This week we were supposed to write about clowns: guess what, Tim's mother is a clown! So both boys have a little personal experience about clowning. Here's what they wrote:

Clowning Around, by Nate

Hi, I am Nate Noble. I am reporting about my grandma. Her name is Carol Diane. She is a very funny clown. She had been a clown for twenty five years and had her own clown clothing. I have mixed feelings about her being a clown.

The Clown, by Pete
I'm Mister Pete and I'm going to tell you about my Grandmother. She is funny. I'm glad my Grandmother is a clown.

Hi! Well, we've played at our first-ever soccer tournament! Got the sunburn to prove it... Saturday, after over 2 weeks of practicing after school every day.

We played two games, on a wider field than we're used to, 9 a side when we expected to be 7 a side. Glad for having unlimited substitutions! (Hey, I sound like I'm learning a lot about soccer...)
Both boys played for their team, as we agreed everyone would have some playing time.

The important news: the kids want to keep playing and we've been invited to another tournament in August, so we're committing to Tuesday after-school practices... Not so important (remember?), is that we led 1-0 at half-time in each game. The first game we lost 2-1, so that's not bad; the second game we played against a team of kids much bigger than us, so the final score of 3-1 is almost a badge of honour!

So this week's journal entries are fantasy based on the big experience:

Nate: The Soccer Game

I scored three times and the other team had zero and we won every game.
(Nate started drawing a bird-eye view of the field.)

Pete: The Soccer Game

The boy shoots and the goalie could not save it.
(The boy in his picture is wearing his jersey colour and number.)

We've done this week's writing, so it's good to post it more quickly. This Saturday the boys will participate in their first ever real soccer game, a tournament in nearby Lopburi. It's a league for boys 13 and under, so even though they're both practicing we aren't sure if Pete will play or not. Both boys are good players, but with Pete just turning 6 the day after the tournament he's the youngest player on our team and may get bowled over by the bigger kids.

So, this week's journal is "A Good Soccer Player." They could choose any aspect they wanted and were eager to write, but the inspiration lasted a shorter time!

Nate writes:
A good soccer player passes and does not cheat or hurt people and works with his team.

Pete writes:
He shoots and the ball bounces in the goal.

Dear friends,

Our latest journal entry is a letter describing our home to friends. Both boys chose imaginary houses and real, good friends from our year in Vancouver. Here's Nate's entry:

About My Home

Dear Shamil,
I am very, very, very, very,very rich. I have an ice rink and a gym and a soccer stadium, and I have a big forest and lakes in the forest and lakes out of the forest, and I have a sea in my home, and I have big sailboats and I have middle sized and little sailboats and I have islands and treasures, and I have villages on the islands and brothers and sisters and dog to play First Nations and leather and real buffalos in big herds and real deer and all kinds of animals that live in the forest.


And from Pete:

My Home

Dear Blake,
I want you to visit my home. There are motorized sailboats. Good-bye by Pete.

Now we have two new journal entries, first an ad to sell a dog house, and then a description of an animal of their choice (after going to the Chiang Mai Zoo and being kissed by a seal, among other adventures, Nate chose an animal important in our history studies and Pete chose our family pet!).

First about selling a dog house, from Nate:
For Sale: Dog House!
Meg was selling her dog house on Saturday. She sold her doghouse to a family who had two big Golden Labs. They were as big as a computer desk. They were so gentle and shiny. The family said the dogs were twins. They looked exactly the same. The family was as gentle as a very gentle dog that the family trained the dog so well.

from Pete:
For Sale: Dog House!
Red, can see it easily. Golden Lab. Phone 036-212-457

Then, about animals, from Nate:
About Horses
The horse can be very gentle. And they can communicate with their owner, and understand his owner and obey. The horses are very big but they are very gentle, and they can run very fast. And that is why people are riding horses and they are very strong and used to of working in big farms way out in the country side. And horses can pull big loads in big wagons.

from Pete:
About Rabbits
Rabbits are very playful and that is very cute, by Pete.

Wish I could scan you the pictures they draw, but as they're in pencil on their notebook pages, it's not so easy. Nate's finding horses challenging but he's working on them (when he's not perfecting his beautiful ships) and Pete's rabbit has huge ears just like our Rainbow and is as cute as he says in his journal entry.

Family news: we've just been away for 2 weeks of conferences, and now we're gearing up for a big soccer tournament in Lopburi on July 17. We're still short players but hope to pull in enough to field a team for our first time ever! Also into planning a birthday party for Pete, who turns 6 on July 18.