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!!!