the end of summer...the beginning of ramadan

summer is officially over as scott started back at school on tuesday. as he was getting ready for work he said, "that was NOT a summer!" and he was right. we were so busy getting ready for the move with training and packing and selling the house and getting logistics done for moving overseas that there was not much down time. we did have a good vacation with my family in the LBC and hang out time with scott's fam in rockwall, so i can't complain too much. those two trips were great times with family (aina, ella will be needing another california love book because she has read it so many times the pages are falling out and tape is not working!) anyways, we were very sad to see scott off to work. we do live on campus, though, so no leaving early to avoid traffic because he walks right down the hill to school...so convenient! he can also come home for lunch or we can go eat with him. he is also always home at a reasonable hour. scott will update with some stories from his classes in the future.

note to self: don't go the grocery on the first day of ramadan. my friend, linda, and i made this terrible mistake. we thought that being it was ramadan and everyone was fasting then the last place they would all want to be is surrounded by food. wrong! everyone was at the grocery getting food for f'tour (meal for breaking fast in the evening) so it was packed! there linda and i are, each with 2 kids (3 and 6 months), packed like sardines in the aisles and waiting forever in the check out line. needless to say, i had a tired and crying baby and an impatient 3 year old while i was trying to check out. did i mention you have to bag your own groceries? i was so thankful that a sweet lady behind me had pity on me and helped bag my groceries. i think everyone in line was just happy to see me get out of there! i convinced myself that they were staring at me because i am american and not because of the crying from beckett and occasional screetching from ella.

have i told you about ella's bff? his name is ezra. they are complete opposties. ella is all girl...playing with babies, princesses, pretending to be maid marian from robin hood, etc. ezra is all boy. he likes to play war and fight. you can see where i am going with this. they are already like brother and sister. they love each other inside, but sometimes on the outside they don't so much. there is the occasional whack at the other but they are learning to work out their differences since they are all each other has during the day. let me tell you what these two got into last week. it all started when linda and i went shopping in town with some other ladies. we left ella and ezra with najet (our house help...another blog in itself!) and beckett was taking a nap. i get a phone call an hour later from scott who was totally frantic. he begins to tell me that jason (ezra's dad who teaches next door to scott) spotted the kids outside past the grass where they were supposed to be and in the dirt in the construction area. both dads begin to yell from the third floor of the school building outside their classrooms, trying to tell the kids to go back home. both kids look up and acknowledge their dads, and keep walking. to make the story better, ella is decked out in her "i heart LB" shirt and panties (she had taken her pants off) and is dragging her green blanket while ezra is carrying an old pillow. thankfully a construction worker managed to stop and keep the kids while scott left his class to go get them and take them home. ella proceeds to tell scott that they were going on a picnic. linda swears it was ezra's idea but my tink has a few tricks up her sleeve. she cannot be trusted. oh, and ella's "badger toe" has returned!

also last week, beckett turned 6 months! it was a tough week for my big guy as he took a tumble and got a big bonk (almost causing his frantic mother to hyperventilate) and then got hit in the head with a nerf football while some guys were tossing it around. my poor baby! he is back to his usual self, though. very happy hanging out playing with eliana next door and watching ella and ezra be crazy. he has become a big time momma's boy, but still does love to get cuddles and tickles from daddy. we love you, sweet boy!

oh, and there will be more "note to self" stories as i learn new things and have to make mental notes to myself.

ella has a head on collision with ezra


return of the "badger toe"...the orange is from ezra painting her toe nails


sweet beckett (6 months old)


beautiful atlantic ocean and moroccan sunset from our backyard


ella, sofia, and ezra


ella and ezra...the day of the "picnic"


sister and the brother