Besties

When is she going to learn?

When is she going to learn not to rub her dirty breakfast hands in her hair?

Cooking

Influenced by the Ludlows our family loves cooking together.  Recently Anna-Lena has begun getting involved more, often fighting for space on Jonas' step stool. 

Making the Tire Swing

So last week we made a tire swing here are the pics. 

How does one respond??

Jonas:

Mama can I hit your tummy, because it's big and soft

Mama dont put chocolate chips in my pancakes because it will make me poop a lot 

Zaky:

This big kid in PS3 was pushing Jonas and me, so I yelled for Abdallah and Quassam. And I put Abdallah in charge of hitting, Quassam in charge of pushing, and I walked backwards. Jonas stayed behind us incase the big kid wanted to hit him. That was a good idea mama??

How you know your kid lives in Lebanon

1) they sing songs in French they learned in school, and songs in Arabic they learned at church, and French songs translated into English they learned at school

2) they pretend they are the U. N on their plasma cars

3) they don't have school Friday because of All Saints Day, and no school Monday for the first day of Ashura ( Shiite Muslim holiday )

4) while playing in the sand box with a neighbor; his mom speaking to him in Norwegian , I'm speaking to the other mother in Arabic, while speaking to my kids in English 

5) Jonas asks to go to the bathroom at school by saying "khlas toilet" khlas means "stop it" one of his few Arabic words he uses combined with toilet = sentence 

Halloween in Lebanon

We went to a Halloween themed birthday party this weekend. We had a great time.  If it is not clear, Christy was a pirate, Jonas Spider-Man, Zaki a cowboy, Bill his horse and Anna-Lena a parrot.