Our Baby Kelsey

Kelsey Farah Penny
Born 15 February 2012
Latifa Hospital, Dubai
4kg, 52cm

My dearest, blessed Kelsey,

God formed your inward parts; He knitted you together in my womb.

I praise God, for you are  fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are God's works; my soul knows it very well. 

Your frame was not hidden from God,when you were being made in secret, 

intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

God's eyes saw your unformed substance; in His book are written,

every one of them, the days that were formed for you, when as yet there was none of them.

(My paraphrased prayer of Ps 139:13-16)

  My prayer and hope and desire is that whatever and however long those blessed days with Kelsey may be, that I be faithful and committed and loving through them all, repentant and asking forgiveness when I fail this dear child, and pointing her to her awesome Father and Creator, who has given her to us for now to love, admonish, care for and cherish. 

We thank and praise the Lord for this undeserved, but beautiful gift,

our Kelsey Farah;

"Ships full of Joy".

  

Going local

There is a fresh local market very close to us that we get our fruit and fish from once a week, at least.  It is so refreshing (literally!) to see so much green stuff to eat, fruit and veggies and herbs picked that morning, and fish, crabs and other sea creatures caught/picked the same day.  The smiles that come free with every purchase, or just free, just because these wonderful people are Thai and that's what they do, they smile, makes the whole "shopping experience" priceless.

There is a super friendly local family that stays in the house just below us.  Mr Boa is also a taxi driver, which is how we met.  The other day they took us to a park, what a treat!  Our girls and their boys had so much fun, as did us adults!  It has been such a privlege to get to know a Thai family so well in this time.  Really special!

And then just 2 pics of my two most favourite little people...

Elephant Trekking!

We had the most incredible experience of going Elephant Trekking. As a South African you know elephants are enormous, but it's not until you get on top of one that you get a better understanding! And it amazed me that despite the size of these guys, they navigated even the smallest and steepest of paths, true "Gentle Giants".

My appreciation for these amazing creatures grew so much yesterday, as did my awe and love for their great Creator!  The biggest and strongest animal I have ever seen, well this close anyway, was carefully and fearfully and wonderfully and lovingly made by his and our awesome God. 

I praise God for elephants, and I praise Him for this experience!

What's to Eat at a Phuket Market?

We had the wonderful privlege of going to the Phuket Weekend Night Market-it was such an amazing experience! Busy, busy, busy and so much stuff to look at and buy, at prices that at times leave you laughing and wondering what the catch is! 

Ryan gave the girls 40baht each to spend there, that's a bit less than aed5 or R10, Donna bought a little ring, a pair of earings and a lipstick, and got 10baht change!?!?  Now that's bargain shopping at it's best!

Phuket Night Market

But by far the most... interesting (I can't think of a better word!) was the food that was on offer.  I really wish I had taken more pics of the food, but here's a "taste" of what was there...

Crabs, worms, grasshoppers, dimsums, sweets, quail eggs and every sort of meat-on-a-stick...and LOTS more!!!

Needless to say, us Pennies had fruit smoothies and water, then made supper back home in the safety of our Western Kitchen!

Dances with Dogs



Flynn and Mea

There are 3 dogs at Ao Yon beach, and they have added so much to our holiday.  The little puppy, Mea, is still just the cutest thing.  But there are two bigger dogs too that are just so much fun.  We named them Maxy and Flynn (Maximus and Flynn Rider from Tangled), and found out yesterday their real names are Ralphy and Po.  We're sticking with our names.

Once again, it is such a blessing to watch the girls have so much fun.  To see them out in the sun, on the beach and playing with animals, is simply heart warming.  I'm so thankful for God's creation and that there's so much of it unspoilt here.

We are loving it.

The beautiful Ao Yon Beach

Our Trip to PhiPhi Island Village

I know God is unchanging, but I am also convinced that He was extra creative when He created the beautiful PhiPhi Islands!  As an extra special treat, Zoffie took us to the PhiPhi Island village for 3 nights, and what an extra, extra special treat it was!

The Ferry rides on the Sea Angel there and back were top just by themselves, well at least for Donna and I they were, the only 2 who didn't sleep!

On Board the Sea Angel

The place was just stunning, you get there, take a deep breath and relax as even time takes a rest as everything is laid back and slow.  Natural beauty surrounds you and you just marvel at God's creation and awesome kindness at each new thing you see. 

I struggled to switch my camera off...

Some of my favourite pics

The best seat in the house

We had such good times there, the girls especially.  The rooms/little huts were just brilliant, "luxury without being luxurious", so cosy and comfortable, with the best view of the sea out the big sliding doors and balcony. 

The people on the Island were so, well... typically Thai.  So friendly, kind and helpful, they really make the stay so special. 

The best time was the morning we went snorkelling.  We met a great Thai guy, Mr Chet at his restaurant on the first evening.  He survived the actual tsunami wave by hanging onto a coconut palm tree and was able to hold his breath through it because he was a diver.  In his words "I've been given a second life".  I pray that he genuinely has.

The time was such a blessed one because of the fun we had with the girls.  I think for the first time we enjoyed something like this all together.  To enjoy the sea in all it's beauty, snorkelling with Donna next to us and Hannah catching a ride on our backs and taking small turns at snorkelling too, it was filled with moments I will never forget.

Praise God for His blessings, they are awesome.

Snorkelling in PhiPhi with Mr Chet

Two Amazing Dinners

We had the privileged experience of having some wonderful Thai people come cook us an amazing meal in our villa.  All round, it was just a brilliant evening.  The team, headed by Khon Pond cooked up a storm that was the best Thai food I have tasted.  And they were so friendly and kind-it made the meal all the more sweet (and spicy!).  We hope to do it again before we go, for obvious reasons....

The best Home Cooked Meal I've ever had!

The very next day we got to spend Mel's birthday with her again-in Thailand-again!!!  I must say I love Mel's birthdays!  We had supper at the gorgeous Sri Panwa, words can really not explain this place, it is unbelievable! And of course, the food was fantastic too!

Happy Birthday Mel!