the girls

As I'm writing this I'm watching our girls spin each other in a chair, enjoying their laughs and kind of waiting for the tears when someone gets hurt! but seriously i'm so thankful for the relationships they have with each other. Some times i let the evil one make me feel guilty and tell me that I am doing something wrong by not letting my kids have a "normal" life, an american life. They don't have many friends their ages and the little ones are not around other kids everyday (ayden is at school, but then she can't hardly talk to them because of the lang. barrier). And sometimes i can find myself feeling bad for them, but them i'm reminded that we are where we are suppose to be and He is providing all my children's needs. How thankful I am that they are not just sisters, but they are best friends too. Annie lynne doesn't even call them her sisters, she always says where are my friends, or why are my friends doing that. I love that she calls her sisters her friends, and so thankful for the relationship they have with one another that they probably would not have if we were not here!

baby party

i'm learning so much about cultures and customs it is amazing to me!
In our city after you have a baby you sit for 40 days or so and people come everyday to your house to sit with you and drink tea. It is like a baby party everyday, except for the family who had the baby is responsible for hosting people everyday, serving tea and sometimes snacks. Then during those days there are special days where there is music and dancing and other things. The new mom gets very dressed up and wears a special head piece thing and it is all very interesting, but not something I would ever want to put myself through after having a baby. Of course when one of my neighbors found out I was pregnant she was very kind and offered for me to sit in her house for the 40 days for the party thing (i guess she thinks not many people would come to my house) I politely declined, and thought there is no way I can sit and entertain people for 40 days! So kind that she would offer but so funny. Guess one day after I'm recovered I will have to dress up and have a party for all my friends and neighbors. so funny how things are so different all over the world. However, I am all about sitting for 40 days and not having to clean or cook or do anything else ( ha ha).

but I was invited over one day to a friends house, and I hadn't seen this lady in months, so had no idea why she was inviting me.
when i got there it looked like a baby party, and of course i was underdressed, again! but i looked and saw no baby, but that is not uncommon either, a lot of times the baby is in another room, so i just sat and waited for someone to tell me what was going on. about 10 min. later my friend looked at me and said, "i had a baby three days ago and it died." I had no idea what to say to her, after telling her how sorry i was i sat astonished that i had been invited over to a house, where i hadn't seen the lady in months because her baby died. Me I would want to cry alone for days if that happened to me and a party would be the last thing on my mind, but it was what she was suppose to do. My heart was grieved for her, she sat in this room with many ladies laughing and telling stories, just like a baby party but with no baby. i later found out that many women still sit in there house for days and people come over, just like a baby party. How hard! When I would tell her how sorry i was she would just say "God is Good." And yes He is, but I do not think that means that we can't cry. I did find out later that many will not cry, especially not in front of people, because then it looks as if you do not believe God knows what is best for you. However, I did come home and cry for her, how hard, not being able to express any of your feeling!

sorry for the sad story, but thought it was important to share.

valentines day

I have a friend that i have been to see a few times. She has sent her sons over to invite me to come and when I go there is always a party; so I have never really talked to her. Well I went to her sons b-day party (this is very unusual most of them do not even know when their b-days are and they do not have parties for them) the other day. She sent me home with all kinds of snacks so this week I filled her bowl back up with cookies and went to visit her, thinking I would finally get to sit down and talk with her. I went on Valentines Day which is not really celebrated here. So I was thinking it was a normal day at her house, I was wrong!!! I got there and she was all dressed up with lots of make-up and still getting ready. She sat me in the "living" room and then went and finished getting ready. They already had the loud music going so I knew she was having some kind of party, but no idea what. She came back in the room about 10 min. later and served me a drink and told me she was having a party, i asked for what and she said "holiday of love." I could not believe it, i think i asked her like 3 times thinking something was just wrong with my arabic, but that is what she said. I think the only people to celebrate the holiday in the country and it was her. So another party i sat through being completely underdressed and with no make-up. Before I left I asked for her phone number so i could call before i came back so i would know how to dress and she gave me the number and said "yes, next time you should wear some make-up!" She really is nice and a fun personality, and she much really love parties, but she was very honest in telling me I really should be wearing make-up, thanks a lot!!!

but even though i was not invited and was not dressed appropriately, her and her friends were very kind to me and served me many snacks and treated me very special. The women here are always so kind to me and welcome me and they are very gracious with me and all my mistakes in the language and the culture.

Of course, I just thought it was so funny that on "holiday of love" you spend it with your friends eating snacks and smoking shesha
not with your husbands, she told me her husband would not be home until really late. (i'm sure he had gone to a qat chew)

doctor visit today!

this is the first for us since arriving here, but figured if I was going to have a baby here I should eventually go. Kirk did successfully go to the dentist, so that was encouraging. He even had a root canal and survived it!!!! we were very excited!

Seriously, everything looks good with the baby. We have due date of July 3rd. Hoping to hold out to July 4th so it can share the same b-day with daddy, but probably by the end of June, I won't care anymore, i'll just be ready to have it!

The clinic looked clean and even though it wasn't Woman's Hospital, I think it will do to have a baby in. The doctor was nice and her English was good so we were glad about that and the room you deliver in looked pretty good. They do have some hospitals here but the clinic is really close to our house and not sure the hospitals have any more to offer. So different from my other 3 but the Father know so we are just trusting in Him!

henna

the girls all 3 got henna the other day. I could not believe that they would sit still for so long, but they did and annie lynne did great. She sat for the lady and then another 30 min. to let it all dry. So she really can sit still when it is something she wants!!!
they were so excited about it and it really came out good, but then annie lynn slept on one of her hands that night and now she has a little henna flower on her face! so funny and too cute!
One pic is annielynne getting the henna, lots of women around uncovered so had to do a close up of her and the other is the girls the next day showing off the henna to me, still excited about it. It should last a couple of weeks but we will see.

neighbors

went to my neighbors house the other day and they dressed me up and we took pictures, was so surprised they let me take pics of them with their faces uncovered, glad I am earning so much trust with this family. Of course the girls love all the beads that they put around their head and neck
The head decoration that Ayden is wearing is something that is very cultural to our people group and is usually worn after they have a baby when they are doing the baby party thing.

make up

Thanks Becky for the make up!!!

our day at the mountains

interesting foods

The other day we went with some national friends up to the mountains for just a day of fun. We brought snacks and so did they; it is still amazing to me how different culture and taste are! I had brought carrots and cucumbers, cut up a watermelon, bananas, and we had some boiled eggs. All easy things to pack and to eat. They brought one of our favorite deserts from here, it is what the girls call honey bread (lots of layers of bread made and cooked in a certain way and then topped with honey). Very good treat, but not so easy to carry up the mountain (it was still in the big pan it is put in after made) and a little messy to eat! They also brought and empty pan and I was wondering what it was going to be for? I found out too soon. After sitting down, they opened a container of plain yogurt poured it in the pan and then opened a can of tuna and poured that on top of the yogurt! It was stirred around with a piece of bread and then eaten by all! I am not really a fan of tuna straight out of the can or of plain yogurt, but I did manage to get some down. Kirk must be a little more cultural then me or I just really cook bad, because he ate the tuna/yogurt without even making a face and then said it wasn't that bad!
Almost every time we eat with friends it is something new to try!

so if you are in the mood to try an easy snack just mix yogurt and tuna!