Randoms From This Week.

We didn't do MUCH this past week, but what we did do was pretty fun.  I have been dealing with a hurt foot and a wicked sore throat/cough the past 5 or 6 days so some activities were cancelled (boo). Nice thing is, the girls and the man have been fine. I still sound like Barry White, but I am feeling much better.

Here are the girls getting a back ride from their dad before bed. They've been sporting their Christmas PJ's most nights since Christmas is quickly approaching.

The girls also enjoy running back and forth from their closet door to the wall on other side of the room. I think we did this for 30 minutes straight the other night. It has taken the place of story time several nights this week. I don't think I've seen the girls have that much fun in a while. 

During the day, we spend time breaking rules. Here's Madeline, enjoying her hourly jump on my furniture. She has to have as much fun as possible because she knows a time out will most likely follow.

There have been a lot of "I told you so's" this week.

Me: "Madeline, please don't jump on the couch"
Madeline: *falls off couch and whacks arm on table*

Me: "Madeline, please don't stand on that chair."
Madeline: *crash! boom! bounces off counter and tumbles to floor*
Me: "Abby, don't jump on your crib mattress please."
Abby: *bashes face on side of crib rail*
Me: "Madeline, please don't jump on my bed."
Madeline: *jumps to far backward and lands on her neck*

Good thing is, they are both still alive.... bumps? bruises? Yes. But still alive.  You'd think they'd get it, but they don't.

It's getting cooler in Saudi, so we pulled out the fleece. The girls love their colorful fleece shirts... so do I.  Man I love winter clothes... sweaters, jeans, cardigans, boots, gloves and hats... I was NOT born to live in a desert.

Abby welcoming dad home from work while sporting her fleece.

We had some awesome friends over for dinner this past weekend and I made some pumpkin pie. These are our "test pieces" from a mini pumpkin pie (tart) I made. I think they're adorable. I just love tiny things.

Just a cute moment from this week... Abby LOVES her daddy.

After several days of cabin fever, we finally made it out to play with some friends. Here's Abby with her little neighbor pal, Rena. She talks about Rena all the time.

This week we also had lunch with great friends, made Christmas trees out of paper, made homemade play dough, danced our hearts out to Christmas music, and stayed in our PJ's way too long. Life is good.

Stuff Maddy Says...



Me and my beautiful Madeline Olivia

Some potty humor: Maddy on the toilet this morning...
*tinkle.... tinkle...... (pause) *more tinkle.... tinkle-tinkle-tinkle....* 5 minutes pass
Me: "Mads, are you done yet?"
Madeline: "Sorry Mom, I drank a lot of water this year."

 

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Madeline is really good at delaying the final goodnight, but tonight was a stretch. After 3 stories, 2 bathroom visits, looking at the rain, praying, singing a song, and counting our fingers...

Mads:"One more thing mom..."
Me: "what Madeline?"
Mads: "rainbow unicorn hair... is beautiful."
Me: "I totally agree. Goodnight. I love you."

 

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 Maddy (playing with her ponies): You get back here pinky pie! One... two.... three... don't make me say four... five... six... seven... eight... etc. etc.

 

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Maddy and I had a nice Mommy-Daughter date today. We went to the Farmer's Market; saw some friends; snacked on raw chocolate, strawberry milk, and a pomegranate; and stopped by the commissary where Madeline got to observe, first hand, what another child looks like when they tantrum and act like an uncontrollable, flailing, maniac.
She then said, "I don't want to look like that Momma." It was a nice afternoon.

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As we walk past a group of construction workers sitting by a large whole in the ground...
Maddy (to one of the workers): "Are you digging for treasure?"

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Explorers

My girls like to explore.  We've found them under blankets, in closets, on counters, in cupboards, under chairs, in trees, behind the couch, on shelves, on the car, and now here...

Not So New Bike



Super dad helping blow up tires


Last Christmas, we bought Maddy a bike with training wheels. She sat on it Christmas morning, fell over, and didn't want to touch it again. 

I was going through our closet in our garage and I came upon the ol' thing and thought maybe we should try it out again (almost a year later). 

Maddy took to it immediately and has ridden it every single day since.  I guess we were a year early. 


I cannot believe how much our girl has grown and changed in one year. She is taller, smarter, sweeter, more fun to talk to, and has an imagination that would excite top movie producers in Hollywood.

Our big girl riding her bike



Cupcake Smackdown 2012



Brilliant Friend, Charlotte



 I have brilliant friends. One of my brilliant friends put on her first cupcake smackdown this month, and I was lucky to be a part of it.  It was so much fun!!

She invited a plethora of women, each of whom were to bring 24 of their own cupcake creations to share.  I think 13 women showed up, but it was plenty, I assure you! 

Four to a tray, we sat around tasting each cupcake, and then, voted on which was the most original flavor, best frosting, best all around, and best decorated. There were some really amazing cupcakes!

I made a lemon meringue cupcake and won "most original flavor."  I just used my lemon meringue pie filling and put it in a delicious white cupcake with a light fluffly frosting.  I think it turned out nice and I got lots of compliments so I think others enjoyed them too.

Behold... the cupcakes:  This is a real picture.  Can you believe this???  AWE. SOME!

Off in some corner was a table of healthy snacks to cleanse the palet... not sure if it was touched, hahaha, but a nice thought.

What a totally fun night!!

Wonderful, Magical, Crisp Cool Weather

The weather lately is AWE. SOME. I LOVE this time of year in Saudi Arabia. Once in a tiny while you get some rain, but it's short and sweet, and I don't mind it. The rest of the time it's mid 50's - high 70's - what I consider PERFECT weather. I love pulling out sweaters, fleece, blankets, and jeans, and drinking hot chocolate cause we feel a bit of a chill - and not because we have the A/C blasting. I love that we HAVE TO go outside because it is a crime against nature not to take advantage of this nice weather. 

Every time we stop and sit in a our car for mor than a minute, and to enjoy the great weather, the girls enjoy sticking their heads out the top of the Yukon. They yell "woooo hooooo!" and wave at people passing by.  It's been fun.

My Month of Thankfulness

A fun thing I have noticed people do on facebook sometimes during the month of November, is list something they are thankful for each day.  I liked the idea, so I participated. The result - I really am blessed. I already knew this, but I think I appreciate it more when I point out specifics to myself. 

My Month of Thankfulness...

Day 1 of Thankfulness: Thank you to my husband for loving me unconditionally, even when I'm not so awesome. I love you babe!

Day 2 of Thankfulness: Thank you to my friends who make me smile and laugh. I LOVE you!

Day 3 of Thankfulness: today I am thankful for sisters - the best friends given to you by God that you didn't know you needed. I have been massively blessed with 5 amazing, talented, and loving sisters (3 biologically, 2 by marriage). I love talking, laughing, and learning from each of them. And I am SO happy my girls are able to have that bond with each other.
And don't worry Amber... I forgave you a long time ago for borrowing my favorite white shorts, spilling grape juice on them, and then hiding them under the mattress.

Day 4 of Thankfulness: I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. I know there are a lot of women out there who don't have that chance, for whatever reason. I am thankful I get to see my babies wake up in the morning; that I get to take care of them, play with them, laugh with them, dry their tears, kiss their boo boos, teach them, and see the joy in their eyes when they learn about or discover something new. I LOVE being a mom

Day 5 of Thankfulness: Cuddles and kisses. They're like a jolt to my happiness/energy level. Like a warm blanket of delicious sunshine. Unless it's from some stranger I don't know. Then fight or flight kicks in

"Day 6 of Thankfulness: Music. The one thing that touches us all, no matter who we are or where we are from. It brings people together; helps us relax; evokes feelings that cannot be spoken; encourages adorable chubby babies to run in circles and bounce; makes us want to dance; opens a window to our souls; and connects us to God and the universe

Day 7 of Thankfulness: A job. In today's world, it's not so easy to find a good job. Especially one that you enjoy. I'm so grateful my husband has a job, and not only that, but a job he loves

Day 8 of Thankfulness: Books. They feed our imagination; expand our mind; encourage conversation; and ease a tired child before bed. You cannot open one without learning something!

Day 9 of Thankfulness: low gas prices. Gas prices in Saudi. About $7.75 for 17 gallons of gas. It's nice cause I can use the extra money saved on gas to pay for those $2.00/ea. strawberries.

Day 10 of Thankfulness: The Internet. I met my husband on the Internet - you might not have known that (10 3/4 years strong and still in love). I can email, video chat, call, send an ecard to, and share pictures with my family and friends. I can watch TV shows and movies and listen to rockin' tunes. I can look up information - all KINDS of information like: Did you know that ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine? And the past tense of the English word "dare" is "durst?" An Example: "But Father, he durst me to do it!!

Day 11 of Thankfulness: Forgiveness. Sometimes I make mistakes. I know, I know it's hard to believe, but I do. I think some of the sweetest, most meaningful, and glorifying moments in my life have been when I feel the overwhelming feeling of freedom and peace that come from being forgiven after I have done something wrong. And what a feeling to also forgive others. It is such a release and joy in my heart and soul. Forgive!

Day 12 of Thankfulness: Trees. Trees are fresh, breathable air, radiant beauty, oxygen, a home and source of food for birds and other animals, shade from the powerful sun, fresh, crisp smells, a dance in the wind, an umbrella from rain, conservers of energy, inspiration, joy, love, LIFE.

Day 13 of Thankfulness: Precious Kitty Mevec, , a.k.a. Kitty-roo. We found her when we were living in a 1-bedroom apartment back in 2007. She was sitting on top of Paul's geo metro. She is very loving, cuddly, playful, and sweet. Tolerates a lot of baby prodding. Loves boxes, bags, laser lights and things dangling on a stick. If we get to busy to play, she is perfectly fine attacking and kicking a table leg. Plus, we met her before we made our money so we know we can trust her.

Day 14 of Thankfulness: Lazy days. Woke up when we wanted. Made some homemade pancakes. Watched about an hours worth of videos on YouTube of cute cats and dogs, laughing all the way (ho ho ho). Now to do something fun and slightly productive so I can keep Abby from taking her diaper off - a new favorite activity - and Maddy from taking all the stuffed animals out of the toy box, convincing her baby sister to get inside the toy box, and then sitting on it.

Day 15 of Thankfulness: My, and my family's, health. I'm so thankful our bodies work properly and are able to heal from wounds and illness. Especially lately with how adventurous and fearless my girls are. I'm grateful my children were born healthy and strong; that they are full of energy and are able to learn and grow so quickly.

Day 16 of Thankfulness: Abigail Lily a.k.a. Dolly a.k.a. Abra-cadabra. Cuddle bug, adventurous fearless dare devil; likes food with flavor and chunks (it is so nice not to have a picky person in the family when it comes to food); dimple faced, giggle-filled, sweetheart with an interest in EVERYTHING. Loves singing, talking, running, sliding, and climbing. protective of her family and loving toward those who are important to her; An old wise woman in a baby body. we'll love her forever and ever and ever.

Day 17 of Thankfulness: Madeline Olivia a.k.a. Toots a.k.a. Madelina Beaverhousen. Our first born; loving; sweet; loves to talk; loves books; creative and artistic; a singer; a dancer; our little model - the camera loves her; sensitive soul; a great big sister; a wonderful friend; initiator of regular family group hugs; reminder to us to have and keep a humble and peaceful heart; very brave; a hugger; gives Mariah Carey a run for her money when it comes to high-pitched vocal tones; a sweet, forgiving soul who has made me a better person and taught me more about what is really important in life more than almost anyone; my eternal friend who I will love forever

Day 18 of Thankfulness: Our house helper. She helps us around the house 3 times a week. She folds and puts my laundry away for me. She mops my floors, scrubs my toilets and bathtubs, vacuums my carpets, dusts everything, changes the sheets on all our beds each week, organizes all my junk drawers, closets, cupboards, clothes drawers, etc. I never imagined I would ever, in a million years, have a house helper, but I have got to tell you... it is SWEET. And because of this, I get to spend even more time focusing on my husband and children - a GREAT blessing she is, indeed, and I am SO thankful for her.

Day 19 of Thankfulness: Today I am thankful for laughter... the kind of laughter that hurts your belly and makes you cry tears of joy. Only a few people in my life have really made me laugh that hard. You know who you are. Let's do it again some time.

Day 20 of Thankfulness: Rain. It has been raining all last night and this morning here in Saudi Arabia - a rare and wonderful thing. So it is only fitting I recognize it. I was born on a rainy day in April, and ever since, rain has been my very favorite weather. It is romantic and cleansing and crisp and fun. One of the most intoxicating smells in the world is the smell of a rainstorm in autumn wh...

ere I grew up, as the water hits the dirt and leaves. I think of dancing, kissing, singing, splashing in puddles... NOT sitting in a window sill, listening to U2 and feeling sorry for yourself as drips run down the window (dumb) or going to funerals.

Day 21 of Thankfulness: My Mom. She is a friend, a comforter, a shining star of love. A teacher, a protector, an angel from above. She’s always there to listen, makes my spirit warm and snug. Nothing heals my aching heart like her loving, perfect hug. She makes a dark room brighter with her laughter and her smiles. Nothing can break the bond we have, not even many miles.

Day 22 of Thankfulness: The Thanksgiving meal and gathering with friends to eat it. What a delicious, fun, relaxing evening we had. Just love our Saudi family! I was stuffed last night and went to bed with visions of leftovers dancing in my head. I hope all of our family and friends back home had an amazing Thanksgiving too! We missed you.

Day 23 of Thankfulness: Traditions. I love the moments that we share as family and friends that bring us together without question; the moments that I remember from my childhood, and have always looked forward to; and, now, sharing those traditions with my own children. This time of year is packed full of fun and meaningful traditions and I. Love. It!

Day 24 of Thankfulness: My brother Greg. Today is his birthday. The only blonde, blue-eyed one out of the bunch of us; artist; amazing, hard working husband and father; loves his family; down to Earth; welder; tattoo artist; very funny; introduced me to pink floyd, Trasnformers, G.I. Joe, M.C. Escher, and the fact that farts can be lit on fire. He gave me his boy Cabbage Patch Kid - Neil Tobias - because he didn't want to look like a Nancy. I'm proud to call him my brother - he is a good man and I wouldn't wish him to be any other way. Happy Birthday Gregorious! I love you!!

Day 25 of Thankfulness: the simple, honest minds of children. I love that simple things make children happy; A hug, a toy, attention, a cardboard box. I love that hours of joy can be attained from playing peek-a-boo or hide-and-seek. I love that children so easily offer forgiveness and love to others. I tell you, if we could all keep the honesty and simplicity of childhood as a foundation in our decision-making, relationships, and plans this world would be a much happier and peaceful, less complicated place.

 

Day 26 of Thankfulness: Deodorant. Thank you to those who are able to wear it and do.

Day 27 of Thankfulness: Romance. *wink *wink.

 

Day 28 of Thankfulness: Silence. Peace and quiet.

 

Day 29 of thankfulness: The sunrise and the sunset. What a beautiful and inspirational way to start and end the day.

 

Day 30 of Thankfulness: My home. A place of acceptance, love, and comfort. The place where those little tiny moments in our lives we will always look back on and cherish happen. Where we learn and grow. Where we are protected. But most of all, I am thankful that I have a place to call home and a beautiful family and wonderful friends to fill it.

I am one blessed woman!!!

Thanksgiving 2012

I don't know what it is about this year, but everything seems to be going at light speed. I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone.

The food was FABULOUS as usual. This year Fiona made the turkey and it was really good - along with her famous corn casserole, which is quickly becoming a necessary tradition - I love that stuff.



yummy, juicy turkey



Not even sure what this is, but look at the color! Yum!



My creamy, buttery mashed potatoes

 

Kasondra's homemade, traditional noodles. Yummy with turkey or potatoes or a roll... whatever!



Melt in your mouth pot roast.



Stuffing... this is some goooood stuff.

There was a TON of good food (some not shown). We had some yummy desserts too - traditional pumpkin pie, my lemon merigue pie, and my fruit kabob turkey (shown above). All very delish!!

The best part - the comfortable feeling I have with these people. We had a great time, as usual. We have really established a nice relationship with good friends here in Saudi Arabia - a nice feeling when you are used to being surrounded by family.  I love that we have celebrated Thanksgiving with these people 3 times now, and that our children know, and love each other. And I love that we have a holiday where we can focus on all of the many, unbelievable blessings in our lives while we stuff our faces with delicious food!!

We are truly blessed!!

Halloween 2012



After a long hiatus and a lot of life happenings, I thought it would be a good idea to start back on the blog. I do this a lot. I recognize how unreliable I am as a blogger. I recognize that IF I have any readers left at all they have given up on reading anything from me. With that being said...

It's Halloween time. This year, and for several months now, Madeline has said she wants to be a cat. So we made sure to pick up some ears and a tail while in the states for repat this summer. I made some paws out of some hand-me-down Minnie Mouse ears the girls have taken no interest in. They worked well, allowing Mads to still use her hands and appear to have paws.

 

I went easy with the Abster this year. The only time she has worn the cherry top hat to her cupcake outfit is for this picture. I knew this would happen. I just wanted the picture. It's okay. She still has a costume, and still looks adorable. Our little cupcake.

The only reason I dressed up is because we were invited to a costume party. Funny thing is, I was probably one of two adults that dressed up. I felt kind of dumb, but I also felt like people were jealous of the crazy chubby woman dressed like a vampire. When else does a gal get a chance to dress up and it seem acceptable but on Halloween?  I don't understand why more people don't have fun with this holiday.  My teeth were some cut out poster board. They got soggy fast, but again, it was all for the picture. 

Paul threw on his Indiana Jones hat and went as "casual Indiana." A wise choice. He looked dashing. Of course I didn't get a picture.

The plan on Halloween is to dress up, do some trick or treating, and visit with friends. Then home for a movie and relaxation.  Should be fun. 

PB and Baby Sandwich

Abby has been going through something lately.  And part of this "phase" she is going through is doing everything she possibly can with her food except eating it.  I've learned most of her tricks and games, and have the ability to prevent most of her attempts to escape meal time. This was her final attempt at getting rid of her peanut butter sandwich for lunch yesterday... rubbing it on her face.

The Fourth

It's been a while since I did a photo session with the girls, so I decided to take some pictures of them for the Fourth of July holiday. We didn't really have any plans for the holiday because it's not celebrated here in Saudi, but we still wanted to show our patriotism so we dressed in red, white, and blue.

Last minute, we were invited to our good friend Fiona's house to have a BBQ with her and the boys and other friends here on camp. It is always nice to spend time with them. We got to meet Fiona's parents, who are very nice people, and the food was delicious!

Madeline had a great time playing with her friend B, and Abby had a nice nap (she hadn't napped during the day for some reason and was out by 6:30 pm). I took some firework-like candles I had left over from a birthday and we stuck them in the grass and lit them. It was fun for the kids to see them lit. That was it for fireworks.
This time of year was always one of the favorite times growing up. We always had so much  watching the parade, having water fights, and eating and hanging out with our neighbors and their family. At night we would walk down to the Junior high and watch the fireworks from the West Jordan park. Wonderful memories! I miss those days and I miss living in the U.S., but I am so greatful for my freedoms and that I am a citizen of the USA.

Daddy Day

HAPPY FATHER"S DAY!

We orded a little something for Dad on the internet, but it didn't arrive in time. So, the girls and I went out and I let them choose some gifts for Paul. We made a nice dinner of breaded chicken, rice, and salad. Madeline helped me make some pecan brownies and some homemade hot fudge sauce. Then Madeline drew a picture for her dad and painted a picture. 



Paul with his girls at dinner

Madeline did a painting for Paul of a Dragon on a rainbow. She decided, by herself, to use a lot of red because it is her dad's favorite color. 

Madeline's painting


 This is a drawing Madeline did for Paul. It is a picture of Paul with a read shirt on. He is petting Kitty-roo. By his feet is his video game controller. To the left of him is a TV with his video game on it. Madeline says the red is blood. A recent game Paul just finished puts blood around the edges of the screen as the character loses power/life. Madeline likes to watch Paul play some times and I guess she picked that up (eek). 

Madeline's drawing


Madeline decided her dad and her needed a plant to take care of. She wants it to grow so high they can climb it to the clouds. 

At the store, Madeline recognized this razor and said dad needed a new one since his face was so hairy.

This is a treat for Paul that Madeline picked out. When she gave it to him she said, "It's candy. Candy is not good for you. It makes your tummy hurt. Can I have some?"

Abby wasn't extremely excited about participating, but she did color a quick picture for her dad. Madeline helped her write her name.

It was a nice day and I think Paul really loved everything the girls did. I am so happy he is my husband and the father to my children. He is everything a dad should be amd more. He is so great with his girls. We love him SOOOO much!!

Papertowel Roll Art

I am what you would call a "controlled Pinterest" viewer.  I only look at it maybe 3-4 times a week.  There is a lot of really great ideas on there, especially pertaining to recipes and DIY (Do It Yourself) tutorials - art projects, sewing, etc.  I really enjoy creating things so this is pretty attractive to me. I'm proud of myself for not spending all day on that site. I can see how someone might be tempted to.

One of the fun ideas I found on the site was one for doing your own home decor by recycling paper towel and toilet paper rolls.

So I began saving up and finally when I have about 12 rolls saved, I started my own project. 

Here it is up on the wall. I decided to put it up in the dining room area where we have a high ceiling. It looked really big on the table, but when I put it up it looked pretty small, so I plan on adding to it as paper towel and toilet paper rolls become available.

I love unique art and fun craft ideas!

Latin Dance Pictures

Madeline has been going to Latin dance class once a week for several months now. It is one of the highlights of her Wednesdays. She loves getting all dressed up in pretty dance clothes and running around a large room of mirros with some of her little friends.  Since summer is upon us and everyone is getting ready to go on vacation, dance class is coming to an end.

Madeline's final performance is this upcoming Friday. This past Saturday they had pictures in someone's home.

Madeline started with some annoying allergies Saturday morning. She spent most of the day sniffling and wiping away her watery eyes. Not the best condition for a picture day.  So, once I had her all dressed up and ready to go, I took some quick shots.

It was a good thing I did because I hurriedly and mistakenly chose a DROUSY allergy medicine to give her right before we left. After waiting over a hour for her turn, she was less than excited to stand in front of a crowd of strangers in front of a really bright light and smile. 

After one tantrum because she didn't want to wear her face mask (her friends didn't have theirs on yet) and another crying spell after being folded up in some decorative, wooden fold out chair when trying to sit on it, and falling asleep standing up we finally got our turn.

For being a drugged, emotionally sensitive kid, she really did great. The photos didn't turn out how I would have liked them because they were rushing to get everyone done and Mad's wasn't 100%, but my baby is beautiful even with red, tired eyes.

MaMa Mia!

 Dinner time is not the easiest time in this house, only because I have some picky eaters. Actually - I am learning my little Abigail is more like me and will try, and like, more complicated meals such as a casserole or a vegetabley-type meat dish (YIPPEE!!).  So trying to cook something that everyone will eat and like is hard.  We have a LOT of chicken, some hamburger, and we order out at least once a week.  I have been trying to think of different things to make to mix things up a bit.  Honestly, I bet if I made something possibly questionable Paul would probably try it.

Anyway, so on a whim last night we made homemade pizza.  It was fun. The girls had a nice time helping with the dough and sauce and cheese. Paul did a great job just being really really ridiculously good looking and cheering us on and showing me where, oops!, that spot needs more cheese, etc. etc.

It tasted so-so, I actually kind of thought it was gross because we used a premade Ragu brand of pizza sauce that tasted like liguid metallic salt in a jar. ICK! Of course - the girls ate all their pizza.  We heard several "mmmm"s as they ate... go figure.  Maybe I am spending too much time trying to make things taste good? Maybe I should make my food taste like crap and then the girls will eat more.

The beautiful Madeline enjoys putting anything with a hole in it on her fingers. Here she is with her raspbery claws (cause she is a cat) rrrrraaaawr!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my family.

Swim Lessons

This morning was very windy.... it was very dusty... it was also the morning of Madeline's first swim lesson.  I decided to give swim lessons a try - even though Madeline has never been what you would call a water baby. She's gotten better as she has gotten older and a lot of the moms I know here are starting their kids in swimming lessons around age 3 or 4, so we thought we'd give it a go.

It wasn't the best day for it with the shamal happening and with the cold water in the pool and with the fact that she has never met the nice young lady who would be her teacher before who, it seemed to me, didn't have that much experience teaching uncooperative litte kids. She was sweet, and she tried to be nice to Madeline and comfort her as Madeline clinged to her tightly and bellowed "no, noooo, noooooo" over and over. When we started I stayed in the pool with Abigail to offer some kind of comfort to Madeline, knowing full well my presense usually doesn't help with things like this. About 5 minutes in I left the pool and took Abby over to the baby pool.  I still couldn't help watching her and shouting ideas of help across the pool... "maybe she'd be more comfortable without her swim goggles on?" "Madeline, she's really nice! She won't let you go under if you don't want to."  etc. etc. I don't know, maybe I sabotaged the entire experience (now that I think about it). I just wanted her to be relaxed and cooperative and have fun like she is at home or like she is in the baby pool.  It was the complete opposite.

So after not an entire half hour, I paid the sixty five riyals, thanked the teacher, and we mutually agreed that Madeline probably needs a little more experience of being in the big pool with mom and dad, and maybe we could try lessons next year.  On the way out from the pool it was so windy we were blown over - but I caught us before we did a complete wipe out.  And the security guys and the junior high kids got a nice view as my skirt was blown up while buckling the girls into their carseats.

This experience reminded me of when I first started swimming by myself (sans the windy skirt incident and sandstorm) and remembering it gives me hope. As a child, my family would go many weekends of the summer for a visit to my Grandma Vivi and Grandpa John's swimming pool at the condominium where they live. It was a good experience, one I always looked forward to.  We'd stop at Grandma's to get a towel and our special "yes I am not just some crazy person off the street who doesn't know a member of this community" tags that we had to pin to a visible area of our suits. Then, we'd walk down the street toward to small fountain pond with ducks and take the back route toward to clubhouse - a little rock layered creek/stream that was small enough we could leap back and forth across it and climb on the rocks as we walked.  This little stream led to the giant pond with the giant fountain, which, I bet if I were to see it now would probably be pretty puny.  The giant fountain, which always had ducks near it to feed and chase, was right next to the clubhouse. I was once attacked by a duck mom defending her ducklings that I happened to be chasing... it was a wicked circle of defensive mothers because, as I was being jumped on by the momma duck, my momma was grabbing the momma duck off of me. The troubles little kids cause... eeesh.  I certainly learned a lesson that day: Don't chase baby ducklings - at least when their mom is present - or you will get nice serving of duck profanity and possibly get your face snapped off.

The clubhouse is a big building that people who live in this particular condo complex can use for family parties - we used to always have a big Christmas party there every year - and downstairs are the bathrooms, a weightroom, and a jacuzzi.  It was always a quiet place that smelled of chlorine. The basement door has a ramp outside of it that leads to the pool area.  An L-shaped pool that began at 3 ft and ended at 10ft. 

The day I first swam in the deep-end by myself was all me.  I never had swim lessons. My brothers were fish, loved diving, and often played a game where they would drop a coin in the water and see who could dive down and retrieve it.  I wanted to play. So one day I just did it... I ran and did a cherry bomb right into the deep end. Then I doggy paddled my way to the edge and the cheering began.  I was much older than Mads. I stayed in the deep end for the rest of the summer.

So, nice memory and I'm not worried. I know Madeline will learned to swim one day... hopefully sooner than later.  At least we gave it a try. We'll try again next year and maybe spend some more time at the pool in the meantime. I think right now Madeline is more of a dancer/artist/speech writing consultant/doctor than a swimmer.

Abigail on the other hand... reminded me of an eel, slithering and sliding and diving all over the baby pool. She'll be doing a forward flying pike with a reverse twist into the deep end with a ripped entry into the water by the age of 3.

Toddler

Abigail figuring out how to unlock the front door. She pushed her diaper basket all the
way down the hall to attempt an escape.

An adorable child who I love more than anything who managed to climb on the ottoman, turn off the pc, turn on her dads video game console, change the settings on the TV with the remote, get behind the side table knock over a frame, break it, mess with some plugs, run into the dining room, eat some catfood and stand on my glass table and start dancing, get off my glass table and head to the bathroom to put the scrub brush and the hand soap in the toilet, and then while I was cleaning that up, climbed up onto the piano bench and started playing what Madeline calls a "very loud BOY song" (it was using the lower keys and Madeline has associated deep tones with men). This was all in a matter of 15 minutes this morning while I was trying to fix breakfast.

My Birthday

This year my birthday fell on the same day as Easter. I don't remember it ever doing that before, but according to the Internet (I was curious) the last time it happened was 2007. Before that??? No time after 1941. Pretty neat to think about. So it has only done that two times in my lifetime.

On my actual birthday, the girls and I went to a friends house to color Easter eggs. That night, a friend of ours watched the girls and we actually went out to dinner (on a date!) and did some shopping. It was really nice, and we only talked about the girls a couple times.  We ate at Olio, a restaurant at the Dhahran Mall - only because prayer time meant we would not be able to drop the girls off and make it to the actual Italian restaurant along the Corniche we wanted to go to.  The food was nice and we had fun reminiscing about when we first met. It was nice. We were scandalous - we kissed in the booth. But there was only one other couple in the entire restaurant at the time so we weren't reported to the authorities or imprisoned or anything.  It was really nice to go out - just us. I forsee future date nights really soon. We just need to find a regular babysitter that we trust first, which isn't the easiest thing in the world here.

Madeline had the idea to make me a birthday cake.  I had a cake mix for a super moist white cake I thought would be easy to whip up. The girls had a fun time helping (licking beaters).

I had some fireworks I have seen people here use as candles so we thought we'd give it a try. No where on the packaging does it say it is for cakes or that they are candles but I thought it would be fun to try. I was pretty neat, until we looked down as saw soot all over the cake.  Ahh well, no biggy. We scraped it off and had some cake.

We skyped with my sister and her two boys the night we had my birthday dinner. I love skyping with my family!

All in all, it was a really great birthday and I feel no different now that I am 34.