Ras Tanura

This past week has been the Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" holiday here in Saudi Arabia.  It is a time for all Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience to God.  Holidays also mean that Paul is off from work so he has been able to spend the entire week here at home with us, which we LOVE. 

We've spent a lot of time eating out, sleeping, playing outside, and watching movies... it has been really nice. 

On one of our days off we went with some friends, for our first time, to Ras Tanura - another Aramco compound about 45 minutes from ours.  Ras Tanura is smaller than the compound we live in here in Dhahran, but it is very nice and they have a very beautiful beach accessible from inside the compound for residents to use.  So we decided to spend the morning there letting the girls play in the sand and water and then we had a nice lunch at the snack bar on camp. 



Our little family

Madeline loves sand, and she had a really fun time playing in the sand with her friend, Kiersten.  By the time we were ready to get cleaned up for lunch they were both completely covered in sand from head to toe.  



Madeline learning to pack sand



Madeline and Kiersten

When we first arrived the girls had a good time jumping into the water... that is until Madeline lost her balance and got a nice face full of sand and salt water.  She was pretty upset about it and kept her distance from the water after that.  She gets upset when I get her face wet in the bathtub too... I hope she eventually embraces water because there is a lot of swimming and beach time in our future.


The girls jumping into the water

After we got cleaned up (as best as possible) we had some lunch at the snack bar and got some free ice cream from a celebration going on inside the dining area.  We would have gotten the girls faces painted, but an evil, dressed up Tom (from Tom and Jerry) got a little too close to the girls and scared them a little so we were done after that.

Here are a few shots of the shore on the beach.  It really is a beautiful place with crystal blue water and light sand.  I was able to collect a few sea shells near the water.  Unfortunately there was also floating tar and some garbage in the sand near the tables.  Despite a few annoyances we had a great time with our great friends! 

It Really Is Okay If They Get Dirty.

Lately Madeline has had a serious interest in, and fascination with, dirt - more specifically sand.  In fact, in her little mind, the more sand she can get all over her body and in her hair the better.  And seriously, we live in the desert of Saudi Arabia... sand is everywhere - in our backyard, our front yard, along the sidewalks of the streets, and at all the parks. Could I get her away from it even if I wanted to? Probably not.

She could literally spend hours and hours playing in it - building sand piles, covering her legs with it, sprinkling it on nearby plants, digging in it or filling her shoes to the brim with it. 

I became a bit of a germaphobe while attending nursing school and working in surgery.  Being in hospitals and seeing some of the infections patients get and being surrounded by coughing, feverish, snot-nosed people can affect a person.  Regularly using hand sanitizer and washing my hands after every little interaction became a normal part of my repertoire because we were taught how important it was NOT TO SPREAD INFECTION.  And in the hospital setting, this is still very, very true because you are surrounded with people who have low immunity and can't risk that exposure.

Since Madeline's birth, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes have been readily available in my purse and in her diaper bag.  But is that really a good thing? Two totally different situations and environments don't always have the same rules.

So, of course, Madeline's new love affair with sand/dirt/rocks has forced me to really think about all of this in a new perspective.  Am I really being a good mom by being a germaphobe and raising her in an overhygenic environment?

I have be reflecting a lot on my childhood and the things I used to do.  I remember eating dirt!  One of my favorite things to do as I played was suck on rocks.  We even made mud stroganoff with grass and rocks in it.  I am now a perfectly healthy adult.  I survived. 

How is her immune system ever going to build up immunity to the bacteria out there if I don't let it have the chance to work?

So, IS IT OKAY IF SHE GETS DIRTY?

Research suggests that "exposing infants to germs may offer them greater protection from illnesses such as allergies and asthma later on in life.  A hypothesis known as the "hygeine hypothesis," which isn't new, holds less exposure to bacteria, viruses, and parasites early in life increases your child's chances of allergies, asthma, and other autoimmune diseases in adulthood." Basically, if kids aren't exposed to normal bacteria in their environment the immune system's response can turn inward on itself.  

In the book, Why Dirt is Good: 5 Ways To Make Germs Your Friends, Immunologist Mary Ruebush suggests:

1. Let your kids play in the dirt! " If your child isn't coming in dirty every day, they're not doing their job. They're not building their immunological army."

2. Wash using REGULAR soap, not an antibacterial soap. 

3. Keep your child's vaccinations up-to-date. "Vaccinations are an artificial way," Ruebush points out, "of exposing yourself and your child to things that may not be encountered naturally. It causes them to meet the germ without getting ill from it, so it's very important."

4. Take care of yourself and your children by making sure your family gets plenty of sleep, drinks a lot of fluid, eats well and avoids stress - playing the dirt has been known to reduce stress. An even better reason to go get that mud mask at the spa.

5. And last - USE COMMON SENSE.  Lately, in this swine flu, H1N1, SARS world we live in, people feel pressured to be germaphobes and to think they aren't a good parent if they aren't obssessive about cleanliness.  I'm not saying let junior suck on dog poop. But next time baby decides to test some kitty treats out of the cat's dish or decides that the chunk of ice cream she so deleriously loves - the one she just accidentally dropped on the floor - should be licked up? You don't scream with disgust and emotionally scar your child for life.  She's gonna be OKAY.  Really!

Lemon Meringue Pie: Take 1

Childhood memories have always been very peculiar to me. I remember certain things so clearly I could describe colors, smells, or even the pattern on someone's shirt.  Then there are those times I can barely recall anything.  Great big chunks of nothingness. The mind is so strange. Just the other day I was laying next to Madeline as she was going to sleep for a nap and she was talking to me - so we were face to face - and her breath smelled exactly like I remember my Grandma Vivi's breath smelling.  I remember how much I loved that smell as a child.  It was sort of sweet and clean smelling. Then I remembered how much I admired my Grandma and how much I miss her.  The experience surprised me and made me really happy all at the same time.

 A lot of my favorite memories revolve around food.  My Great Grandma Lily, My Grandma Vivi, and my Mom were all very good cooks and you could count on tantalized taste buds when sitting down to a meal at any of their homes. My Mom is still a great cook, but I have certain memories and certain favorite recipes I will never forget.  Off the top of my head: Mom's meatloaf (I still haven't had meatloaf anywhere in the world as good as hers), which was always accompanied by peas and a baked potato or it just wasn't right; her scrumptious Spanish rice and meatballs with bacon and green peppers (drool); homemade braided french bread and breadsticks - I could eat two loaves in one sitting; and that cheesy, creamy halibut casserole - Mmmm! One of my most favorite desserts - Her homemade lemon meringue pie passed down through the generations.  The crust was always flaky and melted in your mouth; the filling was sweet and tangy; and the meringue was the perfect sweetened topping, which was not only edibly pleasing, but aesthetically pleasing. As a child I requested it many times for special occassions.

Anyway, so I got married...


Forever and ever, amen.

and I always imagined making these recipes for my husband and children when I grew up, and passing on the secrets and traditions of our family.  Only, I happened to marry a very picky eater and, unfortunately, he wasn't a big fan of casseroles, seafood, meat with onions or ketchup in or on it, any form of Mexican/Spanish foods, and desserts other than ice cream - specifically PIE.  That pretty much knocked out everything but the breads.

So in the almost 9 years we have been married, I haven't done much traditional cooking.  Our weekly meal plan consists mainly of chicken in several different forms, spaghetti or some other noodley-type dish, and once in a while a steak or some hamburger ("no bun or condiments though for me please," said Paul.) - all with a nice side item of either rice, potato, salad, beans, corn, or - if I am feeling really fancy - some kind of fruit.  Admittedly, he has come a long way since then and will try more things and eat more things and if a piece of rice just happens to touch his meat, he's okay with that.

Considering I was a college girl the first 4 years of our marriage and then I worked full time as a nurse after that, it didn't really cross my mind that I wasn't doing what I always thought I'd do.  It didn't really bother me... I just made what made the man happy. Isn't that what a good wife does?

But then...



Baby Madeline Olivia

Hi baby!

And then...



We moved to Saudi Arabia

All of the sudden, I had, not only a child of my own, but an opportunity to be what I always wanted - a stay at home wife and mother.  This blessing alone had changed everything and my thinking has changed some.  I still, and will always accomodate the tastes and likes of my man.  He is everything to me and I can't fault him for being him.  I wish he liked all the wonderful foods he is missing out on, but he doesn't... and that's okay.  BUT (and that's a huge BUTT), I want to give every choice to my children.  I want them to be exposed to the delicious peppers, and onions, and casseroles, and PIES... there is so much out there to taste my friends, and it is friggin' delicious! 



So, for the first time in my life I am trying to cook more.  I am starting to make those old recipes and trying to bring back the tasty deliciousness of my childhood.  To begin: I am attempting to make my Great Grandma Lily's lemon meringue pie for this upcoming Thanksgiving.  I have two weeks to perfect it and get it just right.  Not until recently did I learn that not only is this the best lemon meringue pie in the world, but it was very important to get "the nod of approval" from Great Grandpa Paul before one was deemed worthy and received the "right of passage" as a lemon meringue pie professional wife and mother. 

My Mom's experience:

"We actually had to make the perfect pie and then take it to Grandpa Paul for the final taste test judgment.  I still remember watching Grandpa staring at the piece of pie I brought him for several minutes and then him putting the first bite in his mouth and rolling it around while breathing deeply in and out... and then I got "The nod." His approval was a crowning moment in my life."

So, even though my guy isn't a pie man, I want my children, my friends, and strangers from all walks of life to say, "Holy crap! This is the best lemon meringue pie I have ever tasted in my entire life... I can die now. Thank you so much Edith... Thank you so damn much!"

Here is my first attempt (I will not be sharing the recipe with anyone other than my family, sorry.):

I started with the crust. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy. My main concerns were getting it round and wide enough to fit the pan perfectly and making sure it had the perfect balance of strength and mobility so it would stay together and make it into the pan.  It worked: 



The Crust

Then I made the filling.  It took a while for it to thicken, but then all of the sudden it thickened quick and it was a beautiful lemon yellow color and it was sweet and tangy and just right!



The lemony filling

Then I made the meringue.  My main concern with it was that it seal to the pie edge so there is no shrinkage or slipperyness.  Then I tried to do the flippy, swirly design my Mom was always so good at and after much frustration I just made it look messy with a few small swirlies.  Obviously practice and work for perfection is required for this artistic endeavor.



The Meringue



Then I cooked it!  It's not the most beautiful pie in th world, but it looked and smelled like a lemon meringue pie.  And I have to say, pretty great for a first attempt.



My very first homemade lemon meringue pie made all by myself

I was going to just leave it at that and say it was perfect the very first time, but... it wasn't.  I let it sit for a couple hours and then after dinner (steak, rice, and salad - surprise surprise! hee hee) I cut into it.  The filling was way too watery and sort of spilled all over the place in the pan.

BUT!!  The crust was AWESOME.  The meringue was fluffy and sweet and tasted delicious!!  And, although runny, the filling was sweet and tangy and yummy-yummy-yum (just like Moms).  So, I do not have far to go.  After some wonderful tips from Mom I am ready to keep trying.  A couple of practice rounds with adjustments to the filling ingredients and it should be juuuuuust right. Worthy of nods from all over the world.

It's The Little Things That Make All The Difference.

1. Green, apple smelling dish gloves.  I found them at a local grocery store here recently and I just love them!  I still don't like doing dishes very much, but because I like these gloves so much, I am reminded to wear them when I use cleaners and have to do something that has to do with stinky, icky stuff.  Also, ever since I became involved in nursing and became obsessed with clean hands my skin dries out and cracks easily so remembering to wear these beautiful green gloves will protect the moisture of my skin!!  There are just too many positives here not to be amazingly impressed and envious of my new gloves. 

2.  Last week a good friend and I went to the "A Creative Affair" craft extravaganza they have here in camp each year. Several talented women (I didn't see any men selling anything) get together at two or three homes and set up tables displaying such things as paintings, jewelry, food, house decor for the holidays, etc.  One woman was selling her pottery and she had two of these cute ceramic dishes.  They are meant for serving olives to guests. The small little container on the left is for toothpicks, the larger bowl is for the olive seeds, and the main dish is for holding the olives!  I cannot WAIT to have someone over to try out my new olive dish on.  This morning Madeline and Paul were having some dates and I insisted they use it.  Madeline had a good time puttings the seeds in the seed holder.  I asked her,
"Madeline... what do you think of this lovely dish that is holding the dates?"
She replied, "Nice mommy!" with the cutest smile in the world. 
I then asked Paul, "so what do you think?" and he replied, "mmm hmm," with a handsome smile as he chewed.
So yeah... they were impressed, and I am sure the dates even tasted better because they were served on such a lovely ceramic dish.

Visiting The Past: Homeo

...until I can come up with some more entertaining and interesting blogs, I thought I'd take you back on a journey many moons ago to 2006.

I STILL haven't seen a movie like this made: Homeo. Enjoy!

Hi Neighbor!

 (<--- That's me in the hat) When I was a child, and in the neighborhood I grew up in, everyone knew everyone else.  Part of this was because most everyone in the neighborhood went to the same church  - that helps a great deal when you can regularly see someone else and talk with them when in any other circumstance you may not.  But even those families who didn't attend church were known by everyone else.  In fact two families in particular who were not very religious were a regular part of my childhood and had a huge impact on my perception of society and people in general.  There was a feeling peace and a neighborly trust most of the time.

Most of my childhood was that way.  Kids from all over the neighborhood played outside until dark at night, families went on walks and visited friends. I think back then that's just how it was. 

As I grew up neighbors weren't a big part of my life because I got busy and wasn't home much, but the changes in our area and how society responds to each other were very apparent.  The reasons for neighbors not talking or knowing each other are endless - increased work or a busy involved life somewhere else = no time, increased crime, word of kidnappings and murders on the news, terrorism threats and actual devastating events happening on U.S. soil, etc. etc. etc.. I moved into an apartment for a while and then met Paul and got married and moved away for good.  Mom mentioned how much things had changed and how different the neighborhood was at times when we would talk, and then she left.  On a visit home one year Paul and I took some time to drive through just to see how things were and I was overwhelmed at how small and trashy it felt.  It wasn't the same place at all. 

I always hoped when we moved to Tennessee and into our own place that we would have good neighbors and it would be like it used to be.  While there were lived in two different apartments and one house and, sadly, it just wasn't the same.  After 8 years in TN I had pretty much given up hope on having that kind of relationship with any kind of a neighbor.  But then... Saudi Arabia happened. 

This place we live... this tiny little compound in the middle of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia that is protected by multiple walls with wire and trees and armed guards at 3 different points before you get to the neighborhoods - it reminds me of my childhood a little bit.  When we first arrived here about 7 months ago (I can't believe it has already been 7 months) we were greeted by several of our neighors - at least 8 families - who brought us food, and cookies, and toasters and other house supplies, toys, and information for house help and where to get things, etc.  It was so amazing and so overwhelming all at the same time. 

Kids are regularly outside riding their bikes each night and playing together. People are taking walks and stopping by to see if you are doing okay "just because."  I sometimes think of it all as a desert mirage because, at times, it doesn't seem real.  Adjusting to life here has been difficult, frustrating, interesting, and the strangest experience of my life, but things keep getting better as we meet new friends and get more involved.  It gives me hope that there are still people out there in the world who care about their fellow man.  It also reminds me of how important it is to be a part of the community we live in.  How important it is to be a part of something and to share my gifts and talents with those around me.  How important it is to be a good neighbor.

We came here for our own reasons, but I also believe there are some unknown reasons our life path brought us so far off the course we had originally planned.  It's scary and exciting all at the same time.  And it's kind of nice to know we've got some pretty good neighbors around us going through the same thing. 

Happy Halloween!

We weren't sure how Halloween was going to work this year - being in Saudi Arabia - but apparently it is a pretty big deal and it turned out great!

Madeline decided she wanted to be a princess, so we got a cute little costume from Toys R Us. At the last minute we got together with some of our good friends here on camp and we took the kids trick-or-treating on our street. Later we heard that on busier streets around the elementary school there were over 1,000 trick-or-treators and it was a zoo! A lot of Saudi families will invite their family and friends into the camp to trick-or-treat. Who doesn't like free candy and being silly? I think what we did - staying on our nice quiet street - was perfect for our little 2-year-old's first time trick or treating. And, not including the mask incident at the beginning of the evening that scared the crap out of the kids, I think they had a really good time.



A friend of ours put together this little video of pictures from last night and I think it turned out wonderful and wanted to share it:

My First Playgroup

Today I hosted my first playgroup for a 0-2 year old playgroup here on camp.  We had a lot of fun! Since it was close to Halloween some of the kids came dressed up.  I had the kids put noses and eyes on a cute little pumpkin picture frame and I took pictures of each child for the frames.  The kids had a good time playing with toys, sliding on the slide, and dancing in bubbles.

We also had some snacks:
Creepy Cheese and Crackers
A Vicious Vegetable Tray
Frighteningly Fresh Fruit
Dried Scabs (raisins)
Eerie Eyeballs (cherry tomatoes w/ cream cheese and olives)
Glazed Swamp Cakes (green muffins with spinach, cinnamon, and orange frosting)
Tangy Toddler Tears (Lemonade)
and
Coffee/Tea/Water/ etc. for the Moms

All in all I think it turned out great and I look forward to future playgroups.

A Restaurant Review: Little Madeline's Fine Dining

Step into Little Madeline's Fine Dining and you will get a taste of true youthful and colorful cuisine.  Among the many infantile restaurants out there this one is sure to be famous for its truly unique menu selection and exquisite presentation. The ambiance of this place will take you back to the days when nothing but sheer indulgence in life's adventures and pleasures prevailed - much different from the fast-paced hip hop culture of today.  Madeline's mini crayon fritters and deelish desserts, make this eatery a must!  Ready for pure heaven? Indulge in a nice piece of plastic cake and tea so light it's almost like swallowing air... Don't wait up mom! Looks like I'll be up past 6:30 tonight!

Little Madeline's Fine Dining
123 ABC Lane
Hours: M-F Noon to naptime,
4:00 pm to 7:30 pm since the cook and owner has tubby-time and bedtime after that.

What I Am Thinking About Right Now.

Paul was looking at the blog tonight right before we went to bed and I noticed my pregnancy ticker with that floating baby in it says I am 30 weeks along.  I only have 10 weeks left... IF I go the full 40 weeks.  It got me thinking, which I do an awful lot of lately, at night... when I am supposed to be sleeping...

Do we have all the paperwork and everything ready for whatever we have to do to have the baby living here in Saudi Arabia?  I still need to call that lady and get a tour of the hospital/OB area so I know where I will be going and what to expect!  MAN I hope I pass that stupid 3 hour glucose tolerance test on Sunday.  I am so worried about that.  I haven't touched the new baby's room or any of the bins full of Madeline's old clothes.  I have no new baby stuff ready. What kind of baby stuff do I need?  I need to sterilize the breast pump.  What if this baby doesn't nurse as beautifully and easily as Mads did?  Should we have taken some refresher birthing classes?  I mean, I can look stuff up on the internet, but what if I forget how to breath?  Madeline's birth was so exciting and easy, so planned, so induced! I was so totally drugged up I didn't care and pushing was not painful at all... but do I want that this time?  Do I want all those drugs?  Will I even have a choice if I go into labor? Will I actually go into labor with this baby? I have never "gone into" labor before.  Will I know?  I need a watch.  I'm starting to have issues with hemarrhoids and constipation now... will my colon turn inside out when I push like that lady's did in that blog post I read the other day?  Where is Madeline going to go when we go into labor?  I don't have an overnight bag ready for her or anything... I don't have an overnight bag ready for myself either!  I need to take water... women here tell me to take water because they are short staffed and sometimes it takes them a while to get to you. What in the hell are we going to name this baby?? When will this damn cough go away so I can stop peeing my pants? I really need to finish Madeline's halloween costume.  Should I buy a turkey? We need a Christmas tree!! I have heartburn... I need a TUMs...

This is just the tip of the iceberg folks.   I guess I should try to sleep. I have to pee.

My Precious Bloom

Like most people out there who start a blog, I've always had the intent of writing on mine every day, or at least a few times a week.  I was pretty good at it - at first.  It's hard to find time for everything I want to do in life. But looking back on this blog, and what I did actually write down, it was a good thing because certain memories - that otherwise would have been lost - are written down, documented, and ready for people to see. 

I'm disappointed that I haven't blogged much at all about anything since our move here to Saudi Arabia.  I don't think I am as outgoing and courageous as some of the women around me, but we have had some interesting experiences while here.  Experiences that are now lost because I can't seem to remember what happened 5 minutes ago lately.  Six months now, gone... just. like. that.

I recently read, on another blog that I like to look at, about ten things the author had learned about blogging, and it sort of inspired me to start up again.

1. Be yourself.  Write is if you were talking to your sister. 
*If I wrote on here like I would if I were writing or talking to my sister? My blog would rock! Of course, you might not understand a lot of it because we have our own inside jokes and weird languages.

2. Blog often. Whether it's a novel, the results year-long research study, or just a picture with a caption, treat your blog like it is a "precious bloom that requires daily nurturing."
*I like that - a precious bloom.

3. Be varied.  Change things up.
*This is one of my problems... Madeline is my life, and therefore, my usual topic of blogversation. And although I find her rather perfect and adorable, there are actually other things that intrigue, inspire and enter my mind. So I hope to bring those out.

4. Exercise more. Blogging is a sedentary activity.
*Damn exercise. It keeps popping up everywhere I go.  I guess I should exercise more. 

5. Allow your boundaries to set themselves naturally.
*I've read some blogs that are nasty and where the boundaries on content are limitless - maybe this is what that blogger wanted.  I guess it depends on who you want to reach - will you take a "My mom is reading my blog" approach? Or more of a "I am woman, hear me roar!!!!" approach?  Or maybe your mom is a roaring woman so whatever you write is not a problem. Who knows.

6.  Bring back retro phrases like "hanky panky".
*That's just funny. I like "hanky panky" but some retro phrases need to stay buried... oh you don't agree? Well "talk to the hand."

7. Don't be afraid to embarrass yourself.
*This has never been a hard thing for me to accomplish... embarrassing myself. 

8. Try your best to spell words correctly and use proper grammar.
*I once wrote a huge blog that was so beautiful and inspiring and touched my soul and then someone commented that I used "their" instead of "there".  Thanks a lot! Just in this post alone, I had to double check the spelling of the word "grammar".  Does this mean I'm a bad person? No! Also, my fingers are fatter than normal cause I'm 29 weeks pregnant, so I have an excuse for the occassional typo.

9. Push through writer's block and write anyway.  *Be prepared for several posts about bugs and how it bugs the hell out of me that I can't seem to center my coffee table on the rug perfectly.

10. Value every person who takes time to stop by and read your blog.
*This one is interesting to me cause I think I have maybe 2, possibly 3 people who read my blog.  And since I haven't posted in an eon or so, I doubt they even check it anymore.  So if you are reading this and ever come back. thanks! I cherrish you.

So, here I go... again.

Girl Talk & Tea Time

This morning Madeline and I were sitting down to our tea time and I told her that today I wanted some peppermint flavored tea. She immediately got a chair, pushed it to the kitchen counter and grabbed the pepper. She came running over, shook some into my cup and said, "there Mommy. Better?" And we slurped the morning away discussing shapes, rainbows, and future plans of clipping our fingernails.

Riding The Aramco Bus

This morning Madeline and I decided to try out the Aramco Bus. Aramco provides bus transportation all over the compound we live in, to popular destinations in Khobar and other cities near us - like the malls and grocery stores, and to other Aramco camps. The buses are large, with curtained windows and lovely air conditioning. We've been here almost 6 months (Oct. 10th) now and I have never tried the buses. Mainly because you have to plan around the bus schedule. Honestly though, following the bus schedule is probably your best bet at getting anything done around here because of time restrictions like five prayer times a day where they shut down everything. The bus schedule usually coincides with the store hours outside the compound. Most of the days of the week the buses will go to the two malls closest to camp.

The Al Rashid Mall is tall and newer looking with 4 or 5 floors (I think - it's so massive my brain is slightly overwhelmed) and I believe a normal, healthy person without any children would need a good week to properly get through it.

The Mall of Dhahran is the closest to us and a little more plain looking, but equally massive. I'd say it would take a good 4 to 5 days to properly see everything there.

Madeline and I chose to go to the Mall of Dhahran today. Madeline was very excited - this being her very first time on a real bus. when we arrived she pointed out everything she noticed. I told her that the man in front was the driver of the bus to which she replied, "move on back!"

After we got seated and when the bus started to move she started singing The Wheels on the Bus go round and round, and with every corner we turned she said, "Weeeeeeeee!" That girl has a good time no matter what she is doing.

This particular bus leaves at 9:00 and then is back at the mall to pick up anyone who wants to go back to camp at 11:30. The next bus to the mall isn't until much later and because a lot of the stores close from 12:30 to 4:00 pm there is really no reason to stay. Two hours is not even close to being enough time to shop, but it was still fun to get out. We were able to pick up a couple of stylish sun hats, a robe, and some clothes for Madeline. We will definitely try it again some time.

It Will Go On... Just Not For You.

I've decided to no longer do Madeline's Monthly Message publicly. I still plan on doing it for her and for her little sister when she is born, but for them. I dislike the restrictions of public writing, the inhibited moments where I hold back a little for fear I offend someone. Also, I don't know if anyone who happens upon the blog should know little details of Madeline's life and the likes and dislikes she has.
I still want to share the happenings and funny or adorable things my children do on the blog, but I think I need to refocus what I really want to write about on here. Lately (when I do write, which has been rare) it has all been about Madeline. Yes, she is my LIFE, but there are other things on my mind that belong on the blog too.
So there you have it.

Two Years

Happy Birthday toots!

My Madeline is two years old today. She is the most loving, adventurous, smart and amazing little girl I've ever known, and I am so happy she is mine.