Newsletter

WHOA! This week has been a week of changes for me. For the most part, I've been doing really well, but every once in a while, I feel the need to be sad. You see, teachers went back to school this week and I'm not there. I knew this time was coming, but I think I put it on the back burner since June that I wasn't ready for it. I'm thankful that I have been so busy working on Gavin's Birthday Party Decorations, making a few arts and craft projects, and playing with Gavin that I haven't had much down time. On Tuesday, my friend Stephanie and I went to lunch and that helped a tremendous amount--- thanks Steph!!! (I know we didn't go to lunch for that reason, but it helped distract me!).

I also know that being home with Gavin, taking care of this house, and having the flexibility to come and go as I please (to visit family and friends) is what I'm suppose to be doing right now. I'm loving having this freedom and I know that these feelings of "what I'm missing out on" will go away. I got the best advice a while back while talking to a good friend about my transition and she said for me to look at what I was going to gain, not what I would be missing out on. That has been huge!! It helps me look at things from a different perspective. The coolest thing, is that Gavin is learning so much right now and trying new things and I'm LOVING watching him grasp concepts (ex: peek-a-boo, putting a ball in the cup & taking it out, chase, etc). I'm appreciating him growing up (but can NOT believe he's going to be 1 years old next week).

So, I write all that because this morning in my email account I received an email that said, "Saudi Wives Newsletter", WHOA-- hold up-- wait a minute..... I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS! I'm a Saudi Wife! I'm a SAUDI wife! Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful I received this newsletter and all the important information that goes with it, but it's just another step in the direction of MORE change... CHANGE that's to come. ** I've decided that I'm a lot like my dad when it comes to, the less change... the better.... we both would rather change not ever happen because we like the way things are. However, as my mom and Brooks have always reminded me, change is good!

The newsletter did give lots of information about events going on at the compound, reminders for ways of living, contact information, and even dates for the next kids play group!! Woo Hoo! I think that excited me the most! The email also included a slide show presentation on Ramadan in order for us to be well equipped with the understanding of this celebration for Muslims and to know what life is like during this time. We were also told that they are going to start holding informative meetings for just the wives to get together to learn more about the way of living, life on a compound, learning what's allowed for us as American women in their country, ways to dress, etc. Most importantly, to give us opportunities to express our feelings of this type of move, have the chance to talk to women who have been living there, and allow us to form relationships with the women who we will be living with and who will essentially become "like family" while we all live overseas together. I'm really excited about getting to know all of these women!

Now, that I've come to terms with this move is actually happening and that I'm a SAUDI wife... I'm going to go start my day!

Saturday Morning Puff Balls

Brooks and I decided to create our own Saturday morning tradition, which we look forward to every week (unless we are out of town or have something planned early in the morning) where we make Puff Balls. These are a DELICIOUS mix between a donut and a pancake (I think). Since we love this recipe so much I thought I'd share it with all of you! It's really easy to make and is something different other than having biscuits, pancakes, waffles, or even a bowl of cereal.
This recipe is for half the batch (which can make up to 32 puff balls). You can double it if you are serving a large crowd!

You need:
Peanut Oil (to fry the batter in)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Syrup
Powdered Sugar (optional)

Directions:
- Heat peanut oil in a fry daddy
- Mix the first 4 ingredients together, then add the egg and milk
- Using a spoon, drop a little more than a tsp worth of batter into the peanut oil
- Cook until lightly golden brown (puff balls will rise to the top of the oil when done- we usually let them keep cooking a minute more or so)
- Dip puff balls in powdered sugar (my favorite) or syrup and ENJOY!

Here is Gavin enjoying his 3rd Puff Ball of the morning!

Since I didn't get to post anything this week I thought I'd show you a fun picture of Gavin and I. He wanted to help me get ready for dinner one night and sat in my lap the entire time I put my make up on. He is at a fun age right now and learning a lot. He has started clapping and saying WHOA!! It's the cutest thing! If I could ever get my videos to upload to our blog I could show you him doing all these new things!

Disclaimer: Brooks' first reaction to Gavin helping me put my make up on was not the best, but we realized it made for a great photo op!

Week of Fun!

This week was a blast for Gavin and I. He is finally back to his normal self (between a double ear infection and dealing with some abandonment issues from Brooks and I leaving him for our vacation to Belize). Gavin had two rough weeks just being moody, inconsolable, and a little grumpy, which is VERY unusual for him. We worked through it and now he is back to being his happy self.

This past week also brought on a new change-- it was our first full week together-- he is no longer going to the babysitters, which I have mixed emotions about, but I knew it meant that I needed to prepared with lots of things for him to do, so he wouldn't get bored. We did everything--- we swam at our friends pool, we swung on the swing daddy hung for us on the back porch, we did some shopping for his birthday party coming up in a few weeks, we made an art decoration, and we even had another no Worries Wednesday (where Gavin got to eat a bowl of spaghetti all by himself).

Here are a few pics from our week! I'm thinking this little guy is as happy as can be!

Playing in his room with his new monkey chest!
Now that I'm home and not working, I've realized I have time for my hobbies: scrapbooking and cake decorating so I've really started spending some serious time on these. A few months ago, I ordered this cute, cute saying from a friend of mine who has a business with Uppercase Living, it's embellishments and word creations that you can stick onto your walls or on other decorating ideas (coasters, wooden boards, picture frames, etc etc. The possibilities are endless). Let me know if you are interested and I can give you my friends website info. Since I have time to work on my creations and since we're having Gavin's party at our house, I wanted to get some of my projects done so I can put them out for others to see. This particular project required me to paint Gavin's hand, which I musty say, he did a very good job. He loved squeezing his hand and rubbing his fingers together once I put the paint on it and was sad when I wiped all the paint off. He kept touching his fingers like he was looking for the paint.

Here's Gavin helping me get the paint brush ready- luckily I hadn't put any paint on the brush yet.

Voila!! Here is his hand print-- the saying says, "Here is my hand on this very day, Remember me now as I grow and play". I decided not to put Gavin's hand print in the center of this, hoping and planning that when we have more kids, their hand prints will go on the board as well. My goal is to put their hand prints close to their first birthday. Eventually, I will label the hand prints so we can know whose is whose.

Here is another of Gavin's favorite things-- he LOVES the dishwasher. We've never let him play with it until this week, I'm not sure why, I just wasn't ready for him to be messy with the dirty or clean dishes. But, anytime this is opened, he goes right to it. He especially likes the little contraption that holds the detergent- he has learned how to open and close it. Don't worry, we made sure to remove all the knives and sharp objects before letting him play in it!

Next week, we have another project to work on that I'll post later once it's finished. We're also busy planning Gavin's birthday party. It's going to have a monkey theme-- and I must admit, I'm going a little crazy on it, but it's his first birthday!! I have decided to make EVERYTHING: the food, the cake, the decorations, the party favor bags... I mean EVERYTHING! It's fun because it keeps me busy and is giving me something to do! I'm starting to realize school is starting soon and I won't be returning so I'm doing my best to keep my mind on other things!

Gavin is 11 Months

Gavin turned 11 months old on Tuesday! We can't believe he is about to turn one! Brooks and I have been very busy planning Gavin's first birthday party... Gavin, has been very busy...

Trying to walk: Learning how to give kisses: Helping put away dishes (or in this case, taking them out of the cabinets):
and, has learned how to flush toilets (it's his new FAVORITE thing):
Gavin got to go to the doctors office twice this week. Once, for a double ear infection and the other time was due to an allergic reaction he had to the antibiotic for his ear infection. Gavin broke out in a rash that covered his body within hours. Thankfully, the rash was not itchy. Other than his ear infection, he has been doing awesome! He weighs 22 1/2 lbs and is 30 in long.

Gavin is eating more and more "normal" food these days and I think he prefers that to his baby food- that or he would much rather feed himself then have us feed him. He likes to walk around as long as we are holding his hands, but he sits down the moment we let go. He will stand for longer periods of time while we're not holding on to him. I think he is surprised that he can stand by himself. His facial expressions have become very entertaining and he makes certain sounds with each expression. He has learned how to sign "out" (when he wants out of his high chair) and is working on signing"more" (when he wants more food). He understands the sign "eat" and "all done" but hasn't started signing them himself. My mom got him a bouncy ball and some toys for the refrigerator, which have become his FAVORITES! The magnetic toys that stick to the fridge have been a life saver especially for all the time I've been spending in the kitchen baking cakes. There are a few cabinets we chose not to baby proof and Gavin LOVES, LOVES, LOVES getting into them. He pulls out anything that he can hold with one hand and then throws it, of course. Throwing has become his new hobby-- he throws his toys, spoons, bottles, diapers, pacifiers, food, cheerios, puffs, sippy cups, books, clothes, etc. If it gets in his hands... look out, because it will be flying through the air.

We are loving this stage of his life-- he is active, shows his personality, has an opinion, is fun, and even loving!

Moody Gardens

This weekend we had our good friends, Bill and Malia, come visit us from Arkansas. We spent Saturday afternoon at Moody Gardens in Galveston. We went and saw a Dinosaur Exhibit and went to The Aquarium. Gavin LOVED all the animals and was soooo amazed with watching them move around. I think he especially liked the peguins-- they kept swimming up to the glass window where Gavin was pounding on it because he wanted to touch them. It was a VERY fun afternoon.

Graduation

I graduated from my Wilton's Cake Class for Course #1. I received a certificate and everything! I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class and learned A LOT! Here are some cakes I've made in the last week... Yes, I said week! The instructor says the only way you can get better is to practice! I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY love making/decorating cakes now. I'm working really hard on getting my icing smooth and making sure I use the same pressure for each design. My next task: practicing Gavin's birthday cake. It may be a little challenging so I've decided to make one a week to make sure I can do it.

Here is a cookie cake I made from a recipe I found on a friend's blog. It's called Copy Cat Cookie Cake. My suggestion is: don't change a thing from the recipe. I did, and it did not turn out the way it was suppose to. So, I just covered up the cookie part with my new decorating skills.

We had some camp friends come over this weekend and I baked them a cake. It was delicious. It was also the first cake of mine that I actually tried and ate a piece of.

I then made a cake for our small group from church. Like I said, practice is key, so I needed an excuse to try out different borders and colors.

Here is my graduation cake. We had to master the Wilton Rose by making a bouquet of them! I went with pink and purple since they are my favorite colors!! Brooks did not believe me that I made those flowers. We learned how to make sweet peas (the pink design on the border) as well as leaves, bows, and ribbons. I must say I was quite proud and excited the way it all turned out!

Stay tuned.... Gavin and I are about to leave for a play group.. When we come back, my next post will be all about him with photos and new developments!

Scuba Diving

Here are some pictures of us scuba diving underwater. Our friends, Micah and Stephanie, have an underwater camera so we were able to get pics for ourselves.

This is me, yes, doing a toe touch. I couldn't resist. I also did multiple front and back flips. It was too easy and made the dive fun when we weren't seeing much marine life. Also, Brooks was diving underneath me at the time, which those are his bubbles coming up.

One of our favorite dives was where we got to swim with sharks. Don't worry, they weren't dangerous sharks. They just wanted to eat! Our dive masters brought chum in that plastic container and hung it from a rope while we all swam around them and watched. Eventually, our dive masters started catching some of the sharks and we got to hold and pet them. Their skin is really rough (almost like sand paper). It was so neat to feel them swim by us, lurking back and forth.

Brooks at the bottom of the Ocean, in between the coral. It was very important that we not touch the coral so we wouldn't risk killing it. I'm thinking Brooks was concentrating, making sure he didn't accidentally hit any of it.

This is Brooks and I at The Blue Hole. We dove 130ft down, the farthest depth we're certified to go to. It was VERY, VERY dark down there and not a lot to see except the walls of the cave that use to be there. This was Brooks' FAVORITE dive of all, and it was my scariest dive. I was glad we were only down there for 8 minutes. On our way up, we saw several bull sharks and one other kind of BIG shark. They were swimming over us, which was really neat, but also, made me feel like we were in a Jaws movie. We're so glad we did this dive to say that we've dived at The Blue Hole.
The four of us posing for a picture underwater. It only took 3 tries to get a shot without any of us breathing and having our bubbles coming out.

We had an AWESOME time scuba diving and loved it! We can't wait to go again. It was by far one of the neatest experience ever.