having fun

We had some friends escort us on the U.S. military base for a Dr. Seuss event. The event was fun- green eggs and ham, story time, bounce castles, crafts, face painting, cake and a goodie bag. And I got to eat at Taco Bell! It might not be fine dining, but it tasted like home! The base reminds me a lot of a college campus for some reason. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I'm not sure what I expected either. Edward had a blast in the ball jumper with his friends Bethany, Charlie and Ari.

And we finally went to Magic Planet at the mall. Evelyn got to do the Bumper Bugs, which she loved. Edward did the Merry Go Round and Evelyn did something that was like a Pirate Ship, but rotated also. We also watched A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Adventures of Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn on DVD with some popcorn. Both were great! It was a fun family weekend.

 

Growing up

"It's a yummy snack," said Edward, holding the Goldfish I'd splurged on out to me. I am amazed how articulate he is getting. "Time to go to sleep," he said last night while crawling into bed. When we read picture books, he points to the capital letters and identifies them right most of the time. Same with numbers. Where has my baby gone?! He is so sweet.
Evelyn is a sweatheart too. She is so interested in things lately- she is always checking out craft or cooking books-  "lets do a mother daughter project!" She bought a sew a stuffed dog kit with her own money this weekend and I think we are going to start it tonight.

We're going to Ireland!

We are going to Ireland on our way home! We were going to go to France, but it was cheaper to fly through Dublin when we ended up booking our flights. (We'll have to catch Versailles and EuroDisney later- shhh... don't tell my kids what we missed out on!) I am really excited. We are flying to Dubai, then to Dublin, staying six days, then flying Dublin, Amsterdam, Portland. On our way back, we get two days in Ireland, so we are thinking about doing the countryside during our first trip and Dublin the city on our way back. It should be a lot of fun. How to see an entire country in a few days with kids in tow? We are going over maps and inteneraries, making sure we hit the highlights without running ragged! I am very excited.

Homework battle

"Once there was the meanest parntes in the world that treated ther child..."

Our new homework hitch is creative writing. Once she vented, exhibit A, she did get a five line story out. So progress. Now just got to get it to the page and a half it is supposed to be!

She is pretty cute!

Turkey dinner

We just had another Thanksgiving yesterday. We had to give our second fridge back, which forced a turkey defrost. I went for it with stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole, candied yams, mashed potatoes and apple and pumpkin pie. We had some friends over to help us eat it- I should have invited more- but we didn't have enough plates! (We are down to five Corelle- the kids got plastic Ikea ones)We have a ton of leftovers even after sending some home- but what is better than Thanksgiving leftovers?  It was wonderful. It also make me think I am so grateful for Allrecipes, my wonderful family, good friends, cleaning help, t-shirts in February, a taste of home, and to be having this incredible adventure. I am so blessed.

Camping

Evelyn and I went day camping last weekend with some of the women that work at the school. One of them invited us to her family's tent for the day to join her and her family for a great catered lunch. It was so wonderful! We started out eating a traditional breakfast dish made of sweet noodles with scrambled eggs on top that she had personally prepared. It was really windy- so we had to stay in the tent most of the time. The woman sang songs with a drum providing some complicated and beautiful rhythms- the songs were interesting- even though they were in Arabic you could tell they were fun, teasing, girls-camp type songs. At the end, one of ladies, the drummer, said "let's sing something everyone knows" and she began singing "Baby, baby, baby, ohhhhhh" by Justin Beiber. Then they sang Barney's "I Love You" and we were all laughing. The dancing was beautiful. I wish I knew how to move my hips like that, shake my shoulders and hold my hands so gracefully. One of the women told this hilarious story about a trip she had taken with her husband- they really value story telling I think. Evelyn had fun playing with the other girls. Outside they look like these huge, dusty tents but inside is luxury with those floor sofas. They had a bathroom set up, generator running electricity to the tent, a TV, DVD player, sound system, mini kitchen, etc. It is big for extended families to camp together every weekend. Outside was a fire pit, barbecue and playground equipment. I couldn't take pictures of the women that invited us- they had their hair uncovered and it would have been disrespectful. All of the food was so wonderful- I think there were seven or eight dishes and the most fantastic cake. It was a really wonderful cultural experience and I am so grateful I was able to have it. Everyone was so warm and generous. Middle Eastern hospitality is something else!

Angry birds

Man, those sure are some Angry Birds- razor-blades for all!

I didn't have my camera the other day, but there were a bunch of Strawberry Shortcake backpacks for sale. The sign said "Strawberry Short of Cake". Lost in translation!