aina and i took ella and charlotte with us to california to see papa. beckett was in good hands with lulu, papi, and uncle gus gus...all hands on deck! it was a whirlwind trip (left sunday morning got back wednesday night) that can only be summed up like this:
airport at 6:45 am. arrive at orange county. go get rental car. wait forever because aina lets a group cut in front of us. finally get in the car. ella pukes. clean ella and the car with wipes. go to the condo to wash ella along with her clothes. the girls rest. go visit papa. the girls put a smile on papa's face. ella keeps going into joyce's room to see the stuffed animals. back to the condo. the cousins come over. cousin daniel reads to ella. the wee ones go to bed. yogurtland - blueberry tart with fruity pebbles. sleep - the first 8 straight hours of sleep i have had in almost 2 years.
wake up and go visit papa. surprise ella with disneyland. meet mary poppins. peter pan, alice in wonderland, its a small world. corny dogs. charlotte gags and then pukes on aina. buzz lightyear ride. ella asleep in stroller, charlotte asleep in the backpack. shopping. girls wake up for the parade. pirates of the caribbean, yes with the girls. pinnochio, tea cups, buzz lightyear again. go home. girls go to bed. dinner with tio paco and cousin jimmy. yogurtland - strawberry tart with fruity pebbles, sprinkles, reeses pieces. sleep.
wake up. pack. donut shop. visit papa. ella meets dorothea with an amputated leg and starts to play with her pant leg. proceeds to ask about the missing leg and foot. shopping. corner bakery. ferris wheel. back to see papa to give him one last hug and kiss. girls sleep in car. in n out burger. airport. back on an airplane. ella watches bolt. papi pick us up. bed. ella sleeps in until 9:30.
pics of our trip to follow.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
i heart morocco
before i leave for america, i wanted to share some reasons that i love morocco...
1. life is simple. we have learned to take joy in the little things, like randomly finding blueberries or seedless grapes at the store. we are easily entertained with a group game of basketball, baseball, or an occasional game night.
2. soccer. moroccans love their soccer and i do, too. i grew up playing soccer and in texas it isn't really appreciated. here, everyone plays. my morning walk around the track with the kids is usually interrupted by a group of boys ranging from 1st-4th graders who rush down to play a game before school starts. they don't pick teams or make kids sit out, they all just start playing. even in the poorest of villages you will see a soccer field outlined in mud, rocks, or sticks.
3. affection. greetings are with a kiss on each cheek. men sometimes greet this way, too, and it is not unusual for men to shake hands and continue holding hands for a good minute or two. women also walk arm in arm down the street. it isn't looked at as how you think it would, friends just show each other affection. i think it is sweet.
4. hospitality. it is not uncommon to be invited to a moroccans home for a meal and stay for a good three hours. we went to a friends house and her mom made us traditional couscous, then mint tea and dessert, and lots of great conversation (with some much needed talking slowly and translation.) just last week scott and beckett enjoyed some tea and bread with najate and her family.
5. fruit and veggies. it would sicken you to know that i can buy 2 pounds of strawberries, apples, bananas, yellow and green peppers, and carrots each for $1.50 or less! and i guess you could say they are organic because they are straight from the ground or tree...dirt, bugs, and all!
6. friends. we have gotten to know some of the coolest families. we have had a blast hanging out watching movies, playing sports, or watching sporting events at the school. we are a tight group. we have also met some of the sweetest moroccans through work, conversation group, and from around town.
1. life is simple. we have learned to take joy in the little things, like randomly finding blueberries or seedless grapes at the store. we are easily entertained with a group game of basketball, baseball, or an occasional game night.
2. soccer. moroccans love their soccer and i do, too. i grew up playing soccer and in texas it isn't really appreciated. here, everyone plays. my morning walk around the track with the kids is usually interrupted by a group of boys ranging from 1st-4th graders who rush down to play a game before school starts. they don't pick teams or make kids sit out, they all just start playing. even in the poorest of villages you will see a soccer field outlined in mud, rocks, or sticks.
3. affection. greetings are with a kiss on each cheek. men sometimes greet this way, too, and it is not unusual for men to shake hands and continue holding hands for a good minute or two. women also walk arm in arm down the street. it isn't looked at as how you think it would, friends just show each other affection. i think it is sweet.
4. hospitality. it is not uncommon to be invited to a moroccans home for a meal and stay for a good three hours. we went to a friends house and her mom made us traditional couscous, then mint tea and dessert, and lots of great conversation (with some much needed talking slowly and translation.) just last week scott and beckett enjoyed some tea and bread with najate and her family.
5. fruit and veggies. it would sicken you to know that i can buy 2 pounds of strawberries, apples, bananas, yellow and green peppers, and carrots each for $1.50 or less! and i guess you could say they are organic because they are straight from the ground or tree...dirt, bugs, and all!
6. friends. we have gotten to know some of the coolest families. we have had a blast hanging out watching movies, playing sports, or watching sporting events at the school. we are a tight group. we have also met some of the sweetest moroccans through work, conversation group, and from around town.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
i love the beach. i grew up going to the beach every summer. my children have no choice but to love the sand and the water. scott doesn't like the sandy mess during and afterwords, but i think it is worth it. every morning i get to look out the sliding glass door and see the waves breaking on the shore. it is wonderful...now, if i could just get there everyday then that would be awesome.
special time with daddy.
beckett explores the sand.
sweet smile.
daddy and b
"oh yeah! oh yeah! wanna fight?!" ella and ezra fight the waves.
b is mad at the sand on his face.
ella, ezra, and leul running from the waves.
playing volleyball...yes, that is me. how do you like our rigged up volleyball net?
catie (ella's most favorite babysitter!) plays volleyball with us.
kamel shows us his killer serve.
special time with daddy.
beckett explores the sand.
sweet smile.
daddy and b
"oh yeah! oh yeah! wanna fight?!" ella and ezra fight the waves.
b is mad at the sand on his face.
ella, ezra, and leul running from the waves.
playing volleyball...yes, that is me. how do you like our rigged up volleyball net?
catie (ella's most favorite babysitter!) plays volleyball with us.
kamel shows us his killer serve.
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