Camels

While my mom was here we wanted to go on a little adventure and find some camels to get up close to and possibly even ride on.  We've heard about several camel farms that friends have been to, but they can be hit or misses as far as someone being there to show you around or even have camels available, since they let them wander at times.  We called transport and asked them to send us a driver who knew where camels were and off we went.  

We drove through the desert and saw multiple herds of camels along the roads!  Gavin was extremely excited and couldn't wait to ride one... he kept telling us he wanted a BIG one.  

We eventually found an open path towards a tent (it's a home for nomads) and took a chance that they'd show us around.  It took a while to find the people, but our driver saw them off in the distance near 1 camel and he went and talked to them.  After driving through a few more paths we found a father with his two sons who were feeding a momma camel and her 2 day newborn baby camel.

This was the daddy camel... he had to stay away from the momma camel and baby (don't know why)

We stayed a while and visited with the people.  They spoke English, were extremely nice and pleasant and so willing to share information with us, asked questions to get to know us, etc, etc.  Gavin wouldn't touch either one of the camels and made sure to stay a safe distance away from them-- he was very timid and almost scared.  We got to watch the mamma camel eat and saw them teaching the baby camel to stand.  It was really, really neat!

Miles was even interested in the camels!

All the man's camels were across the road wandering, so he didn't have any other's for us to see or ride, which was okay.  We enjoyed interacting with this momma and baby camel.  

Gavin was telling us how he's big and strong like a camel!  

Here's a video of the camels we took while in the desert

This is what we do

Caution: Picture Overload!!  

We introduce Brooklyn to people on skype

We try to laugh and goof on since someone always seems to be crying around here

 

We give friends opportunities to take care of our kids.... Micah was practicing!

When we're delirious and tired and exhausted, we seem to do anything to entertain our kids.  You can tell Brooks was thrilled!

We find new ways to keep Miles, our little tornado (that's his new nickname), contained in one place!

Mom takes care of Brooklyn and helps keep her out of arms reach from all the chaos!

Do you know there are thousands and thousands of recipes for dates?  Since dates are really popular around here-- mom went to town creating recipes with them... they were actually good, too!

Gavin even tried them-- don't know what he thought about this one?!?!

Delia holding Brooklyn for the first time.

 We take long walks and play on the playgrounds to get out of the house and have some fun!  Love my new stroller by the way!

 

 





We make attempts to get out of the house and load 3 car seats in and out of cars.  It was an experience and we have no room for anyone or anything else to fit into the car!

 

As you can see, we're making it with 3 kids and feel like we have a house full!  My dad left a week and a half ago and we miss him, but praise the Lord my mom's still here!  We're doing everything we can to make special memories with her and take advantage of her company and her help!   

Saudi Gras

It's Mardi Gras in Saudi.... something we're calling Saudi Gras!  Last night our compound threw a huge "party" for all of us southerners to celebrate the fun festival and we had a blast!  Thankfully, Saudi Gras was scheduled before my parents flew over so days before they left the states I asked my mom to go search for Mardi Gras shirts and decorations so we could participate in all the fun!  Everything my mom got was perfect and we fit in with everyone else!  

The evening started with a parade through the compound-- we threw beads to the people that were sitting outside their villas (some even stood out on their balconies) while pushing a stroller and car buggy.  Gavin rode his bike and dressed himself with his batman mask since other kids were wearing masks.  My precious husband, who was a trooper through all of this, got into the spirit of things and dressed up, too!  My mom was amazed seeing how big of a deal this celebration was and how much everyone got into it!  It might have made her miss all the Mardi Gras balls she's normally at!  Miles was very curious about all the people dressed up and loud noises that were going on.  He had a concerned look on his face throughout the beginning of the parade, but eventually loosened up.  

After the parade we had a huge dinner filled with gumbos, etoufee's, tons of other potluck dishes, a million desserts, and multiple homemade king cakes!  We loved hanging out with all our friends and spending time with everyone.  We also had the chance to let people meet Brooklyn for the first time.  Her huge bow and beaded fleur de lis shirt helped make her a huge hit!! I love that even though we're living on the other side of the world, we still get a piece of home over here!  

 

 

The next 2 pics will give you an idea of how big our parade was and how INTO the festivities people really got.

HAPPY SAUDI GRAS!!! 

Shhh... It's a Secret