Halloween Dress-Up

For the "real" Halloween, it was dress-up day at ISKL.  Our kids maintained some of the same costumes from Saturday night - but this time, Rania was a cowgirl.  It was a fun day at school.

GAP trip to Vietnam

We had to say good-bye to mommy, as she headed off to Vietnam with a group of high school students.  She left with Brian Inskeep and 17 some tenth graders.

So it would be a week away from mommy for the rest of us.

Halloween - Malaysia Time

For those who did not know, Halloween fell in Malaysia on a Saturday evening - by decree of some wise organizers who knew that the kids might have a day to get rid of a touch of the sugar before school.  Indeed, it worked out perfectly for us!

It is a fabulous tradition in Kuala Lumpur that in an area where many teachers and school families live, they have a Halloween tradition.  We are graciously hosted each year by the Peters, which is a delight - and this year our kids were even old enough to stay for a bit of snacks afterwards.

You can see our three delightful kids.

Reeve was a flag football player, Rania was a fashion girl, and Gabi's costume was more evident. Daddy, on the other hand - was the biggest joke in the history of the world - which pretty much summarizes the Colts season!

 More than even in years past, it was quite a stash that the kids returned with - see Gabi's haul here!

Dress-Up Dinner

Reeve was away for the evening, so the girls and daddy had a special dress-up dinner.  Food was courtesy of Na'an corner - some satay, butter chicken and some of our Malaysian favorites.

(The strange item in the foreground is a pumpkin.)

Flat Ally

Gabi's second cousin, Ally, sent her "Flat Ally" all the way to Malaysia.  It was fun to answer some of the questions from Malaysia so that Flat Ally could be sent back to Des Moines.

Just to make sure that Flat Ally wasn't lonely, Flat Gabi joined in the trip back across the ocean.

Bollywood Birthday

Rania had a wonderful Bollywood themed birthday with her friend, Mihika.  We didn't have a lot of Indian dresses to go with the themes, but Mihika's mom was wonderful enough to allow Rania to have the chance borrow a dress.

It was a fun time!

Accreditation Visit - Vientiane

Doug had the privilege of participating in a CIS-WASC accreditation visit to Vientiane International School.  What a challenging and invigorating professional experience.  It was certainly a busy week with lots of work and plenty of details.  The team leaders were absolutely exceptional!

It was a great team and a wonderful experience.  We had wonderful accommodations, and even had the opportunity to see a bit of downtown Vientiane the final night.  Having been there the previous year for holiday, it was reassuring to know that seeing only the school and the hotel was not my only time to be in Laos.

But truly, what an amazing team of professionals - and lots of great memories and positive experiences.  Who could imagine we could laugh so much during such an intense week.