Kindergarten Chapel Performance Starring... Caden Cooper

Caden's Kindergarten class led chapel this past Friday at school. We thought you all might enjoy seeing highlights of the performance. His teacher teaching did an amazing job of getting 15 wiggly kids to cooperate together on stage. They sang songs, listened to the story of 10 Men who were healed by Jesus, and shared what they've been learning.

Enjoy!

Kindergarten Pumpkin Carving!

Thanks to an adventurous and creative teacher, even in Taiwan Caden got to carve a pumpkin! With a class of 11 boys and 4 girls, that's quite the adventure!With the help of their 4th Grade Reading Buddies and a few moms, they had a great time.

Teamwork! - Caden drew the face and his reading buddy cut the shapes.

Scooping out the guts!! Oh, yeah... 

A little help from Mrs. Ulstrom (his teacher)

 There goes the top!

Our school

Okay, so the last two months have been an absolute whirlwind of getting used to school, driving, shopping, unpacking, typhoons, critters and more. So I've been really bad about updating you all and I am sorry. I feel so disconnected when we are starting to really feel the distance. Plus... my mom just can't stand seeing that awful chicken head first thing on our page any longer :) So with that... here's a link to our school's website!

Morrison Academy Kaohsiung

And  a look at more of our everyday.

We love you and miss you!!

Pineapples at the field across the street.

"It tastes like candy!" - Caden

Our favorite popsicles.... "Mango, Cranberry, Mellon and Yogurt". Except we can't get them now. It's still 88 degrees out... but it's not summer, don't you know? So we've resorted to making our own sorbet to beat the heat. Just the fall treat you were thinking of, isn't it? :)

Hugs... Coopers

Costco... US vs Taiwan

So the first weeks of school have been absolutely crazy. Class time. Planning. Adjusting to new schedules. Getting time with our own kiddos. Needless to say, we haven't been on email or blogs or facebook at all. But I did want to take this quick moment (I'll try to post more soon... we have a retreat next weekend and maybe some downtime.)

But we went to Costco today. And I brought home a lovely rotisserie chicken. Yes!!! We can get them. But here's a little surprise I found as I was cutting it up for dinner....

Yes... it is what you think it might be... the head. I thought I was pulling apart the wing when something went "squish"... the eye. and I noticed the beak.

So let's review.... Costco US vs Taiwan:

Same: Skippy Peanut butter, Testers (samples), even salmon burgers!! (the same brand!)
Rotisserie chicken

Different: 64 people lined up for 1 sample, all the rice you could eat in your lifetime, chicken head... free! with the rotisserie bird :)

A little look at a day in our life. :) Even with something as familiar as Costco.

Dinner anyone?

When things go bump

Small blessings are around us everyday. Today one of those blessings has come as a new neighbor, Mrs. Kathy, who is also a Nurse Practitioner. Somehow God knew when he was placing 21 kids in a staff housing building (and most of them under age 10) we would need someone to offer a little TLC. And this week the kids have been putting her to work.

This afternoon Caden had his turn after a little run in on the playground where the end of a stick met his head. I had just gotten home with another mom. And our helper was upstairs, unruffled by the tears and cut, calmly and gently cleaned it up and put on the steri strips. Without her, I would have been scrambling, probably freaking out. Blood is not my thing... and knowing how to find help in a foreign land is a lot more work. So thanks God for giving us Mrs. Kathy to help us get all bandaged up. And for hugs, juice and a Veggietale movie to make the afternoon bumps all better.

Hide n' Seek

Sharing about our adventures in a tropical country wouldn't be complete without a few critter stories. In our first few hours in our new home we found a snail (outside), 2 small roaches, and 2 friendly geckos! The roaches we would happily do without, and thankfully they haven't been around much. But we do like spotting our friendly, bug eating lizards. They are a welcome part of the Cooper household.

The kids have named our geckos "Hide" and "Seek". We think this is Seek. :)

Scooting Around Town

Here we are! And we have wheels :) We purchased a scooter from a family who left Taiwan last spring. For now... this is how we get around! Caden and Ellie had a blast picking out their new helmets. Caden's is red, with a rocket on the side, air vents on top, and a face mask like dad's. Ellie's is pink with flowers and fairy's on the side. "Go faster daddy!"

And yes... we have put all 4 of us on it. :)

We've landed!

We officially landed, safe and sound, at 11:30 pm on Sunday (Taiwan time). All 8 suitcases, 4 carry ons, 2 car seats, stroller, kids, mom & dad made it. Whoo hooo! Here are a few photos from our trip.

Checking our our jumbo jet! It even has an upstairs...

and a tv for every seat!

In flight entertainment. Movies, coloring, and a little dancing :)

The friendly service rep at check in hooked us up with a front row... extra leg room!

Yes, we even slept a bit!

We're really here! Just 30 hours after checking in at the Redmond airport.

Every thing made it. (There's a 2nd cart of luggage behind us... thankfully we passed right through customs.)

First morning in our kitchen... our welcome family (another staff family here) has us all set with the good stuff from Costco. Who knew?

And... the best of the local fruit!!! Fresh, sweet, melt in your mouth Mango for breakfast...

this is the taste of Taiwan.

The Dance - Part 1

     You could say our Dance began over 13 years ago, when Chris decided to propose over Chinese takeout at the beach. We had never eaten Chinese food together before. But for some reason, he chose to pop THE question after sweet and sour pork, watching the sunset on the beach.  That night my fortune read “Will You Marry Me”.  Little did I know where that “yes!” would lead.

      14 moves, 2 countries, 4 states (even Oklahoma!), flight school, job changes, kids, and endless rolls of packing tape later we are heading to Taiwan for the second time. Not by chance. Not by first choice. (I happen to really like Oregon. And speaking English. And Trader Joes.) But because the God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, has invited us to walk with Him there. To love on His people.  To share His peace and joy.  To see a little more of how BIG a God He is. And when God invites you to walk with Him... well, I don't know about you, but we think we'll accept the invitation.

      In reality, the Dance began long before a proposal. And I don’t believe it’s all by chance. Both of us grew with a love for travel. And as we each came to know the Hope and Grace of walking with Jesus Christ, we couldn’t help but have a desire to share the Love and Joy we’ve given. And then He gave us "Us". Partners to dance the dance with. A precious gift in itself.

     I fully believe God creates each of  us with gifts and talents and passions in our hearts. There is always a way to use them to share who God is, how great and loving and awesome He is. The challenge for those who have experienced Him, is taking the risk to live it… for real… not just in a dream.

(to be continued)

Trust. Layoff. PEACE

This year we've been challenged TRUST God in a new direction. Just TRUST, He said. Step by step. It seems He's now allowing us to see how HE KNOWS our FUTURE. Chris was laid off from his current job this morning. We chose to TRUST, even when it hasn't made sense. And so today, we have PEACE. We know where we will keep stepping. Thank you BIG GOD who cares about the details even for little me.

Next steps: Yep. God has confirmed once again with the layoff that it is time for a new step and direction for the Cooper clan. Our PEACE comes from the new vision God's been growing the last few months. So it's official. We are MOVING to TAIWAN and walking with God there. Loving on kids & families at Morrison Academy (Kaohsiung). We'll share more details soon!

April at the Cooper's

It's been a busy month... April.

Spring cleaning

Snow shoveling

Welcoming home our local troops

Soccer!

Even Ellie got to play... when she was in the mood.

Getting her cousin to dress up as a princess... she keeps asking me for a baby sister.

Now it's time to clean up...

And take a little rest as we welcome May.

We're going on a bear hunt...

Did we mention we love adventure? Be it big, or small. Like this Saturday "Bear Hunt" Chris and the kids went on. You never know what kind of wild animals those bushes will turn out to be. Thankfully Caden always goes out prepared with his trusty bow and arrows. Ellie's giggles are sure to warn the wild critters.

The Adventure Begins!

Welcome to our family blog! We are so excited to share with you, our family & friends, our life and adventures. May you find laughter, hope, love & tears... all the spices of life... as you visit here.

Come often, and join us wherever God takes us.