Hunting for eggs.

Yes Nancy*, we already had Easter- you're so funny.  

We're 10 hours ahead- not 10 days behind silly! 

*(addressing comment she made in the previous post).

Although, we didn't go to church on Easter Sunday.

We went to church on Good Friday, Ivy's birthday was Saturday (we spent the day cliff jumping and swimming in a wadi out in the desert), and Sunday was Easter (and John was back to work). Asher had Spring break for 2 weeks (before and after Easter- we had a lot of fun!!)

The good:  Separating and celebrating the commercial holiday of Easter (bunnies, egg hunts, parties) from the Spiritual holiday of Easter.

Example: 4 egg hunts 4 different days (before, after and on Easter)- none on the same day as we went to church

The not as good:  It was easy to forget that Good Friday was our substitute for Easter Sunday (over here) and therefor not recognize the Easter holiday on the Sabbath because the commercial holiday was still 2 days away (does that make sense?  it does to me, but it's late)

and the really really good:  Cadbury mini eggs!!! (cost too much, but oh so yummy).  I was pleasantly surprised to find a good little variety of Easter candy and decorating stuff in some of the more Western grocery stores here.

the pictures:

pictures of the kids hunting for eggs at a pool party with friends (above) and at home on Sunday morning after the Easter bunny came in the night (below).

not pictured:  Canyon!!!! (sorry little man, that's what happens when you're sleeping)

the Church/ Primary egg hunt where they hid the chocolate foil eggs (in this weather!?!- chocolate was everywhere!  Good thing that was a swim party too)

Ivy's birthday party egg hunt (also a swim party- not sure what pictures I have.  They may be coming soon).

obligatory pre-church photos in their "Sunday best" (Never happened, but I haven't given up. I've got some good tips to go on now- thanks everyone)

30 something....

parallel lives

30 years

30 days

and about 

30 hours apart.

d.o.b.: 11 march 1977

d.o.b.: 11 april 2007

There are times when I see how similar we are, and I smile or laugh in understanding and connecting with my kindred spirit. 

Other times I see the similarities to her father or other family members, and I smile and laugh at those times too.

but sometimes I approach friends and family questioning: "was/is your daughter ever like this?" because I need answers.

I really do love all those times.

Because Ivy makes me smile, and laugh and shows me just how much she's a one-of-a-kind little girl.

She's Ivy.

and she's enjoying a wonderful birthweek as the celebrations continue, so am I.

Happy Easter too!

My birthday.

I couldn't let my birthday pass without a little documentation.

This year John and the kids cooked dinner and made me a brownie cupcakes for dessert (made in the mini cupcake pan makes them perfect for a girl like me who loves the edges and corners for brownies -the best part!!).  John also took me to Cirque du Soleil, it was fantastic!

Because I enjoy reading everyones blog and think the tag thing on blogs and facebook is fun and interesting, 

because I am a slacker and have never responded to a tag, 

because I just got tagged again on facebook with the twist that you have your kids answer the questions

AND 

because it's my birthday (and my brother answered a tag about his wife on her birthday last week and I thought it was fun).

HERE are two tags all about ME (from two boys who adore ME)!  

here goes John:

1. She's sitting in front of the TV, what is she watching? American Idol, Lost, Amazing Race.
   
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does she get on her salad? Vinagrette, on the side
   
3. What is one food she doesn't like? BEANS!!!!!!! It's all about the texture, baby.
   
4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does she order? Ice water or here in Dubai she brings her own.
5. Where did she go to high school?  Thunderbird H.S. Phx, AZ
6. Shoe size? 7?
7. Favorite type of sandwich?  she'd go for a quesadilla instead
8. What would she eat every day if she could? chocolate
9. Favorite cereal? Cocoa krispies
10. One of her favorite movies?  High school musical 1-3
11. What would she never wear? a tube top
12. Favorite sports team? BYU football and basketball
13. Who did she vote for?  Not Obama
14. Who is her best friend? Me, except when I leave dirty dishes in the sink, don't take out the trash, snore, or slack off when it comes to planning.
15. What is something you do that she wishes you wouldn't do? see #14 above
16. What is her heritage?  German Scottish with very interesting family dynamics
17. You bake her a cake for her birthday; what kind of cake? No cake, brownies with candles.
18. Did she play sports in high school? track, cheerleading
19. What could she spend hours doing? Talking, reading, talking, sewing, talking
20. What is one unique talent she has?   

Asher's questions and answers. (I asked him 2 different days to see if his answers had anything to do with the dinner and a family home evening lesson about the 10 lepers.  Hence the a.) and b.) answers)

1. What is something your mom always says to you? a.)thank you and your welcome b.) please get off the counter
2. What makes mom happy? a.) saying thank you and loving each other and kissing b.) doing the right thing and listening
3. What makes mom sad? a.)hitting and pushing b.) when she gets a ticket and goes the wrong way and gets lost
4. How does your mom make you laugh? a.) tells me jokes and dances funny b.) IDK
5. What was your mom like as a child? IDK (I don't know, both times)
6. How old is your mom? a.)"umm, tell me. -pause- Sixteen three?" b.) ummm were you sixty three?
7. How tall is your mom? a.) umm, like 20 meters up b.)umm ---runs away grabs his little stool, returns, stands on the stool and says: "this tall".
8. What is her favorite thing to do? a.) bake and make stuff for us b.) playing with me
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? a.) make dinner and clean up the house b.) take a rest
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? IDK
11. What is your mom really good at? a.) cooking b.) cooking
12. What is your mom not very good at? a.) calming down 3 children.  like when one is crying, one is hitting and one is pushing  b.) calming down 5 children??? 
13. What does your mom do for her job? a.)cook and stay home  b.) IDK
14. What is your mom's favorite food? a.) lasagna don't get any onya  b.) dessert
15. If your mom were a cartoon character what would she be? a shark
16. What do you and your mom like do together? build tracks
17. How are you and your mom alike? We're both nice, but I don't cook. I like to build because I'm a builder.
18. How are you and your mom different?  I'm a boy and she's a girl--pause-- and girls aren't boys--pause-- and boys aren't girls
19. How do you know your mom loves you?  She cooks stuff for me and bees nice to me
20. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? umm IKEA and home, ya home is your favorite.

so those are their answers.  I won't dispute them or change them but I will say, they aren't 100% accurate, but they are fun to read and have recorded.  Maybe there will be more tags in the year to come.  Happy birthday to me!  

Our Suess-y evening

My mom left last night we were feeling quite sad,

but I thought to myself, "there is fun to be had"

By myself, as a mom, with 3 kids, not just two.

I fed them and dressed them, then what did I do?

turn on the computer of of course, isn't that what you do?

Google artists filled my mind with delight

there was fish and a grinch and a cat on their site

Because today marks the birth of an author named Suess

we planned a little party with a perfect excuse.

For dinner we did not eat green eggs and ham

but we stuck to the theme- that's the kind of girl that I am.

One fish, two fish- we ate FISH, that's right!

only our fish was not red, nor was it blue, it was white.

when pop arrived home, on pop the kids hopped

we read stories, and wrestled and no one was dropped!

what else did we do? what else did we make?

we colored Dr. Seuss pictures and ate frosting with CAKE!!!

-----ok, enough rhyming for one evening, I'll leave that to the professionals.----

We're off to a pretty good start with our new little family.

We miss Grandma and wish that more friends and family could come stay with us, hang out with us, and take care of us.

Funny that my mom brought the cute little Dr. Suess onsies with her to give to the kids (that's what Ivy is wearing.  Cindy Lou Who in pink and Horton on the green one).  I think the onsies are cute, but not by themselves without pants on a toddler.  I didn't think I would get much use out of Ivy's for that reason, because once you put pants or skirt on, half of the image is covered up!  (Who designed these shirts anyway?) My mom quickly solved that problem and added a little skirt to the two onsies that she brought for Ivy.  Canyon's remained skirt-less, but I think he's little enough (and it will soon be hot enough) that a onesie and nothing else is ok for the little guy.

question:  how do you spell onesie because clearly the way I'm spelling it is incorrect.  I have lots of red underlining going on.  Maybe it's not a word. How fitting, to use a word like onesie, that may or may not be a real word on Dr. Suess's birthday- he's got to be the king on non-word, words, and non-thing, things. Right?

Pre- Christmas family time

We're a desert family now, so we do desert things.

Instead of the sledding and snow angels, sleigh rides, visits to Santa and sitting on his lap, and dressing up in Christmas best.

We got sand sliding and sand angels!

Dune bashing!

sorry, no photos really, I was holding on to tight.

Visiting a camel, and sitting on his hump!  

For some reason he didn't ask what we wanted for Christmas, but he did give us a little ride!

and dressing up like the locals.

Soon after enjoying our desert festivities here in Dubai, we boarded our planes for the U.S. and enjoyed some more traditional Christmas activities in Arizona (a different kind of desert).

the past two weeks

The past two weeks we've been in and out of the sick house around here which also meant loads and loads of laundry.  

It started with Ivy being throw up/ nasty diaper sick on Halloween.  Since she was a little under the weather and needed to stay in, I thought it was a good time to get our laundry piles that were out of control, under control.  Just as I proudly finished all the "normal" laundry, I got sick!

Sicker than I've been in a long, long time- maybe ever.  It wasn't fun. 

When I got feeling better (1 week ago) I had all the "normal' laundry to catch up on again plus I decided all the bedding and throw blankets, throw pillows,  pretty much everything else, needed to be washed because the house needed some all around freshening up.  With Asher at preschool for the morning, I tackled my responsibilities and was actually kind of excited about it.  Not an hour later, I got a call from the school to come get Asher as he was really sick, and got sick in the classroom.

messy sick

but not vomit messy- the other kind of messy.

disgusting 

and

embarrassing

I was there in minutes worried about Asher's health, but even more worried about his emotional state- I was imagining the worst!  Thankfully he has WONDERFUL teachers who handled the situation, diverted the attention, cleaned him up and Asher left school proudly waving to all his friends (wearing his swimsuit, because they have swimming once a week at preschool, and a cap sleeve t-shirt borrowed from the nurses office).

Ivy began vomitting again that same day

TWICE in her crib that day, and over the course of the week, about half a dozen more times in her crib.  (not to mention she experienced similar bowel problems and we had a few leaky diapers as well)

AND

Asher who has only wet the bed maybe 3 times since he was potty trained a year ago, wet the bed.

TWICE

in the SAME night!

AND, thinking that Ivy was feeling better we all headed to some church meetings in Abu Dhabi on Friday.  About 20 minutes into the hour and a half drive, Ivy was starting to doze off to sleep when she vomitted ALL over herself, her car seat and the only clothes we had for her.  It wasn't pretty either.  We pulled off on the side of the road, in the middle of the desert and let in about a dozen hungry flies while we sadly attempted to clean up our sick little girl with wet wipes. We took her to the meeting in a diaper (looking like total WT parents), thankfully one of my friends brought her a size 4T t-shirt to wear (still looked like WT parents, but at least she was somewhat clothed) when I called and told her our situation.*

Yep, I've been doing WAY TOO MUCH laundry!

but, I'm caught up, we're all feeling better, and we're headed to the States for Christmas in just 3 short weeks!!!!  Time flies when you're having fun (and when you're sick, or when you're just struggling to keep your house from falling apart)

Oh and I hired my neighbors maid to come over and clean for a couple hours this morning.

Things are looking MUCH better around here. Thank you very much.

*We didn't turn around and head home because a) we're just good like that when it comes to church stuff, and b) we would have driven another 30 minutes before there was a place to turn around, so we were closer to Abu Dhabi than home.

 

Cheetah and Cowgirl- story behind the costumes

We had fun dressing up for Halloween.  Both kids loved their costumes which made me happy and proud.

Asher was a cheetah- he's been learning all about animals at school so he was especially excited because Cheetah's are FAST!  This costume was actually my brother Quinn's that my mom made for him for Halloween 20+ years ago (I grabbed it when I was home a couple months ago).   The best part of the costume is the matching cheetah print velcro shoes (that make you run like a cheetah).  I'm guessing my mom found the shoes and then decided to make the costume.  I laughed when I was helping Asher put on the shoes and realized that they are NIKE's.  Part of an 80's shoe line called "NIKE ZOO".  

Ivy was a cowgirl.  I was a little worried thinking about a costume for Ivy.  At first I spent way too much time trying to think of something that might coordinate with a cheetah (I'm weird like that) but I refused to make her into an elephant.  I also began to realize that without a JoAnn fabric, Wal-Mart, or goodwill around, I was going to have to get resourceful and use things around the house and fabric I already had.  Since I just finished watching this season's project Runway, I was ready to "make it work".  

• skirt: part of a sheer panel IKEA curtain hanging in the kids room.  I had to cut off about 2 feet when I hemmed it, and that turned out to be the perfect amount for making the skirt.  Turning it pink was the easy part seeing as how there are plenty of things in the kitchen that stain things pink.  I made it intending for her to be a flower, but I couldn't figure out a way to make Ivy look like a flower and I wasn't sold on making wings for her to be a fairy or something. So when I saw the boots- I decided she was going to be a cowgirl- a truly American costume!
• vest: part of the leg of John's old jeans.  
• cow print belt and fringe: left over from my Jessie (Toy Story) costume 2 years ago- still in my box of sewing supplies.
• badge and belt buckle: need I explain?
• hat: gift from my mom last Christmas- Ivy often wears it around the house anyway, so I knew I wouldn't have any trouble having her keep it on for Halloween.
• boots: Ivy has 2 other pairs, both are a little small and tight (she's got stocky little legs ok?), but I saw those at the grocery store the night before Halloween and they were cheap and probably a couple sizes too big in the foot (not the leg), but with socks on, she didn't complain.
• I had every intention on making her a gun holster- but ran out of time.

perfect costume for an accessory girl like Ivy- without the accessories, it's just a pink skirt that doesn't look like a flower. 

AND once again, my mom in me is coming out- our costume choices were all about the shoes!!! (correct me if I'm wrong mom)

(note to self: take photo of the shoes and upload it here) 

Halloween in Dubai?

Yes, even in Dubai we got to celebrate one of my favorite holidays.  It's a fairly new holiday over here and kind of a difficult one to explain to people who have never heard of it or celebrated it.  It's mostly the ex-pats who celebrate because we're here trying to make it like home.  

Few decorations, a small assortment of costumes (you know, the ones in the plastic bag), and absolutely no "halloween candy" in the stores. The usual candy, of course, but not the snack size or fun sizes packaged in orange and black.  I was missing it, but I think my body is better off and the kids don't know any different. In fact, took a tiny Spiderman treat bag he got from a birthday party last week instead of a bigger Halloween bag I gave him.  Once his tiny bag was close to full, he said "I think I have enough, let's go home"  What the?  Is he really my son?

We kicked off the celebrations with a costume day at the preschool.  I wasn't sure how many kids would actually dress up and I was worried that Asher would be a little overdressed and want to take his costume off after an hour or so (especially since I didn't take a change of clothes AND he only had underwear on underneath), but he wore it proudly the entire day.  As soon as preschool was out we went home for a couple hours and then off to Halloween/ birthday party for one of Asher's buddies from church.  

Friday (the next day) was Halloween, but also the sabbath day for us.  

Asher asked if he could wear his costume to church, I said no.  

He then asked if he could at least wear his costume shoes, I again said no.  

He didn't put up a fight, I just thought it was funny that he was so in love with his costume. 

Fortunately for him, I noticed (in the car on the way to church) that he still had his whiskers painted on his face that wasn't washer very well the night before.  He was happy about that and I just let it go. 

We enjoyed Stake conference at the Marriott hotel downtown, followed by naps for the kids while John and I prepared a delicious "Sunday" dinner- crock pot shredded pork (a delicacy for non-muslims living in an Islamic country).

We had a few neighbors join us for dinner trick or treating.

Great weather, great food, great company.  

I did miss the U.S. though and hope to have many more Halloweens there after a few years.  

notable differences:

• while we call it "candy" or "treats" our Australian friends call it  "lollies" and our neighbors (Lebanese, but I think they get it from the British influence) call them "sweeties".  
• One house gave out baggies with homemade popcorn balls, another gave them a bag of chips and another had a bowl of unwrapped gummy candy for the kids to reach in and grab what they wanted--ewe! (maybe like Halloween was in the States 30 years ago?) 
• There were LOTS of teenagers our trick-or-treating and apparently taking handfuls of candy from shy unsuspecting neighbors who are new at this trick-or-treating thing and don't no how to say no or give the teenagers the "aren't you a little old for this?" look.
  
• costumes were simple, cheap and definitely not homemade- more traditional halloween things- witches, ghosts, skeletons or superheros and princesses. 

Someone else was taking the majority of the trick or treating pics.  I only had a couple from the end of the night for the little ones.  Notice the chocolate all over Ivy's face along with her glazed over eyes.  She was tired.

 

the writing on the walls

A couple weeks ago we got a big shipment of our stuff from the U.S.  In it I asked my mom to get some "essentials" that I couldn't find in stores over here.  Boy did she pull through! What did I ask for?  What did she include, well, item amongst the goodies was a box of magic eraser sponges (yes, cleaning supplies- and I was excited).  Finally I was able to clean the walls (we had dry erase marker that wouldn't erase, pink highlighter, and a host of other artistic smudges). 

I love the magic erasers (and I love some of the other goodies from our package a lot more, but will mention them in due time.)

AND,

since my kids are fond of artwork, and I am fond of letting them explore their artistic talents, I decided to dedicate a wall specifically for drawing on.  

I found some chalkboard paint and last week I painted one of the playroom walls with it, then I bought a big box of chalk at IKEA. 

So far so good- the kids love it and if in the future they get chalk elsewhere, I can get it clean with or without my magic erasers.  I have also kept a closer eye on our markers and usually just keep them out of Ivy's hands, even if they are washable. 

I think I have my mom to thank for this idea too- when I was little she painted the back of our bedroom door with chalkboard paint and I remember it fondly. 

thanks mom!

all girl

About a week before Ivy was born one of my very thoughtful. very stylish, very fun friends, sent me a little package.  It contained a tiny, oh so cute, handmade beaded bracelet and teeny tiny white satin shoes.  The note attached said something like: 

"...baby girl Clason needs to know that unlike her brother, she must be accessorized"

Anyone who met Ivy in those early months knows that I often entertained myself by doing just that- playing dress up with my little girl.  

However, she got mobile, I got lazy, and the bows and shoes were really only musts for church (and other outings)- until lately, now she's reminding me, even if it is, just to play in the playroom, welcome home dad or pick up her brother from school.

Ivy is discovering her own style and way of dressing up and accessorizing (as I alluded to in the previous post). 

So without further ado (sorry it's taken me two weeks to update my blog), here's some photos of her caught in the moment.

THE SHOES-

 her brother's stay on much better than mom and dad's (although she has tried)

she often walks around for hours in one shoe (not her own)

and one of her first words was "shoe"

 

SUNGLASSES- 

these were at my latest Dr. appt. while waiting for the Doc to come check on us

HATS-

also one of her first words- she often wears her helmet for a good amount of time indoors.  purely an accessory because her bike is outside.

BAGS and PURSES-

I only have this one shot of her with her backpack that I had to purchase because

a) I thought it was so CUTE and 

b) her insistence on carrying Asher's whenever we picked him up or dropped him off at school.

she is also seen sporting a ladybug backpack, a purse she took from my sister,  

and Asher's lunchbox.

ARMBANDS-

she learned to wear them in the pool, but she often pulls them out of the swim bag and wears them deflated around the house.

No photos of her in jewelry, shirts for necklaces (she's cool like that) or helping with laundry by putting her dad's socks on (legs and arms).