Our Jacqueline

Jacqueline is growing up so fast. The other morning, as the girls were getting ready for school, Jacqueline wanted to get dressed too. Not in her clothes, but the girls' uniform dress. So I got out the smallest one we had and it hit right at the top of her feet. She thought she was pretty hot stuff. She will fish in my purse for my cell phone and hold it up to her ear and wander around saying, "Hewwow?" And does not like to be told, "No." She can throw quite the baby temper tantrum. Her favorite snack right now is cheese sticks. She knows which drawer in the fridge where we keep them and I'll open the fridge for her, she'll pull open the drawer and I'll ask, "Cheese?" to which she'll respond with one of the biggest cheesiest grins ever. Say cheese for the camera!!!

Halloweenies!!

This was the best pic I could get of all 4 together. Eliza is a dead fifties girl, Mairyn is a Mummy, Grant is a knight and Jacqueline is Tinkerbell. Eliza and Mairyn came up with their own ideas for costumes, Eliza wanted to be scary and Mairyn settled on mummy when we were looking at pictures on the internet.

Oh, what a brave and valorous knight of Egypt!!

Yep, she's scary! That's what she wanted!

Mairyn was the sweetest little mummy out there. They had awards for best costumes, etc at the school party. Seriously, her costume was the best out there and some dumb costumes that were just ripped t-shirts and food coloring took the prizes. Oh well, we know the truth!!

Jacqueline LOVED the duck train! She did not want to get off. Every time it stopped, she would scream and cry and hold on for dear life to that duckie train. We had to let other kids have a chance to ride and then we could ride again.

Busy Life

We are so busy right now. Clubs, homework, errands and such. Amazing how normal life feels. I never thought it would be this way in Egypt. But here we are, in the shadow of the many minarets and palm trees, pyramids and taxis. Eliza had a school play about 2 weeks ago. She is on the top row in the middle. The play was centered around their current study of materials and what they do. They were aliens that came to earth and "discovered" that the floor was made of wood, windows are glass, etc. Eliza had a good speaking part.


This is a mosque minaret that I got a shot of while I was in Siwa. Almost sundown, perfect light, it was the evening of the first day I was there. We also went to a petrified forest, a former palm tree oasis. The trunks were amazing; they looked like a palm tree trunk, but were solid stone and made an odd, hollow/metallic sound when another piece of petrified palm is knocked against it. And to finish it, a picture of me!!

Trip to Siwa

This is me in Siwa, the desert part. It's an oasis about 30 miles from the Libyan border. I left Maadi on the 11th in a bus at about 6 am. We drove for 9 hours and finally got to Siwa. We stayed at this little place called The Siwa Safari Paradise Hotel. Yeah, it was in Siwa, I did get a desert safari, paradise it was not and they can call it a hotel because I had my own bathroom!! It was an adventure, everything I hoped it would be and I'm glad I did not have any kids with me. Sand was everywhere, they were the sand dunes I hoped to see when I got to Cairo. The desert around Cairo is just rock and dirt. These were REAL sand dunes!! And one night we spent camping in the desert, the stars were so bright and no moon. Beautiful!!! Our third day there we had a tour of the pharonic sites around the oasis. Very cool. We visited the temple of Amun where Alexander the Great came in 352 B.C. and asked the oracle a secret question. Apparently, he got an answer and didn't share it with anyone and this is the secret he died with; on the trip back home he died.
Sunday we headed back to Cairo; another 9 hour bus ride, but we made it. I got home to my babies and husband and finally got my hot shower!! (there wasn't any hot water in my bathroom the whole trip)

Desert Sunrise

Yes, this is Jacqueline walking. We got home from the airport and she took a few experimental steps. Yay, we thought. Then she began walking from point A to point B. Progress, this is good. The first week of September it became her mode of transportation. Now, I believe she has mastered it. This is last Friday, the 7th of September.
I have been having troubles with the internet. Still. This movie finally posted and I am thrilled. Now I will post it before the internet goes down again!!!

Running on Empty

Hi, I know, I didn't post on Friday like I said I would. Our internet has been down since Thursday night. We upgraded the speed of our internet and then it went out for the whole weekend. The battery on my camera is dead, my laptop battery is dead and I can't find the cords and plug-ins. Please be patient with me and I will have pictures posted soon!!! This weekend, we went to the big mall in Heliopolis called City Stars. It is like walking into a little piece of America. It is air-conditioned, big and fun to wander around in. Spencer and Grant also got haircuts. Grant hadn't had a full on "official" haircut since, oh I can't remember when, maybe April or May. So, when the girls got home from school they had a surprise. They said Grant looked bald!! And Jacqueline is completely walking now. No more crawling for her. Unless she's in slippery socks and can't get her footing. I will post more when everything is charged and loaded.

First Day of School

Today was the day!!! Mairyn started school. She was beside our bed at 5:50 am, "Mommy? Daddy? Today is school!! Is it time yet?" No, Mairyn, school doesn't start for another 2 1/2 hours!! We all made it to school on time. Mairyn has the same teacher Eliza had for Year 1, Mrs. McInroy. She is a great teacher. Eliza's Year 3 teacher is Mrs. Hawkins. She is excited because she has an upstairs classroom this year. When I picked her up from school, her highlight of the day was that they did numeracy on the computer, without any paper. I asked Mairyn what she did today and she said they had snack, then recess and then lunch. Of course, what else could be more important?

Boy for Sale!!

Attention:
Boy for Sale
Age: 3 years old, definitely
Hair color: Would be blond if he would take a bath
Weight: Does it matter? He still sits on his sisters and makes them scream
Eye color: blue, but I swear they flash red sometimes.

Will sell to highest bidder, o.b.o.

Call for details, but after you've heard them, you won't be wanting a 3 year old any time soon.

You can reach me at home, but after today, I will be at the state insane asylum.
Thank you!!

Long time gone

It has been a long time gone! We had quite a whirlwind summer, split between Nebraska and Idaho. Spencer and I even managed to squeeze in a kid-free get-away to Nauvoo and other church historical sites! We got family pictures too. If this works, I believe you can order from the link I pasted here.
We have been back home for 5 days now and it seems twice as long. Everyone up at odd hours and pleading for sleep during the day. Jacqueline and Grant are the ones having the hardest time adjusting. Jacqueline actually had a decent night last night (Thursday night) it was Grant and Mairyn that were up at 3:30 am and wanted to know when it would be morning. Actually, Mairyn asked that and Grant just rolled out of his bed screaming at the top of his lungs. If I wasn't worried about trying to keep Jacqueline asleep, I would just let them get up and do as they please, but things start getting rowdy and out of control. So we just sleep when we can, be awake during the day as much as we can and eat breakfast,lunch and dinner when we are supposed to eat. Grant woke up Wednesday night with diarrhea, fever and a rash all over his arms, leg and torso. We took him in to the doctor Thursday morning and they drew blood. It came back ok (whatever that means).We tried to get a "pee-pee" sample, but you can imagine how well that went with a grumpy Grant. We're still trying to get one this weekend and get it to them on the first of the week. Today he woke up complaining of his rash itching. His rash had turned into hives; puffy welts all over his arms, cheeks and stomach. I called the doctor and he still believes that it is an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he has been taking. So we have applied Cortisone cream and given Benadryl liberally and everything is now "non-itchy". I just want to get Grant completely healthy again.

Jacqueline turned 1 this August 5th and the next day decided that she wasn't going to be my baby anymore. She wanted to walk, talk and act like a toddler. She has even proven that she can survive as Grant's little sister. She will scream at him and whack him when he provokes her or tries to take away a toy. She is a little volcano of activity now. Mairyn is anxiously awaiting school to begin. Next Tuesday, the 28th, is the big day. Eliza is also wondering aloud which of her schoolmates she hopes will be in her Year 3 class. I just found out about a trip the CLO (community liason office) is sponsoring in October. It is a trip to the Siwa Oasis, about 7 1/2 hours from here. There will be guides to the sites and sandboarding in the desert. And this is real desert, sand dune sand! The desert out and around Cairo is rock, with dirt and sand blowing around. Further out is where the real desert is. There is even an option to spend one of the three nights in a tent. Yipee!! I won't be taking any kids, it will be a blast. There's even 4 wheeling through the dunes to get to one of the sites. Anyway, that is the latest update with us! I'm going to try and post at least every Friday; hopefully I will get into the habit and post during the week as well!! Enjoy!!!

May I fly by and go to June?

I can't believe it is June! Grant turned 3 on the first. We had a kind of pizza theme. Pizza for dinner and then birthday cookies (cut like pizzas). And now we are winding down activities. No more song and dance for the girls. Ha! No, really, their class is through forever! Miss Debra is moving back to the US so we'll have to find another outlet for them this fall.


And what post wouldn't be complete without a picture of our little Jackie? She is such a sweet, mellow baby. And Eliza adores her. She packs her around and even gets her in the morning when she wakes up. She'll bring her into me and sit at the end of the bed while I nurse her and then ask,"Are you done yet so I can go play with her?" And Jacqueline is crazy about her too. When Eliza gets home from school, Jacqueline squeals and crawls as fast as her little arms and legs will go to get to her.


Ok, here's another cute one of Jackie, about to raspberry me.


Ok, ok . . . just one more. Grant the big boy on his third birthday!

New posts? I love new posts!

We haven't done much this week. Mairyn went on a field trip to a farm where they make soap, raise ducks and other stuff. She got to bring home a little soap that they made. Eliza had her half-term holiday this week on the 23 & 24th. No school! She gets out of school the 26th of June. And we're off to the states on the 27th! Grant is in a word funk. He loves everything! He'll ask, "What's that?" pointing to a basket or window. And I say, "It's a basket, Grant." "Basket? I love baskets!" Or the bread on the counter. "Bread? I love bread!" And that's how most of our conversations with Grant have been for the last little while. And Jacqueline has been babbling all week. More than usual. Now it's "ba-ba-ba-ba" or "ma-ma-ma-ma". Or some other jibberish, but it's her jibberish. And she'll copy you. You say something and she'll imitate it. The little parrot. I have been busy showing a woman around Maadi. She and her husband and two little girls got here to post about 3 weeks ago. And I was assigned as her sponsor. So we've been corresponding for the past few months, answering questions, etc. Now I'm just taking her around, getting her familiar with the area and things to do! Also, I'm helping my friend Rachel get ready to move. She, her husband Mat and their 4 girls leave Egypt on the 20th of June and are moving to . . . . . . Rexburg! Mat got a job with BYU-I in the Psychology department. So it's not really goodbye for us, it's just see you later! She has been my closest friend these last two years in Egypt. Isn't that wild? 2 years!!! Not that she's been my friend, but that we've been here in Egypt that long. Ok, you can stop laughing at me. Alright, that's all for now. And Jacqueline won the draw for which gets kid a picture(s) posted.

Saturday

This Saturday went down like any other one. We got up and went to Maadi House for breakfast and playground time. It was a beautiful morning, not too warm and really sunny. We ran by and picked up Grandpa and then we came home. I put Grant and Jacqueline down for naps. Then Eliza, Mairyn, Grandpa and I left to go to the Khan al Khalili. Grandpa needed some scarves (for Grandma) and I got some t-shirts for the girls. The main reason I wanted to bring the girls was b/c they wanted to get a henna design on their hands. I usually run into at least 2 or 3 ladies that want to put a henna on me each time I go to the Khan. Well, we were there for 2 hours and we didn't see any of the usual ladies. Then I saw a woman walking by that had a fresh henna on her hand. I asked her where she got it and she pointed in the direction of the square near the row of cafes. So we waited around and she showed up. The girls got their designs and then the waiting-for-it-dry process began. It takes about 15-20 minutes for a design to dry. More if it is really globby. Well, Mairyn smeared part of her arm even before the lady was done. She fixed it and Eliza's too. Anyway, we made it home with minimal damage to the designs and the girls couldn't wait to show their friends at school.
There was one moment yesterday that couldn't be captured on film. It was an energy, a change. We were walking through the crowded alleys and every shopkeeper is calling out to you. "Hey, what do you need? I got it! You want statue, scarf, galabeya? I got it!" ad infinitum. One shopkeeper aimed his petitions at Eliza and she did such an egyptian and grown up thing. She shook her head, looked at the ground and waggled her little finger at him. All in one smooth movement! Is she a smooth operator or what?
Anyway, that was our Saturday.