Pictures from the Playground

Warm days. Little hands. Infectious giggles. Pure innocence. Happy kids. The sweet smell of honey shampoo on my kids hair. These are the days I want to remember forever.

Terrible Two's

I think both my girls went through a rough stage at about 2 years old. They were so stubborn and willful and emotional at that age. I was glad when they grew out of it. Now, they are at a good age where they mostly listen and behave and reason. Jacob on the other hand is driving me CRAZY.

Here is a boy who barely started sleeping through the night maybe two or three months ago (he still wakes up from time to time), has horrible tantrums, and fights with his sisters as much as possible.

He is also a boy who is very cute, cuddly, and hilarious. He cracks me up with his extensive vocabulary (my faves are when he says bah-mazin' for amazing, paperade for parade, and marmanade for lemonade) and funny expressions.

You're cute kid, but man are you tough!

Costumes Found!

I just had to share my excitement and relief for actually going to a store in Cairo and finding what I needed in only a few minutes! WHEW. The girls would have never ever let me live it down if they didn't have costumes for Halloween...there is always the opiton of a white sheet with holes cut out for eyes though. ;-)

Jackie will be Snow White, Julia will be Batgirl, and Jacob is Mr. Skeleton. They aren't the best quality costumes and the price tag was HEFTY, but hey I don't even care at this point!

Speaking of Mr. Skeleton, he is standing in front of the TV with his plastic dagger that the housekeeper bought him. :-0 Only in Egypt! Like Ariel says, they are about 30 years behind here with the no seatbelts, dangerous toys, and 80's cartoons...LOL.

Looks, Costumes, and Tears

Yesterday, Jacob and I went on a Halloween costume hunt for the girls. Jacob has his coustume (skeleton pj's..haha) but stupid me decided it would be a good idea to ship the girls costumes. Surely we'll have our household goods shipment by the end of October, I thought. Wrong! So, now I am on a hunt for two costumes in a city that does not celebrate Halloween. FUN! Many of the other expats bring their costumes from home or have them made, but I have heard there a few places that sell costumes for a hefty price. At this point I don't care the price as long as I find costumes. The girls will FREAK if they don't have anything to wear. We didn't have any luck though, so today we'll venture out again.

While I was out we stopped at the Carrefour Express, which is just like a tiny version of the big Carrefour. I wasn't in a heavily expat area like I live in, so I was a bit surprised by all the looks Jacob and I got by the men and the veiled women. We usually don't get too many stares around the apartment or schools, but here I felt a big difference. I also felt a bit uncomfortable with all my arms showing, but it could have been worse I guess...at least I wasn't wearing a low-cut blouse! As you know, Cairo is heavily Muslim, so most people are veiled here and dress very conservatively. If they aren't wearing a niqab, they make sure to cover all skin, especially the neck, arms, and legs. In Maadi, there are many expats who wear short sleeves shirts, capris, and even shorts without too many strange looks from the locals, but there are parts of Cairo where dressing like that would be unwise. You will definitely get ugly looks, possible harrassment, etc. It's best to just dress very modestly.

The girls are doing ok. Julia is loving school and so is Jackie, but lately she has been crying when we drop her off in the mornings. She doesn't cry during the day and she always has great things to say about her day and her teacher, but in the mornings it is hard! She grabs on to us and tears up and follows us as we're leaving (the kinder kids hang out at the playground until 8:10 am when their whistle blows) so I end up staying until the whistle because I can't stand leaving her like that, which makes Julia late for preK. Sigh. Motherhood is HARD. Seriously hard.

Our Weekend

We had a fun, eventful couple of days. First, on Friday night the family and I ordered a few pizzas and sodas and set out on a felucca ride with a Ariel's co-worker and his family. The felucca is a sail boat which cruises the Nile for about 60 LE an hour (about $12 US). The felucca is best taken at sunset and you can bring food and drinks for a nice, relaxing dinner. It was very nice, the breeze was fantastic, and the kids loved it. It was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of Cairo and sail peacefully on the Nile. We will definitely do it again!

Today we attended a birthday party of one of Julia's classmates at the Maadi House. They had a huge bouncy house, a popcorn and cotton candy machine, face painting, pizza and punch. I saw a lot of familiar faces from the girl's schools and the kids had a great time playing with their new friends.

This week promises to be a busy one...I will update soon!

Thursday Already?

Wow, this week really did fly by. I can't believe we are already coming up on the weekend. It's funny how when the girls are in school and Jacob and I are at home, somedays go by so slowly, while other days time seems to be in fast forward.

So here we are, another week has gone by for us in Cairo. We are still adjusting, but definetely over any culture shock. Homesickness has set in a little bit (mostly for me and Jackie- but we are much more nostalgic than the rest of the family) and we are finally getting into a routine. Our apartment feels much more like a home, and any fears of Cairo (language barriers, finding our way, etc) have subsided. Jackie was emotional today, she shed a few tears at the playground before school started, but her classmates cheered her up and she was doing better by the time the bell rang. I think she is ready for the weekend.

Julia has a birthday party on Saturday and the CAC's Halloween carnival is next weekend as well as a planned trip on a felucca with some of Ariel's co-workers. I am slowly getting to know people and the girls have very successfully made many new friends.

Even after a bit of a rough week emotionally for me, we are happy to be here and trying to enjoy this new adventure. We have planned to see Barcelona in November and Venice in December, so I am getting really excited about that. Also, my Mom is visiting us in November, the kids are thrilled! I wonder how she'll do in Cairo!

Monday Tidbits

Julia is feeling much better today. She was in a great mood on the walk to school and was even happier when we got to her class and put away her backpack and lunchbox.

Jacob sometimes cries when we leave Julia, not because he wants to stay, but because he wants Julia to come back home with us. Today, though, he left school without incident. Apparently, he saved all his tears for Miriam Market.

On our way home we stopped by Miriam Market for some juice and soda and granola bars. Jacob threw a huge fit inside the store and refused to walk and only wanted to be carried. So, I carried Jacob in the store while trying to balance all the other things in one arm. I bought him a lollipop and when I payed for it and gave it to him he had a big meltdown. "BUT I WANTED TO PAY IT! I WANTED TO PAY IT!!!!!" Then he began sobbing and sobbing. Hmmm, okay. Somedays Jacob is a real pest. He may be cute, but he is a pest.

Jackie was excited this morning because today is pottery class day at her school. She's been talking about it all week. She says she's making a flower vase. We'll just have to see what she comes home with.

Ariel and I are doing okay. Ariel has been busy with work and I've managed to meet a few of the other Moms at the girl's schools. They have all been extremely nice and friendly. I will admit that I've been feeling a bit homesick the last few days. I'm hoping that will turn around and we will have a good week here.

Tidbits

Jackie started school yesterday. So far she loves it. Julia started preschool today. She was in a great mood when I dropped her off, so I'm hoping she has a good day. Jacob cried when we left, but I know he's not quite ready for preschool yet. He is way too clingy.

The driver dropped the kids and I off at Jackie's school in the morning, then he took Ariel to work. After I got Jackie to class I walked about 500 yards to Julia's preschool and dropped her off. Then Jacob and I walked to Miriam Market for a few snacks and juice and walked the rest of the way home. Considering the fact that there are NO sidewalks and crazy drivers, we only almost got hit by a car once...that's a good day in Cairo. Ha!

Our housekeeper started today. She will be coming 3 days a week and she babysits! I hope she works out and the kids get used to her quickly. Right now Jacob is following her around, so that's a good sign!

Another Birthday!

Happy 4th birthday to my little Julia! You are a true middle child, Julia, always trying to find your place between your big (sometimes bossy!) sister and your little (sometimes spoiled!) brother. You are an interesting mix between overachiever and free-spirit. You are ultra competitive and very independent and one of the funniest kids I know! You crack us up with your jokes and witty one-liners on a daily basis. You are also SUPER smart and cute and can be so sweet and lovable. We all love you so much, Miss Julia!

A Birthday and an Update

Happy 6th birthday to my Jacqueline! I can't believe how big you are! You are such a smart, silly, sweet, and gorgeous little girl. You are definitely a 'girly-girl'. Your idea of fun is dressing up, playing with dolls, dancing, and modeling. You have a terrific imagination- you dream about unicorns, ponies, and fairies. You think the world is magical and you have a heart of gold. Your Daddy and I always say how funny it is that you can be so fantastical but so logical as well. You amaze us with your problem solving and inquisitive mind. We love you!!!


In other news- we have a flight finally!!!! Yay! We leave for Cairo on September 28th from DFW.

Bittersweet

My oldest, Jackie, should be starting Kindergarten tomorrow at the great elementary school down the street from us. Instead, she is staying home waiting two weeks before she starts Kindergarten in Cairo.

It's bittersweet for me.

The bitter- her best friend is starting Kindergarten tomorrow, along with her other friends, and all the familiar that Jackie is used to will no longer be.

The sweet- we are going on a once in a lifetime adventure and Jackie will experience things many kids will never experience and she'll make new friends and hopefully love her new school.

Such is the life of an expat kid.

Who are we missing here?

Yes, you guessed it. That little stinker Jacob! He cried, screamed, and practically ran out of that Walgreens today. Apparently passport pictures = pure torture for my two year old. I guess we'll try again tomorrow when he's not so grumpy. :-)

Trying this out

I've decided to start a blog as a way to capture some of the moments in my life right now with three small children. My days are often a blur and I find that when I look back I can't remember much (3 kids under 6 will do that to you), especially those great moments when the kids were so funny, or witty, or cute. Knowing how they won't be this small forever I want to record some of those memories so when the kids are big I can look back and truly appreciate this crazy, insane, stressful time in my life.

Also, just because our life isn't crazy enough, this family of 5 from Texas will soon be expats living in Cairo, Egypt- the city that pretty much invented chaotic living! Stay tuned for our adventures in Egypt....