Catching Up With Camryn

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring."
Yesterday was the first I have seen Camryn for a little over 3 weeks.  Her vocabulary has grown right along with her body.  Her eyes are still so blue, her hair a little messy and she still remembers her Mam.  I was worried that she would be a little shy with me but I worried for nothing.  She was her sweet little self full of smiles and hugs.  After she took an extra long nap, we had a good time playing.  She loved the plastic Easter eggs I took for her.  Can't wait to see her again!

Not Lovin' The Carseat

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion."
Baby J hates riding in the car.  This is what we listened to almost every time we went somewhere.

My precious baby, I felt so sorry for him.  Heard today that he isn't sleeping well.  I think he misses his MamMam!!

Home

"Home is where you can say anything you like cause nobody listens to you anyway."
It was raining in NYC when I got off the plane and felt so cold.  I was so thankful for my nieces husband, Tim.  He was guiding me, on cell-phone, how to get to the train.  If it weren't for him, I'd still be wandering around NY!

It was so nice to get hugs from my nieces and nephews and finally be able to relax after the LONG plane ride.  I gave the boys their t-shirts, from Dubai, and crashed on the sofa.  The next morning, Alex wore his to school.

I

I was up around 3 AM on Thursday morning, looked out the window and saw it snowing.  It was so funny to be in 80 degree weather one day and 30 degrees the next day.  Driving home through the Poconos was beautiful.  The snow looked so white after being in the desert for 2 weeks.

It hadn't snowed in Middleburg and I was anxious to see the kids.  Their hugs felt so good and they loved the soccer kits I brought home for them.  It feels so good to be home, but I am still shedding some tears for my babies in the UAE.  They are so precious and I won't be seeing them again until July.

Carl, Troy, Christopher, Cole and Carter went to New Jersey yesterday to see the USA Men's National Team game.  I was just too tired to go along but will be at Cole and Carter's games this afternoon.  Monday it's back with the girls and Tuesday I finally get to play with Camryn.  I'm anxious to see her in the Manchester City kit I brought back.

Missing my "far away family" but am so thankful that I got to spend a wonderful 2 weeks with them. Love you, and thank you for making me feel so welcome, loved and at home.

Leapfrog

"Pleasure is the flower that passes, remembrance, the lasting perfume."

When we got home from the refuge, the kids had a good time playing in the yard.

Even Baby J got involved in the play.

In 8 hours, I need to say goodbye to my babies.  The tears are already starting to flow.  It's going to be so hard.

Animal Refuge

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

On Monday, we went to an animal refuge that was funded by the Crown Prince.  These animals were all rescued from bad situations.  Some of the female lions were declawed and had their teeth cut in half.  Our guide said that was very painful for the lions because of the nerves in their teeth being exposed.  They brought in a special animal dentist from South Africa to fix them.

The enclosures for the animals were huge with pools of water, shade trees and AIR CONDITIONED huts !   It gets to be 120 degrees here in the summer.   We also saw some of the Sheik's huge  dogs that he boards there. 

It was hot and we had to walk through the sand.  The kids were so good but got tired, so we took turns carrying them on our shoulders.

Shopping

"Carry laughter with you, wherever you go."



Today we went shopping in Dubai.  I loved it.  There were so many different things at the market.  We had lunch by the river under palm trees.  It was almost 80 degrees and just beautiful.  It was a long day, but the kids were so good.  Spent some money!!

I also got to see the tallest building in the world.

There was a ski slop inside this mall.

Our lunch under the cabana and palm trees.

Here are a few of our purchases.

Tomorrow is the zoo and the Embassy.

The Family Beach

"Laughter is an instant vacation."

Finally able to post.  The internet hasn't been working so it's been difficult to keep up with the posts.  We went to the family beach and it was beautiful!  The water was so blue and so warm.  We didn't get many big shells, because we were behind the island facing the ocean.  The shells we did get were very tiny but I love them.  The day was perfect.  Warmy, sunny with a breeze.

Camel's Milk

"If  you have a four-leaf clover in your left hand at dawn on St. Patrick's Day you get what you want very much but haven't wished for."

The kids tried chocolate camel's milk the other day and seemed to like it.  It smelled the same as the regular milk, but I didn't taste it.

The sprinkler was on so the kids decided to have some fun.  I really laughed when I saw the inner tube.  I guess one can never be too safe.

We're going to the beach today.  I can hardly wait to collect shells.

Back to Friday

"Each day comes bearing it's own gifts.  Untie the ribbons."

We didn't get the pictures I took today loaded into the computer yet. I am showing pics from Friday. 
The first one is the church we went to.  It was so unusual to park in a parking lot full of sand.  Cars were parked everywhere.  There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the reception area.  People were eating breakfast from a cafe and there was even a bookstore there.  The worshiping part was upstairs.  Later, I found out that this was a church of many religions.  Everyone comes into the same room and then goes off in different directions for their type of worship.

After church we went to the mall for lunch.  It was a HUGE food court with food from many differnt countries.  I ate Mexican!  The malls was unusual but so beautiful.  It actually looked like a city with the stores being the houses.  The ceiling are so high and they were painted like the blue sky with clouds and even lights for stars.  It made you feel like you were really outside.  The kids loved the fountain, so I decided to take a picture there and just hope  they didn't fall in.  No casualties to report.

A first for me today - the maid washed and ironed my clothes!!!

100 Degrees

"Hugs are the universal language"

It was a little hot here today, around 100.  The kids and I went outside to play this morning.  The sunshine was wonderful but it was so hot.  Thankfully, there was a breeze. The kids were riding bike and writing with sidewalk chalk.  Later they had popsicles, wich didn't last too long.  It was around lunch time when we came in and we didn't go outside again the rest of the day.

We had a delicious spaghetti dinner.  Their maid is an excellent cook.  I'm looking forward to more meals.  When the maid came in the dining room, "Dumpling"  said  "Thank you for this delicious dinner."  We all cracked up.

After dinner we were taking pictures of kids in their dress-up clothes. Bedtime can't come early enough for me. My clock is still a little messed up.

Finally Here

"Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap."

Finally here visiting my "far away family".  It was a long trip, but I survived.  We went to church this morning.  Since it was 2AM in Pennsylvania, I had a hard time staying awake.  There is a 9 hour time difference here.  The kids are so precious and I have been enjoying my time with them.  We already played a little bit of indoor soccer and I need to take turns at mealtime sitting beside the kids.  It's wonderful to be loved!  

For some reason I am having problems with the pictures loading.  This was happening at home also.  Please someone in my family help me with this so I can post about my trip.

Loving The Ride

"Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons."

This little guy has always loved riding horses.  He has such a serious look on his face, but inside he is just giggling.  He told me when I visit next week, that we are going to ride camels.  Maybe.  Anyway, when I see  this guy, I'm gonna squeeze him tight and give him so many kisses,  he won't know what hit him!!!!

Smile Day

"Smile - sunshine is good for your teeth."

Monday was "Smile Day" so we coordinated our crafts around smiles.  We talked about what makes us smile and how much better it makes us feel.  Our craft for the day was taking a small paper plate and folding it in half.  We cut styrofoam peanuts into pieces to look like teeth and glued them in between the paper plate, added red lips, a nose and eyes with long eyelashes.  Cali informed that her eyes were brown, so she needed a brown crayon.  My demo had blue eyes!

For the snack, I took apple slices (with the red skin on)  spread on some peanut butter and stuck on mini marshallows (to look like teeth) and then put another apple slice on top (with pb) and they looked like smiles.  The girls were thrilled with their snack and were so anxious to eat them.  Cali said "This is the best!"  

Since it was March 1st, we also made a lion face and talked about how March comes in like a lion.  That was fun, but not as much fun as eating those apple smiles!!

Sunday Dinner

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life."

Troy and Camryn came to visit on Sunday, so we made it a family affair.  Pap and Grandma came early to skype with the "far away" family and then have lunch with us.  Camryn loves skyping with her cousins and it gives Pap and Grandma a chance to visit with the kids.  After church, Christopher, Carla and the kids came for lunch.  All the little ones enjoyed playing together.  Camryn was really flirting with Cole and Carter.  They love her so much and it was really evident in the attention they showed her.  Chloe and Cali are little "mother hens" when taking care of Camryn.  When I went to visit with Camryn on Tuesday, she kept talking about all her cousins.  They left quite an impression on her.