Chuh-bahmas

Here are just some random tidbits from life these days:
Layla had a sleepover today with her dearest friend Retha. She took a nap before she went and woke up desperate to talk to me about everything she had to pack for her sleepover. However, both my kids wake up super slow and her brain was not actually functiong yet. It was hysterical to watch her repeat the word Chuh-bahmas over and over trying to sort out what was wrong. I finally said "pajamas?" and hit the nail on the head.  That dear girl dug around for a big bag, filled it up with all sorts of nonsense (sorry Retha's mom!) and dragged it out the front door. So cute.

We went rug shopping tonight. We had 20 mins and bought two rugs (= I love knowing how to shop, how to bargain and how much to pay. It was SO EASY compared to our first time around. Granted we could have gotten them cheaper if we took more time, but we just had to move on. I'll show you pictures. This new house we are in has three more rooms than our previous house (office for Tom, office/second guest room and a large guest room.) Thankfully we did not have to buy more air conditioners....and there was furniture left here to fill two of the extra rooms, but we needed some rugs and it was about time to just go and buy them. The one for our TV room I want to wait on because I have a specific rug I am looking for . That is the worst way to shop here, but I have faith that they still have one somewhere in town (=

Layla is back in the swing of school. She had a bit of preschool paparazzi to deal with after being gone for three months, but I had prepped her teacher ahead of time and managed to squeeze her into the teacher's lounge and keep out the other kids (=

Ryan is talking up a storm and just being generally hysterical. He is now directing play time with us which is so fun. He wants to be a baby animal of some variety and wants one of us adults to be the mommy or daddy  version. It is all very prescribed in his head which is quite fun.

We had a time out in a park with my group of local friends. They were SUPER organized and very UN arab in their process (other than arriving an hour after their scheduled time). They had three or four plastic totes full of all the stuff for the fire and had fish to grill, shrimp, salad, and a pasta dish with broccolli (totally out of the box for them!) Coffee, tea, water and soap to wash up with, potato chips and a variety of drinks.It was a fun and freezing time. My kids actually wore their winter coats! It was really windy. So glad I grabbed them at the last minute!

Here is how it went down: "oh stephanie!!! where have you been? we haven't seen you? How was america? your family your trip? Ooo! you are a little bit fat!! (= yes, it is true, and they think it is a good thing after a trip to be a little bit fat (= awesome, no? That was all said in arabic, by the way (=

There is one girl in the group who is a sister and who lives in a different town. She desperately wanted to ask me if life in America was like it is on the TV shows. Dear girl actually said "but the men, they don't love a girl and lead her on and then leave her, do they?? Really!!?? I can't believe it!" Man, if she could see the stream of broken hearts from both genders...... Stuff like this is so sweet but so hard to actually correct. Her frame of reference is so so different.

anyway. I am getting super tired. Ryan had trouble sleeping tonight so I stayed with him until he fell asleep. It was hard for him to not have layla in the room.

Celebrating 10 years at Las Vegas

Before Ryan was born, Tom had and elaborate plan to surprise me with a cruise. This all fell apart when the doctor said I was not able to leave town, let alone get on a plane. It was such a sad thing (-:  This year he wanted to redeem plan but I was feeling too tired of traveling to add another trip to our time in the US. Instead, we settled on going to Las Vegas which is just an hour and 45 mins and we were able to stay for FREE at the Bellagio which is just so beautiful. Neither of us had been to Vegas and getting free plane tickets and hotel was just too good to pass up. It was a lovely time. I'm not sure we ever need to go back, but I'm glad we went once!

This was our newly remodeled room (= very modern. The mini bar was incredibly expensive and if you picked up ANY thing it was automatically charged to your room!

The lights at night were pretty fun to see. Our room had a good view.

 

 

The Bellagio had a lovely walkway through to the next casino hotel.

Our one and only attempt at the slots. We didn't understand how it worked so our one dollar was only good for one pull. Oh well (=

The food was incredible. We found an amazing deal to sample all sorts of buffets during our time there. You know you are getting authentic food when the instructions to the kitchen staff aren't even in English!

The Bellagio fountains are amazing. Truly beautiful.

This is a very large and complicated chocolate fountain! It started out in the ceiling of the walkway.

 

 

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We spent one of our four days driving out to the Hoover Dam and the National Park that was nearby. It was a nice break from the crazy/wierdness of Vegas (= So beautiful.

Windows 8

We got a new laptop for me while in the US and it has windows 8. I've been limping along trying to figure it out without taking the time to actually watch a tutorial on it (= I quite like some of the things. There is a fun photo editing thing that produced this.....we'll see how it turns out here.

Jet lag is getting better for sure. The kids have been getting up about 530am and dear Ryan is walking off to bed and falling asleep whenever he wants. He just lays down and then we turn around and realize he is fast a asleep! Keeps us on our toes as I don't want him to nap too long or it spoils bedtime.

Layla is definitely still adjusting. Her personality is pretty amped up still and I am SO looking forward to school for her next Saturday. It will help her focus and drain some of her energy (= Feels like we are barely entering normal life here still, but next week will be a bit easier.

Getting settled

Leaving for three months is long enough that it takes about 2 -3 weeks on the front end to prepare and 2-3 weeks on the back end to get back into the swing of life. Jet lag is pretty bad with toddlers as it is impossible to just get them to lie in bed until they go back to sleep (= It is 4am and I am actually the only one awake! I've tried to arrange playdates at key times when they would be falling asleep and then just forewarn whomever it is that we will all be groggy and probably grumpy.

After the last three nights of awful sleep, I was determined to keep the kids awake yesterday evening (while I took a nap, no less!!) and forced them to play and watch TV with our wonderful nanny/house helper. As soon as I popped my head round the corner (after sleeping for two glorious hours) and turned the TV off, Layla was sobbing to just lay down and go to bed. I forced baths and a few bites of food and she sobbed the whole time. At one point she just escaped me and climbed into bed. Now that is what I'm talking about.

Ryan - true to his nature is happy regardless of how exhausted he is (= He is just sweet and fun and bouncy and fell into bed as well. I am thrilled to have gotten more sleep tonight than in the previous three nights combined even though I am still up at 4am.

Because we moved to a new home 6 weeks before visiting the US it sort of didn't feel like we were actually coming home. There are no memories here and I haven't quite emotionally bonded with the house. I'm still comparing it to my old one and longing for our yard though we are thrilled with the space for kids to run around inside and for space for hosting. We could actually host one dad and three kids, two unrelated single folks, one couple and a new family..... this weekend! Won't do all that though honestly we could almost stash everyone in a separate place if they didn't mind being in a crazy house (= I'm low key enough and with a wonderful house-helper I don't mind hosting a bunch of folks. Especially since it is SO helpful for new people in the country to talk to other folks as they compare career options or schools for kids etc etc.

Part of "planting" back in  our home here is to drive slowly around and look at what has changed. Not much has though some key things have happend....the huge, lovely playground and park area that popped up so enticingly then sat dormant and half-finished looks like it will be done this year! We are THRILLED. Our town is small enough that the only decent play area is the one at Layla's school. There is another park in town but is half-finished and about on par with an inner-city US playground (=

There is a small intersection that FINALLY has signage so you know who is (technically) supposed to go. I had been resorting to the biggest car gets their way for the last year. I drive a big car so there you go! One of  our favorite restaurants is rumored to be having a major bling overhaul. There are now pillars covered in disco-ball tiles in the eating area. wierd.

We we'll see how long it takes but I'm only okay seeing people I can be around when totally groggy and  and when the kids are wildly unpredictable (= That is a small crowd at the moment. Really I should be off to bed but I"m so happy the kids are sleeping and so happy for some peace and quiet. I'm just going to stay up a bit longer (=

Some photos of our last month

We had quite a few small snowfalls much to the delight of the kids. Jen and Mike had purchased GREAT clothes for them (=

 

They really enjoyed the trees to climb and deer who calmly laid right in our yard!

My cousin's wife had a baby just a couple of weeks before Jen! Little David and Lilyanna in their first picture here (=

Lilyanna finally was able to get off the oxygen tube and it was MUCH easier to carry her around! 

This, ladies and gentlemen, was MY OLD SCHOOL UNIFORM! Jen and I wore these in Hong Kong at Boundry Junior School. Can't believe Layla fits into it!

And this was my bunny ballet costume (= 

And this shirt was my P.E. shirt from the same elementary school. Such a kick to see Layla in it! The pink cowboys boots were definitely not part of the uniform!

 

Another dress of mine growing up - mom stashed these things away! Layla was quite excited to wear this on the plane.

Need.To.Keep.The.Kids.Happy! I was not thrilled about her flashing the pilot and groundcrew, but hey, the girl was about to be strapped down for 16 hours!

My mom with Paul, little David's older brother (=

Mom found a place for them to ride a horse for about 15 minutes. It was perfect (= Ryan did so well!

 

We saw so many friends in Colorado Springs. Here Ryan was being a kitty cat (= They had SO MUCH fun with these two sisters!

Mike-Mike! He usually joined us for breakfast - the only other member of the household to be awake (=

Christmas dress-up outfits!

Opening Christmas presents

Making Tom's/Tina's egg nog. An entrenched family tradition (=

The progeny of four cousins on the Lawson side. Layla is holding the bear to symbolize Lilyanna who couldn't be in the picture.

We've arrived!

I am finally sitting in our kids' bedroom while they settle down to sleep. It has been a LONG 25 hours but we are grateful that we all arrived in one piece with all our luggage!

I have to say that this was one of the more unpleasant travel days in recent memory.....mostly because of kids and keep track of stuff and trying to get them to stand in the right place at the right time or what not. Sleep was not an issue - they both slept tons - but nevertheless, I am more wiped out than I feel like I should be!

I have to say that I soon as we got in the Houston international terminal with all those Indian and Arab families I started to relax more. They are just such community people and they all travel with the whole family and there is just sort of an expectation that you connect with other moms. So relaxing to be around that. It isn't that american moms/families aren't welcoming, but there is most certainly a distance between you and the next stranger that isn't bridged easily even if you both have kids.

So there was lots of TV and movie watching (thank you technology!!) which made everyone mellow and happy on the long flight. The shorter flight wanted to charge $5.99 for the TV service. Really??

One of my first thoughts of being home was how high our ceilings are! Our old house had even HIGHER ceilings and I remember thinking our new place was a bit cramped in that respect but after coming from the US it is totally different!

Other thoughts:
-all that cold tile!
-echoes everyone because of the tile
-so clean and uncluttered!!! (just wait until we unpack our six carryons!)
-I wanted a proper cup of tea ASAP
-Our dear house helper and nanny was thrilled to see the kids and the just about bowled her over running to hug her. There were many protestations and having to stop playing and going to bed but it was 330 in the morning!!!
-I really have not figured how to stop our bathrooms from leaking water onto the floor. This was an issue from the moment we turned on the sink.....I needed a towel to mop up right away.

Anyway (-; just some thoughts on our arrival (=
So happy to be home and so glad that ryan remembers everything!

T minus 34 hours

We'll be in the van and headed up to Denver to the airport in 34 hours! hard to believe. If I could find my camera in all the piles of stuff I would have taken a picture of this:

1.  layla and ryan wrestling on the floor and totally enjoying each other. Layla looks up as says "this is the best evening ever!" Yes, she is dramatic and full of emotion. You can imagine how fun these days are! Not.
2. amazing husband Tom has three of five bags packed already!
3. stuff all over the living room floor (HOW does so much stuff accumulate?!?!?!?)
4. The 6 packages and 400 letters I have ready to mail. Yes, you read that correctly. We popped out a "goodbye" letter to everyone and then of course I've had photos of our trip to send to lot of folks and did that as well......
5. the amazing waffle dinner we had tonight with everyone at the table in a spontaneous group. We were going to be more buffet-like but it just all came together. Sue Giblin was there of course and she makes everything more fun for everyone!
6. three of three storage places and closets emptied and cleaned out!
7. two of two desks covered in papers. ugh.
8. bathroom counter strewn with everything imaginable. bigger ugh.

we'll head to church tomorrow. layla loves sunday school - anything kid-focused and school related is her thing.
Tom wants to watch the Georgia game so we'll see how far packing gets before dinner!

Here's to packing up and cleaning and sorting! I love the end result but it is painful in the process. ugh.

Weird Place

We have about 11 days to go before returning! We are all ready to be home and in our "normal" routines. I use the term loosely as there is very little normal out there it feels like (= Every week seems different in some respect.

Anyway, I'm in the zone of still being hopeful about my do-list and yet ready to strike the things that are not essential. I am loving seeing all our Colorado friends! This is a beautiful state, really.

The kids are doing pretty well with Tom gone. The first night at dinner we started to sing our dinner blessing and Layla just put her head down and started crying for daddy. She is SOOO tenderhearted and connected to her daddy.

Ryan is basically happy and bouncy all the time. He talks frequently about Tom being on an airplane because I don't know how to explain a "trip" to him. Guess he doesn't think it is weird for Tom to be on a plane for 9 days straight. That would be miserable on so many levels!

I'm trying to sort through what we actually NEED over there and what is just nice to have and what is just wooing me through lovely american consumerism and the bright lights and clean, wide aisles of Target. Near Dubai we can get all sorts of designer stuff and super cheap JUNK from China and not much in the middle. If IKEA doesn't sell it, there is no middle of the road option. Very irritating situation indeed.

Anyway - in the midst of all this, my sister and brother in law have gotten us hooked on Downton Abbey. What a fun show (= I consider it a Victorian version of Dallas. Lots of family drama and inter-relationships and family dynasty questions! In fact, I'll probably go down and watch one now!

could this please work?!?!?!?

Oct 18 through Christmas in Photos!

It is hard to pick up on blogging after not doing ANYTHING for so long! I have had so little time to do stuff becuase the kids need much more attention than when at home. They are desperate for playdates again and so is mommy! I am just NOT a substitute for Layla's preschool class (=

So I apologize in advance that this slideshow has 110 photos. I just didn't want to sort out how to section it up into smaller pieces. We arrived in MN Oct 18, came to CO for a few days to pick up the van we borrowed from my parents, then hit Kansas, Missouri, Tennesse, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and then headed home.

So sorry if we did not call or stop to see you if you were on the way. It was much busier on the road than we expected. I thought that because we had a DVD player in the van we'd be able to call folks from the road. Obviously I did not account for the fact that kids STILL want stuff every 5 minutes and cell coverage in the mid-west and the south is VERY spotty.

well, here are the photos, though there may be a problem with them....hmmmm