Making Friends

Last week we went on a visit to see some friends and Sadie Mac was the highlight for all. She was greeting everyone and playing with the other children and having a wonderful time. She was quite the little social butterfly. First, we were served water, which is custom. Everyone always brings water to their guests. Then we had coke, and coffee. Then, after that we enjoyed a meal together with water... only drinking AFTER the meal (also custom.) As the visit went on, we also enjoyed tea with milk together. We laugh at the fact it is 100+ temps and they LOVE coffee and hot tea!



We enjoyed the visit and all the while, Sadie Mac is having her a wonderful time. But, toward the end... her social hour(s) were finished. She had enough of being passed around (as you can see below). She was ready for mommy and daddy... and a NAP!

Mid-March Pool Party!

Last week the temperatures started rising and we thought... let's welcome summer back by having a "mini-pool party". Yes, Sadie's bathtub ducky doubles as a pool and she LOVED IT! We took it out on our balcony and we know she was thinking... "Bathtime??? YAY!!" NanNan brought her a bathing suit to enjoy days like this. (THANKS, cousin Caitlyn!!)I guess there are some perks for having 100+ temperatures in the middle of March... Welcome back summer... you weren't gone very long!


The lazy days of summer!!


Sadie Mac was having such a good time and when Stephen took her out, she kinda screamed (not mad... but just in a funny way) And I got them with the same faces.


This pool party is over!

Finding Contentment...

Recently I was inspired by a friend to make a list of all the things I like about living here. She was so encouraging and I was thankful to be reminded that even though it’s hard to be away from family and friends, and we live each day wondering what it shall bring, there are lots of great things about living here. Here are some of them…

Things I like about the Sandbox:
1. Fresh fruits and veggies every day and at one of the many stands that are always near by
2. My neighbors… so hospitable and helpful as I learn to live here
3 They love children here. Wherever I go people always want to hold Sadie Mac and she is quite use to strangers taking her. It’s so funny and so different than America.
4. Fool- the staple food here. We LOVE it. (mashed up beans with a few spices that you eat with bread... delicious)
5. It’s summer all year long! (I like this most of the time, but when I hear about ice and snow back home… there are a few times I’m jealous!)
6. Shopping at the Used Furniture Market… never know what kind of treasure you will find and what you can create from it. We bought Sadie’s nursery set there, chairs, and tables too! All for super cheap!
7. Having my own flower garden.
8. We can (kinda) speak Arabic!
9. I’ve learned to cook from scratch and Stephen says I’m not too bad at it.
10. Fresh bread daily at the local bakery and dookan (mini-mart)
11. Fresh pineapple juice with milk… basically, it’s amazing!
12. Not having to clean up water spills because the heat will get it in a matter of minutes!
13. Learning what Sandbox hospitality is…. And is often quite close to southern hospitality… I will raise my daughter right, whether it is here or in America!
14. Walking down the street and meeting a total stranger and them asking you to come in and drink tea… right then!
15. Having lots and LOTS of cultural experiences… henna (art work on my feet), halowa (waxing all the hair off my arms… ouch!), and wearing a tobe (cultural clothes that I never would wear in America!)
16. It’s ok to sweat and smell, because everyone does! (I hesitated to put this one, but it’s true!)
17. Learning to cook food from this culture (which I did with my language tutor this week!)
18. We have pyramids!
19. I can see the Nile River every day if I want to.
20. Even on hard days, we like knowing we are exactly where we are suppose to be.


The cashier took Sadie and continued to take orders!


We have our own pyramids!


The local taste... and learning to cook it!


Modeling a tobe... Sadie Mac is actually asleep in my sling under the tobe.


Standing on the banks of the Nile...


Fresh Fruits & Veggies... EVERY DAY!

Leisure Days

Here are some pictures of what we do on our leisure days. On days off we like to do a variety of things. One of Stephen's favorites, is playing golf at a course not too far outside of town.

Some days we have to stay around the house. Some days the sun is too hot to be out or some days there is just too much going on. On those days, we watch movies, play the wii, or my personal favorite, plant flowers!!
It's really funny that Sadie Mac is now crawling on her belly. She loves going any and everywhere... especially out on the balcony. When I'm out there with my flowers, she always finds me. As she crawls to me she typically spills my drink, gets into one I am planting and wants to play in the dirt. As you can see from the pic below... she has a trail of terror!

Allergic to VEGETABLES!

We've started solids. She LOVES rice cereal. I was excited to make my own baby food, feeling all domestic and what not! So, first we tried peas... uh, no thank you! Back to rice cereal.
Last night we tried carrots... again, NO WAY mama! She is so funny about it. She seems eager and when the food gets into her mouth she starts gagging and twitching. I think Sadie Mac is pretending to be allergic or something! Maybe we will throw veggies out the window for a little while and go to fruits! But this girl loves rice cereal!


(the actual gagging!!)


It was a food fight... and I lost!


"Hmmm.... this looks interesting. Green? Let's give it a whirl!"


"Are they serious? This is disgusting!"

The Nursery

We've been back a few weeks and finally have all the trunks that my mom brought us unpacked. In them, my very talented mother made all of Sadie Mac's nursery attire! :-) My mom, sisters and a few of their friends all pitched in so Sadie could have a "pottery barn kids" kinda place to rest her head! They did valances to match a diaper stacker and quilt wall hanging. As you can see from the pic, Sadie loves it all! Before we knew if she was a boy or girl we decided to go with an animal theme... and why not African animals?!? It's crazy that she is almost 7 months old, and is now doing the "inch worm/army man" crawl on her belly all around the floor and has 2 teeth! Time sure does fly by with little ones!
It's starting to heat up here again in the sandbox. Last week (mid-Feb, may I remind you!!) it was already hitting the 100 mark! UGH! It's dusty and dirty, but it's all about the adventure. Thanks for joining us on it!

Playing Hard to Get

We are back home, but not until Sadie Mac finally got to meet her Prince Eli. Before we headed home we got to see our friends and their little boy who was born the same day she was born. As you can see, even with Sadie having chicken pox from head to toe... there were sparks! Eli for sure is a kisser and we were afraid after his kissing on her, he would get them... but thankfully it didn't happen. Sadie Mac was a little embarrassed that her dad was there so she played hard to get! (Smart girl!) We loved spending time with all three of them!




Pic from Jordan: Sadie Mac's first experience with cold weather... bundled up next to daddy! This was also the first time she had to wear socks or any kind of long sleeves. I could tell when we put on her jacket getting off of the plane in Jordan she was thinking, "What is this mom?"

To My Favorite Auntie Avee

Dear Auntie Avee,
I wanted to write and tell you how much I love you and what a wonderful time I had with you. You are so special and you helped me so much. You helped feed me and change my diaper. I loved it when you would take me on walks in my stroller. I just don't know which of those times it was that I gave you my chicken pox. When NanNan emailed today and told me you now have them, I was very sad. I hope you can forgive me for passing them on to you. I will tell you what they told me... DON'T SCRATCH! Well, I love you wanted you to know and you are the bestest Auntie I know and have met!! Don't worry, as you can see from my picture... the spots get better and slowly go away! Mommy, Daddy and I are all praying for you and that you heal soon. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Sadie Mac

What a Wonderful World!!

We had a wonderful time with NanNan and Auntie Avee who came to visit! We are so blessed with all their goodies from friends and family back home! Sadly they had to go back and we are still here because the chicken pox are preventing us from being on a plane! We do miss home, but hope to see other friends who live near us soon. Avee is now the favorite aunt (and the only one Sadie Mac has met!) She did a great job and was a big help with changing diapers and feeding. THANK YOU mom and Avee for coming to see us!! We had a wonderful time together. LOVE YOU both and miss you already!

Dots and Spots

A few dots here, some spots there and now sadly, Sadie Mac has the chicken pox everywhere!! We started noticing a few little bumps on her this weekend, and now they are in full swing. It's so sad and she is miserable. Let us tell you... chicken pox on vacation... well, not a fun combination. So much for sleeping in and long restful nights. We're still having a wonderful time with my mom and sister. We've been kinda cooped up for the past few days so we went to a park yesterday to get a change of scenery. We stayed away from all the other kids (it wasn't busy anyway) but had fun riding the "flying camels" and seeing green grass. Sadie Mac was a trooper! Please pray for our little angel that she will feel better soon!


Stephen and Avee on the flying camels

NanNan and Sadie Mac on a stroll in the park