Inside entertainment

Reason number 1 we keep our old used couches.... Reason number 2: does not show stains.

A friend and her little girl visited us the other week, and Zaky, Jonas, and their buddy James started pulling off the cushions, she looked puzzled and said "this would not even occur to her daughter to do"

New team

Our team mates of the last 5 years are moving back to America. And our other team mates are moving about a half hour away. So we have joined up with another group about 30 min away for prayer and other ministry. Our new team times are once a week in the evening with kids for a meal then put the kids down and have a study/ prayer time. The family that hosts most often have 3 girls. Two girls older then Zaky whom he follows around trying to play with, and the youngest (3 months younger than Jonas) who I can not for the life of me keep Jonas from beating up on. I swear Jonas just has to be in the same room as this little girl and he will seek her out and push her over. I arrogantly prided myself that "MY SON" (Zaky) was not a hitter, he will hit back, but not be the first to hit, not my son. Well I have been put in my place, my other son is officially a bully. The picture above is obviously the influence of a 5 year old girl.

Why Zaky likes school

Zaky reverted back to crying before school when we returned from Texas after Christmas, it took another couple of weeks for him to warm back up to it. He still says most mornings "today is Saturday no school", "there's no school today because there's no school today", "I don't want to go to school today because I don't want to". He does drag his feet in the morning being very particular about what he is going to wear. The nun gets upset with us most mornings because if he gets there after 8:15 he misses the singing practice for their recitals coming up in May and June. One morning he was there before 8 he got to carry the flag "with the Christmas tree on it". But after a couple of months he almost always says he had fun at school, his buddies are the two Ali. He has started eating their lunches, besides just on Wednesday which is spaghetti day. But I know what he enjoys most about school are the birthday parties, at this age parents are allowed to bring cake and goodie bags and the teachers do everything basically, and this gets the parents off for hosting a party at home (smart!). Almost every Thursday Zaky comes home with a hat and goodie bag. I always ask who's birthday it was if it was a boy he often knows their name, but if it was a girl "not Aya's birthday" is usually the answer. There are also two Ayas in his class!

cultural note: In this culture, in the wealthier schools, parents are sort of expected to host birthday parties inviting classmates, parents, and siblings. Usually at a restaurant or play place, big bucks!

Birthday Boy

Ya ya his birthday was in January, but anyway.. It was his first official birthday party with balloons and kids. And possibly his last at home party with kids and pop corn and all that other messy stuff. A birthday in January was nice for being pregnant, but not nice for hosting more then 3 kids, especially not nice for hosting 5 kids that then bring their cousins and older siblings. But all went well. Zaky would have been happy with just James and Sandra, and I will remember this for next year. We did do our best for playing games and eating at tables. I attempted a tractor themed party, the highlight was Bill's 4 ft by 5 ft sign with bulldozers and diggers we hung above the couch (this huge thing cost 12$, and now decorates Zaky's large wall). In the end Zaky had a blast, and all the toddlers were impressed with my cake decorating skills! And this is what mattered.

I'm back baby

Well after what seemed like an incredibly long winter, of which I was gone for a month of it, spring is officially here. The winter here was brutal! No snow here just up in the mountains, but cold inside and out, wet, no sun ever, little power, just gloom gloom gloom! But all have survived, the power is almost normal, with rumors of a bad summer to come, the sun shines at some point every day, and best of all, I don't NEED to wear my scarf in the house! So enough of me whining. But wait this is my blog, I can whine if I want to! Did I mention the internet sucks! So pictures will appear when they want to! We would huddle and live around the little gas heater. Everyone feeling sorry for me yet! Must I keep going? I can't I need to tell everyone how thankful I am, for what could I possibly be thankful for? Well:
The sun is out now, the weekend is suppose to be up in the high 60's, Jonas is healthy and asleep, Zaky is healthy and eating a carrot while watching "Sean the Sheep", my bleeding has slowed but I am still technically not allowed to clean my house (no guilt there), we have fun plans for the weekend, Easter is coming, I love a gracious God, who loves me even on my lazy ungrateful days, Zaky has only been to time-out once today (not 6 times by 9am like last week), and I could keep going...