Week three in Bali was a big week for Lucas. Let’s face it– the last year has been a big year for Lucas. He has grown so much physically and emotionally. He went from a kid to a full-fledged teenager. I now literally look up to him. He has me beat by about two inches.
Independence is something we talk a lot about with Lucas and Henry. We are not about to kick them out, but we want them to be ready to spread their wings when the time comes. Lucas has taken many steps towards independence this year. He took his first trip without us across Malaysia with friends. He has been managing a food budget. He is helping us make travel plans. We think it is important to know how to book a flight. Lucas is a teen leader at the Forever Wild Hub. He leads lessons with the kids on catching and throwing. He has developed mentoring relationships with kids ages two to eleven. It has been an enriching experience for him and a great avenue to find his voice and confidence.
This week, he took a day off of hub with his friend Jake. They visited an abandoned water park, went to Denpasar for lunch, and then to the movies. They organized transport and other travel logistics. We plan to give him many more opportunities to take trips and make plans without us in the next year.
Lucas conquered the backflip this week! It has been a goal for years. He has been doing back flips on the trampoline for a long time, but he has never had anyone show him how to take that skill and translate it to a standing back flip. Amanda and Solomon worked with him and had him flipping in one afternoon! We are so proud of him.
We have all grown in Bali. Henry is also becoming a leader. We live next door to the hub, and I can hear him corralling the kids. He also has a food budget like Lucas. He is only 11, but he is so capable.
Our week with the Forever Wild community was great. I went to a moms’ night out at a magical restaurant called Merlins. The dads had a night out with foot massages. Motorcycle rides around town are my favorite activity. Morning walks in the rice fields with Vicki and Jill get my day started right. Our friend Jake performed at an open mic night. He was sad Gabe could not perform with him, but he did great. All of the kids got up on stage to perform one song.
Our friends, the Clady’s invited us on a snorkel and island exploring adventure to Nusa Penida, an island just south of Bali. It was a long day with a lot of time spent in cars and on boats, but it was fun. We took a ferry to Nusa Penida and a car ride to check out Kelingkin Beach where we made friends with some monkeys. The water was a bit choppy for our snorkel trip. Kristian almost flew off the boat. We could not get in the water at our first stop due to waves, but we did see at least 15 dolphins. It was so cool. The snorkeling we did was beautiful. The water is crystal clear and the coral and fish are vibrant. Trips like these are always better with friends.
The following day, 18 we rode bikes through rice fields and villages. We visited a coffee and tea plantation before beginning our mostly downhill bike adventure. There was not much pedaling required because we were either braking while riding downhill or walking our bikes up giant hills (let’s be real– they were mountains). It was still a good time and a great workout.
Our fourth and final month with Forever Wild is flying by.
