we returned Trent & Emma got off the elephant and the handler grabbed Easton and brought him to sit on the elephants head with him to walk around. That was pretty neat but Easton was unsure. Easton gets presidential treatment for his looks ( being so white and a red head) and cute smile. He is so used to people grabbing him and touching his hair now. We buzzed his head before we left and you couldn’t really see his hair color but now it is growing back you really notice his orange hair as he calls it. He reminds me more and more of my dad.

When we returned to the tower to be let off the elephants, one elephant had to relieve himself, oh my goodness it was like a waterfall. The elephant though had the sense to spread its legs, I thought that was pretty smart, must have been a female 🙂

I wanted to cry because my battery went dead in my camera and my back up was dead because the converter we had blew up the night before (so I didn’t get the pictures I desperately wanted). The kids said “We have to come back and do this again then” yes we do…

That was pretty cool riding those elephants;

Out for supper at a pub the other night and a live band was playing. Easton asked if he could go on stage. I never thought he would ever go up there but he did and they gave him a tambourine to play. It was so cool, he stood up there song after song playing away. I have always said Easton will be into some sort of music, he loves it and it was so great he felt so comfortable on stage. Who knows what the next years will bring! I asked him if he would like to take lessons and play the guitar like the band, he said very confidently “I already know how to play Mommy” (so I have been told)

At this pub I ordered this fish called Antarctica butter fish. It was delicious for anyone who has the opportunity to try some, very good.

* This will be a good one to share with the class Mrs. Brandt.

Here in Thailand they have acres and acres of trees with little cups at the bottom of them and I wondered why.

These trees are rubber trees.
The trees are planted and mature for about 13yrs. The farmers then go out at midnight or one o’clock in the morning when the trees are warm inside and score the trees. They don’t cut a lot but make a diagonal cut from one side of the tree to the other. It will take about two hours for a white substance

 

 

 

 

 

(rubber) to drip out of the tree into these little cups that catch the liquid.
To make approx. 1 kg of rubber they need about 20 full cups of liquid. They then pour the 20 cups in a pan along with water and acid; they make a paste then put it through a pressing machine which the rubber is still

 

 

 

 

white. The rubber strip is then hung in the sun to turn color an then it is pressed again.

The trees last about 50yrs and then they are cut down to make furniture. The rubber made here is then transported back to North America to make tires, soles for shoes, toys almost everything rubber we use.

Emma is holding a piece of rubber that is approx. 1 kg. 1 kg or rubber is worth 60 baht so about $2.00can/kg. Rubber is high right now so the Thai’s are happy because not so long ago the value of rubber was 17 baht/kg very low = $.70cents/kg.
I am amazed at how simple this process is and what nature is still providing the world…

I went and watched Trent & Easton at the boxing gym with their trainer Tou Chi. Tou Chi is a 39 yr. old ex Thai Boxing Champion and is so small compared to Trent. He is a really great guy, is wonderful with Easton and allowed Emma and Easton to fool around in the other ring for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trent really impressed me by his high kicks for a big guy. I think me might be a challenge for me after a month or so..haha..( at the lake I kicked is butt royally in the summer) What a work out also the sweat was pouring off Trent… My Boys the CHAMPS!!

 

 

 

 

idont know if I mentioned it but I was walking with the kids and we saw a snake on the road practically beside us, no more than a meter away. OH MY GOODNESS, I was pretty freaked out and the snake went off into our distant neighbors bushes… that is two for two now, last year we had a rattle snake at our front door..

Trent insisted we go see this snake show on the island, I was not so keen as I hate snakes. It was unbelievable what this guy did with snakes. He brought in cobras, a king cobra, and jumping snakes and a python. Again we are in Thailand so no barriers to help keep people seperated.

 

Trent is fasinated by these freaky creatures. They asked him if he wanted to feel the strength of a python, they told me to sit beside Trent (NO WAY) They wrapped this 12foot long snake around Trent’s legs and told him to try to seperate his legs. He could not describe how powerful this snake was. When Trent tried to move his legs the snake contracted, it would easily break bones and crush you, especially a child.

I asked the handler why the snake has such a big wound on its skin, they said the snake tried to swing back to bit the handler not so long ago and bit itself instead ( How lovely)

Easton wanted to hold a snake I can’t believe he stood there with a snake around his shoulders, and the python ( this one about 8feet) was starting to slide off his shoulders ( creepy) Trent said it was not a biting python I have not heard of those ones..

Trent has passed on this adventure for snakes to the boys. Emma my girl has turned sensible and stayed on the side lines with me most of the time. Yes I admit I am a chicken when it comes to snakes… What did we learn from the snake show, we learnt that there are cobra snakes everywhere here and that is why at resorts they have hired staff to watch for them to chop them up. It is quite possible the kids & I saw a cobra snake. Now I am on HIGH alert all the time, but the handler told me if I do see a cobra just “stand still and it wont move either”, I said “then how would I get help”, everyone just smiled…

It is Christmas Eve here and we are off to the beach. Merry Christmas everyone, I am sure you will all have a wonderful one. My family I miss and love you sooooooo much and remember celebrate Gramma that is what she would want us to do. Hugs and kissses all around!!!! especially Ken for me…

Auntie Penny, Uncle Ted, Auntie Pat, Uncle Gary, Uncle Don, Michele and all my wonderful cousins (be good) and hugs to you all
Mom Merry Christmas..xoxoxoxoxox
Bon, Troy and my munckin Harlow… hugs to my bug please
Gramma & Grampa, Auntie Carol & family, Merry Christmas in Calgary
Uncle Ian I hope you make it home for xmas and hi to Tammy and the girls.
Mr. & Mrs. Schmuland, Rob Marilene and kids Merry Christmas in Okotoks

All our wonderful friends we have, a merry christmas to you guys, you mean the world to us. We are extremly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who we love so much. We appreciate you and hugs to you kids from our kids…

Love Jody, Trent, Emma, Easton, Everett xoxoxoxoxoxo

All my love to my family and I miss you very much wish I was with you right now but give eachother hugs for me please. I am thinking of you all! Mom give ken an extra squeeze for me and someone one give my mom one for me and extra long one, I miss you Mom.
Merry Christmas to our friends may this Christmas be a great one for you.

Until next time, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Jode