A Plethora of Information

**Disclaimer- I have no idea why my posts keep looking different.  Some paragraphs are one font, some another.  Some paragraphs are single spaced, and others are double spaced.  I can't even figure out how to clear away all the empty space between paragraphs b/c it's not showing up that way when I'm typing it in the posts-- it won't let me edit it correctly.  Sorry about that!


WOW- I can't believe we've already been in the "Magic Kingdom" for almost 4 days now.  So much has happened that I've wanted to blog about, but our days and times are a little messed up due to jet lag so finding time to get on the internet has been trying.  Not to mention the fact that we're having difficulty with our internet connection, which has made it VERY difficult to do anything for a long period of time on the internet.  Apparently, our wireless router is too advanced for  I can't tell you how many blog posts I've started, but then are deleted after 20 minutes of working because I lost our connection.  So, please, bare with me on the posts.  Since there are so many things I want to share, I'll just give bits and pieces of a lot of information, versus focusing on particular activities and elaborating.  Here goes nothing.

- Jet Lag really isn't that fun.  At least, not with a 2 year old whose body doesn't understand what is happening, or being pregnant and having STRONG desires to eat at random times of the day.  Everyday we've been here we've taken a nap anywhere from 2-5 hours during the day, we go to sleep easy at night, but then wake up within 4 hours of going to bed.  However, with Gavin waking up multiple times during the night, it hasn't really allowed Brooks and I to get on any kind of schedule ourselves.  We've been tag teaming it most nights, taking turns going into Gavin's room.  We've been very strict about making him stay in his bed when he wakes up at night so that his body can begin understanding that it's night time and he should be asleep.  He's really cute and fun to listen to talk while he's in bed.  He's really goofy.

- Speaking of Gavin's sleeping.... we started him in a big boy bed from the moment we arrived in Saudi.  We sent a baby gate (to put at his bedroom door since we have stairs with no gates yet) and a bed rail (to put on one side of his bed) in our air shipment so they were here when we arrived.  We figured while we were tackling his change of sleeping pattern, we'd tackle the infamous transition to a big boy bed.  He has done AWESOME!  We're so thankful we've done it all at once.  The first night he got up numerous times, stood at the gate and called out for us.  We just kept going in there one at a time and putting him back in his bed.  I think a lot of his reasons that night for getting up, besides the fact that it was a new freedom he found, was that we were in a new place, that was really dark, and he wasn't quite sure of everything.  However, since that night, he hasn't gotten out of bed once, and if he calls us when he's waking up from having jet lag, he's still in his bed.  It's great- and kind of been easy.

- We've been invited to dinner every night by some friends and neighbors, which has been a HUGE blessing to not have to worry about cooking. I'm just not in that frame of mind yet.  I will tell you this, any concerns we had about not eating normal while here have been thrown out the window.  So far, we've eaten chicken and dumplings, red beans and rice, baked chicken with mushroom risotto, and plenty of cookies, brownies, and banana split cakes. YUM.  Brooks even cooked us pancakes yesterday morning in lieu of our usual Saturday morning traditions (even though yesterday was our Sunday morning), but still, we hadn't found pancake mix until we went to a store on Saturday.

- I understand the whole women shopping over here everyday.  Here's the deal- not every grocery store has everything what you need.  Sometimes they stock it, and sometimes they don't.. therefore, it causes you to go to a different store on a different day to go find the ingredient you were looking for.  We've been to two different grocery stores in two different days and still have a long list of items we are searching for.  Who knew you couldn't walk into a store and buy garlic powder or measuring cups/spoons.  I haven't found those 2 items yet & it's driving me crazy (not really, just not use to this yet).

- And on the note of grocery shopping.  First of all, the wheels on the grocery carts spin in all directions so when you turn a corner or are just walking straight it moves from one side to the other.  In the beginning, it was REALLY annoying, however, when I was in an aisle with 3 other Saudi men (Brooks was in front of me), I was able to slide over VERY easily to get out of there way.  I chuckled to myself thinking, how convenient that was to do.

- On another note, we get stared at everywhere we go.  It’s kinda creepy, but interesting at the same time.  Some of the people here are that intrigued with us they can’t help but watch us.  At a few stores, some of the workers have taken a liking to Gavin and follow us around showing him toys and attempting to entertain him.  Gavin just stares back at them.  I don’t say anything or acknowledge them since I don’t know if they’re Saudi’s are not (and since these are mostly men, I’m not suppose to talk to them).

- Ramadan has started over here, which has caused a majority of the stores around here to have limited hours and restaurants and food places are NOT opened at all during the day.  This might not seem like a big deal, but it causes us to get out early in the morning, rush to do our shopping, and then forces us to go home for lunch and not get to stay out.  However, the only really way it has affected us has been we don’t really have the ability to go to Khobar (a larger city an hour away) that has much more shopping options with larger selections, due to the inability to eat while over there and the hours stores are opened.  Generally, when people go to Khobar, they make it a day trip, since it takes an hour to get over there and you want to make the most of your time there.  I’m looking forward to going over there and seeing what those stores have to offer.

- It’s HOT over here!  You know how when you walk into a sauna and it takes your breath away the moment you are in one?  That’s exactly how it is when you walk outside here.  We’re adjusting and changing clothes through out the day and putting LOTS of deodorant on.

- We hung out at one of the pools yesterday for the afternoon (in an effort to keep Gavin awake throughout the day and not let him nap).  It was a lot of fun and many of our friends were there, too.  It was nice to relax and visit.  The great thing was that pool is air conditioned so it was nice and cool, which made it

- Brooks gave me my first injection last night.  I have to get one every week and this evening was our first experience.  I was incredibly nervous and even started crying before he even did anything.  I’ll be happy to report that I did NOT pass out-- thank you, thank you very much!  And Brooks did great with the ordeal!  He was very loving, comforting, and reassuring with the whole thing.  He encouraged me the whole time he was giving it (the medicine is really thick so it takes a while to get out of the syringe) and I felt like a big baby afterwards.  I told him I should have been encouraging him since he was the one who had to actually give the shot to me and he’s never done that before.  I love my man and what he is willing to do for me!

- Gavin has had to adjust to us having stairs everywhere in our home.  We’ve been diligently teaching him to hold on to the rails, walk slowly, watch where you are going, etc, etc.  However, as much as we teach him, he’s had a few stumbles.  We even have 2 small steps going into our living room/dining room area, which he seems to fall on multiple times a day.  I noticed a small bruise on his lower back, poor baby, from the falls.  Not only are the stairs the factor, but everything is tile here and it’s really, really slick.  I’ve almost fallen a few times just walking from one room to another.  Gavin’s struggling and we have to keep in tennis shoes while he’s inside the house and we definitely don’t let him wear just socks inside.  That would be disastrous.  Tonight, Gavin took a nice spill at some friends of ours house and accidentally tripped on his Uncle Micah’s foot.  He fell forward and nailed the side of their couch.  There was blood, a busted, swollen lip, and one upset little boy.  He managed to fall asleep in our arms after 15 minutes of crying.  We’re grateful the fall wasn’t worse, but we’re even more aware now of just how easy it is to slip and fall on these floors.

- One last thing before I go. 

Psalm 138:2 (ESV) says,

I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
       I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
    for your promises are backed
       by all the honor of your name. 

I don’t normally read the version of the bible called The Message, but I ran across this same scripture and it was my prayer while reading the above scripture.  God is Good! 

   I kneel in worship facing your holy temple 

      and say it again: "Thank you!" 

   Thank you for your love, 

      thank you for your faithfulness; 

   Most holy is your name, 

      most holy is your Word. 

   The moment I called out, you stepped in; 

      you made my life large with strength.

The beginning of our new adventure

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 

Phillipians 4:11-13

I've heard the scripture Phil. 4:13 my whole life.  It always seemed to be an easy "default" scripture in any circumstance.  However, I don't ever remember reading or hearing the two verses before it, until my quiet time Monday morning. I was so grateful to read those words the exact day I needed them!  I love how Paul says that he "learned how to be content" in any situation and that is my prayer during this time of transition.  I want to be content with where we're at, our new home, new situations, new way of life, etc.  God is faithful and HE has covered us with HIS compassion and comfort the past few days and it is evident in everything we've done and experienced thus far.  

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Monday was the BIG DAY!  We spent most of our morning packing up our suitcases, then we had lunch with my parents, brothers and sister in laws, and all the kids.  Our last meal was sandwiches from Darrell’s-- you just can’t move out of the country without having a Darrell’s sandwich one last time.  My sweet family prayed over us before we left then we all said our goodbyes.  Wow-- that was heart wrenching.  My niece, Neve, was telling me bye so I picked her up to give her one last hug.  She gently placed her head on my shoulder, began rubbing my back, and whispered in my ear, “Lulu, I just want you to know, I love you!”  Oh my goodness-- talk about melt your heart!  She’s two and a half and her words filled my heart with so much joy that made me feel complete!  

After our tearful goodbyes, we loaded up my parents car with all our luggage and they drove us to the Houston airport.  Brooks had the chance to ride with his brother to Houston, where he was going to visit a friend, so they were able to spend some last minute quality time together.  We got to Houston early and pulled into a Chick-Fil-A to let Gavin run around and play and we had a little snack.  Gavin loved running around the playground and was up and down the slide like a crazy kid.  He laughed so hard, it was precious.  

We had my parents drop us off and we said our goodbyes outside the airport.  I don’t think anything could have prepared me for that moment.  Gavin was a little confused at this point since he realized his Captain and Kimmie weren’t coming with us.  After a few minutes, lots of hugs and tears, we rolled our luggage through the airport doors and thus, began our adventure.

There is another young couple who has a little boy Gavin’s age who we were traveling over to Saudi with and they were at the airport waiting 

for us. We all got checked in, grabbed a bite to eat in the First Class Lounge, then loaded ourselves onto the plane.  At this point, I was trying very hard to control my tears, however, once the gate agent took my ticket, I lost it.  I cried the entire way down the corridor, through the elevator ride (since we were pushing a stroller), and onto the plane while searching for our seats.  We were flying Business Class so immediately upon entering the plane we were offered beverages, hot/cold towels, pillows and blankets, Gavin was given a stuffed animal toy, we were brought pajamas, etc, etc.  Way too much was going on so I had to force myself to pull it together.  

The plane ride was 14 hours long.  All I can say is Thank you Jesus for Business Class. Our seats would fold out into a bed-- literally- a flat bed.  You could lay your entire body out and then move any part of the chair into ANY position you’d want it to go into.  This was nice for Gavin since it gave him a way to have a play area without having to get out of his seat.  It was wonderful for me too since my legs never had to hang down the seat.  My doctor prescribed me special leggings to wear on the flight to help prevent blood clots from forming incase my legs fell asleep or dangled too long.  Brooks had a rough flight, poor thing.  He ended up getting the stomach virus that my family has passed around for the last 2 weeks so he spent almost 10 hours of the flight miserable.  I did my best to keep Gavin content and busy so that Brooks could rest as much as he needed.  Gavin watched a few movies, ate fun snacks, and slept!!! Him sleeping a long time was an answered prayer! Our original plan was to have Gavin stay awake during the night to help get him adjusted to the time change, but once Brooks got sick and I was on my own with Gavin, that idea was thrown out the window.  

As we were descending and I saw the area outside the plane, I quickly realized we weren't in the USA anymore.  My heart starting pounding really fast and I was consumed with the realization of, we actually moved clear across the world.  At this point, Gavin was sitting on Brooks lap- he had to be harnessed to Brooks for take off and landing since he's under 2 years old and wasn't in a car seat- and I was by myself staring out the plane's window.  I LOST IT.  I balled my eyes out.  I think I cried more in that moment then I've cried the last 2 years combined over this move.  I sobbed like a baby (very quietly though) and let all my emotions come out.  By the time we landed, I was over it.  Or should I say, I was in control.  We had another short flight to get to Saudi so we hustled over to the First Class Lounge and grabbed a quick bite to eat before boarding. 

The next flight was very quick.  Gavin and Brooks slept, I read a magazine, and it was a breeze.  Before we got off the plane I got dressed in my abaya since we were now in Saudi.  We had to go through immigration/customs, which we’ve heard nightmare stories about.  However, ours lasted a total of 25 minutes and we were DONE! The worst part of that experience was attempting to go to the women’s restroom where there was NO toilet paper, NO paper towels, NO seat covers (absolutely NOTHING of paper substance in the entire place), EVERY single stall was flooded from the end of the toilet to the wall, not to mention the toilet seats were soaking wet due to the use of sprayers in the bathroom stalls.  I’ll post more about the bathroom situations later and prove to you what they are like. Needless to say, I’m pregnant, hadn’t gone to the restroom in 2 hours, and was unable to use that facility.  NOT FUN AT ALL!

We found our suitcases, had them screened at customs (um... yea.. I don’t think the worker even stood at the monitor as our suitcases went through), and were on our way.  We found our drivers and got our cars loaded up and headed to our compound.  We were here!  I was emotional once we got through the Saudi airport too realizing once again that we were here, but at that point, there were so many people around us that I held all my tears back just to stay in control.  

We arrived at our compound around 11:30 at night, we went to sleep around 1am, and were awake by 4:30am.  Jet Lag has been interesting, but seeing how long this post already is I better save that topic for another post.   

Thank you for praying for us the past few weeks as we prepared for this move.  We know this will be a time of transition and we are trusting the Lord will provide for us in every way imaginable.

Until next time, blessings to you!  

It's a BOY!

Friday, Brooks and I went to the doctor for an ultrasound and we found out we're having another BOY.  We were so excited to see our new baby!  He's healthy, right on track with my due date, and weighs exactly 8oz.  The technician had no trouble at all determining our child's gender; in fact, he told us with in 10 seconds of the baby being on the screen.  Neither one of us were prepared or ready for the "announcement" so we were in shock that it happened so fast!  We were so excited though and it made the rest of the ultrasound fly by. 

We told my immediate family by letting Gavin bring in "his" stroller that he's been pushing around the house for the last month (that just so happens to have a baby doll in it).  We dressed the baby doll in a onesie that said "Little Brother" while Gavin wore his "Big Brother" shirt.  It was cute and Gavin was excited to have been apart of the news. 

We had a going away party last night and got to celebrate Gavin's upcoming 2nd Birthday as well.  We made our big announcement to family and friends that we're having a boy by pulling the "Little Brother" onesie out of a bag! 

Our baby boy is due in January and we can't wait to meet him.

Incase you want to know....

Incase you want to know...

- Brooks spent this past week working at the office in Houston and completed all his work in order for us to leave Monday evening.

- We're projected to leave Monday night, but we're waiting for our visas to come in.  (You'd be amazed at all the paper work that goes into moving into a country like Saudi Arabia.)

- Brooks and I are finding out the sex of our baby today!  We're so excited- however, we don't have names picked out yet. 

- I took Gavin to his 2 year doctors appointment (early, of course) on Tuesday.  He is in the 95th percentile for his height and 75th percentile for his weight.  Our little boy is really growing!!

- I had a doctors appointment last week and found out I'm going to need weekly injections to help prevent preterm labor with this pregnancy.  I'm nervous about it, but am willing to do whatever it takes as a preventive measure.  When we go to the doctor today, they are going to teach Brooks how to give me my injections.  If you know anything about me, you know that I am notorious for passing out ANYTIME I'm given a shot, so this should be interesting. 

-Brooks' brother, Brandon, is coming to Lake Charles this weekend to visit with us before we leave.  I love when we get to visit with him- I always see another side of Brooks when he's with his brother.  They are a blast to be around and are always goofing off. 

 - Gavin is talking a ton now!  He has started putting words together and is getting easier and easier to understand.  Some of his favorite words and phrases are: "there it is", "where'd you go?", "come back", "golf cart". "i want milk/juice", "let's go".  I'm pretty sure there are more, but you get the picture. 

- Our best friends from Houston, The Carpenter's, are also coming in this weekend so we can spend some time together before we leave.  Susie and I decided along time ago that we were not going to tell each other bye multiple times and neither one of us were ready to say goodbye, so we figured it would be easier to wait until the VERY LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT.  So, that's what we've done!  Saying goodbyes has not been easy by any means, but, goodness, I'm bracing myself for this one. 

- Last week, I caught a virus and was pretty much out of commission for 3 days.  It was not fun at all.  My parents were a huge help in taking care of Gavin for me.  Well, a week later, and 4 of my family members have gotten it.  Needless to say, the Williams family has struggled a little this past week. 

- We're looking forward to this weekend and getting to spend as much time with family and friends as we can!  Brooks and I picked out our "menu" for the weekend to get as many of our favorite foods in before we go.  Thanks for keeping us in your prayers as we prepare to make this transition. 

Family Time

Brooks made it in Friday evening, late, and I was beyond words excited about him coming home.  I surprised him with a special evening and I got us a hotel room at the local resort here in LC so we could have some time just the two of us.  It was a relaxing evening, we got to sleep in, and then had breakfast the next morning together before heading to my parents house to see Gavin.  Gavin was just as excited as I was about getting to see Brooks.  He was waiting outside in the driveway for us and when he saw Brooks he just danced around and was all giddy. 

**Scroll down to the bottom and pause the music so you can hear Gavin.

After lots of hugs and kisses, we put our bathing suits on and headed to the pool to meet the rest of my family.  As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, we've been spending a lot time in a pool lately and having a lot of fun!  Gavin loves being in the water and swimming around in the big pool.  He has really gotten good too and even went from making you hold his hand to now getting upset if you are holding onto him.  Brooks loved getting to watch him "swim" and kick his feet and jump in the water.  Here's a picture of Gavin doing his "new thing"- for some reason he enjoys sticking his tongue out of his mouth.  I'm not quite sure where he learned this from, but I'm hoping it is a very short stage.

Here's our first family picture in a long time where EVERYONE is in the picture.  We really had a fun morning getting to visit and swim together.  The 2 babies, Audrey and Liam even swam a little.  

The 3 "big" kids were hungry!  Neve, Gavin, and David

Kimmie, David, Liz, and Neve splashing in the pool

Brooks really wanted to take one of my dad's recipes back with us to Saudi so he ended up cooking our dinner Saturday night in order to learn how to cook my dad's Smothered Chicken.  My dad gave Brooks the recipe a few months ago, which Brooks made for some of our friends one evening, however, the recipe didn't exactly turn out like my dads.  Now, Brooks knows exactly what to do the next time he makes this meal.  PS: Did you notice Brooks' beard?  This is his first time to have one since we've been married (I think) and I LOVE it! 

We got a picture with all 5 of the grand kids/cousins together and this was just too cute for words.

Liam (6 weeks), Audrey (4 months), David (14 months), Gavin (23 months), Neve (2 1/2 years)

Liam and Audrey did great during their photo shoot.  Aren't they just precious?

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.