Tuesday was my 34th birthday. Every year when my birthday comes around I go a bit crazy. It's one part not loving the fact that I am getting older and one part not loving the fact that the world doesn't stop and celebrate me.
I know, crazy, right. Getting older is better than the alternative, as my dad always says.
But this year was a really good birthday once it actually happened. The night before, I kept probing Justin for information. Did you make any plans? Are we doing anything special? He kept answering "no," so I was about ready to push him off the balcony.
I made it clear to all involved that since my husband had made no special plans for me, I was taking my kids to the beach. I went across the street to visit my friends and see if they could come. They were so excited. We made our plans for a great day.
When I came home I started getting a few things ready for our beach day. Justin then says that he decided to take the day off from work and go with us.
NOPE!
I had just invited my friends (women, obviously) so culturally, Justin could not come with us to the beach. You snooze you lose!
I woke up on Tuesday morning to the sound of very excited giggles from the kids. They had been checking on me every three seconds to see if I was awake. So, when I opened my eyes, they were through the roof.
Justin had gotten up early and he and the girls were putting together a really nice breakfast for me. It was so lovely. The kids couldn't wait, so first I got to open my presents. The kids [Justin] had gotten me some really nice pots that I had been wanting. My mom sent me a cute outfit. Callie had made me the cutest penguin earring holder. She had found the pattern in her Highlights magazine (thanks, Mom, for the subscription!) and had been saving it for my birthday. Noah made a big drawing on a poster. They were so sweet and proud of themselves. Justin also got tickets to a concert and arranged for our friends to watch the kids this coming Sunday. So exciting! I can't wait!
After the wonderful gifts, we ate our breakfast. I love to have a big nice breakfast. It feels like such a luxury because ordinarily I never even eat breakfast.
Justin left for work.
Then we got ourselves together and went to the beach. The weather was perfect- hot and sunny. We tried out a new beach just down from the one we've gone to a bit this summer. It was really nice.
We got home at about 5:30- tired, sunburned, and happy. We all had a quick shower, and then Justin arrived home. We didn't have dinner plans. We were tired and sort-of wanted to order in. But I knew that once the food came I would be sad that it was my birthday and I was eating pizza or some other yucky fast food.
So, I made Justin take us out to a nice restaurant. It was perfect. We sat in on the back patio. Even though it was a really nice restaurant, there was a fun place for the kids to play. The food was really good, the kids were happy, and I was happy.
Our neighbors from across the street had asked us to go out for tea that night. We had all had such a full day so I had Justin ask them if they would just come over for tea. But, they were pretty insistent on going out.
Since the kids had done so well at dinner we were all feeling up to going out. We picked up our friends (9 people in our hatchback-style car!!) and headed out for tea.
When we arrived at the tea-garden I was so surprised. They had reserved a special table and it was decorated with rose petals. The view out over the city, the bridge, and the water was stunning. There was live music.
Sidenote: Noah and Callie take guitar lessons. They LOVED watching the guys play their guitars. It was so cute!
I felt so loved and special. Our friends ordered food and tea. Much to our kids' delight, they let them order refills (not free, so our kids never get refills!) when they finished their lemonade.
Justin was happy because he got to smoke the hookah pipe.
The waiter brought me a cake with special fireworks. (I think the awning caught on fire because there was a little scramble. But I couldn't see it that well, and they played it cool.) The cake had an elaborate flower-shaped candle that shot sparks and then opened up and had candles on each petal. It rotated and played the Happy Birthday tune.
AMAZING!
We don't have enough pyrotechnics in American birthdays.
We got home at almost midnight. Such a fun day!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Heat is On
Well, just like I knew it would, the heat has come to dwell in the city. Just to be really honest, it is not nearly as hot as it has been the past few summers... yet! I am praying that it doesn't get that hot!
But every year, the uncomfortableness of the heat catches me by surprise. The embarrassing sweat rolling down my... um... well, my everything! It is not fun.
I am a total wimp when it comes to being hot. I just don't like it. And now it's here. And I can't sleep.
Whaaaaaa!
But every year, the uncomfortableness of the heat catches me by surprise. The embarrassing sweat rolling down my... um... well, my everything! It is not fun.
I am a total wimp when it comes to being hot. I just don't like it. And now it's here. And I can't sleep.
Whaaaaaa!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Makeover Monday
Can you see the lovely amounts of blue eyeshadow?
My nails are painted red and blue.
My hair.... well, it's just pure awesome.
Yep, my girls are talented.
At least they're free!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Good News...
Justin is home from London safe and sound.
The bad news...
Security made him throw away four brand new jars of peanut butter from his carry-on.
The bad news...
Security made him throw away four brand new jars of peanut butter from his carry-on.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
HOT
It's HOT here!
Does anybody have any tasty cool summer recipes they'd like to share so I don't melt in my kitchen?!
Does anybody have any tasty cool summer recipes they'd like to share so I don't melt in my kitchen?!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Let's Get Physical
Tuesday I had to endure life's worst physical torture take my kids for physicals. Now, after four years of living here I have learned a few things. I was so proud of myself for taking them to a small local government-subsidized clinic instead of scheduling an appointment with their (private) pediatrician. I was feeling so proud of myself for thinking of this. What a fantastic steward of our family's money I am.
Well... pride doth come before the fall....
I get to the clinic and talk to the receptionist about our reason for visiting, etc. She informs me that the kids will not only the the urine tests that I anticipated. But, they will also need blood tests.
FANTASTIC!! My heart stopped beating for a few minutes.
I pay the money, get the lab slips, and we head down the hall to the lab. And so begins a time where I may have lost my religion.
Things aren't so private here. So as we walk into the lab to hand in our slips, they are doing a blood draw from a boy about Callie's age. Now, this kid did great- not even a peep. But, Callie took one look at that situation and began to lose it!
You've seen that movie Carrie. It was a little bit like that.
Not pretty!! There was weeping and gnashing of teeth involved.
The lady at the desk handed me the lovely little pee cups and asked for a sample first (giving Callie even more time to get herself worked up).
Praise the Lord, Noah was very confident that he could handle it himself. He did pretty well. Callie, also much to my surprise and delight, said she could handle it herself. She also did pretty well. Only a very minor clean-up needed.
Then there's Lucy...
First off, she can't pee in a squatty potty all by herself yet. So, we squeeze into the tiny booth together. I take off all her clothes (trust me, this is completely necessary) and get her all set up. I am straddling the squatty potty. She is squatting between my legs gripping my thighs for dear life. I am bending over, holding the blessed cup for her to pee in- knowing full well her aim will not be accurate.
Why did no one tell me that moms have to do this sort of stuff before I birthed these three children?
Thanks a lot, friends!
And we wait, and wait, and wait. The pee-pees aren't coming. We take a breather and then reassume the pee-collection position. Still no pee.
I get the child dressed, we wash our hands, and we exit the bathroom. I knew that urine tests would be involved, so smart mom that I am, I brought water bottles for the kids. I sit Lucy down and command her to drink (perhaps in the voice of Satan). I am not proud of this.
Callie had taken off and was sitting as far away from the lab as possible, tears rolling down her cheeks, talking to herself. Random people were coming up to her and trying to comfort her.
Yes, we made quite the scene.
I look at Noah and say, I don't care how bad it hurts, you go in there, take it like a man, and come out all smiles. My eyes may have been glowing fire-red. I was afraid to look in a mirror at this point.
Noah did just that. He assured everyone in earshot, including Callie whom I had summoned, that it was sort of fun!
Well- trained boy!!
All eyes turned to Callie. Now, as I dragged her (literally) to the chair (she would not sit in it) a woman sitting right across from Noah sort of had a seizure and fainted. I casually stepped into Callie's line of sight to block her from seeing this and getting more crazy. And, as all the lab staff rushed to help the woman, Callie, blind with fear, and I had a little come to Jesus meeting about how she would be getting the blood draw no matter what.
The clinic staff wisked the woman off to who-knows-where and the lab staff returned. One other technician came over to help the nurse doing the blood-draw. We forced Callie into the chair. She went so nuts at the tourniquet that the staff backed off. They said, "she is so strong!!" I think Callie horse-kicked one of them in the shin!
So, then they made me sit in the chair and hold Callie down. I had to wrap my legs around hers, cross her free arm over her chest, and hold her in a bear-hug. Four other nurses had to help me hold her down. When she started screaming I had to cover her mouth with my hand. After it was over she completely chilled out and was like it wasn't so bad.
Thanks, darling daughter!!
The sweat was pouring down my face and steam was coming out of my ears. The nurses were trying to to be nice, but I know they wanted to stick needles straight into our foreheads!
Thanks to Callie's fine performance, Lucy was a little freaked out. The nurse had a hard time finding her vein bur eventually got it. Poor little Lucy cried a little bit, but did her best to be brave.
After Lucy's trauma, it was time for my trauma.
Lucy had decided that she was ready to go pee-pee. So we assumed the pee-collection position. Lucy proceeded to pee all over my hands as I was desperately trying to catch it with the cup.
Not my favorite part of the day.
So, anyhow, when the lab-work was complete it was time to see the doctor. He was very nice, and very interested in the three little American kids sitting in his office. He said that to do a full physical, he needed the lab results first.
They needed an hour to process. But he assured us that he was there till six, so no hurry. The kids and I went to grab an early lunch. After about an hour we came back. The good news was that the lab results were back. The bad news was that the doctor was at lunch.
We waited for him. He came back and pronounced the kids completely healthy.
Hooray, now they can swim!
Oh... did I not tell you the reason for this whole trauma?
The kids are going to go to the swimming pool with Lucy's preschool...
three times.
Yep! You read that correctly (if, in fact you are still reading this long drawn out story).
THREE TIMES!!!
All that hassle for just a few trips to the swimming pool! Can you believe it?
Well... pride doth come before the fall....
I get to the clinic and talk to the receptionist about our reason for visiting, etc. She informs me that the kids will not only the the urine tests that I anticipated. But, they will also need blood tests.
FANTASTIC!! My heart stopped beating for a few minutes.
I pay the money, get the lab slips, and we head down the hall to the lab. And so begins a time where I may have lost my religion.
Things aren't so private here. So as we walk into the lab to hand in our slips, they are doing a blood draw from a boy about Callie's age. Now, this kid did great- not even a peep. But, Callie took one look at that situation and began to lose it!
You've seen that movie Carrie. It was a little bit like that.
Not pretty!! There was weeping and gnashing of teeth involved.
The lady at the desk handed me the lovely little pee cups and asked for a sample first (giving Callie even more time to get herself worked up).
Praise the Lord, Noah was very confident that he could handle it himself. He did pretty well. Callie, also much to my surprise and delight, said she could handle it herself. She also did pretty well. Only a very minor clean-up needed.
Then there's Lucy...
First off, she can't pee in a squatty potty all by herself yet. So, we squeeze into the tiny booth together. I take off all her clothes (trust me, this is completely necessary) and get her all set up. I am straddling the squatty potty. She is squatting between my legs gripping my thighs for dear life. I am bending over, holding the blessed cup for her to pee in- knowing full well her aim will not be accurate.
Why did no one tell me that moms have to do this sort of stuff before I birthed these three children?
Thanks a lot, friends!
And we wait, and wait, and wait. The pee-pees aren't coming. We take a breather and then reassume the pee-collection position. Still no pee.
I get the child dressed, we wash our hands, and we exit the bathroom. I knew that urine tests would be involved, so smart mom that I am, I brought water bottles for the kids. I sit Lucy down and command her to drink (perhaps in the voice of Satan). I am not proud of this.
Callie had taken off and was sitting as far away from the lab as possible, tears rolling down her cheeks, talking to herself. Random people were coming up to her and trying to comfort her.
Yes, we made quite the scene.
I look at Noah and say, I don't care how bad it hurts, you go in there, take it like a man, and come out all smiles. My eyes may have been glowing fire-red. I was afraid to look in a mirror at this point.
Noah did just that. He assured everyone in earshot, including Callie whom I had summoned, that it was sort of fun!
Well- trained boy!!
All eyes turned to Callie. Now, as I dragged her (literally) to the chair (she would not sit in it) a woman sitting right across from Noah sort of had a seizure and fainted. I casually stepped into Callie's line of sight to block her from seeing this and getting more crazy. And, as all the lab staff rushed to help the woman, Callie, blind with fear, and I had a little come to Jesus meeting about how she would be getting the blood draw no matter what.
The clinic staff wisked the woman off to who-knows-where and the lab staff returned. One other technician came over to help the nurse doing the blood-draw. We forced Callie into the chair. She went so nuts at the tourniquet that the staff backed off. They said, "she is so strong!!" I think Callie horse-kicked one of them in the shin!
So, then they made me sit in the chair and hold Callie down. I had to wrap my legs around hers, cross her free arm over her chest, and hold her in a bear-hug. Four other nurses had to help me hold her down. When she started screaming I had to cover her mouth with my hand. After it was over she completely chilled out and was like it wasn't so bad.
Thanks, darling daughter!!
The sweat was pouring down my face and steam was coming out of my ears. The nurses were trying to to be nice, but I know they wanted to stick needles straight into our foreheads!
Thanks to Callie's fine performance, Lucy was a little freaked out. The nurse had a hard time finding her vein bur eventually got it. Poor little Lucy cried a little bit, but did her best to be brave.
After Lucy's trauma, it was time for my trauma.
Lucy had decided that she was ready to go pee-pee. So we assumed the pee-collection position. Lucy proceeded to pee all over my hands as I was desperately trying to catch it with the cup.
Not my favorite part of the day.
So, anyhow, when the lab-work was complete it was time to see the doctor. He was very nice, and very interested in the three little American kids sitting in his office. He said that to do a full physical, he needed the lab results first.
They needed an hour to process. But he assured us that he was there till six, so no hurry. The kids and I went to grab an early lunch. After about an hour we came back. The good news was that the lab results were back. The bad news was that the doctor was at lunch.
We waited for him. He came back and pronounced the kids completely healthy.
Hooray, now they can swim!
Oh... did I not tell you the reason for this whole trauma?
The kids are going to go to the swimming pool with Lucy's preschool...
three times.
Yep! You read that correctly (if, in fact you are still reading this long drawn out story).
THREE TIMES!!!
All that hassle for just a few trips to the swimming pool! Can you believe it?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Stink, Stank, Stunk
Just when I REALLY needed a shower...
I found out that the summer water cuts have started.
Fun times!!
I found out that the summer water cuts have started.
Fun times!!
Monday, July 4, 2011
July 4th!
It's Independence Day!!!
I always have to try at least three times before I am able to spell independence correctly. Ironically, I am teaching my kids to spell this summer. HA!
Anyhow, we usually sort of forget about Independence Day, but this year I am on top of things! I'm having a tiny get-together with some American friends to celebrate.
Justin and the kids bought me a grill for Mother's Day. So we are going to grill hamburgers. I even have some cheddar cheese that I brought back from London. I have diligently saved it in the freezer for this very occasion!
Faint from joy!!
The only bad news is that I still do not have a gun. So, I have nothing to fire off into the air in celebration.
Next year!?
I am more appreciative than ever for The United States of America. Our country may not be perfect. But, I have experienced first hand just what a treasure freedom is. And am so grateful for the brave men and women who volunteer (military service is mandatory for men here) to put their lives on the line to protect our way of life. Several of my very close relatives have served our country in war and peacetimes. I am so proud of them! And I am proud to be an American.
God Bless the USA!!!
I always have to try at least three times before I am able to spell independence correctly. Ironically, I am teaching my kids to spell this summer. HA!
Anyhow, we usually sort of forget about Independence Day, but this year I am on top of things! I'm having a tiny get-together with some American friends to celebrate.
Justin and the kids bought me a grill for Mother's Day. So we are going to grill hamburgers. I even have some cheddar cheese that I brought back from London. I have diligently saved it in the freezer for this very occasion!
Faint from joy!!
The only bad news is that I still do not have a gun. So, I have nothing to fire off into the air in celebration.
Next year!?
I am more appreciative than ever for The United States of America. Our country may not be perfect. But, I have experienced first hand just what a treasure freedom is. And am so grateful for the brave men and women who volunteer (military service is mandatory for men here) to put their lives on the line to protect our way of life. Several of my very close relatives have served our country in war and peacetimes. I am so proud of them! And I am proud to be an American.
God Bless the USA!!!
Calgon Take Me AWAY!!!
Cleaning the flat with the kids hovering around [read: messing up what I just cleaned] is like trying to dig a grave...
in the winter...
in Alaska...
with a sand shovel!
They follow behind me and immediately undo what I have done. Their little "clean-sensors" are spot on. The kitchen floor was barely dry from being mopped before we had our first spill. The linens on my bed were perfectly straight and crisp when suddenly it became the perfect place for wrestle-mania.
I'm searching online for some type of caging device!
Or, maybe, I'll give up on cleaning!
in the winter...
in Alaska...
with a sand shovel!
They follow behind me and immediately undo what I have done. Their little "clean-sensors" are spot on. The kitchen floor was barely dry from being mopped before we had our first spill. The linens on my bed were perfectly straight and crisp when suddenly it became the perfect place for wrestle-mania.
I'm searching online for some type of caging device!
Or, maybe, I'll give up on cleaning!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Pics
I have so many beautiful pictures to show you. I promise I'll get them organized and into some lovely posts... soon.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Beach Day
Today is beach day!!
Justin is on his way to London for work, and I am taking my sweet babies to the beach for some R & R... and FUN!!
Everybody's gonna sleep well tonight!!
Praise the Lord, we discovered that when we're not on public transportation, the beach is only 35 minutes away. This could be the best summer ever!!
Justin is on his way to London for work, and I am taking my sweet babies to the beach for some R & R... and FUN!!
Everybody's gonna sleep well tonight!!
Praise the Lord, we discovered that when we're not on public transportation, the beach is only 35 minutes away. This could be the best summer ever!!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Something so Simple
...gone so wrong!!
A few months ago I asked my mom to send the kids some sidewalk chalk in the next package. Sure enough, she did. The kids were thrilled.
Our neighbors were not!!!
They had never seen something like sidewalk chalk and have gotten so mad that my heathen children would "paint" up the parking area next to our building! They just can't understand that it's not permanent. I guess we'll have to wait for some rain to fully explain the magic of sidewalk chalk.
Major fail!
A few months ago I asked my mom to send the kids some sidewalk chalk in the next package. Sure enough, she did. The kids were thrilled.
Our neighbors were not!!!
They had never seen something like sidewalk chalk and have gotten so mad that my heathen children would "paint" up the parking area next to our building! They just can't understand that it's not permanent. I guess we'll have to wait for some rain to fully explain the magic of sidewalk chalk.
Major fail!
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