My funny Lawrence. He is always such a trip.
"Mommy! I can hear the ocean!!"
(That's the cat food scoop.)
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Red Day
The first two weeks of school, the children were assigned colors to wear each day. They looked so cute on red day!
Everett is headed to line up in the morning here. He puts his backpack down by the wall and goes to the playground to play until the bell rings.
Here they are coming out for lunch. The children have to spot their parent before they can run across the grass (a.k.a., The Great Divide) to go home. Sometimes it takes Everett a few minutes to see me (I am standing in a gaggle of women all waiting for their children.) (But I do have the ginormous double stroller, so I should be pretty easy to see.) I'm not sure if he's seen me here yet, or not. In any case, this is my favorite part because he comes running into my arms!
An Interesting Billboard
Speaking of stuff off camp...check out this sign.
It's a picture of a car wreck, and on the left is a dead person. Yes, a dead body. Yes, this is a billboard.
The sign says "Be Aware of Others Faults."
Ha! That's funny, because although it's just badly translated (what they mean is "Plan For Other People's Mistakes" or, more concisely, "Drive Defensively,") it's exactly appropriate for Saudi culture. People here LOVE to notice what other people are doing wrong and get them in trouble. They think everyone else is always wrong, and they themselves are always right. The religious police especially, the mutawa, go around tattle taling on people just for an ego boost. So "Be Aware of Others Faults" might as well be the country's motto. In fact, being aware of everyone else's faults is encouraged!
I am reminded of a glass house and a rock. Or a grain of sand and a plank. Or the fourth word that Charlotte wove into her web. A little of that wouldn't hurt.
It's a picture of a car wreck, and on the left is a dead person. Yes, a dead body. Yes, this is a billboard.
The sign says "Be Aware of Others Faults."
Ha! That's funny, because although it's just badly translated (what they mean is "Plan For Other People's Mistakes" or, more concisely, "Drive Defensively,") it's exactly appropriate for Saudi culture. People here LOVE to notice what other people are doing wrong and get them in trouble. They think everyone else is always wrong, and they themselves are always right. The religious police especially, the mutawa, go around tattle taling on people just for an ego boost. So "Be Aware of Others Faults" might as well be the country's motto. In fact, being aware of everyone else's faults is encouraged!
I am reminded of a glass house and a rock. Or a grain of sand and a plank. Or the fourth word that Charlotte wove into her web. A little of that wouldn't hurt.
Morning Outing
Running errands in Arabia is quite the task. First off, everything has to wait until the weekend because I can't drive off camp. Then once you get to a weekend, the first day is Friday, which is the holy day, and nothing is open until 4 pm. At 4 pm, everyone comes out in a huge crush, so the traffic is terrible. And then you've got all those pesky evening prayers to avoid, because everything closes up for either 20 or 40 minutes for prayer time, depending on which prayer it is. Saturday is the better day, because shops open at 9 am, close at noon prayer (which happens at a different time every day, but is usually between 11:20 and 11:50 am), and then reopen again at 4 pm.
Also, running errands here is not like at home. Nothing here ever pans out like it ought to; stores that should be open are closed for no reason, stores that always carry such-and-such won't have it when you come to buy it, no one there speaks any English, it takes 50 times longer than you think, and/or some other thing happens to prevent you from accomplishing what you set out to do. And that's just your first errand. Wanted to get two things done? Forget it. After living here a while, you learn that anything more than one errand per Saturday is just terrifically too ambitious, and if you get one thing done, you are doing fabulously well. Oh, how our expectations have plummeted since living here.
In September, poor Clyde needed a new battery. So we all waited until Saturday, and then piled into Rosie for our one errand of the week. A long drive - something like 30 minutes - into Dammam got us to the surprisingly modern looking Hyundai dealership.
Mike jumped out while the rest of us stayed in the car. The kids are never thrilled when we say we have to run an errand on a Saturday, because it usually means that they get to stay in the car the entire time as one of us runs in to get whatever-it-is done. They were good sports about it this day.
Also keep in mind that this is my big trip off camp for the week, so it's less fun for me if I don't actually get to get out of the car during my outing.
The view from the parking lot where we were waiting. Thrilling.
Amazingly, after about 15 minutes, Mike came back with the appropriate battery and we drove home. Success!! A miracle!! That never happens, that it works the first time. Hooray for us!
A few weekends after that, we recreated this errand for something for Rosie, so we had to drive to the Chevy dealership. It was inexplicably closed, so we tried two other stores, and they were also inexplicably closed. We drove home after two hours, defeated. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Better luck next Saturday.
Also, running errands here is not like at home. Nothing here ever pans out like it ought to; stores that should be open are closed for no reason, stores that always carry such-and-such won't have it when you come to buy it, no one there speaks any English, it takes 50 times longer than you think, and/or some other thing happens to prevent you from accomplishing what you set out to do. And that's just your first errand. Wanted to get two things done? Forget it. After living here a while, you learn that anything more than one errand per Saturday is just terrifically too ambitious, and if you get one thing done, you are doing fabulously well. Oh, how our expectations have plummeted since living here.
In September, poor Clyde needed a new battery. So we all waited until Saturday, and then piled into Rosie for our one errand of the week. A long drive - something like 30 minutes - into Dammam got us to the surprisingly modern looking Hyundai dealership.
Also keep in mind that this is my big trip off camp for the week, so it's less fun for me if I don't actually get to get out of the car during my outing.
Amazingly, after about 15 minutes, Mike came back with the appropriate battery and we drove home. Success!! A miracle!! That never happens, that it works the first time. Hooray for us!
A few weekends after that, we recreated this errand for something for Rosie, so we had to drive to the Chevy dealership. It was inexplicably closed, so we tried two other stores, and they were also inexplicably closed. We drove home after two hours, defeated. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Better luck next Saturday.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Everett's First Day of Kindergarten
OK, you knew it was coming.
Just after Labor Day (not that we get Labor Day over here), which was about two weeks after we got back from repat, Everett had his first day of SCHOOL. REAL school. We have a kindergartner in the house. Holy cow.
There was an open house before the first day, so that the kids and parents could see the classroom and drop of their required supplies. Here we are on the way to the open house. Everett wore his old preschool backpack for the last time.
There are 11 (eleven) (!!!) kindergartens at his school. This is because the Saudi kids are allowed to go to our kindergarten. There are lots of Saudis here, so they overwhelm everyone else. And even if they are not Saudi, there are lots of Arabs. Thankfully, there are three other western kids in Everett's class of 18. One is Canadian and two are American. That's doing pretty well.
On the first real day of school, it dawned hot (nearly 110 at 7:45 am) and extraordinarily humid. This was the fifth picture I took of him, as for the first four, the camera lens fogged up so much that you couldn't see him at all. It took that long for the camera to equilibrate.
For the first two weeks, all kindergartners have to wear a lanyard with their name, address, phone number, and method of transportation. The options are BUS or WALK. The Company will bus kids that who live too far away to walk in very luxurious brand new and very fancy Mercedes buses. Kids like ours that live closer are required to walk. But if you're in kindergarten, you may not walk by yourself (kindergartners are also not permitted to scoot or ride bikes), which means your mom has to walk you back and forth. And they come home for lunch, so you're walking four times a day to school. We live not quite a half a mile from the school. And it's not like I can leave the younger kids behind. So suddenly, our entire family is walking two miles every day!
The school has a tall concrete wall around it with a huge ugly metal gate that slides back and forth. These pictures were taken inside the wall. The kindergarten door is behind them, and that's the kindergarten playground under the sun shade.
At 10:45, we were back again for pickup. Here is his class coming out of the school for pickup. When your child sees you, he has to tell his teacher that he sees you and then he can run across the grass field to you. This is my favorite part about kindergarten! Everett sees me, beams, and runs full throttle into my arms, so excited.
Just after Labor Day (not that we get Labor Day over here), which was about two weeks after we got back from repat, Everett had his first day of SCHOOL. REAL school. We have a kindergartner in the house. Holy cow.
There was an open house before the first day, so that the kids and parents could see the classroom and drop of their required supplies. Here we are on the way to the open house. Everett wore his old preschool backpack for the last time.
Ready to go!
Bye bye, old preschool backpack. (SNIFF.)
His teacher is in the pink dress.
The class pet is a tank of fish!
Everett sits at a table with four other kids. Here is his spot.
On the first real day of school, it dawned hot (nearly 110 at 7:45 am) and extraordinarily humid. This was the fifth picture I took of him, as for the first four, the camera lens fogged up so much that you couldn't see him at all. It took that long for the camera to equilibrate.
Ready to go!
The school has a tall concrete wall around it with a huge ugly metal gate that slides back and forth. These pictures were taken inside the wall. The kindergarten door is behind them, and that's the kindergarten playground under the sun shade.
So proud!
First day!
Walking him over to the playground. Note new monogrammed backpack!
Standing in the line for his class.
After playtime, they line up when the bell rings and head on into the school.
In he goes!! A big kindergartener! SNIFF!!
I have never in my entire life EVER seen anyone sweat as much as Mike sweat on that day. It's really hard to tell in the picture, but he was SOAKED like he had just been hit with a fire hose. It was so amazing that I had to take a picture.
At 10:45, we were back again for pickup. Here is his class coming out of the school for pickup. When your child sees you, he has to tell his teacher that he sees you and then he can run across the grass field to you. This is my favorite part about kindergarten! Everett sees me, beams, and runs full throttle into my arms, so excited.
Back home for lunch. A great first day!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Happy Houseaversary
Happy Houseaversary to us!
Ten years ago today, we closed on our house on Ashridge. Our houseaversary also happens to be our half-anniversary (of our wedding), so it's a big day for us!
Here she is, in a more-than-slightly distorted pic from Google Maps. (Must be an old picture, because that's Everett's bucket out there by the driveway. Isn't it crazy that he had only just turned three when this picture was taken?)
Hard to believe that we've had that house for ten years. We lived in it for 8 years and change, and I still get up in the middle of the night to get water, and I try to turn the faucet the way our Ashridge house faucet turns, which of course doesn't work with our faucet here. I also still flip absent light switches on the blank wall of our Saudi house where they would have been on Ashridge. Old habits die very hard. Now, we've been away from it for almost two. I wonder if it would still feel like home after all the changes we've had.
To our house and all our beloved friends in the Square - we miss you, especially today!! Wave to our house today, if you pass by! Happy houseaversary, Ashridge House!
Ten years ago today, we closed on our house on Ashridge. Our houseaversary also happens to be our half-anniversary (of our wedding), so it's a big day for us!
Hard to believe that we've had that house for ten years. We lived in it for 8 years and change, and I still get up in the middle of the night to get water, and I try to turn the faucet the way our Ashridge house faucet turns, which of course doesn't work with our faucet here. I also still flip absent light switches on the blank wall of our Saudi house where they would have been on Ashridge. Old habits die very hard. Now, we've been away from it for almost two. I wonder if it would still feel like home after all the changes we've had.
To our house and all our beloved friends in the Square - we miss you, especially today!! Wave to our house today, if you pass by! Happy houseaversary, Ashridge House!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Broken TV
We'd been home a few weeks when we went in one day to put on a show for the kids, and.....nothing. Our beautiful, humongous, flat panel TV won't turn on.
This is bad. Very, very bad. He had a bad day. What a day dad had. (Oops, sorry, I've clearly been reading too much Hop On Pop.) No, really, this is very, very bad. Because we live in Saudi Arabia. And this is a third world country. And there's literally no one here who can fix a tv. Ouch.
After extensive Googling, we figure it's probably nothing more than a popped capacitor. Which would be a very fast and inexpensive fix for someone who knew how to do it. In theory, *I* know how to do this. It's easy to hark back to my undergrad days in the bottom of Vandy's Stevenson Building for physics lab, soldering parts onto a motherboard. It's not hard. But this is not physics lab. This is our very fancy tv. Even if I had the right replacement capacitor (which I don't), I'm not sure I am brave enough to dust off my soldering skills and risk breaking the fancy tv.
We moved our bedroom TV to the living room (that's it on the lower left) so the kids could still watch their shows, but it's sad and pathetic compared to what we had before. And we can't even buy another tv because the voltages are wrong on the tvs they sell in stores here.
So there she sits. A very expensive paperweight hanging on the wall indefinitely. Hooray, Saudi Arabia.
This is bad. Very, very bad. He had a bad day. What a day dad had. (Oops, sorry, I've clearly been reading too much Hop On Pop.) No, really, this is very, very bad. Because we live in Saudi Arabia. And this is a third world country. And there's literally no one here who can fix a tv. Ouch.
After extensive Googling, we figure it's probably nothing more than a popped capacitor. Which would be a very fast and inexpensive fix for someone who knew how to do it. In theory, *I* know how to do this. It's easy to hark back to my undergrad days in the bottom of Vandy's Stevenson Building for physics lab, soldering parts onto a motherboard. It's not hard. But this is not physics lab. This is our very fancy tv. Even if I had the right replacement capacitor (which I don't), I'm not sure I am brave enough to dust off my soldering skills and risk breaking the fancy tv.
We moved our bedroom TV to the living room (that's it on the lower left) so the kids could still watch their shows, but it's sad and pathetic compared to what we had before. And we can't even buy another tv because the voltages are wrong on the tvs they sell in stores here.
So there she sits. A very expensive paperweight hanging on the wall indefinitely. Hooray, Saudi Arabia.
MSG - help!
Here's a question for all you people at home...
I was really excited when we went to the Safeway the other day because I found Campbell's soup! It's only there sometimes, and when it's there, you have to buy it - a lot of it - because you may not see it again for six months. Of course, this is not REAL Campbell's Soup; it's the Middle East version of it, probably made here or in the UAE (but I forgot to look). We find that most of our "American" products here are not really made at home. Doritos, Pepsi, and yes, even Campbell's, all have factories over here that make their products for this market. Unfortunately, they do not taste the same as the real thing because the ingredient quality controls over here are not nearly as rigorous as they are at home. So you have to be careful what you buy. The Doritos, especially, are just wrong.
Incidentally, we do get some American imported products here, but the companies know that the standards here are more lax, so they put their lowest quality foods into the products made for export. So, for example, we have "Freshly" brand spaghetti sauce, "American Garden" brand black beans, and "Goody" brand pasta in our pantry right now. These are all US brands made for export. So the food is from the US and the products are distributed from some warehouse in LA. But the products are made SOLELY for export - you'll never catch American Garden in the Taj MaTeeter - so they use the leftover tomatoes for the tomato sauce, the funniest shaped black beans, and the most broken up pasta. The food quality is just not as good, because they can get away with it.
Here's my Campbell's soup. I bought a lot. It's called hoarding. You have to learn to hoard if you live over here, because it won't be there when you go back the next time. Note the Arabic on the can.
So, folks at home, here's my question: Does your regular old can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup have **MSG** in it?? I was really surprised to see it on the ingredient list! And disappointed! I just bought way too many of these cans - and now I know they all have MSG! Great. Just great. So, is this a Middle East poor-quality-product thing, or does all Cream of Mushroom have this? I think I will feel better if you people at home are eating MSG too.
Then there's the lovely Lipton Onion Soup Mix, which I found in the Commissary recently, and also bought lots and lots of (makes good pot roast, and that's one of the 4 or 5 meals I can cook with the meat here.) SO SO excited to have it, but AGH it has the SAME PROBLEM! Does YOUR onion soup mix have MSG??
(A quick glance at Wikipedia tells me that MSG is safe to eat. Mayo Clinic says it's controversial. Any of you doctors out there got an opinion on this? I know at least two of you reading this have MDs! :) )
I was really excited when we went to the Safeway the other day because I found Campbell's soup! It's only there sometimes, and when it's there, you have to buy it - a lot of it - because you may not see it again for six months. Of course, this is not REAL Campbell's Soup; it's the Middle East version of it, probably made here or in the UAE (but I forgot to look). We find that most of our "American" products here are not really made at home. Doritos, Pepsi, and yes, even Campbell's, all have factories over here that make their products for this market. Unfortunately, they do not taste the same as the real thing because the ingredient quality controls over here are not nearly as rigorous as they are at home. So you have to be careful what you buy. The Doritos, especially, are just wrong.
Incidentally, we do get some American imported products here, but the companies know that the standards here are more lax, so they put their lowest quality foods into the products made for export. So, for example, we have "Freshly" brand spaghetti sauce, "American Garden" brand black beans, and "Goody" brand pasta in our pantry right now. These are all US brands made for export. So the food is from the US and the products are distributed from some warehouse in LA. But the products are made SOLELY for export - you'll never catch American Garden in the Taj MaTeeter - so they use the leftover tomatoes for the tomato sauce, the funniest shaped black beans, and the most broken up pasta. The food quality is just not as good, because they can get away with it.
On the back of the can, that's how you write "Campbell's" in Arabic. Remember, they read right to left.
So, folks at home, here's my question: Does your regular old can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup have **MSG** in it?? I was really surprised to see it on the ingredient list! And disappointed! I just bought way too many of these cans - and now I know they all have MSG! Great. Just great. So, is this a Middle East poor-quality-product thing, or does all Cream of Mushroom have this? I think I will feel better if you people at home are eating MSG too.
There it is - right there in the ingredients. Super. Ugh.
Then there's the lovely Lipton Onion Soup Mix, which I found in the Commissary recently, and also bought lots and lots of (makes good pot roast, and that's one of the 4 or 5 meals I can cook with the meat here.) SO SO excited to have it, but AGH it has the SAME PROBLEM! Does YOUR onion soup mix have MSG??
Somebody please please tell me this is normal for the States, too.
(A quick glance at Wikipedia tells me that MSG is safe to eat. Mayo Clinic says it's controversial. Any of you doctors out there got an opinion on this? I know at least two of you reading this have MDs! :) )
New Weekend Trips to Ras Tanura
After we got over jet lag, we spent a lot of weekend afternoons in Ras Tanura. They changed the weekend days while we were on repat, so where the weekend was Thursday and Friday before, now it is on Friday and Saturday. ARGH! Now I am never going to figure it out!! I spent 18 months trying to learn those dang days of the week, only to have it wrecked once I was finally coming around. So now Sunday is Monday, Monday is Tuesday, Tuesday is Wednesday, etc., etc. It's actually much harder than before because it's closer to the normal way. And to top it off, Friday is still the holy day, so it's like having Sunday before Saturday. But now we share Saturday with all you people at home, which is nice.
Also on the upside, now Mike is just as confused as I always was! Ha HA! Welcome to my world, honey. Of course, when we first arrived, he just slipped back into his old familiar days of the week, where Saturday was Monday and Wednesday night was Friday night. But now - no more! He's complained about how confusing it is and how he has to actually think about what day it is. Revenge is mine!
Because we were both so messed up about days of the week, we gave up calling the days their names altogether. It started out as me saying things like "today is Sunday which is really Monday" but Mike thought I meant that it was Monday which was really Sunday, and we'd both look at each other and go "HUH?" The solution was that we now call them Workday 1, Workday 2, Workday 3, etc., and Weekend 1 and Weekend 2. That works much better, and it even works in conversations with other people because it is so apparent what we mean.
So, as I was saying, after we got over jet lag, we spent a lot of Weekend 1 afternoons in Ras Tanura. It is just so beautiful there. The entire atmosphere is different - the air is humid and salty, the wind blows in off the ocean, it's more lush and has more grass, and that white sand and clear blue water are Caribbean-esque. It always makes me feel better about being here to be on the beach in RT.
Also on the upside, now Mike is just as confused as I always was! Ha HA! Welcome to my world, honey. Of course, when we first arrived, he just slipped back into his old familiar days of the week, where Saturday was Monday and Wednesday night was Friday night. But now - no more! He's complained about how confusing it is and how he has to actually think about what day it is. Revenge is mine!
Because we were both so messed up about days of the week, we gave up calling the days their names altogether. It started out as me saying things like "today is Sunday which is really Monday" but Mike thought I meant that it was Monday which was really Sunday, and we'd both look at each other and go "HUH?" The solution was that we now call them Workday 1, Workday 2, Workday 3, etc., and Weekend 1 and Weekend 2. That works much better, and it even works in conversations with other people because it is so apparent what we mean.
So, as I was saying, after we got over jet lag, we spent a lot of Weekend 1 afternoons in Ras Tanura. It is just so beautiful there. The entire atmosphere is different - the air is humid and salty, the wind blows in off the ocean, it's more lush and has more grass, and that white sand and clear blue water are Caribbean-esque. It always makes me feel better about being here to be on the beach in RT.
Everett loves to look for shells and cuttle fish bones on the beach.
There's no hesitation on her part - she just charges out onto the beach.
We leave after afternoon naps and get there about 4:00-ish (the drive is 45 minutes). We spend the late afternoon on the beach, at the splash pad or at the pool, or just playing on the playground by the beach.
Look at all those curls in the late afternoon sun. (Thank you, LHS, for the fabulous Lilly outfit! It is one of my very favorites!)
I just love this picture. Toes in the water.
After playtime, we head to the Golf Course or the Hobby Farm for dinner, and then sometimes back to the pool locker rooms for showers and jammies, and then drive on back to Dhahran for bedtime. It works well. We love RT.
Back In Arabia
In mid-August, we headed back to the Sandbox, all five together. Catherine is still really little, but I am always amazed at how much she remembers our house. When she was nine months old and we came back from Christmas vacation, she kicked and wriggled in happiness when she realized that, after that horrible, grueling, 24 hour trip, she was back in her house.
And it's a good reminder that this is, in fact, her home. She was born here, and this is where she lives. America is just a place for vacation for her. (Wow, that's scary to me.) (But not to Mike. Because that's how he was as a kid, too.)
Incidentally, Lawrence feels the same way about Saudi Arabia. He often asks to go back to "my home in Saudi Arabia" when we are in the States.
So anyway, here are a few shots of a happy baby girl, back in her home and in her own high chair. Sweet Girl!
And it's a good reminder that this is, in fact, her home. She was born here, and this is where she lives. America is just a place for vacation for her. (Wow, that's scary to me.) (But not to Mike. Because that's how he was as a kid, too.)
Incidentally, Lawrence feels the same way about Saudi Arabia. He often asks to go back to "my home in Saudi Arabia" when we are in the States.
So anyway, here are a few shots of a happy baby girl, back in her home and in her own high chair. Sweet Girl!
Getting so big! Look at that big girl hair. Wow.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Summer Repat
A mere two days after Everett's birthday, the kids and I left for summer repat. Thank goodness we had Grandma with us!! Catherine did not have her own seat. We would not have made it without her.
Then we went to the big Country Club carnival for the fourth of July. It rained!! BOO!! So they had it inside the tennis bubble. It was hot and loud, but SO fun.
They had barbeque and corn on the cob and watermelon and baked beans and hot dogs and brownies and cookies and ice cream!
And after a little basketball, and bounce house,
Then we went to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga for a day.
These were stingrays. Then we saw the penguins.
This crab aquarium had a center cylinder you could walk into.
After a month without him, Mike finally arrived in mid-July after a nasty trip. His flight into Knoxville was flat-out cancelled, which is not what you want to hear after you've been flying for 24 hours. It wasn't cancelled until the last minute, which meant that the kids and Gramama and Grapapa and I had already arrived at the Knoxville airport, complete with signs that Everett had made saying "Welcome Home Daddy," before we realized that he would not actually be arriving. He finagled a late flight to Chattanooga instead, and I drove down to pick him up. We finally got back to B House at 1 am that night. But hey, he made it.
And the next morning, we woke up and he drove us all to Michigan. I do not know how he does that.
In Michigan, we belatedly celebrated our 9th anniversary. Mostly because there are no good restaurants in Khobar.
Hiding and playing in the corn behind the trucking company.
Back home in B House, Daddy went crazy with bows after bath one night. She just kept pointing to the bows and saying "bow" so he kept putting them in. Bow girl!
All five of us! I have a series of these pictures starting when I was pregnant with Everett. And look at us now!
Right after this, we had to get on that plane and head back to Arabia. Repat always goes so fast.
The boys did great! They did the best they have ever done. They slept, and watched the TV, and played with their Leap Pads (new presents for the trip!), and they even ate the adult airplane food. Seasoned travelers.
We did a lot on repat, but here is a sampling of our stateside adventures.
Gramama threw Everett a family birthday party since she had missed the big one in Arabia.
Staying on the correct side of the line! Grandpapa, you stay on that other side.
We did a lot on repat, but here is a sampling of our stateside adventures.
Gramama threw Everett a family birthday party since she had missed the big one in Arabia.
The kids watched our teeny weeny TV in B House, our house in Knoxville. Catherine liked Spot. She is pointing to Spot on the TV. She still won't sit to watch TV for more than a few minutes, but this held her interest for maybe 5 minutes? (That's doing pretty well.)
We took a day to picnic and hike in the Smokies.
Staying on the correct side of the line! Grandpapa, you stay on that other side.
Lawrence REFUSED to look at the camera! But he does love those light-up dinosaur shoes.
Then we went to the big Country Club carnival for the fourth of July. It rained!! BOO!! So they had it inside the tennis bubble. It was hot and loud, but SO fun.
They had barbeque and corn on the cob and watermelon and baked beans and hot dogs and brownies and cookies and ice cream!
And after a little basketball, and bounce house,
and ring toss, they had two snow cones, two cotton candies, and two bags of popcorn, EACH. Well, not the baby. Just the boys. But WOW.
In mid-July, Grandpapa got a rain barrel in the mail. It came in a HUGE box. Which became a playhouse for about two weeks!
Then we went to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga for a day.
These were stingrays. Then we saw the penguins.
After a month without him, Mike finally arrived in mid-July after a nasty trip. His flight into Knoxville was flat-out cancelled, which is not what you want to hear after you've been flying for 24 hours. It wasn't cancelled until the last minute, which meant that the kids and Gramama and Grapapa and I had already arrived at the Knoxville airport, complete with signs that Everett had made saying "Welcome Home Daddy," before we realized that he would not actually be arriving. He finagled a late flight to Chattanooga instead, and I drove down to pick him up. We finally got back to B House at 1 am that night. But hey, he made it.
And the next morning, we woke up and he drove us all to Michigan. I do not know how he does that.
In Michigan, we belatedly celebrated our 9th anniversary. Mostly because there are no good restaurants in Khobar.
And we visited Mike's grandfather's (now his Uncles') trucking company. What great fun!
Hiding and playing in the corn behind the trucking company.
Back home in B House, Daddy went crazy with bows after bath one night. She just kept pointing to the bows and saying "bow" so he kept putting them in. Bow girl!
Then we went to Kiawah for a week with Gramama, Grapapa, Uncle, Aunt, and baby Cousin. That was really fun, too!
Chilling out after a hard day's play.
All five of us! I have a series of these pictures starting when I was pregnant with Everett. And look at us now!
Right after this, we had to get on that plane and head back to Arabia. Repat always goes so fast.
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