Big news (but actually, she's pretty tiny)

The little lady is here, and her name is Winnie.  She was three weeks early but that just made it easier for Em.  Want to see her?  She might be the cutest baby EVER.  The two bottom pictures are tied for my favorite.  I cannot get over the hearing test. (She was 6lbs, 4 oz and her birthday is February 22nd.)

Funny ones

Last night, I had to bark a little bit to get the kids to tidy up and Lizzie said, "you're treating us like you're our stepmother!"  Thank you, Disney.

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"When are we going back to Tanzania?  Can we go with the other grandparents?  Actually can we go to Japan with them?"

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"Tommy, 'tend you're Hitler and I'm your puppy, and I bite you and you die!"  [Too many WWII books at the moment.]

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As we walked back from the very windy beach this afternoon, I caught up to the kids at a driveway (where they have to wait for me) and I heard Lizzie saying, "the boy kissed the girl?" And Tommy said, "No, the girl kissed the boy."  Lizzie asked, "on the lips??"  "NO!  On the cheek!"

It turns out Tommy saw some teenagers kiss in the cafeteria and decided to tell his little sister all about it.

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Lizzie, answering a question:  "LA! Mom, do you know how to say 'no' in Arabic? It's la!  So, mom, LA!"

Lately

It's February 20th and I have yet to post in February.  I have a bit of writer's block, I think.  And, our photograph technical difficulties continue, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Stay with me, friends.  I mean it.  For today, here's a little picture-less update but you don't mind, right?  And here we go, in no particular order of importance.

My yoga teacher returned to Muscat from Japan and last week we did some headstands.  I can do it.  It's not perfect and there are no guarantees about how long I'll be up, but I can do it.  I will have someone take a photo next time so you can see it and feel impressed.  This, together with my children's relative good health and decent diets, is the level of achievement in my life right now.  Which is okay.

Lizzie woke up on Valentine's day with a bunch of welts.  Initially, I thought she had an allergic reaction to hazelnuts but over the next day, I became convinced that there was a mosquito in her room.  The maid claims to have found mosquitos while cleaning in there - she said one of them was even full of blood.  I have no idea, I just know that she went to her swimming lesson Saturday and then to school last week.  She's fine.  But it was a little bit startling, poor thing.  I learned today that she will have a ballet recital in May.  Parents aren't allowed to watch the lessons so I have no idea what this recital will be like.  Last night I almost convinced her to show me the dance by claiming that I wouldn't remember it, but she stopped and pointed at Tommy and said, "But you're a good rememberer, am I right?"  Tommy (honest to a fault!) nodded, so she refused to dance.

Last night, Eli came home and said, "I had this realization today that your community here is like a small town."  And I just sort of looked at him because my friend Joyce told me that a long time ago.  She said, "they'll either love you or hate you and there's nothing you can do."  Luckily, I haven't found that to be true (plenty of people don't love me or hate me, which is fine with me) but I do agree that I am constantly running into people I know.  I also know the owners of many of the businesses I patronize.  And for a girl who never thought she would like to live in a non-city, this place has been kind to me and I mostly like it.

I continue to spend hours each day listening to podcasts, and I have to suggest that each of you listen to the two most recent This American Life episodes about police.  Worth it.  I also listened to a Freakonomics episode about terrorism which gave me about ten minutes of material to spew at Eli this morning while our children were swimming.

Tommy and Lizzie are starting Karate twice a week.  I mention this so that any and all of you who overhear me complaining about how all I do is drive my children around can point at me and say in a very forceful voice, "YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF."  

I will be back soon.  I promise.

Jebal Akhdar

This weekend, friends invited us to join them at Jebal Akhdar.  We stayed at Sahab, which was a lovely hotel, but next time we will try another popular new place.  After we adjusted our route on google maps, it was easy to find.  There is a police checkpoint at the bottom of the mountain and you are only allowed up with a 4WD vehicle, because it is so steep and winding.  I tried not to pay attention.

A popular brand of drinking water is named after Jebal Akhdar, but I have no idea where they claim to get this water (that's a lie:  it is likely desalinated as is all the rest of our water, so from the sea), but there is no apparent source of water on Jebal Akhdar.  There is a falaj system (see my photos below), but that is most definitely not drinking water.

After Tommy's football match on Friday morning (his team won!), we went home, packed the car and set off on what was meant to be a two hour drive but actually took three and a half due to bad mapquesting.  I assume full responsibility.  After we arrived and checked in, we went on a hike through some villages.  Everybody thought we were crazy to go to the mountains in the middle of winter, and in the evening after the sun went down, we did wear fleece coats.  It felt so nice and cozy!

In the morning, we finished the hike and then drove back to Muscat as one of us had to get into the office.  Still, nice to have him around a bit more than usual this weekend.

They are standing on the falaj.

Our hotel - the pool was not heated, so the kids took over the hottub.

That's our hotel on the top of the hill.

Mutrah Hike - December 2014

While Hanh was here, we decided to go for a hike in Mutrah (which is the old part of Muscat).  The hike is in the mountains that are right along the harbor, and there are gorgeous views.  It's not an easy hike, however, and it's more difficult when one goes the wrong way (as there are flags painting on the rocks showing the way, this isn't such an easy thing to do but we managed it).

Another hiker offered to take our photo and then made us a nice rock background instead of the pretty view.
He must not be too stupid though, because he followed the flags and went the right way.

See Tommy all the way down there? 

I look heartless in this photo, but I did carry her quite a while.  She's pretty cute, and not especially easy to turn down.

Christmas 2014

We had SUCH a nice Christmas this year, although I would say there are a few too many new Lego in this house.  (Tommy would disagree.)  I made breakfast with not-great-cinnamon rolls and Mom and Dad made the whole dinner which was JUST SO NICE OF THEM.  Of all the presents I got on Christmas, and I got some nice ones, that was my favorite. (You'll have to take my word for it that Eli was there - doing all the behind-the-camera work.)

Surveying the gifts, and waiting impatiently for Eleanor to wake up.

Guess who asked Santa to make her a box troll for Christmas?

Because what else is there to do when you unwrap toy nunchucks from your Grandma?

Mom and Dad broke/lost both their cameras before the safari, so Santa got them a new one.

Compulsory Christmas photo.

Eleanor liked having extra readers around.

Again with the hands.  Isn't that for Texas? I mean, what is he doing?