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Early Morning Post

No, we don't get a sunrise edition of the news. It's just early. I don't know what to do with my youngest. Actually, I do know, I just can't act on it! HA! Jacqueline is a pint sized hurricane. She has this fascination with getting dressed. I have another clothes horse, Mairyn, who will change shirts as often as she can. Jacqueline just likes the putting on process, she'll just keep piling them on. I have some bags of clothes sitting around so access is pretty easy. I don't have many closets or a garage, so the corner of the room is where they have to sit. I am going to have to find another solution.

Jacqueline is also an escape artist. She won't stay in her room. We switched her to a toddler bed back at the beginning of September. She has been great, up until about a week and a half ago. She won't stay in there to take a nap, at night it's a ping pong game of putting her back in her bed. We used some shoelaces and tied our doorknob and hers together and that worked for two nights, then she figured some way out. And at night, geez, it's like having a newborn again. Except the child is coming to me. (hmmmm, this isn't all bad!) She gets up and says, "I'm up, Mommy." I put her back in her bed while she screams her lungs out, jumps out of bed and comes and wails on the door with her tiny fists. (I'm holding the door shut) Then I go back in and put her in bed, close the door, she jumps up, etc. After that 15 minute process, Jacqueline doesn't make any more noise and I go back to bed. Only to find her standing beside my bed AGAIN 30 minutes later. Ooooo-kay. This is getting old.

Yesterday, we went through the regular nap time scuffles and I hadn't heard anything from her for about 25 minutes. I listened surreptitiously at the door for any squeaks or signs of movement. Silence. So stupid me decides to take advantage of this and take a nap (to recover from our nighttime escapades). I was woken up 30 minutes later to some little midget knocking around in the other bathroom. I opened the door to a scene of mass destruction. She had emptied out the kids shampoo bottle in the tub, then unrolled the toilet paper and wet it in the bidet and made nice little paper wads all over. She had emptied Mairyn's drawers of ALL her clothes. Jacqueline was wearing a nice ensemble of about 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants and a dress hanging around her waist by the collar (wish I had taken a picture) and clothes are spread from the front living room all the way back to my bedroom door. And what woke me up in my room was her rooting through my cupboard drawers and disassembling tampons left and right. Jacqui is not on my nice list right now, she's on another list.

Anyway, I've gotten the girls off to school and now it's time to get Grant ready. There is a Halloween party at Grant's school and they can dress up. Grant is Dash from the Incredibles and pictures will follow.

Fireside with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Tonight we had some special visitors to the Cairo Egypt Branch. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife, Patricia Holland & Elder Snow of the 70 and his wife held a fireside tonight at the Branch Villa. It was a unique experience to hear guidance and counsel in such an intimate setting. Elder Holland oversees our "area". We weren't sure what to call ourselves, Elder Holland clarified and said that we are the Middle East North Africa Area which includes: Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and some others that I just can't remember. We haven't really belonged to anyone. In the 3 years we've been here, we've been in three different areas. We were first part of the Greece Mission, then we were part of Eastern Europe (don't ask me how that connection was made) and even being included with those was just a need-to-be-classified-somewhere sort of thing. We are our own entity. Elder Holland said that change is happening. We need to pray for it and believe in it. If there is anything for certain in this world, when there are fallible men and doubts, the church can be counted on. He said, "If I were a betting man, I would bet on this church. The church is the only truth in this country. We're not perfect, but the church is. It's an exciting time to be in the church." He opened it up for questions at the end, uh, what do I ask? Someone asked how the church guides the quorum of the 70 day by day. Elder Holland said that D&C 107 is referred to daily by the church headquarters because of it's instruction to the 70's. Someone else asked what to say when asked about the church (while in Egypt). He said, "When people ask us about the Church, we answer!" It's never been very clear as to what our parameters are for sharing the gospel while in Egypt. We just know not to proselyte or baptize. So in a more one on one basis with people, we will now answer any and all questions they have!! His parting remark I wrote down was, "The principle task of this Church is to give the Church of the Lamb to the Lamb, this is a unique mission for this dispensation." Sister Holland spoke as well, she is so sweet. She shared many things; how we should love others unconditionally as the Lord does us. She also said that there are just two things we need to battle the darkness & despair in this life; the light and love of Christ. Really,quite a wonderful woman. Elder Snow spoke about fellowshipping our family and friends, do not let them fall away or feel forgotten. He shared William W. Phelps' re-fellowshipping. Sister Snow spoke about the many times that they had been to this area. I could tell Mairyn was listening because she tapped my arm and said, "Mommy, that's not right. He's never been here before, we've never seen him!" Keen ears! or big ones!! I've pretty much exhausted the notes I took tonight. It was great and one of a kind. I have a new respect and admiration of an apostle's patience, longsuffering and endurance. He met, spoke to & shook hands with each person in attendance. I kept feeling like we were bothering him, but he never faded. The fireside started at 7 and lasted an hour and a half and we got home at 10pm. The girls finally chilled out and got to bed at a quarter past 11. We'll see if they are too grumpy for school in the morning!

I asked if we could get a picture with the girls and he said, "Here, let me get down on your level."

Happiness

This blog post exists entirely because of Sara. Completely. She showed me this insanely addictive YouTube video and I have been singing it ALL WEEKEND!! It's a blessing, and a curse. We watched it at her house and then she emailed it to me and labeled it "Happiness". And really, once you see it, you just have an irrational urge to join the Royal Dragoon Guards and move to Iraq!

You just copy and paste

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPaRQ1BYjzU

*Sorry you have to copy and paste**

Eliza's Assignment

Eliza wrote this great poem for school. The assignment was to write a poem on a theme of your choice using similies. Eliza came out and read it to us and I was just blown away. No help from us, just the thoughts in her little head. I thought everyone would like to hear it.

My Garden
My garden is bigger than a football pitch
and the pond is as blue as the sky;
flowerbeds as soft as a pillow;
roses as red as lava;
trees as green as emeralds;
bluebells jingling like little telephones;
little birds singing as sweet as honey;
bees buzzing like electricity being chewed off;
plants growing like Jack's beanstalk;
My garden is as beautiful as the Garden of Eden.

by Eliza Penrod

P.S.
She ran the last line by us and then said, " . . as beautiful as the Garden of Eden. I don't think anyone else would get that, Mommy." I assured her that the other kids at school would know about the Garden of Eden.

P.P.S.
So, we're watching this movie and there is this tree called the Tree of Life (not a church show, it's called The Fountain. weird show and no the kids did not see all of it, just this part) and it's alive, leaves, etc. and then suddenly, the tree dies. Mairyn says, "Oh, it's not the tree of life anymore. It's the tree of death."

The Name Song

Ok, so I've taught each kid to spell their name with a little song. My mom taught me how to spell my name to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. (there was a mommy, had a girl and Lydia was her name-o, you get the picture) It worked with Eliza, Mairyn (yes it does go! Mai-ryn) and Grant. I was thinking about poor Jacqueline and all 10 of the letters in her name. So I made up this little chant to sing when she gets dressed or while changing a diaper, etc. So, here is our rendition of the Name Song. Not the best representation of most performances (she was fascinated with herself on the web cam) but you get the idea!

6th of October

Today is the Egyptian Independence day. In 1973, the Crossing happened as 80,000 Egyptian troops crossed the Suez Canal, destroying the fortified Israeli Bar-Lev Line and starting the Yom Kippur War. So, no school & embassy holiday. Those days don't coincide very often. Although we just stayed home, didn't go to the Red Sea or anywhere. Kids have been sick. Passed from one to the next. Grant to Eliza to Mairyn to Spencer. Jacqui and I are the only ones the illness has passed over. A barky cough, fever, yuckiness. Lasts about 3 days. I'm glad we didn't have any vacation planned. Here are some fun things we have seen while hangin' around Cairo this past holiday week.

A truck full of eggs. Let's face it, not all of those eggs are going to survive.

This guy is really pumped about banking! Woo-hoo!!

I think this is the grossest ad ever. A fajita facial? Yeah, let's open those pores with the steam of onions, beef and mushrooms. Finish your spa day with a gravy bath & you are set. Every dog in town will be chasing you down. Just yuck. (ha, i got it up first, Sara!!) The boys at Carrefour were not pleased that Sara and I were taking pictures. They never are. All I saw was a no smoking sign, not a no photos sign. (and those signs exist too. Sara, cue your photo!) That is one "freedom" that is infringed upon. You can take a picture of any freakin' thing you want in the States, here though, you have to think twice. (and btw, I though no one did it like sara lee.)

Yes, this is a Hellboy mannequin. Snazzy.

Upon closer examination, a homemade Hellboy. Yeah!

In the end, though, Cairo is "My City". (that's what it says on the sign)

A Day at Dashur

Ramadan ended on Wednesday and the kids have been out of school. So we decided to take a trip out to the Dashur and Bent Pyramids during the Eid (the 3-4 day celebration following Ramadan) Our friends, the Lewis' just got their car so we were finally a mobile group! Our view of Giza on our way out of town early in the morning. Hardly any smog!

Eliza and Jacob climbing on the Bent Pyramid. The funny thing is, the Bent Pyramid used to be off limits. They have now made it accessible to the "tourists". Climbing on the Bent Pyramid was a first for us! Oh yeah, Grant is there too.

Spencer and Kevan mugging for the camera.

The whole crew at Dashur (or Sneferu's (ah-choo) Red Pyramid. Wow, the things you learn on wikipedia!)

Mairyn and Spencer building a bridge over the Bent one. (do i have to point out that it is a pyramid again?)

Grant being Grant!

Jacqueline and Sam. Taken early in the trip, later on they didn't have those angelic little looks anymore!

** Warning** Objects in mirror are closer than they appear! Bent in the background and Big Red (why is it called that? it's not red!) ahead! The Lewis' car right behind us!

And yet another experimentation; Red in the background and the Black Pyramid coming up. Although we call the Black Pyramid the Broken one. And the "Red one" we just call Dashur. They are all within a mile of each other, very close and accessible.

And yet again, we have come to the end of a trip & there aren't any decent ones of the Mommies! (and i'm not talking about the former occupants of bent and red that are now housed in the egyptian museum!)