Oh my Goodness!! Oh my goodness!

I'm so excited right now because Brooks is in the states and home from Saudi.  He has been over there for about three weeks now and we have missed him soooo much.  He is on his way right now to Lake Charles and I'm getting ready to go pick him up (he rode with some friends who were going to Sulphur for the weekend). I figured since we'll be busy spending time together this weekend, I'd update the blog so I don't go another week having NOT updated it and make some of my friends worry about me (yes, I got a few phone calls last week asking if everything was alright since I hadn't posted anything new). 

Anyways, Brooks has been loving Saudi.  He loves his job and what he's doing for the project.  He's enjoyed getting to be a "bachelor" with very little responsibilities-- he hasn't really cooked a lot (maybe made a few PB&J sandwiches & heated up some ramen noodles); he's been able to go out to dinner with friends over there and there have been several cook outs on the compound. 

Well, gotta run.  He's almost here!   Have a great weekend!
   

Piggies and Paws

Have you ever heard of Piggies and Paws? It is a CUTE way to get a unique painting that incorporates your childs' hand or foot into a picture.  I went to a Piggies and Paws party this weekend at my friend Susie's house.  All of our close friends who have kids were there and it was a fun morning.  There were books for us to go through with sample paintings where we could choose a painting for our child to make.  The process is really cute... you choose the theme/design you want and based on what you choose determines whether or not your childs hand or foot is used (or both).  You can also choose your own color scheme.  Then, your childs hand or foot gets painted and stamped onto a paper. Voila-- all you have to do now is wait a few weeks and the artist will send your painting to you, completed!  

I chose an airplane design for Gavin (hoping it would represent this stage in his life) and so he got to have his foot painted.  He loved it!  He watched his friend Cade get his foot painted first and couldn't wait for his turn!  He sat on the stool and waited patiently.  I think it tickled his foot a little when she started painting it. 

Before the party ended, I realized I was going to have to say goodbye to some close friends so I wanted to get a picture with our kids together.  Gavin is going to miss his friends Sydney, Garren, and Cade. 

If you ever get a chance to go to a Piggies and Paws party or want to host one, you should.  Check out their website for more information.

Water

Water has been a part of our daily routine the past two weeks.  Part of being at Captain and Kimmie's house, Gavin gets to feed the fish in the fountain everyday.  The first morning he got to feed them and saw they were swimming around, he got a brilliant idea!  Gavin ran inside the house, grabbed a toy fishing pole, went back outside, and went "fishing"! It was soooo cute and really fun to watch.  Now, when Gavin goes to the fountain he calls for the fish saying, "fishies, fishies" (I guess he thinks they'll come out) 

Last weekend, we found out my parents condo in Orange Beach became available for the week so we packed up our bags and hit the road.  We decided to make it a girls trip- my mom, me, my sister in law, Anna, her mom and all our kids came.  Liz, my other sister in law, just welcomed Liam into the world a few weeks ago and they weren't ready to make the trip-- we missed you guys and wish ya'll could have come!  Gavin and David had a blast playing together.. they ran around chasing each other, ate together, played together, and pretty much goofed off together. 

Gavin loves his new floaties- thanks MeLisa for the idea!  We tried them out last week at the Country Club pool and he was willing to get into the big pool with them!  I brought them with us to Orange Beach and he wanted to spend all his time swimming in the big pool.  He does great at kicking and even likes to lay on his back (something Gavin has NEVER been fond of). 

We didn't spend all our time at the pool- in the evenings when it was cooler and there weren't as many people out, we would go out to the beach!  David and Gavin enjoyed playing in the sand, watching for birds, and pouring sand on their Kimmie. 

Audrey, David's little sister, hung out with us too!  She lounged in the pool and slept on the beach chairs.  She was so sweet to be around.

Since my belly is growing more and more these days, Gavin is becoming aware of the baby in my belly.  He loves to come and kiss my belly throughout the day and we just so happened to catch him doing it. 

On our last trip to the beach, Gavin was willing to go out into the water with Brooks and somewhat enjoyed it, however, for some reason- he wasn't that interested in the waves on the beach this time.  I tried everything I could to get him motivated to go into the water, but the only way he would is if I was holding him.  I thought when he was walking towards the water in this picture he was finally going in, but check out the next picture.. it shows his true feelings!

On our last night, we decided to take the kids outside and take some pictures.  We took like 100 and only have a few good ones.  The kids did great though and enjoyed being bribed with some M&M's.

It was a fun trip and we're glad we got to spend time with family. 

A glimpse of a few new things

To say that we're going through some changes would be an understatement.  I thought I'd show you a few of those changes.

Here are two pictures of our new home in Saudi.  Brooks is there and living in it now.  We have a 3 bedroom villa located next to one of the security walls (you can see it in the first picture) and our back yard is on the beach!  Yes, that's right-- instead of a 4th wall surrounding our compound, we have a beach, with sand and palm trees.

It was time for Gavin to get another haircut and I was sure he'd do fine with it, but had a little hesitation in the back of mind.  However, the moment we walked into the Salon he was excited.  He climbed into the chair, starting rubbing his hair, and saying "cheese" (I had the camera in my hand). 

He saw the bucket of suckers in the middle of his hair cut and needed one.  It kept him in the chair so I was willing to let it be a distraction for him.  Kimmie came to watch him get his hair cut and he was very proud!

I also got my hair done.  A while back I made the decision to dye my hair darker while we live in Saudi.  At one of our Saudi wives meeting, it was suggested that we bring our hair color with us and take it into a Saudi salon and have a hairdresser color our hairs. My only thought with that was do Saudi hairdresser's color blonde hair?  I also was concerned with the length of time that would go by where my roots would be half way down my head if I needed to wait until we came back to the states for a visit to get my hair done.  So, my hair is now my original hair color.  It's different, it's darker, but I like it and am already semi use to it.

Before:

After:

Transition Time

Brooks left last Thursday to go to Saudi.  As much time as we've had to prepare for this move, nothing could have gotten us ready for that day and evening.  Thankfully, Brooks had last Thursday off of work since it was considered a "travel day", but didn't fly out until 8:30pm.  We had the whole day to spend together as a family.  It was a sweet day; very emotional for me; but filled with excitement for him.  I'd write about the moment we said our goodbyes, but I just can't.  However, I will say that when he walked through the double doors entering the airport, something clicked, and I became fully aware that he wasn't just taking a trip.... he was moving.  Thus, meaning, we're moving.  Let's just say that I'm grateful I had a 3 hour drive all to myself back to Lake Charles in my car to gather my thoughts and emotions together.  Of course, Gavin was with me.  He was busy watching Toy Story in the backseat and working on a sucker I gave him to help make the trip a smooth ride. 

Since Brooks has been gone, we've been able to Skype twice a day.  There is an 8 hour difference, so we talk, via webcam, in the morning when Gavin and I are waking up and he's getting off of work.  He also calls us mid afternoon when he's going to bed.  He's adjusting to life over there pretty well.  Our friends, the Sperling's are there, along with other men who Brooks traveled to China with earlier this year.  So he's been having dinner with them and went grocery shopping last night.  He got to experience prayer time for the first time-- in Saudi they have prayer time's 5 times a day where pretty much EVERYTHING shuts down; stores, taxi cabs, everything.  Their people quit working and pray.  So, last night Brooks had to wait outside the grocery store for them to reopen in order for him to shop. 

He had a great flight-- he started putting himself on Saudi time a day or two before he left so that when he made it over there he wouldn't feel as much jet lag.  I think it worked too.  Upon arriving in Saudi, it took him nearly 2 hours to get through customs, get his visa stuff worked out, etc.  He was stopped for his CD's and DVD's while in customs.  Thankfully, we had taken them all out of their cases and were in one of those CD books, and we had turned them all around so the covers were not shown.  The Saudi worker simply flipped through the book, saw nothing, and closed them!  Perfect.  However, he then was questioned about some other CD's in his other suitcase--- CD's that Brooks forgot about... After being questioned several times and then had his bag searched, Brooks realized it was his P90X DVD's.  Of course, those were still in their case, which had bare shirted men on the cover of it and women with half tops on.  HAHA-- the Saudi worker asked Brooks about those DVD's sexual content?!! Brooks then had to convince him they were for workout purposes only.  They ended up letting him through with them and nothing was confiscated. 

Gavin and I are doing great in Lake Charles.  My parents are taking good care of us.  The first few days we were here, Gavin was still sick with a fever and not himself so we mostly relaxed and slept a lot.  I'm sad to say I have only unpacked 2 out of 6 of our suitcases, but that is my goal for today.  We did get out yesterday and went swimming and had lunch outside.  Gavin was excited to get out of the house and to be back to himself again.  We're hoping to spend as much time with family and friends while we're here and make the most of our time in Lake Chuck. 

Thank you all for your prayers during the last few weeks.  It really was a whirlwind of a time.  Now, we're just working on adjusting to our "new life" in transition and are making the most of it! 

Have you heard of Buzz Lightyear?

In the midst of us packing up our home, we've still managed to have some fun!  Last weekend, Brooks and I decided to take Gavin to his first movie.  We realized that Saudi doesn't have movie theaters and it would be a while before Gavin would get that "movie theater" experience, so we took him to see Toy Story 3.  He has found a love for Buzz Lightyear and calls him by name while we're in stores and when he sees him on signs.  I found him a Toy Story t-shirt at Target and we taught him all the characters names.  He also has had a Toy Story placemat, which is now required for all his meals.. His Thomas the Train placemat has been replaced.  Here is a picture of Brooks and Gavin before we went to the movies. Gavin wanted to be like his daddy and wear his hat backwards too.  Too cute!

So we got to the movie theater early, or so we thought.  We immediately went and bought a tub of popcorn and a drink to help entertain Gavin throughout the movie. You see, Gavin isn't exactly the kid that will SIT for a long period of time.  He always likes to be moving so we weren't sure how he was going to handle an hour and a half movie.  However, we came prepared.  We brought Gavin his own cup with a lid and straw, skittles, goldfish, suckers, crackers, and more to help him "stay busy" throughout the movie.  We refused to bring his paci and froggie since those are for night night only.  We figured if he couldn't stay still or quiet we would just have to leave.  Our expectations were high, but we also understood a 22 month old may not want to hang out in a dark room, sitting for a long period of time.  Anyways, Gavin did awesome.  He didn't want the booster seat, which was fine with us, so we slipped it under our chairs.  He would sit for a little while then he'd stand in front of his chair.  Brooks and I sat on both sides of Gavin to kind of trap him in.  We had a huge blessing in the theater, because the only empty seat with in 6 rows of us was the one directly in front of Gavin.  Therefore, he was able to hold on to the seat when he stood and he wasn't bothering anyone.  Gavin really enjoyed the movie and Brooks and I had fun watching our little boy grow up in front of our eyes.

Since Gavin has taken a liking to Buzz so much, we took advantage of this new love the night before we went to the movies.  Our best friends, The Carpenter's, gave Gavin a gift card to Build a Bear for his dedication back in May.  We wanted to make sure Gavin got to make a bear before we moved.  Gavin hasn't exactly been the stuffed animal kind of kid, not because we don't want him to be, he just never has embraced them.  So, we went to Build A Bear not really knowing how Gavin would react to the all the stuffed animals.  During the first 15 minutes, he kept telling us "no" to every single animal we put in front of him- bears, dogs, penguins, cows, and more.  We were getting a little worried that he wouldn't make one, but eventually he warmed up.  Another little issue we were dealing with in the back of our minds, was that you aren't suppose to bring stuffed animals into Saudi Arabia (they believe they hoard spirits or something like that).  Anyways, we ignored that little fact and knew that we wanted Gavin to have something from his best friend, Cade, so we kept searching.  We eventually found a dog that Gavin was interested in and began making him.  Gavin stood back and observed the process.  However, he was willing to select a heart (or three) and he placed them into the dog before he got sewed up.  We decided to name his dog Cade, after his best buddy.  We were searching for the perfect outfit for his dog when we came across a Buzz Lightyear outfit.  Once we found that, our search was over.  We dressed "Cade" into "Buzz's" outfit and we were off.  Gavin really had fun and was excited to see his dog dressed in such a cool costume.  "Cade" is now packed comfortably inside a few bed sheets marked bedding in hopes that he will make it to Saudi with us!

 

We Celebrated the 4th

This year was our first time to actually celebrate the 4th of July by doing something "festive" since we've been married.  We're glad we did celebrate since this may be the last time for a while we get to see fireworks and have American flags flying high in the air.  We went with our friends, The Carpenter's, out on their boat for dinner, fun, and fireworks.  Brooks and I live very close to the water and sadly, have never been out in it.  

We had a blast during our evening.  Gavin and Cade played and goofed off like always, all the adults chit chatted, and we ate some delicious food.  We got to see 2 firework shows and one of them was literally right in front of us-- we were so close to it, the ashes were falling on us and covered the boat.  Gavin LOVED the fireworks!  He wasn't scared at all and would oooohhhh and aaahhhh at them.  Did I mention Gavin's other love of the evening?  The fact that he was on a boat!  Um, yea.... that is one of Gavin's new found obsessions (along with trucks and trains).  He says boat probably 100 times a day even when there isn't any boats around.  Luckily, he realized we were riding on a boat and were in the water and he was beyond words happy about it!  Not to mention, the fact, that we were around tons of other boats riding in the water-- every where he turned around he saw boats.  

Addison sporting her life jacket!  I don't think she made a sound the entire evening, but was surely a delight to have around.  She is the sweetest baby ever!!

The Perry's and Carpenter's

Gavin watching the fireworks with his daddy--- you'll notice this is the ONLY picture without his life jacket on.  We changed his diaper right when the fireworks started and didn't want him to miss any of them so we ran him back up the boat to watch.  

We stayed out on the boat pretty late and for the FIRST TIME in a year and a half, Gavin fell asleep in our arms... not in his bed.... and not in his car seat.  It was a miracle-- we didn't know he could do that anymore.  I think he was pretty tired from all the fun he had.  

Here's a video that someone took of Gavin watching the fireworks.. I know it's dark but it lights up for you to see his face during the show.  ** Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of the page. 

Our House is Empty and Our Stuff is Packed

Well, the day finally came... the movers were at our house Thursday and Friday.  Everything is packed and the house is empty (minus a few cleaning supplies they refused to pack).  Brooks and I worked diligently all week to label our belongings... thanks to my friend Stephanie, she gave me the idea to color code my labels by air, sea, and storage.  and we organized items in rooms based on if they were air, sea, or storage.  For two days, I went through our entire house and did an inventory of ALL of our belongings-- I wrote down EVERYTHING, just to be sure there was a record of it all.  The inventory is for insurance purposes if any belongings get damaged, broken, or missing in the move.  

The night before they came, we broke down Gavin's crib (he slept in our room on his mattress, which made for a fun evening teaching him to stay "in bed" while it's on the floor), and we took apart the guest bed to make room for the items we were grouping in those two rooms.  It was a lot of work, but we were thankful that we had some kind of organization going on.  

The movers showed up Thursday morning and they went to town-- there were 4 workers, each took a room so there was no way we both could have been in each room telling them where things should go.  The first few hours were a little stressful for us, because we felt like we were being pulled in many directions, and I still had to finish some of my packing that I forgot about.  However, around 11am Thursday, Brooks and I were sitting on our couches, doing nothing.  Around 2pm we were bored.  Thankfully, Gavin was at "the babysitters" so he was well entertained and out of the way.  I've never experienced a moving company packing (at least I don't think I have), but this was an amazing experience to watch.  They were fast!  

Brooks was relaxing during the day Thursday.  We kind of felt guilty for not helping.

Because of Hurricane Alex, Southeast Houston got a TON of rain for several days. Originally, our sea container was suppose to come Thursday to be loaded, so the workers focused on packing our sea stuff first.  However, due to the heavy rains, the container never came Thursday and the workers were forced to stay inside and pack the remainder of our belongings.  Friday morning, we showed up at our house and found 2 large moving trucks in our front yard.  Gavin was in heaven with the trucks! His new found obsessions are trucks, trains, and boats, so he loved having them at our house.  The big van you see was for our storage container by the end of the day, they had filled it up with our belongings... we aren't bringing any furniture with us, except the baby crib, changing table, rocker, and Brooks' recliner so our furniture took up a lot of room.  The other container, that you'll see Gavin playing on was for our sea stuff.  They will unload the "sea truck" and move our belongings onto a sea crate that will be loaded onto a ship sometime in the next few weeks (hopefully).  We aren't planning on seeing any of our sea shipment until mid September sometime.  We did get 500lbs to take in our air shipment, however, that filled up really quick.  We didn't get to take a percentage of items we want to in air, but that's okay.. we got toys, towels, and more toys-- you know, the necessities.  Our air shipment should arrive in Saudi some time by August, prayerfully, it will be there before Gavin and i arrive in Saudi.

Did I mention Gavin LOVED having the trucks there?  He climbed up and down the ramps, went into the truck and touched all the boxes, buttons, and packing supplies.  He even learned that you can put your trains at the top of the ramp and watch them roll down to the ground really fast!  It entertained him for a good 20 minutes.  

Here he watched the other truck pull up and was in awe!  it was really cute to watch.  

Overall, it has been an overwhelming last few weeks, but now, we're sitting on a friends' couch relaxing and the big stuff is done!  We still can't believe all this is happening and that our move is upon us.  I had a small breakdown Tuesday evening, okay it was a big breakdown, but I got over it.  Just the realization of this time is here hit me.  Gavin has been great throughout the last week-- he's adjusted well and has gone along for the ride.  We kept some of his favorite toys around for him to have some comfort.  We're trying to make things as normal as possible for him.  We're looking forward to the long weekend we get to spend together to make some lasting memories of our time left in Houston.  

Happy 4th of July everyone!