Poppy and CC visit 13

 An attempt at family photos...

 Coker gals...

Three generations of Coker men...up to you Tobin to pass on the name!

Poppy and CC visit 12

Supposedly the waters around our complex have a lot of these kinds of snakes in them and they are eating small fish. One of the office workers killed this one, and another later in the week. We went to take a closer look. 

Back at home the girls don their PJs and hats, and scarves/jackets, etc.

Sophia would do this all day if she could.

Tobin makes all kinds of cool contraptions with whatever is on hand. Cars and thin markers in this case.

Outside, Poppy and CC got to witness the kiddos build and play...

Our dear friend K, an incredible tennis player, was in a tournament, so the crew went to watch (minus Gabrielle and mommy). I am pretty sure K is undefeated in her 7 years here. She swept the tourney! Congrats!

 Tobin loves basketball...or any ball...

Yes it's November and we are in summer attire.

Out on the exercise equipment.

I love this sly smile

 And what are these two up to? Hmmm....

Poppy and CC visit 11

Saturday morning 'school store'. I did not come up with this idea but I love it...the girls get 'school bucks' throughout the week for doing school work. For bad attitudes or complaining, etc. they get them taken away. They can then spend money at my store. They love it. A friend from in China sent me some extra American candy that she had received, it was a hit. They also buy things like: 'dessert of choice' or 'family game night' or 'roasting marshmallows' or 'tea party', those things cost more because they are labor intensive or involved. This is also a time where we talk about the school week, how were attitudes? Highs, lows? What are we learning? David usually tries to be in on this as our school principle and remind the kids why we homeschool, what we are about, etc.

 Out on the boardwalk with one of the girls' best friends.

Tobin and Bella 'fixing' their cars.

Bella loves reading and singing to Gabrielle. This was so helpful while I was schooling Sophia, what a great babysitter.

Our helper cooking us her fabulous meal. Tobin loves her!

Training chopsticks, this particular kind are too slick and not that helpful for a learner.

Baby G

Family games on the floor. We were playing 'memory'. This game just proved my memory is shot, it has to do with sleep deprivation, I hope. That big green box in the background were two of the 'cars' or 'wiggle racers' as they are called in the U.S. Poppy and CC took them back with them!

 CC helped us make TWO cakes, like pound cakes, they were delicious. She is so very patient with the girls as they help. 

And the question always is, when can I lick the spoon!?

Poppy and CC visit 10

A sword fight ensued, and Poppy got it all on tape...

A princess flees the scene...

Daddy agrees to be the noble steed...

Prince Tobin tries to take off the horse's head 

A truce is had and they all hop on...

They all save Princess Gabrielle and ride off into the sunset.

Poppy and CC witnessed it all at our house. I did give them fair warning: our house is a mess these days, our lives seem like a mess. Our house is crazy, we are crazy, bear with. And they did. They loved us anyway and loved on us well. 

 To make these trips happen, Poppy has to work...and he sometimes worked in the middle of the night! Love that magic Jack, his customers couldn't tell he was in Asia. He was wheeling and dealing some good deals, so these phone calls paid off!

For all his hard work, Gabrielle gave him the first smile, and we all tried to get one too..

The girls row their boat

 Just a cute pic of Toby-oby...

Poppy and CC visit 9

What is this? These are frogs/toads ready-to-order for your dinner meal. We opted out. 

We took Poppy and CC to another fave restaurant, great atmosphere and good food!

This is grilled meat that we love, dipped in some yummy spicy sauce. 

Pineapple beef, 

 shredded and stir-fried green beans with hot peppers, spicy but goooood!

Our own little hut/room to eat in.

Tobin really started using his chopstick while Poppy and CC were here, none of our others started this early, usually around 3 years-old or so.

There is that car again, or is it a car? A glorified 4-wheeler maybe. 

This lady's dog was decked out in nice clothes. We see lots of dogs on motos like this, or in the basket on the front.

Shoe shopping for the girls this time. Sophia needed some winter boots. Daddy did a great job of helping her find some age appropriate ones. Thanks Poppy and CC for the kids' shoes! Bella wears the same size as Tobin and got the exact same tennis shoe as him (that lights up) but in pink!