Summer Blessings

Yesterday some friends came by to swim. It was rainy and cool, so we sat around the table eating snacks, and G asked us each to answer- "What is your favorite thing so far this summer?"
The kids said things like- "Six Flags," or "Our Trip to San Antonio." Ali chose- "Chiheb"- our friend who was visiting for a month. I thought a lot of those things sounded good.
I've been thinking about this still today. We've had a really blessed summer. I thought June was going to be stay at home and do nothing month, after a busy semester of soccer shuttling, girl scouts, and work. But my brother-in-law had asked us to invite a friend's son to visit, so early June, just before school got out, we greeted a teenager from Algeria at the airport. Right away it was clear he was polite. We soon found out he was also a really great guy. Ali took to him as soon as he found out Chiheb knew about Pokemon. They watched some videos online and hung out. By the end of his 5 week stay, which he had extended by two weeks, he was part of the family. He took the kids out to ride bikes almost every day, and willingly watched them in the pool so I could work. He also joined in with the chore jar, prompting A and L to participate uncomplainingly. He was interested in everything, and learned to make cookies with Leila.
I taught an online class in May and then 2 in June. Usually H is home to help out with Sami, but this year he started working in May when I got out of school. So I got P, a college student from Iran, to come and hang out with Sami in the mornings so I could work. She's been another blessing this summer. Even though I'm home much of the time, she takes Sami for walks and plays with him, and I've been able to get away a couple of times to run errands.
We drove down to San Antonio one weekend to see the Alamo and go to Sea World. Other than traffic that extended the 4.5 hour drive to 7, we had a great trip. The kids went to Six Flags one day with Joy and T, and I hung out with my sister who had flown in for a day. We also went to the mall more times than I've been in the last 10 years- it's one of the things Chiheb really wanted to do. We had friends over for dinner, and went to friends' houses, too, and in between I graded papers like mad.
Sami learned to kiss for real- I got a couple nice ones last night. He's also fallen down or bumped his head frequently enough that his face hasn't been unmarred in weeks.
Ali learned to ride a bike in the Spring with Grandpa's help and using a bike he and Grandma gave him for his birthday. Leila finally learned to at the end of June. It turns out there's a really easy way to do it, which I found on the internet. Go to a grassy hill. Coast down. Repeat. Then start pedaling at some point. Practice, practice, practice. Now the two of them ride up and down our street- which is my biggest blessing this summer.
Before we moved we lived on a busy, busy street with the garages all in front. This in turn means the driveways were in front. Now we live on a very long street with no feed ins, and most of the driveways are in the back. The few in the front are just little curved ones. Although there are busy streets on both ends of our street, people don't really cut through. This means that I feel pretty good about the kids riding around and even walking over to the neighbors across the street to play. As well as being a great biking street, it's been wonderful for Sami to learn to walk. When my parents were here, and now with P, he takes numerous walks down the sidewalk, with no danger from someone backing out of their garage.
Part of the street blessing is our great neighbors. There are lots of little boys Sami's age on the street, and there is a family halfway down the block with 4 kids. One boy matches Ali, the girl matches Leila, and the oldest one enjoys playing with them all. They spend their days together in that magical summer endlessness, riding bikes, hanging out, spying, exploring, and sometimes swimming. The other day the two girls had a lemonade stand- a first for both, and well supervised by the moms because of their dad's protectiveness.
All in all it's been a great summer so far. Now that I've wrapped up my June classes, I'm feeling like my summer has finally started. I'm working on so many things, of course, but I finally feel like I've got some times. Today I spent cooking for tomorrow night's Iftar dinner which we are holding here. Ramadan started last week, and dinner is late- just before 9. Last week we were at a friend's, and this week here. Next week the kids and I will be traveling, so I don't know what goodies they'll enjoy.
I do expect more blessings, though, because the summer is only half way through.

Rainbows

It was pouring rain again this morning, after only one day of sun this week*, so I thought it a good time to tell Ali about Noah's Ark. After I explained the rainbow after the rain is God's promise to us, Ali said, "But is sometimes God too tired to do a rainbow? Because there isn't always a rainbow after the rain."
He knows the science behind rainbows, so we talked about how God set up science rules, and if it isn't sunny, there won't be a rainbow, but the promise is still there.
*The kids enjoyed the great weather yesterday by finally getting to play in the creek area behind the house. The neighbor kids joined them and they had a fabulous time. Their dad came to call them home, so we met him- he seems very nice. We're so thankful for kids our kids age- a girl Leila's age, a boy Ali's, and an older boy who plays well with them. They also have a little one- older than Sami, but there are lots of baby boys on this street when it comes time for playing.

7

It's interesting to have a seven-year-old boy. Ali is different than his sister was at this age. Less independent, but getting more so. I told him he had to clean up his room today, because tomorrow a lot of people are coming over. He fussed and moaned as he usually does. And then I came home this afternoon to a very neat, organized room. I asked Leila if she'd helped him, but she said she only moved one box. It's a miracle, I tell you, a Thanksgiving miracle!
A week or so ago, I had the two boys taking a bath together. "Are you sure Sami is a boy?" Ali asked me. "Yes." "How do you know?" "He has a penis." "You DON'T have a penis?" Ali asked me. He had just assumed girls had one, but in a different place!

Cleanliness

Ali was doing some nose picking on the bed tonight and I told him to go and get a tissue and wash his hands. "Why does everyone have to be so clean all the time!" he complained, but complied.
Last night the hot water heater somehow got turned down to low, and when we got home from Tae Kwon Do, I told Ali to hustle into the shower, but warned him it would be cold. I guess it wasn't too bad, and he enjoyed it as much as he enjoys any shower, I guess. (Though it might have been a bit shorter than normal!)
Leila then insisted on taking a shower to wash her hair, today being picture day. It confused her- just turning on the hot water and not needing to add any cold, but she figured it out. Afterwards she confessed that she'd only washed her hair- not the rest of her- because it was way too cold! But I realized, she's going to one of those that's willing to suffer for beauty.
This morning I went to the assembly at school because Ali got a Very Major Award for being such a great kid at school.

"This weekend will challenge your assumptions"

Oh goodness. And it's only Tuesday! What suspense! So far, what I've got going on this weekend is snacks for Leila's third soccer game of the season. Maybe the girls will surprise me with what they eat? Oh, and we have Girl Scouts on Friday. Hmmm....
I was going to quit posting these as they keep repeating them, but this one was too good to pass up!
In other news:
Yesterday, Ali told me: "Sami is a rascal to me!" I came into my bedroom to find Sami crawling over Ali, as he is wont to do. He usually ends up on his head. Apparently he had hit Ali a couple of times. If someone says "Ow!" Sami grins.

Current obsessions.

And I mean, OBSESSIONS!!!
Ali- Pokemon. At a friend's birthday party at a jump house, he spent a long time talking Pokemon to the teenager tending the trampolines. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of Pokemon has his/her brain picked clean, and he spends hours with his friends playing on the ds, or playing with the figurines, or looking at cards. His were very organized until they fell on the floor. I would know more about them but I kind of tune out Pokemon information, just "uh-huing" at the right moment. A friend from Sweden was visiting with his family, and when Ali found out his son used to love Pokemon, he immediately latched onto him.
Leila- mermaids. She's watched every episode of an Australian show called H20, in which three girls happen upon a magical pool and become mermaids. In every episode they get wet, transform, and have to avoid detection. Today she wanted the scales off the Salmon* I was preparing for dinner in the hopes that by applying them to her legs she would one day just start growing a tail.
She also wants to buy a mermaid tail and/or find a magical pool.
Sami- the telephone. I'm afraid one day he's going to dial 911. He still loves the remote control, too. I got him his own cell phone and remote, but they are bright colored and clearly kids' toys. He wants the real thing. He also likes cords, and like everything else, they go straight to his mouth.
*Salmon deserves to be capitalized. Even on sale it's expensive!

"Money is the root of all evil. And man needs roots."

These are just getting ridiculous! I'm not even a man!
But speaking of money- the kids are a bit funny with this. Leila has several gift cards for Target, and some cash, but she doesn't really think about spending it. Ali, on the other hand, gets an idea of something he'd like to buy, and then that's all he can think about. Last week he was trying to earn a couple more dollars to up his total to $30, which is what he thought a Pokemon DS game would cost him. I owed him some allowance, so he had enough. But then he found a stuffed Snivey (Pokemon) and decided he wanted that too. He has no concept of saving for the future, so he spent more money on that, even though I warned him he might want to spend that money on something else, later.
Sami would probably just eat any money given to him.

"You will say yes when you should say no."

Oddly enough, this isn't entirely true of me. Well, I do say yes too much, but I also am willing to say no, especially about work things. This is strangely intimidating to some people.
One of my tactics is to let other people who have a tendency to say yes say it first. Sometimes this works.
I actually need to work on saying "yes" more to the kids. That's what some moms do. I also, incidentally, need to take them bowling. (Did you click on that link?)
Yesterday I said "yes" to taking Ali to the store to buy a new Pokemon game. You'd have thought it was Christmas. He woke up excited, and when he'd picked out the game, even thought it wasn't the exact one he'd gone in for, he thanked the store clerk "very much" and very enthusiastically.
Leila got a new Monster High doll. The only one of this doll had chewing gum on the plastic packaging, and had obviously been opened, though nothing was missing. When we checked out, we asked for, and got, a nice discount. (Christmas indeed!)
Sami's yes is the freedom to crawl around as he likes, with the occasional rescue from under a chair.

toothless

 At the Fourth of July get together- "Mommy, can somebody pull my tooth?" And so H did.

Meanwhile, this guy has five new teeth, including the top two to match the ones Ali lost. But this picture is about his eyes.
I am the worst tooth fairy ever! I don't think I've ever remembered to actually put money under the pillow. For his first tooth, Ali looked first thing, and then told Habib about it. Habib gave him a dollar and said the tooth fairy had put it under HIS pillow. I usually pretend that it fell on the floor of the kids room. For his second tooth, Ali's tooth flew out of his mouth and got lost on our friend's patio. However, the tooth fairy still visited Ali. In fact, she remembered in the morning before he did, and slipped a dollar under his pillow. Then Mom reminded him to go and look. He reported back that she hadn't come. Apparently, he'd put the dollar from his last tooth under his pillow, so he thought it was just that one! Arghhhh! I can't win!

altered

Ali lost a tooth today, unexpectedly and somewhat violently, as Leila caught it with her fingers while grabbing Sami. He was very upset, and it did bleed quite a bit, but it must have been loose to begin with, though none of us knew that. It was one of his front teeth, and the other one seems loose as well, so my beautiful little boy is going to be not so much this summer.
Oh, well.

Sami, on the other hand, is growing teeth. His third one has popped up, making a little uneven row across his bottom gum.

What can you do?

"I can make(ing) my ears wiggle."
What Ali wrote in school when asked to write a sentence about something he can do.

Last Month in Pictures (May)

Sami got a new high chair.

 
 And he seems to like it.

Ali had a Pokemon Birthday party. There were water balloons involved!

And he got lots of Pokemon cards- a newish obsession.

They had to melt little blocks of ice to free their Pokemon characters. I froze them in muffin tins in my friend's freezer, since mine wasn't big enough.

Someone (Ali!) broke a window pane in our bedroom while trying to throw a softball (why do they call them that?) over the roof. It was a mess, and is currently covered in cardboard.

We had brownies on Ali's actual birthday, at his request.

He opened presents while Sami watched me.

Ali's good friend got the Firebird, which he traded with her.

Two Ali's trying to free their Pokemon. Dropping the ice blocks was very effective.

These photographs are not in order somehow- oh well. The Pokemon party was quite a success. I limited it to 7 guests, and one didn't show. They made Pokemon badges, traded cards (they got some when they came in), and melted their Pokemon. We tried a water balloon contest- the one where you toss it to a partner and keep moving back. Joy and I, who demonstrated, did really well, backing up across almost the entire yard. Almost everyone else dropped it on the first toss!

Then the kids just threw water balloons at each other. It was a hot day. And we played a version of freeze tag. I gave out prizes for various things- everyone got one. It was a very relaxed party. They came in side and had cupcakes and cheetos, and Ali opened all of his presents, most of them Pokemon related. That's why he has such a huge pile of cards now.
The goodie bags were little bouncy balls, m&m's, Pokemon cards, and little figures- one that they thawed, and one that was on their cupcake.

I tried to post these about a month ago, but had some trouble and abandoned the post. I just found it in drafts, so am publishing it now, rather belatedly. Now it's time to write about June since July is already on its way!

"him with his foot in his mouth"

What we've done

Sami has been working on his sitting skills. He's gotten really good!

 He attends soccer games and works on his charm skills. Here he's smiling like Uncle Serge.

 He's also been teething like mad. 4 months of drooling have finally resulted in one bottom tooth popping out. It's jagged and sharp, and has been used as a weapon. Here he is enacting the "great white hunter" and eating a giraffe. (Sophie, from France, not Africa).

I've been doing yoga, but my "Happy Baby" pose is nowhere near as good as his, nor am I as limber. I wonder if he hurts his foot when he bites it with that one tooth?

 Leila turned nine. We celebrated with an enormous sleepover that went from applying makeup... (these two weren't interested in applying it properly!)

...to gathering bugs in the yard. This is such a great age! Only one girl cried, and it was her older sister, who had come along as a chaperone, who caused it, so it doesn't count.

13 girls (2 older sisters) were there for the evening, and 9 spent the night. Not a one had to go home during the night, and though I didn't make them sleep until midnight, they were all wide awake at 6:40.

Later that morning Leila had a soccer game. The season is winding down, much to my relief. I love that they play, and value it, but 3 different practices a week and two games at a field on the other side of town on Saturdays during high allergy season is a little much. The weather has been lovely- I just wish I could enjoy it. I also wish that the kids could win at least one game! It's hard getting beaten every week- but they are improving.

Ali has been working on his DS skills, and now that the kids got a Wii for their birthdays, playing on that. My folks came for a few days and played with the kids and helped organize the house.

Ali also got behind the wheel of a very slow go-cart at the party of a friend. When they offered him another ride for free, he refused. I don't know why. I guess "slow and steady wins the race" for him.

That pretty much sums up April. I've been grading like mad and trying to finish up some PhD readings, as well as working on the house. We want to put it on the market by the end of May.

Good Company

Buckets

It's hard to be a girl in third grade. Leila comes home with various dramas throughout the week, and the emotions spill over into attitude and disrespect at home, and it usually all comes out after she's gotten in trouble for something. A friend at school isn't forgiving her even though she apologized, or someone isn't including her in play and the like. I advised her to be kind and do something nice for her friend who isn't being very friendly back, and she told me about a book they had read about buckets, and filling other people's buckets, and how filling someone else's bucket also fills your bucket. (The bucket is full of happiness, I think.)
The next day, Ali said to me, "You look nice today, Mommy." I asked, "Why do you say that Ali?" "Because I want to fill your bucket."
So it sounds like lots of people are reading this book at school.
I was really wondering why he thought I looked nice, so I asked him, and he said, "You look nice to me. You probably look nice to other people, too."
A little later I heard him talking about the buckets to H. Then, "Do I fill up your bucket, daddy?" "Yes, Ali." "Oh. You fill up my bucket, too."
This morning he said to Leila, "You look nice today." Ali doesn't like to diversify in his bucket filling technique, though when I said this afternoon that I needed my bucket filled, he said, "I can help with that," and came over and gave me a big hug.
I told them yesterday that words weren't the only way of filling the bucket, and I think we'll do a bucket project over spring break next week. I'm going to cut some bucket shapes out of construction paper and put them on the pantry door. When someone does something nice for us, we'll put a sticker or comment on their bucket. When all the buckets are full, a trip to the yogurt shop would be appropriate- don't you think?

Observations of a six-year-old

Last night we drove over to Santa's Village. The moon was just rising above the tree line, round and golden. When it finally got high enough for the kids to see, Ali observed- "It looks like ear wax."  (I see a poet in training.- or an ear doctor!)
This morning he got into bed where I was holding a sleeping Sami and got me to make him an origami fortune teller (also called a cootie catcher.) Then he started telling our fortunes. For Sami: "You will soon drink milk." And for me? "You will soon be feeding Sami." Those aren't exactly hard fortunes- they describe 75% of our daily activities!

Brothers and Colombians

Ali sits down on the couch next to where I am feeding Sami.
He whispers- "Dear God, thank you for this food..." He notices I am looking at him quizzically. "It's for Sami," he explains.
"Dear God, thank you for this food for Sami. I hope he has a good day tomorrow and he doesn't cry too much."

Etiquette

I was trying to get the wording right on an invite to come see the baby (if you want to come but didn't get the word, contact me), so I asked the room at large (aiming for my parents) what to say so people didn't bring gifts. Ali had an idea:

Please no gifts for the baby because if it’s electronic it could hurt him, or he could get his hand stuck inside and not get it out.