tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226123432024-03-07T00:44:32.935-06:00ArabMusiciansWe're Jason, Beth, Lee Anna, Sawyer, and Sarah Claire, a family of five living, learning, and laughing lots in Northern Africa. We hope you can learn a little (and maybe laugh a little too) as you read about our latest adventures.The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.comBlogger420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-44471531114736941872011-08-08T15:25:00.001-05:002011-08-08T15:32:11.686-05:00Geography Stars<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">The ArabMusicians Family Homeschool has commenced classes for the 2011-12 school year. We have some travels planned for this fall, so the Headmistress decided that August 1 would be a good start-date. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">When you grow up on a different continent than the one where your parents grew up, geography has a much more tangible application than it might for more "normal" kids. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">The "Twins" are learning to locate all the countries this year, but the first task is to identify the continents. They have a little song that aids in memory. If you watch closely, you might notice that one kid seems to be leading and one kid seems to be following, but they're both singing and pointing at the continents. And, in his defense, I'm pretty sure when I was Sawyer's age, I thought "South America" meant Georgia and Florida, and "North America" meant North Carolina or other distant locales.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And I'm certain that when I was 2 I could no more have located France on a map than I could have built an airplane from toothpicks to fly there. Check this out</span>:</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AZ_AvT-BM0k?hl=en&fs=1" width="425"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">She actually knows lots more, but usually declares "Finish!" after only three or four. I guess we'll cut her some slack for now, though.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">These kids seem to be doing well. And they have one sharp teacher leading the way!</span>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-9819567851232334702011-07-11T03:06:00.001-05:002011-07-11T03:06:11.884-05:00Hopping the Equator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP50la2qGPLMUT95aV6vE4qpL80AHy7X1BiPzK0MgKfmqbiluoR4mxaNV-uFcc9UZ6XkRZycP2VKXiPvqGplOAyKMbFLjVX0QK-TyiSmIp4l06c7OO44lGpnq65WGa2uy9xCRo5w/s1600/DSC_0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP50la2qGPLMUT95aV6vE4qpL80AHy7X1BiPzK0MgKfmqbiluoR4mxaNV-uFcc9UZ6XkRZycP2VKXiPvqGplOAyKMbFLjVX0QK-TyiSmIp4l06c7OO44lGpnq65WGa2uy9xCRo5w/s320/DSC_0267.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well, we didn't want to let Sawyer and Lee Anna have all the fun this month, so we took a little trip of our own this past weekend. The three of us made our first little trek into the southern hemisphere and spent four days in Kenya! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYmdvcgWTydW_H3VnXaCzYx0sZk0zg4_p_Z8Dl3uMx6Ql0kWTDeUVS7Ga0yBmUOd2-MDJDCIzJXgbvaT5VjhT8Fc4fW_myNQvD6b7pRCl_NZvt4eOVrDRFyB_1dcHSbRWqYU_gg/s1600/DSC_0273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYmdvcgWTydW_H3VnXaCzYx0sZk0zg4_p_Z8Dl3uMx6Ql0kWTDeUVS7Ga0yBmUOd2-MDJDCIzJXgbvaT5VjhT8Fc4fW_myNQvD6b7pRCl_NZvt4eOVrDRFyB_1dcHSbRWqYU_gg/s320/DSC_0273.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Sarah Claire might not be able to tell you about the gorgeous trees and flowers, the incredible wildlife, or the beautiful tea plantations all around us, but she knows this: THEY HAVE A PLAYGROUND! I might post some more of those pictures later, but for now here's our little world traveler having fun on the playground.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_G93bY94nfDZBM4l-pOit71UpHAsB2DyHOcbeOZ5JtnYIk3J0MgUC7xHuYQXntclqrTmUmKbSyOfYmsYAdgnEigLP2-WbRzpnY5XdqRAb7uovw5I668pufA35S275RoUMn5ztw/s1600/DSC_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_G93bY94nfDZBM4l-pOit71UpHAsB2DyHOcbeOZ5JtnYIk3J0MgUC7xHuYQXntclqrTmUmKbSyOfYmsYAdgnEigLP2-WbRzpnY5XdqRAb7uovw5I668pufA35S275RoUMn5ztw/s320/DSC_0276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>She has definitely given it a workout!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiRpG_wRNChNNlOVHSFkEt5x0ieDR-7OXq11TgFqHtz1e7JnKBwv7ibuctIyc0aId9peFexyUtt6H1Zjim9lF0vKSj741QEbMzmt_9rAX_ze-VNvnIGT-OP_2XvGaWrrJlr2q3A/s1600/DSC_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiRpG_wRNChNNlOVHSFkEt5x0ieDR-7OXq11TgFqHtz1e7JnKBwv7ibuctIyc0aId9peFexyUtt6H1Zjim9lF0vKSj741QEbMzmt_9rAX_ze-VNvnIGT-OP_2XvGaWrrJlr2q3A/s320/DSC_0281.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>"Yook at me, Mama! I fwide!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHtZWQqF_5BSDOzmfxWrxAZAKJHbR6CGQnAqdSOLUMoxXW8LqTaJxW6_rLQUrzmOgttqEKyOEAbTKBqveAmarRu28a4p0-0nhj0CQXyA-FCskxFdUqdqTB5M6V9P0k3L72dz9SQ/s1600/DSC_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHtZWQqF_5BSDOzmfxWrxAZAKJHbR6CGQnAqdSOLUMoxXW8LqTaJxW6_rLQUrzmOgttqEKyOEAbTKBqveAmarRu28a4p0-0nhj0CQXyA-FCskxFdUqdqTB5M6V9P0k3L72dz9SQ/s320/DSC_0291.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>It has been really fun to see a different part of Africa and enjoy the incredible beauty and cooler temperatures of this place. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfA-A3E8kZdaDpv18HnUWtX9HhYJODjDQMzp9NaWI8S-iTk6Mp-BHhbnMW-zcHHZdiwbaQjzubB7Jjps3k9Q0PocBMQocFeYFb943Bin-VQzVEwAFA_rcomdkkldx8jeVAkj7bQ/s1600/DSC_0299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfA-A3E8kZdaDpv18HnUWtX9HhYJODjDQMzp9NaWI8S-iTk6Mp-BHhbnMW-zcHHZdiwbaQjzubB7Jjps3k9Q0PocBMQocFeYFb943Bin-VQzVEwAFA_rcomdkkldx8jeVAkj7bQ/s320/DSC_0299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>What was really NOT fun was the two days Sarah Claire and I (Beth) spent sick in bed during our stay here. We were actually only supposed to be here for two days, but we had to extend our trip a little because we were too sick to travel on Saturday.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh7gsGbf7cESRfSXSvQVTJJvHMwJ9XuHlw9OAoIQsY0qQfrPPVE-M5vb0Ln2xwGYbVvjJOsYW3SrlFcDpDbdvwGHscr7clnkbktoQJXI5lRnLcsaM1er_Xq2ErMmFB5rrF_kHcg/s1600/DSC_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh7gsGbf7cESRfSXSvQVTJJvHMwJ9XuHlw9OAoIQsY0qQfrPPVE-M5vb0Ln2xwGYbVvjJOsYW3SrlFcDpDbdvwGHscr7clnkbktoQJXI5lRnLcsaM1er_Xq2ErMmFB5rrF_kHcg/s320/DSC_0384.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although this clinic was just about 50 feet from our door, I wasn't sure I was even going to make it over there on Saturday morning. Thankfully, I did, and the doctor was very helpful. We've been resting and recovering for a few days now, and very soon we'll be headed back to the city to catch our flight home. We hope our next post will be from our much-hotter-and-drier-and-not-quite-so-beautiful-but-still-home-to-us home. </div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-23075588704214991682011-07-02T16:20:00.001-05:002011-07-03T13:57:10.703-05:00Hurry Back, Guys!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">So, what does a small, two-year-old, third child do if the two bigger ones aren't on the scene for a few days? It seems the one in our family is eating up the extra attention! Lee Anna and Sawyer hopped on a plane with Uncle Andy last week to spend three weeks visiting grandparents and cousins on the other side of the pond. So little Sarah Claire is getting to experience being an only child. Did we ever say it was hard when we just had one kid? Turns out it's really not. </span></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Here are the big kids by the door with their carry-on bags loaded with 24 hours' worth of entertainment.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVMdUYMpz5fLMIPRGdk9pfqOn2RBDuQ35watxUcDgXYFVMD5az4PRrr-ghfXuE0ozL71fqdtOlw3qZuDaXK0ii_sPI2j5KxF_AGcdzk3YlUmIV4qKOFPWQa4I0Ecs4kBwKSMuaQ/s1600/DSC_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVMdUYMpz5fLMIPRGdk9pfqOn2RBDuQ35watxUcDgXYFVMD5az4PRrr-ghfXuE0ozL71fqdtOlw3qZuDaXK0ii_sPI2j5KxF_AGcdzk3YlUmIV4qKOFPWQa4I0Ecs4kBwKSMuaQ/s320/DSC_0198.JPG" width="212px" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">Before they left, Lee Anna had a brief Ukrainian language lesson with Uncle Andy. She learned to say several words and phrases, and learned some of their alphabet, too. (The English part was written by Sawyer.)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRMsLMopo8qNaIyaPpSkULnVYHP-vTFBYcabU8MEoZEwPgZpKuAJrYasM48tH7juGWmOrbQYDDE1eCFo_k2xpbAAN0jOLp4PIq_PpWm6C4w1a5wENZsw1gcrqC6GaostRuv3Jrg/s1600/DSC_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRMsLMopo8qNaIyaPpSkULnVYHP-vTFBYcabU8MEoZEwPgZpKuAJrYasM48tH7juGWmOrbQYDDE1eCFo_k2xpbAAN0jOLp4PIq_PpWm6C4w1a5wENZsw1gcrqC6GaostRuv3Jrg/s320/DSC_0191.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">But now, it's just Mom, Dad, and Sarah Claire! She got all dressed up in her new "Fancy Nancy" dress. But she didn't like being called "Fancy Nancy!" "NO!! Sarah Claire!!"</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjl4DzHcC5rejMUtK1GousNopBTaSllDxeP4ZVGwTjGDjXLqtWJmcWC48BIwMDUsK15CnRCedcrvpMmw3bVGrJlO4F7DazEZ-4dwUV80vlNDYc_lZBncz8E_vVsf4lNtTSjSRxXA/s1600/DSC_0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjl4DzHcC5rejMUtK1GousNopBTaSllDxeP4ZVGwTjGDjXLqtWJmcWC48BIwMDUsK15CnRCedcrvpMmw3bVGrJlO4F7DazEZ-4dwUV80vlNDYc_lZBncz8E_vVsf4lNtTSjSRxXA/s320/DSC_0202.JPG" width="212px" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">Have you ever seen anything as fierce as this ferocious bear? She loves to put on the mask and growl at us.</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Uj_GHADpl57LTuwqVsMKRT0RtDealqHddHoQR2szr6mCQFghW3qED8F48W1HNKvydyL6L1-gSM4g4_Rj-9MjJL3iRwKF4ugxHF4g9xcHpOHz_ZBOFJtwJvVDVqoPZe7JP5z1Qg/s1600/DSC_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Uj_GHADpl57LTuwqVsMKRT0RtDealqHddHoQR2szr6mCQFghW3qED8F48W1HNKvydyL6L1-gSM4g4_Rj-9MjJL3iRwKF4ugxHF4g9xcHpOHz_ZBOFJtwJvVDVqoPZe7JP5z1Qg/s320/DSC_0210.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhFo-JSeK0zbwpDnAAgmYOYQ7khInoRnzOncqu-uxzLGBtDcvhW7HvzyZc1NqrJ7m_rv__iShL10mGElcf52AHBuPrTpaYVoZfUhlQ0HoOlfqeYn1RfAMiguVGZZc8tS_fJaW4g/s1600/DSC_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhFo-JSeK0zbwpDnAAgmYOYQ7khInoRnzOncqu-uxzLGBtDcvhW7HvzyZc1NqrJ7m_rv__iShL10mGElcf52AHBuPrTpaYVoZfUhlQ0HoOlfqeYn1RfAMiguVGZZc8tS_fJaW4g/s320/DSC_0213.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">She took the mask off and then said "Again." Then proceeded to put it on upside down. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7bdD_iCC-bAlymRm2ab5IBz8fNFYpQo0yL0aDHlXyMO61n25RVjMFCx5Cik7awI9yn46rYQkwVKuD1rFtStSZgoQNA_U-SjS-V5SoY8tMxwU887A9NIT-MbjLXdJ8lV9agFN0g/s1600/DSC_0214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7bdD_iCC-bAlymRm2ab5IBz8fNFYpQo0yL0aDHlXyMO61n25RVjMFCx5Cik7awI9yn46rYQkwVKuD1rFtStSZgoQNA_U-SjS-V5SoY8tMxwU887A9NIT-MbjLXdJ8lV9agFN0g/s320/DSC_0214.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">She's a sweetie!</span></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-9430726492638978002011-06-25T15:25:00.000-05:002011-06-25T15:25:15.913-05:00Yook at me! I'm two!<span style="color: #cc0000;">She can't quite pronounce the "l" in look correctly, but it's awfully cute the way she says it. And she's definitely proud to be two!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafaTUdLc09YyZmofQOSebXGdWiPqW8sWG9IpuvVmtIRmmAwQ1TDIPsgdp5wVM2YW9IQystcMK78cA6QGf5wohrwjlsXpDtZhKeufVlcpfofdU-DhYvHCW3t9eq8D2otVbs-pLCA/s1600/DSC_0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafaTUdLc09YyZmofQOSebXGdWiPqW8sWG9IpuvVmtIRmmAwQ1TDIPsgdp5wVM2YW9IQystcMK78cA6QGf5wohrwjlsXpDtZhKeufVlcpfofdU-DhYvHCW3t9eq8D2otVbs-pLCA/s320/DSC_0139.JPG" width="212px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">I'm a little late with this post. We celebrated Sarah Claire's birthday just two days after her big sister's, but I'm just now getting around to sharing a few of the pictures. She was still feeling a bit under the weather on the big day, so she got to spend all of her second birthday at home. We did have some friends join us for dinner, which she loved!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGe9s8hQAlgcrN0noig56ALnmwuJwYAxNfYfFUOuPdOScHd6zz9Wq6TZZCBQvWrJnHH5SdxmW4dVRXdcos_yZoyrThoWBUmgtzw5-9Y4xpOoL2e8vwk13T0Qa0Ls3rwSItFHexHA/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGe9s8hQAlgcrN0noig56ALnmwuJwYAxNfYfFUOuPdOScHd6zz9Wq6TZZCBQvWrJnHH5SdxmW4dVRXdcos_yZoyrThoWBUmgtzw5-9Y4xpOoL2e8vwk13T0Qa0Ls3rwSItFHexHA/s320/DSC_0099.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">She might not have felt good all day, but she perked up when it was present time. She still needs a lot of help with our traditional hot-and-cold birthday present game, but the big kids were happy to oblige.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMJeWuOJq_6sICFdKZiT4ICeS_6lzYlitBcsKfUWU1lTQfV7YIP91audYKKu6upNMJYHHc9pN-UjF7QlZAFqdq51viKJCkc43-KVNJVWOTEjRpdVXSNJZxaN8AjpuRqAs64ovJA/s1600/DSC_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMJeWuOJq_6sICFdKZiT4ICeS_6lzYlitBcsKfUWU1lTQfV7YIP91audYKKu6upNMJYHHc9pN-UjF7QlZAFqdq51viKJCkc43-KVNJVWOTEjRpdVXSNJZxaN8AjpuRqAs64ovJA/s320/DSC_0116.JPG" width="212px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">She got so excited about every single present. She wanted to put on her new pink tennis shoes from Mimi right away, and she also wanted me to take her other gifts out of their packaging RIGHT NOW. In two-year-old speech, her request for me to "Open it" sounds something like "Ommit, Mama! Ommit!" </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqWz0S4rammNNDY1Ad4MCPdHu0G_zcmaqLekXwAcKnx58tbhndgnvvV1DFU27axOeKczHsuyuVJEoFovjkEIusfPdZmTOlOXvCFlAKFirWiv79WzVj0AegXGYuCMlkGZOZdLpXw/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqWz0S4rammNNDY1Ad4MCPdHu0G_zcmaqLekXwAcKnx58tbhndgnvvV1DFU27axOeKczHsuyuVJEoFovjkEIusfPdZmTOlOXvCFlAKFirWiv79WzVj0AegXGYuCMlkGZOZdLpXw/s320/DSC_0120.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">I know all moms say this, but I really can't believe she's two already!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurocYEE344zwutBMl2oHuTXmYo4fSGUALdHJAwPDVXA5SayoaAPzZcyMffdMxeiRbM-rVS4b8lM2WTOBHoVcf9Y1AGS9d_j5qv3yIen91YYNV-R57JuuzMeTSaYXPeLyl9T7oGQ/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurocYEE344zwutBMl2oHuTXmYo4fSGUALdHJAwPDVXA5SayoaAPzZcyMffdMxeiRbM-rVS4b8lM2WTOBHoVcf9Y1AGS9d_j5qv3yIen91YYNV-R57JuuzMeTSaYXPeLyl9T7oGQ/s320/DSC_0127.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">She wanted to wear her crown when it was cake time...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_UPc2Par9e1-KOPTn8QkjCg24f_lw7AHR3Ih8YgqQEgJFA7BK-IsozJ7Kt9vGIK6mCE0A91dXi6_485rdr4SW6_l_Nl5S79mT_XCjSqpKciaMrFB_s5nWLlCFSuwNCHdxF9Fkg/s1600/DSC_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_UPc2Par9e1-KOPTn8QkjCg24f_lw7AHR3Ih8YgqQEgJFA7BK-IsozJ7Kt9vGIK6mCE0A91dXi6_485rdr4SW6_l_Nl5S79mT_XCjSqpKciaMrFB_s5nWLlCFSuwNCHdxF9Fkg/s320/DSC_0131.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">...and had lots of help blowing out the candles. Happy Birthday, Sweet Princess!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN7hFafQim3pvTak8hKn_gWY4PmldmKKCLWOhfVp1n6wBqm79pmMV6NAqdSVWMXAC46w91kzwc5yyDljquOqXBZhYz7NejEov3zVNRSyK3hKn4-FWl4hmNriHtF6w-2iRPbFBoQ/s320/DSC_0183.JPG" width="320px" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">And this pic isn't actually from her birthday, but I wanted to include it. I got this sweet shot on Father's Day. I sure do love those four.</span></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-36492970906682965992011-06-16T08:19:00.001-05:002011-06-25T15:26:43.728-05:00It's that time again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4ExDAWsyXAWxhBhk5fpAjIZrIU-gTNhWNpFFKw7Xz-FeAiagD7YrU0uoFI3T0w2kAe0brfZw3ksz9TptzsOJrpoxnUnUV1p6SG7dezw6GofahSazd2X5YQcyptsh5p3d4d97xA/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4ExDAWsyXAWxhBhk5fpAjIZrIU-gTNhWNpFFKw7Xz-FeAiagD7YrU0uoFI3T0w2kAe0brfZw3ksz9TptzsOJrpoxnUnUV1p6SG7dezw6GofahSazd2X5YQcyptsh5p3d4d97xA/s320/DSC_0047.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">All the little girls in our house are having birthdays this week! We started on Monday with Lee Anna. We had originally planned a fun outing for that day, but because of a sick little sister, we had to postpone it. Instead, we had a fun day celebrating at home, which is really very appropriate because there is nowhere this girl would rather be. She's definitely our little homebody!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2F4In_cq2MB-iC7UuuC5p5kcpsMxR6YkPuw7kh7kvgRmbqoEP0rNCMRuQzSTCFXhgeGSEdhLKtyd4YbrK4K5vwbrQSMdpBKmIieUFY2loa3HoNbBGIZCwFOLilUzSqwJUSqbdQ/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2F4In_cq2MB-iC7UuuC5p5kcpsMxR6YkPuw7kh7kvgRmbqoEP0rNCMRuQzSTCFXhgeGSEdhLKtyd4YbrK4K5vwbrQSMdpBKmIieUFY2loa3HoNbBGIZCwFOLilUzSqwJUSqbdQ/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" t8="true" width="212px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">She took it upon herself to plan our entire menu for the day, starting with butterscotch pancakes.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSIuWKwpM8AAD2Q7dk_bhcjGAjxszXM3aKlB1oVKKGL-H8Ab95JQc4UgaNcZzSO9oDTfv-4CulnkYP9Vp5GRpy9zZL7qYH8W6q8wikmIcc7rCssyHUMBtmc-Q6cp37w6wgUOUug/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSIuWKwpM8AAD2Q7dk_bhcjGAjxszXM3aKlB1oVKKGL-H8Ab95JQc4UgaNcZzSO9oDTfv-4CulnkYP9Vp5GRpy9zZL7qYH8W6q8wikmIcc7rCssyHUMBtmc-Q6cp37w6wgUOUug/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">Hers had a candle, of course. Mimi brought her the cute crown, which she decorated herself. She's been saving it to wear on the big day!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVtYuRoqD0w0IczrdV1MYWtr9IIyaB-H0NIcHEuCwJiz20JQ79VexoVddDGA9etmEwOvoVKSw-bbh_ZQIich_pNjTVrTnqeVc0v5wb5e-m9I2f5sp9nxKLO_opdZv3X7nzkPjtg/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVtYuRoqD0w0IczrdV1MYWtr9IIyaB-H0NIcHEuCwJiz20JQ79VexoVddDGA9etmEwOvoVKSw-bbh_ZQIich_pNjTVrTnqeVc0v5wb5e-m9I2f5sp9nxKLO_opdZv3X7nzkPjtg/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">For some reason, Lee Anna decided several months ago that she really, really wanted a piggy bank. Well, her dreams finaly came true when she opened this present from G.G.! She was thrilled. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEOQODurtWmyyMDqYTiHwrbb8GXA34X-vxVGW_vMOokFgbQFgp9LlUM7Lihw9H0wwJ-61ji4DYTzB8j2b8h8zSSQtPXSSd0n_ZHouF1fYlZwfK60tPNshryMOHuuRaM-eZOh31g/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEOQODurtWmyyMDqYTiHwrbb8GXA34X-vxVGW_vMOokFgbQFgp9LlUM7Lihw9H0wwJ-61ji4DYTzB8j2b8h8zSSQtPXSSd0n_ZHouF1fYlZwfK60tPNshryMOHuuRaM-eZOh31g/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">Instead of a cake, she requested gingerbread cookies, so that's what we made. She picked out the cookie cutters, too--flowers, butterflies, stars, and snowmen. Because, really, what June birthday in the desert is complete without a good snowman cookie?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbgUWGBfldPQsO9Uirj90QJ2N6V3JxdGjO2aEkuVjh109qS2fsSVMPbHQp3HT4yixGCvyi0orjDs1w8MRovKLT3wa16sEE37Qg30bTlgLfjk3jO7rLw22Y2y0lv-xPqwFuq-7SA/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbgUWGBfldPQsO9Uirj90QJ2N6V3JxdGjO2aEkuVjh109qS2fsSVMPbHQp3HT4yixGCvyi0orjDs1w8MRovKLT3wa16sEE37Qg30bTlgLfjk3jO7rLw22Y2y0lv-xPqwFuq-7SA/s320/DSC_0043.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;">She loves her new My Twinn doll and their matching pjs.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd6OVXA3-GMc5bGXx_FNNgyvgWKyxxfHThxUK7qSovkIHmvaje3RUb0XldazbCpa0bQNobIXv2yVNqegP-AMLgbEf7VPa-fjcb-P10O64PJqsGY19a6pzQkDWqjvNX2fyPlEhFg/s1600/DSC_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd6OVXA3-GMc5bGXx_FNNgyvgWKyxxfHThxUK7qSovkIHmvaje3RUb0XldazbCpa0bQNobIXv2yVNqegP-AMLgbEf7VPa-fjcb-P10O64PJqsGY19a6pzQkDWqjvNX2fyPlEhFg/s320/DSC_0049.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">For her final birthday meal, she chose hot dogs and hamburgers, and for dessert--marshmallows roasted over the grill! We had a fun day celebrating our oldest, growing-up-way-too-fast princess. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Happy Birthday, Lee Anna Belle! We love you.</span></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-69667569943047020232011-06-08T15:29:00.002-05:002011-06-08T16:07:55.734-05:00Two Down, Eleven to Go<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsY7ec8M2xTVmrkshRxwAg3USxWAmAPC4v6C7QT_Hvi7pN5MiL_3CMCWwLe68ZP4VokiuzmiXUmuzuFaMtQQYwgZ5OMrumsRqi7BciPgBRbjD0KelBzP06g7cwqcjPtafEfnaFw/s1600/IMG_0433.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615949921600969522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsY7ec8M2xTVmrkshRxwAg3USxWAmAPC4v6C7QT_Hvi7pN5MiL_3CMCWwLe68ZP4VokiuzmiXUmuzuFaMtQQYwgZ5OMrumsRqi7BciPgBRbjD0KelBzP06g7cwqcjPtafEfnaFw/s320/IMG_0433.JPG" /></a>Today is a happy day for our Lee Anna Belle. After winding down over the last few weeks, she has officially completed first grade! First she finished up her handwriting book (see her showing off the finished product above), and earlier this week we read our last chapter of history for the year. We've covered creation all the way to the fall of Rome in 476 A.D. Not bad for one year, if you ask me. I know I've learned a ton!<br /><br />The only lingering subject was math, and today she finally completed the last section in her workbook. Below she's texting her daddy to tell him the good news. The text read: Done with math:)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2wIgtmxjeVQqiYr7X0roy-f-VDD1iAXTyaesNKk3Aldl1oeBVyL-WS-f7DjrfhwXk2xpEC0UIiyZw_KN64Tdz5hSpxJVNwkhYDBTe8kATvBKWsVlENJGnO9nC888qU-ekJynNg/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615949904639488770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2wIgtmxjeVQqiYr7X0roy-f-VDD1iAXTyaesNKk3Aldl1oeBVyL-WS-f7DjrfhwXk2xpEC0UIiyZw_KN64Tdz5hSpxJVNwkhYDBTe8kATvBKWsVlENJGnO9nC888qU-ekJynNg/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" /></a> We let her choose where to go for a special celebration dessert after lunch today, and she chose ice cream, "with sprinkles," of course.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBtgnpoVpP5xouyr4tN6smceuai7wqNaIBtL_Gyar_5rNFtWo8HWgsOlu9j9Pk6VKsN_zLtXqlbtwZ-wJ6Wu6W7-3AnTXPJKFAXj-zra2eKVeakuSCFZ-v2SAuRaNG6kavC3Utg/s1600/IMG_0450.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615949914889684354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBtgnpoVpP5xouyr4tN6smceuai7wqNaIBtL_Gyar_5rNFtWo8HWgsOlu9j9Pk6VKsN_zLtXqlbtwZ-wJ6Wu6W7-3AnTXPJKFAXj-zra2eKVeakuSCFZ-v2SAuRaNG6kavC3Utg/s320/IMG_0450.JPG" /></a> I am so proud of Lee Anna and all that she has done this year. I will forever cherish the memories of her first grade year: laughing together about Mr. Popper and his funny penguins, wiping away many a tear (from my eyes, not hers!) as we read heartwarming stories about people around the globe, watching her learn to do the math even when she's convinced she can't, listening to her sweet voice reading to me and to her siblings, seeing her really get excited about playing the piano, and just having lots of fun living lots of life together. I am so grateful for the chance homeschooling has given us to share these moments. It's a special gift to be her mom--and her teacher! I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for second grade.</div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-12415968482889734022011-06-01T15:53:00.010-05:002011-06-01T16:44:34.039-05:00Fun With EnglishNow that we've spent half a decade trying to function in a language that's not really ours, you'd think we'd have a lot of patience with people who are trying to master the language that really is ours. And we do have a lot of patience, but sometimes we just have to laugh a little.<br /><br />This first example was so far from meaningful that we had to read the Arabic above it to even see where they were going. It's on the bottom of a menu at one of our favorite local restaurants. Any guesses what they mean by "Adide one pount for pepole Prid." ? I might have written, "there will be a one pound per person charge for bread." But they didn't ask me to write it. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZAHb7ZE9wAtRIyhj0Tkl5pra6bK9P5J_7UVFyfPEnd5MRmCmqM7ZpJDk24dlomOJRrb_CMaVn8tOgZSMpem_Tjcl46ws6LHxB7Fbv8LnOtIp1QzGXzzc_Q6MANs3kT_LpfFjcw/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613363242566307202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZAHb7ZE9wAtRIyhj0Tkl5pra6bK9P5J_7UVFyfPEnd5MRmCmqM7ZpJDk24dlomOJRrb_CMaVn8tOgZSMpem_Tjcl46ws6LHxB7Fbv8LnOtIp1QzGXzzc_Q6MANs3kT_LpfFjcw/s320/IMG_0389.JPG" /></a><br />There's a new restaurant next to McDonald's. We're not sure what they have. Their sign proclaims "Hot, Chilly and More." Do you think they mean "Hot Chili?" or are they just telling us the various temperatures their foods can be served?<br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSV-165EFsoodgNbQawdG1iRBGxEGVPIxir8K2dPxiyuNVoNmP7g17UKnf6X7fNFWO8m_Vi45pTQwD3IcPdH15qaOVAzPU036T_v_Ff00DCo-Gov_IjY1ze980UsHcKMXTx8Qsxg/s1600/IMG_0421.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613362472753914834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSV-165EFsoodgNbQawdG1iRBGxEGVPIxir8K2dPxiyuNVoNmP7g17UKnf6X7fNFWO8m_Vi45pTQwD3IcPdH15qaOVAzPU036T_v_Ff00DCo-Gov_IjY1ze980UsHcKMXTx8Qsxg/s320/IMG_0421.JPG" /></a><br />This taxi made us laugh with some unintentional humor (we think). It says "The Transporter," which almost sounds like a pro wrestler's nickname. But it's a taxi, a real-live transporter. That's not funny, is it?<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf4LIhS-YuzakbDnycG3OdRbmiWvzqmZRBmSE0hxdXLTVWdHf0gcEItQEIZFeUuHJsrtQTiJy3C4P3BF2n2F9I1VqVB-sANEMAFFkEj8pA5HkhL_vpqlKqKtUZo6T79rYMb2CaQ/s1600/IMG_0420.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613362469859795026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf4LIhS-YuzakbDnycG3OdRbmiWvzqmZRBmSE0hxdXLTVWdHf0gcEItQEIZFeUuHJsrtQTiJy3C4P3BF2n2F9I1VqVB-sANEMAFFkEj8pA5HkhL_vpqlKqKtUZo6T79rYMb2CaQ/s320/IMG_0420.JPG" /></a>Lee Anna saw this sign and said, "Hey! If we rent the whole continent, we can have our own empire!" Our home-school curriculum seems to be pretty strong in world history.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkMsPtNu3xqFOtaH9wS9AGNewASFz5-K9ydjxorP1A7qurriqOPY9mjgvJveu4bVldkUVKp21_tQFvau22v3WYD5_X531SJ0d7NrD_-n3uZfLTga1fzXh5S-raQjYrRwSRqdv1g/s1600/IMG_0399.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613362469350128786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkMsPtNu3xqFOtaH9wS9AGNewASFz5-K9ydjxorP1A7qurriqOPY9mjgvJveu4bVldkUVKp21_tQFvau22v3WYD5_X531SJ0d7NrD_-n3uZfLTga1fzXh5S-raQjYrRwSRqdv1g/s320/IMG_0399.JPG" /></a>And we had to study this one a while to see what they meant by coiffeur for Ledas. What's a Leda? The opposite of a followa? No, based on the picture and the Arabic text, we're pretty sure they were aiming for "Ladies." Yeah, it's not that close.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvf4-GiLRGwdPLm8n3H40OEjjrud918DQzzmXBvOm4wStNrgwBSCZMfIJ-8odyo-Fsp_Ib26oI2SNDh72rijS59tLtU3nUoeMYs8kFeWXZ-gD2ouYX1qb1KbKoOwJQS-yZEeK0DQ/s1600/IMG_0394.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613362460160826002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvf4-GiLRGwdPLm8n3H40OEjjrud918DQzzmXBvOm4wStNrgwBSCZMfIJ-8odyo-Fsp_Ib26oI2SNDh72rijS59tLtU3nUoeMYs8kFeWXZ-gD2ouYX1qb1KbKoOwJQS-yZEeK0DQ/s320/IMG_0394.JPG" /></a>And we just tried to imagine how fast the American lawyers would be lined up to go after this one if Walmart or Target tried to hang this sign over a checkout line. If you haven't clicked on this one yet, it says "priority for ladies and disabled." It really does. I guess the English is okay, but as they often tell me about things I say in Arabic, we just wouldn't really say that.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrFXt0zX5SbwcJNOmDDu4AbEEZqXcMwWt4DML-INtkGKw57TUIBTQoMOv-jYvDiMYZ60_zb2J44bG3R7glX_h2PGGZH9LRKFnJHoxMIYWr0ETu9RTWqE9mvTSyL9hmZ40eA8xow/s1600/IMG_0404.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613362456053283458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrFXt0zX5SbwcJNOmDDu4AbEEZqXcMwWt4DML-INtkGKw57TUIBTQoMOv-jYvDiMYZ60_zb2J44bG3R7glX_h2PGGZH9LRKFnJHoxMIYWr0ETu9RTWqE9mvTSyL9hmZ40eA8xow/s320/IMG_0404.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-89161277200116308082011-06-01T15:35:00.002-05:002011-06-01T15:48:04.576-05:00Little Princess<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqudnbzkmExc0UaSV6q3hZjHmcr1nLV8Oc0xQmmj_7jKJZvQV16TRExciwWZOVsuuRpDel9SNSh8EaC50MmW5bcblaGUjjGhLO0rMFFss1B2c4RAaJuQDPawz9QKLgSKJ7qsTUvQ/s1600/DSC_0912.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613355003627291666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqudnbzkmExc0UaSV6q3hZjHmcr1nLV8Oc0xQmmj_7jKJZvQV16TRExciwWZOVsuuRpDel9SNSh8EaC50MmW5bcblaGUjjGhLO0rMFFss1B2c4RAaJuQDPawz9QKLgSKJ7qsTUvQ/s320/DSC_0912.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWpKu64-ROPyemRqmNvhTPjoS0CYy6_-xYBPpsK397sK5pdSkQODREuEK3sM0pCShxvBYHrSI4L2KS_x-eA-HWo2hgz4K07bbUbZxMRoEpztGK1LcOUEZOmn14Wvgh-ySqzUbmA/s1600/DSC_0921.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613354590590135954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWpKu64-ROPyemRqmNvhTPjoS0CYy6_-xYBPpsK397sK5pdSkQODREuEK3sM0pCShxvBYHrSI4L2KS_x-eA-HWo2hgz4K07bbUbZxMRoEpztGK1LcOUEZOmn14Wvgh-ySqzUbmA/s320/DSC_0921.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__3z9J3l7dVYGk_gvUOm4VFKlElq3q-ldWuKPus7S5i25hnQ_IXppkBQ2_eMx3BgP3-ocfEcfNxGvXVUteMQo7zfAaIvBJX6GP_XQtmTCZ5oZagSq3yiV13BcKXAW2Wp5im5KLA/s1600/DSC_0916.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613354999619357890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__3z9J3l7dVYGk_gvUOm4VFKlElq3q-ldWuKPus7S5i25hnQ_IXppkBQ2_eMx3BgP3-ocfEcfNxGvXVUteMQo7zfAaIvBJX6GP_XQtmTCZ5oZagSq3yiV13BcKXAW2Wp5im5KLA/s320/DSC_0916.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7hGg1nmpcIWrXSjTSYL_TOQnIpPYyql2RD6KEH-pS_XmJTASVZRWhCJpaBFZTgWxqXMB0_9aJNLr5c3TFnbmgcYSN9c05fQyLwu3VvlVGigiiiRzDxIqffil_PuGbQorAvUCqA/s1600/DSC_0934.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613354580440999922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7hGg1nmpcIWrXSjTSYL_TOQnIpPYyql2RD6KEH-pS_XmJTASVZRWhCJpaBFZTgWxqXMB0_9aJNLr5c3TFnbmgcYSN9c05fQyLwu3VvlVGigiiiRzDxIqffil_PuGbQorAvUCqA/s320/DSC_0934.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZo_X_MVAGWdMrWkLwU_XqiSYMeaPB0JErpNmyqm693AKoJWnZg35fR7NqYDAgGFJvZbZfKXhGKJJbF1tI80IhC1F6j6zpDNeAdPceiGLI92XRH7sQS5IQjtgCEuSQ0arprL3kA/s1600/DSC_0936.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613354579357627042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZo_X_MVAGWdMrWkLwU_XqiSYMeaPB0JErpNmyqm693AKoJWnZg35fR7NqYDAgGFJvZbZfKXhGKJJbF1tI80IhC1F6j6zpDNeAdPceiGLI92XRH7sQS5IQjtgCEuSQ0arprL3kA/s320/DSC_0936.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-N1cA42LhaOALYOVW5BFvs9ED3C9pOmxriinUlmcRYL0A4ErC-ptPLWSKvTCxr31kvCKgfX0JOzLiq7k8WxhQ8Jbj8w0RS1AxyxGzv1ZsNlWIS2NDP58XmhRF89e-ReGN-zX1-w/s1600/DSC_0938.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613354572712518082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-N1cA42LhaOALYOVW5BFvs9ED3C9pOmxriinUlmcRYL0A4ErC-ptPLWSKvTCxr31kvCKgfX0JOzLiq7k8WxhQ8Jbj8w0RS1AxyxGzv1ZsNlWIS2NDP58XmhRF89e-ReGN-zX1-w/s320/DSC_0938.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc_GQn42Ah5IsDZc-DrVh_jSivnetgppwC3XnysC1b3bu3PoJtkbV6g72_BJq5VPdAEzukJ0OoGLk7WKMsqBgKAlnVeW6aibZytGY5_PgtSqqj86athLsz4qBjRrVweJvFMgffA/s1600/DSC_0940.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613354572142194290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc_GQn42Ah5IsDZc-DrVh_jSivnetgppwC3XnysC1b3bu3PoJtkbV6g72_BJq5VPdAEzukJ0OoGLk7WKMsqBgKAlnVeW6aibZytGY5_PgtSqqj86athLsz4qBjRrVweJvFMgffA/s320/DSC_0940.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-57231478311307750192011-05-19T07:11:00.003-05:002011-05-19T07:36:21.728-05:00Just Some Beach PicsWe got to take a short beach getaway with a few friends earlier this month. Here are some pictures of the fun we had!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1huqzDTsnSMsc0_x8YhrnyBhOkyW8Jhk2QzwdMXZFHfQE5gLMwzePj3-PCnKQ7Bc0-C1D6IhWn07oNyoMcDJk-uf7p88icQrCbQA1MKvsMP4S7-qVzz9EzdUex7iQQD0GT7jhzA/s1600/DSC_0834.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608400803871105330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1huqzDTsnSMsc0_x8YhrnyBhOkyW8Jhk2QzwdMXZFHfQE5gLMwzePj3-PCnKQ7Bc0-C1D6IhWn07oNyoMcDJk-uf7p88icQrCbQA1MKvsMP4S7-qVzz9EzdUex7iQQD0GT7jhzA/s320/DSC_0834.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5uFxMCG2vQ9Wt_J0JoDrgHFkzExBeWic6XQZscv5AatinpWuInYej_7K0BWIRSeQ_L98IFyP3wOznFr2OyvRsVVElDMuMbeYX1kFpmq_3R6_tP8sf2A0tVXb4Ybr-y7nPy2sdg/s1600/DSC_0840.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608400803555635698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5uFxMCG2vQ9Wt_J0JoDrgHFkzExBeWic6XQZscv5AatinpWuInYej_7K0BWIRSeQ_L98IFyP3wOznFr2OyvRsVVElDMuMbeYX1kFpmq_3R6_tP8sf2A0tVXb4Ybr-y7nPy2sdg/s320/DSC_0840.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVpH-IXRssTeKiI1tw9VkYgAcR0Q5KPEYppjXjJ4wPAf69I6H6F9V2vOwXIWE_0kKXVDMZ7RGUmRNhO2QF6Iiv4bWwmuyeWtO7vRUWSd2sE8WKm2uiaMQUP_gdyocaY2s_p7Duw/s1600/DSC_0849.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608400798988079218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVpH-IXRssTeKiI1tw9VkYgAcR0Q5KPEYppjXjJ4wPAf69I6H6F9V2vOwXIWE_0kKXVDMZ7RGUmRNhO2QF6Iiv4bWwmuyeWtO7vRUWSd2sE8WKm2uiaMQUP_gdyocaY2s_p7Duw/s320/DSC_0849.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZLV1MXxrobIfbYiOoM4FP8SZvTfJ6qcZrhXHX2uil7J9MXG8cboFmKLYwIXACOar-GRJj-MGlxzc526YbuWw1K8rZWoqhyphenhyphenI9m7wx9vItQrjrn0lOQARnDyABE_Tkao_ofpDFMA/s1600/DSC_0854.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608400796349127826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZLV1MXxrobIfbYiOoM4FP8SZvTfJ6qcZrhXHX2uil7J9MXG8cboFmKLYwIXACOar-GRJj-MGlxzc526YbuWw1K8rZWoqhyphenhyphenI9m7wx9vItQrjrn0lOQARnDyABE_Tkao_ofpDFMA/s320/DSC_0854.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUo-8sy_cj1KirVJrcaJ28av0e-_tMMDQ8lQL7jcx3rpTc30nvA4IjraK78P2bXTrvhMA0uDIu9Pf8gORZcdpHJiyrnJGjF5jk5_thjv5C2M8BhRTybN18dUoxUsmFwEbP2_ypg/s1600/DSC_0855.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608399953156188898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUo-8sy_cj1KirVJrcaJ28av0e-_tMMDQ8lQL7jcx3rpTc30nvA4IjraK78P2bXTrvhMA0uDIu9Pf8gORZcdpHJiyrnJGjF5jk5_thjv5C2M8BhRTybN18dUoxUsmFwEbP2_ypg/s320/DSC_0855.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO28RVudJp3FmNUyYFvjxJdSyaWnJNh6r3Rrgfaag_V8eMRkaqz9NLPl2j-Nh2AcwprhmEAKHunjiihPyQsEQJotoPBXtJQ-XKZLqPB_KDC_bSejXbn7q1XTSgm73envGi9fJ0iQ/s1600/DSC_0858.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608399949262531106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO28RVudJp3FmNUyYFvjxJdSyaWnJNh6r3Rrgfaag_V8eMRkaqz9NLPl2j-Nh2AcwprhmEAKHunjiihPyQsEQJotoPBXtJQ-XKZLqPB_KDC_bSejXbn7q1XTSgm73envGi9fJ0iQ/s320/DSC_0858.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjoFor88hFp3WdpcUHbSSRzbMmftUu9oxa13kDEtbeR32KRZEHjn3zmgcKZbSGh2unBTl_dfBVUl1QUGCgoY13IzJZpBKFpYfLjAFeF8ENhw5urm9puhizNzPSPe-msZGITsQew/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608399946871458386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjoFor88hFp3WdpcUHbSSRzbMmftUu9oxa13kDEtbeR32KRZEHjn3zmgcKZbSGh2unBTl_dfBVUl1QUGCgoY13IzJZpBKFpYfLjAFeF8ENhw5urm9puhizNzPSPe-msZGITsQew/s320/DSC_0866.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcMbnFQ5LthpNcguhoMY2B0ghwzKx4flTvT24oMK0Sk0_-Ayc7VedU6Er6ajO9j1YJ6gbpNbB2peerKfukw5m5BskeBFeLW8CyhiYyFkviZtPCCFZvqi4_i-DI_ROd-yYurx_qg/s1600/DSC_0872.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608399943440135906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcMbnFQ5LthpNcguhoMY2B0ghwzKx4flTvT24oMK0Sk0_-Ayc7VedU6Er6ajO9j1YJ6gbpNbB2peerKfukw5m5BskeBFeLW8CyhiYyFkviZtPCCFZvqi4_i-DI_ROd-yYurx_qg/s320/DSC_0872.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaU8_VBNNmQbdsW59kv0uhyOM1UZp_uk-8EuaGdFz_qeOMy7DHNGoxNhDi-D98gEqpJb-uNYZIaIgQgQfuvzOVmU2uk89zYmppF0Ffm0LUuPEzgGklLQySFuI115oTdgzP56xmyw/s1600/DSC_0889.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608399938490882882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaU8_VBNNmQbdsW59kv0uhyOM1UZp_uk-8EuaGdFz_qeOMy7DHNGoxNhDi-D98gEqpJb-uNYZIaIgQgQfuvzOVmU2uk89zYmppF0Ffm0LUuPEzgGklLQySFuI115oTdgzP56xmyw/s320/DSC_0889.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-29196160428369617752011-05-16T16:06:00.009-05:002011-05-16T17:02:24.998-05:00Happy Birthday, Sawyer!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47BairqwQYD-6P1zuM7ed4NRp9xyfi8w8QI93pJHPGSIuJQjIg14TLUUGu2U3fG6W57GhyphenhyphenuvOvAvqGtpYY6RaxpAv2rCcx8yuzXmUmMzJkb4e3Q9z02yz9K_UCbs-y6aD509tTQ/s1600/DSC_0818.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607425019193444850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47BairqwQYD-6P1zuM7ed4NRp9xyfi8w8QI93pJHPGSIuJQjIg14TLUUGu2U3fG6W57GhyphenhyphenuvOvAvqGtpYY6RaxpAv2rCcx8yuzXmUmMzJkb4e3Q9z02yz9K_UCbs-y6aD509tTQ/s320/DSC_0818.JPG" /></a>Our sweet boy is no longer four. He had a birthday earlier this month and is now "a whole hand"!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf0IZWtq6-CZWZCBrFR7NYcFbl1NBwKYN3hfOIhIl2Mslyr8sFd-LlNNTFo0bC_6-x51qzuYtSGoQmV2WNp79cUOp6T9eXN8qnQroIIEOtGNTDVtMidiZ4Q55PcmwUUsKWhnEQA/s1600/IMG_0072+%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607430870734955170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf0IZWtq6-CZWZCBrFR7NYcFbl1NBwKYN3hfOIhIl2Mslyr8sFd-LlNNTFo0bC_6-x51qzuYtSGoQmV2WNp79cUOp6T9eXN8qnQroIIEOtGNTDVtMidiZ4Q55PcmwUUsKWhnEQA/s320/IMG_0072+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a>It is so hard to believe it's been five years since we welcomed this sweet but not-so-small, 9 lb., 4 oz., baby into our family. He has been such a joy!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0DEZVXwqambwN3k4Alyic9GOqEH6jCtkm_o1w5hczk73u9KVUUvQn-DGiB9p7Zm0nAgwzxikcCVI4fXpYSIKL-FN0BwPn1eo3COLy7_wT8b8hoF516m-g5mhzRVp1ZRcnZE5dA/s1600/DSC_0795.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607426487075580658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0DEZVXwqambwN3k4Alyic9GOqEH6jCtkm_o1w5hczk73u9KVUUvQn-DGiB9p7Zm0nAgwzxikcCVI4fXpYSIKL-FN0BwPn1eo3COLy7_wT8b8hoF516m-g5mhzRVp1ZRcnZE5dA/s320/DSC_0795.JPG" /></a>He had his birthday dinner on the special plate--chicken panee, mac n cheese, and rice. Not so healthy, but it made him happy!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiG3iF9pY6BnC-vowCbZiwGvzRFwg5uETP5yYf4B42DPrE5djtmpmrE0ise-IbAMwhY-nEA3ef1TZb5aqwipJEtoGAg9AjLa4z2v8Pdscbesh8z7uZbpUCCz-xVPgCgf-hh1C6eQ/s1600/DSC_0801.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607426481418403106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiG3iF9pY6BnC-vowCbZiwGvzRFwg5uETP5yYf4B42DPrE5djtmpmrE0ise-IbAMwhY-nEA3ef1TZb5aqwipJEtoGAg9AjLa4z2v8Pdscbesh8z7uZbpUCCz-xVPgCgf-hh1C6eQ/s320/DSC_0801.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcpgP6TNaD6r82A-JjvTA2lswZmc0_84t3gWnStdKzJGlqGDR8byNkHv1PuXooucUHEy_cnvyIHBvAKM57G2WjbFdY0Cw13ZbLn0vjHa5LeDp8KOsr-cozq2HDB4idVAW-hRHzQ/s1600/DSC_0802.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607426476892347554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcpgP6TNaD6r82A-JjvTA2lswZmc0_84t3gWnStdKzJGlqGDR8byNkHv1PuXooucUHEy_cnvyIHBvAKM57G2WjbFdY0Cw13ZbLn0vjHa5LeDp8KOsr-cozq2HDB4idVAW-hRHzQ/s320/DSC_0802.JPG" /></a> He decided months before his birthday that he wanted this bear-shaped ice cream cake. Nevermind that he's really not a big ice cream fan, he had seen it at the ice cream store and was sure that was the one he wanted. He said, "Mama, after we get it, you can take it in the kitchen and write a 5 on it." So I did. (the blue smeared spots are where the candles were)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpYTn5fPvwkNmzAEYjcgEQMAK1ZbCo4TBYc-1iXGlNyKearSVnwsv5txs04oC32XKFw9Yny-c_gqh3P1WzVFToXOwJAvvpGJkEubAi3xrjoW00OX87dnW8h9r_3hyBBIeeY8WWw/s1600/DSC_0810.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607425026329336562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpYTn5fPvwkNmzAEYjcgEQMAK1ZbCo4TBYc-1iXGlNyKearSVnwsv5txs04oC32XKFw9Yny-c_gqh3P1WzVFToXOwJAvvpGJkEubAi3xrjoW00OX87dnW8h9r_3hyBBIeeY8WWw/s320/DSC_0810.JPG" /></a>Then we played our traditional "Hot and Cold" game for him to find his presents. Lee Anna helped him read the big words in the birthday cards.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZw-dTsVFzDed4NlufbHx457uLWYHmoUoRtAXiz2G54bKO-dAGTdEQJRvybEZA4_RWJh2fW5yH9ija6G1F5Y7UXreVZtgocndnZy-xETcMYQ7FmpOV9N3vduXrPGdeQW8I-M3PhA/s1600/DSC_0817.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607425021989861666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZw-dTsVFzDed4NlufbHx457uLWYHmoUoRtAXiz2G54bKO-dAGTdEQJRvybEZA4_RWJh2fW5yH9ija6G1F5Y7UXreVZtgocndnZy-xETcMYQ7FmpOV9N3vduXrPGdeQW8I-M3PhA/s320/DSC_0817.JPG" /></a>She also gave him the card she had handmade for him.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIuwN_OrqclDpjoT0RuTMT9-VIAMzC3epDtV67pKuHLRbkxm4C68qneQf-5MLmTtk6NaOfM7KKX-0yqbWrTPeXv8FauM6Slbjg-3bHaYajjqua0Bb4QMrPydnha4evsR4frD_nQ/s1600/DSC_0821.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607425012154094418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIuwN_OrqclDpjoT0RuTMT9-VIAMzC3epDtV67pKuHLRbkxm4C68qneQf-5MLmTtk6NaOfM7KKX-0yqbWrTPeXv8FauM6Slbjg-3bHaYajjqua0Bb4QMrPydnha4evsR4frD_nQ/s320/DSC_0821.JPG" /></a> He loved his gifts...<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YPf14VqzOWOtYEka1wZ2CeCJNZQmIfeWZDriJvJYetiTOjJ5umeLHQVV1KRUlMRK78OGbBrTyYFBHGhLWnPd6BrS8nqTiPlLJfeDLDBKAy7vQkQZcT-Qd-qzymKaAUlCkG9Qog/s1600/DSC_0825.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607424994767114034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YPf14VqzOWOtYEka1wZ2CeCJNZQmIfeWZDriJvJYetiTOjJ5umeLHQVV1KRUlMRK78OGbBrTyYFBHGhLWnPd6BrS8nqTiPlLJfeDLDBKAy7vQkQZcT-Qd-qzymKaAUlCkG9Qog/s320/DSC_0825.JPG" /></a> and got busy playing with them right away!<br /><br />Happy Birthday, Brother Bear! We love you and can't imagine<br />our family without you!</div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-62642605957785012422011-05-03T09:15:00.010-05:002011-05-03T10:29:25.440-05:00GG Visits<span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP1B8X0TUonMyDPDbwlZOrSsVpVEz-xhXBL4GDakgu7P1Dm7qvOPLtItAcDPO5AXODUIRykpHv_1UtqVykf4tUzZHAW0sPqRe_k_uzf14KLCTwSmlrs16PVcJ47amGSKskaZtUQ/s1600/DSC_0709.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP1B8X0TUonMyDPDbwlZOrSsVpVEz-xhXBL4GDakgu7P1Dm7qvOPLtItAcDPO5AXODUIRykpHv_1UtqVykf4tUzZHAW0sPqRe_k_uzf14KLCTwSmlrs16PVcJ47amGSKskaZtUQ/s320/DSC_0709.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602497078997971010" /></a><br />Okay, so it took most of a month to get around to posting about it, but G. G. came to visit us! She had been on a choir trip in Greece, and arranged to come see us while she was "in the neighborhood." She was here for just four days, but we packed a lot into those days. We taught her a little history, from things thousands of years old to the Arab Spring. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmXJhLBXwQMIYHUxpk0mcHgBB0S3gY-cIpM_f4zDTg8HBep5HkfrqeikNuVHNbmxWpnWATVM16IjcHx4wENLz3Di0eoG9gm47qtyU4OvcAOdPtDF-PY7nS0CBrMcKodqNi9TVhA/s1600/DSC_0736.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmXJhLBXwQMIYHUxpk0mcHgBB0S3gY-cIpM_f4zDTg8HBep5HkfrqeikNuVHNbmxWpnWATVM16IjcHx4wENLz3Di0eoG9gm47qtyU4OvcAOdPtDF-PY7nS0CBrMcKodqNi9TVhA/s320/DSC_0736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602494131262014562" /></a>Of course, she was much more interested in the little ones than in the ancients! We had a fun time, all around. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaYyErPjoz5TijernHOeqaU7_7R0NwauDDlypQ5xu54rhDxv4pmwKDw1u4wxnfNnC8vaz3DCRTmLB_xS1mM6Ca0Rda5sz0qIcoC_IMojGpRneaqltnWaZyA7MvBONrjbGylI9oQ/s1600/DSCN0324.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaYyErPjoz5TijernHOeqaU7_7R0NwauDDlypQ5xu54rhDxv4pmwKDw1u4wxnfNnC8vaz3DCRTmLB_xS1mM6Ca0Rda5sz0qIcoC_IMojGpRneaqltnWaZyA7MvBONrjbGylI9oQ/s320/DSCN0324.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602497348009209890" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >In the background of the above picture is a fairly recent mosque. It was finished in the 1870s. There has been a mosque in that location for most of 1000 years, though. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX17tPqjiGlkFGaCG1KJTGvZl8Muotpef6TiaqeQx1LU0gVSh-2X8OT6F9MGXVCBdlT45WX_Beqb4bbvKzHl8WiRGHKVJOkMFsiSkhg8Gz59qy_al4aqTIUOU1obadZJplk8MdCA/s1600/DSCN0353.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX17tPqjiGlkFGaCG1KJTGvZl8Muotpef6TiaqeQx1LU0gVSh-2X8OT6F9MGXVCBdlT45WX_Beqb4bbvKzHl8WiRGHKVJOkMFsiSkhg8Gz59qy_al4aqTIUOU1obadZJplk8MdCA/s320/DSCN0353.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602498379159751282" /></a>I had to include this one so you'd really understand what this visit was like. This spring, our kids have learned the "Punch Buggy" game, in which everyone in the car looks for Beetles and punches his neighbor when he sees one, proclaiming "Punch Buggy" and the color of said car. So G. G. got to experience this with us. Only she was frequently confused about what she was supposed to call out. We got "Bumper bunny" one time, and several other similar variations.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >And this last picture is one of my favorites. G. G. asked Sawyer to pose by the donkey cart in the market because, well, there just aren't that many donkey carts in the grocery areas in the States these days. While he was standing there, a local guy passed by and asked in Arabic "What? You don't have garlic and onions where you come from?"<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOL3no_lxUfxZUUbKkHRKw1E7giXC77KQMn7Y494bFGjGPNDjNJjEam9mYPwyx_qBxPqAnqlNL74FSUsXeiTkGbZtIcyg0xh9JFCiL7nsM8iwywyNKRaSy5caCgH8checgKsGAvw/s1600/DSCN0316.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOL3no_lxUfxZUUbKkHRKw1E7giXC77KQMn7Y494bFGjGPNDjNJjEam9mYPwyx_qBxPqAnqlNL74FSUsXeiTkGbZtIcyg0xh9JFCiL7nsM8iwywyNKRaSy5caCgH8checgKsGAvw/s320/DSCN0316.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602498373772990226" /></a></span></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-47920612680951210092011-03-31T16:37:00.008-05:002011-03-31T17:20:34.054-05:00Phone Dump<div align="center"><span style="color:#990000;">Here, in no particular order, are some pics that we've </span><span style="color:#990000;">taken with our phones over the last month:</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JSUlslQOoggpCyO_yY_ecN_Ubs-B9L2hMJHIaEhCTleldhn20UUgY0_TKU0_mkt9VqvyoCOYAhFJJZJEDsUaiH8-gptN88kNNiya_ns7a2esFKeQX0nxQhkR5H-yKvYZ3wrBlg/s1600/IMG_0152.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590366093804196658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JSUlslQOoggpCyO_yY_ecN_Ubs-B9L2hMJHIaEhCTleldhn20UUgY0_TKU0_mkt9VqvyoCOYAhFJJZJEDsUaiH8-gptN88kNNiya_ns7a2esFKeQX0nxQhkR5H-yKvYZ3wrBlg/s320/IMG_0152.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> It's 75 degrees outside, and this guy's wearing </span><span style="color:#990000;">a furry Russian winter cap. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhhXY5pGj4d1hAYsAoTO9iwzPCaR-cQbGX0rY4f0Pau9KNWfI9CdjLr38OVPVUPw-28jbYGD9Ao4oKKH7OuaBX7dbWoFiDAqQlLOwpp-5lha39NpzNBdGihIKy4KTlBKTTISnDQ/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590366087974332290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhhXY5pGj4d1hAYsAoTO9iwzPCaR-cQbGX0rY4f0Pau9KNWfI9CdjLr38OVPVUPw-28jbYGD9Ao4oKKH7OuaBX7dbWoFiDAqQlLOwpp-5lha39NpzNBdGihIKy4KTlBKTTISnDQ/s320/IMG_0150.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> What kid doesn't love playing in balls? </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImL5Q4doTUs8Vqfr6hn_yS5D8sGHpiZNHAH9dHiupXxUyWDSOUoVzdP5SsxHSsSFuXMhnq6y1uD15w5qvoStxoAXOzLNOB7lGCn1_MNv90CNXkfS3dkDeRoAejGNxNXiOI6Om3w/s1600/IMG_0139.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590366084407038498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImL5Q4doTUs8Vqfr6hn_yS5D8sGHpiZNHAH9dHiupXxUyWDSOUoVzdP5SsxHSsSFuXMhnq6y1uD15w5qvoStxoAXOzLNOB7lGCn1_MNv90CNXkfS3dkDeRoAejGNxNXiOI6Om3w/s320/IMG_0139.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Out in<span style="color:#cc9933;"> </span><a href="http://arabmusicians.blogspot.com/2009/01/ringing-in-new-year-desert-style.html"><span style="color:#cc9933;">the desert</span></a><span style="color:#cc9933;">,</span> </span><span style="color:#990000;">they made this little overhang their "rock workshop." </span></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMRViRkFWW0-80lcqnG4rgDSkEhY1tKuT5Bhd2T74byKLx1_kcdzGE1xPTJYFGWWxhzLlRIUMxRYu5KMFz8O6pY11WfixP1mFE77wm992BAihWK7iGQ0C4_tEBYSegml_zxA7gQ/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590366074549762994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMRViRkFWW0-80lcqnG4rgDSkEhY1tKuT5Bhd2T74byKLx1_kcdzGE1xPTJYFGWWxhzLlRIUMxRYu5KMFz8O6pY11WfixP1mFE77wm992BAihWK7iGQ0C4_tEBYSegml_zxA7gQ/s320/IMG_0130.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Yes, it's English. Bad, misspelled English, but English. Get it? </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HsLFVycxYqHmjUHGA8vLWh5chZcaaHbmY6TOFULJ7Id-nxn0ntI8laEiT3peEFZzAtpfj0IgnyirnrAuhmrhCgBLfe8Jz-b8Iem_Dp6hGoON7PKL3O1mrHC4zFvhkKmTaNaI5g/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590365428067013042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HsLFVycxYqHmjUHGA8vLWh5chZcaaHbmY6TOFULJ7Id-nxn0ntI8laEiT3peEFZzAtpfj0IgnyirnrAuhmrhCgBLfe8Jz-b8Iem_Dp6hGoON7PKL3O1mrHC4zFvhkKmTaNaI5g/s320/IMG_0349.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> At the park, Sarah Claire </span><span style="color:#990000;">was </span><span style="color:#990000;">apprehended for a brief photo shoot. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYViymAqLiGU_SQS-hnvQkjwmwUsL7lAtrH7GLPxxK7ouG10JaHWm2-YsKNBxlUm49cC2zxI-DVa-0DrDUPSNqP8PeDeFInGWzTyKX9Ri0ZmLtut8ccvjyCVT7Z3tz6KZUKrqxhw/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590365428013021570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYViymAqLiGU_SQS-hnvQkjwmwUsL7lAtrH7GLPxxK7ouG10JaHWm2-YsKNBxlUm49cC2zxI-DVa-0DrDUPSNqP8PeDeFInGWzTyKX9Ri0ZmLtut8ccvjyCVT7Z3tz6KZUKrqxhw/s320/IMG_0341.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> I don't blame them for wanting her picture. :) </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0QCrLEqaexMapd55boE528DCIAn1ezqawYy8O2sB7zttMkKHULbuigqo9AvHAaTHBVcEzmr8u0_YfU6mxZFl82jptS86Fp3QJHoqY0ugXgQb0YfEm5gMNB0zFiMetRPt5SfgAw/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590365423116104130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0QCrLEqaexMapd55boE528DCIAn1ezqawYy8O2sB7zttMkKHULbuigqo9AvHAaTHBVcEzmr8u0_YfU6mxZFl82jptS86Fp3QJHoqY0ugXgQb0YfEm5gMNB0zFiMetRPt5SfgAw/s320/IMG_0338.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Love those three! </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyS5JGEUEli4BRhzrsa5uBk16rlv1Swf3fYpgWyQuxNuhVw0HDOP8bP6zAv-cYAEm3LB0cjrKB1Tll6R5YWGETml_4pxAzaNckq8XgR1br3Z5US08M1qWSO3zef7-ImkcByEyew/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364124602998434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyS5JGEUEli4BRhzrsa5uBk16rlv1Swf3fYpgWyQuxNuhVw0HDOP8bP6zAv-cYAEm3LB0cjrKB1Tll6R5YWGETml_4pxAzaNckq8XgR1br3Z5US08M1qWSO3zef7-ImkcByEyew/s320/IMG_0353.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Look! It's a real Auntie Anne's pretzel! </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEged646nh4cZLOE_zRUxYXqVKcMsbDClxX0c8gOmA5TKW_iTACW1Her2iA7oCVciGMSp1AiFgz9lqugy-6JyERUJAbtpiO4b5y-IWfRjHZrRGw0aRJImb64A3t2zcwVABNoBG2oGw/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364121653346722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEged646nh4cZLOE_zRUxYXqVKcMsbDClxX0c8gOmA5TKW_iTACW1Her2iA7oCVciGMSp1AiFgz9lqugy-6JyERUJAbtpiO4b5y-IWfRjHZrRGw0aRJImb64A3t2zcwVABNoBG2oGw/s320/IMG_0355.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Sarah Claire digs the cinnamon-sugar covered ones. </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSH9TynFufR7n671nHynGNJj0jblgP5M9NegCDfOwzJwARaZNB7X2gwDHjxRW1gU0XpKxUexuUv-PAdnoBfI9g2-WE6eenCWD8brhBvw4eIdnB3b75voT8IZwu5QK_CUrpeZkSQ/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364117407892450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSH9TynFufR7n671nHynGNJj0jblgP5M9NegCDfOwzJwARaZNB7X2gwDHjxRW1gU0XpKxUexuUv-PAdnoBfI9g2-WE6eenCWD8brhBvw4eIdnB3b75voT8IZwu5QK_CUrpeZkSQ/s320/IMG_0361.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">The poses? I have no idea. </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbL0F0da34oUvaLBIrVKwGziD1ogqEz5l_DsYLljZYRtAzDJoMvPM4ZtLPEs8up_YZu-W1n23J8xg-0zu7FWQAsCMtFWr652jQE_EPnpA_kQBHBkv_1euKeoHaM8MnrzwHuvqsWw/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590364118333719570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbL0F0da34oUvaLBIrVKwGziD1ogqEz5l_DsYLljZYRtAzDJoMvPM4ZtLPEs8up_YZu-W1n23J8xg-0zu7FWQAsCMtFWr652jQE_EPnpA_kQBHBkv_1euKeoHaM8MnrzwHuvqsWw/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Sarah Claire was quite sure she did not need help driving the horses. </span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="color:#990000;">So there's a snapshot or two from our world lately. </span><span style="color:#990000;">Life has been </span><span style="color:#990000;">remarkably and wonderfully normal, </span><span style="color:#990000;">which suits us just fine. We </span><span style="color:#990000;">had enough excitement </span><span style="color:#990000;">this </span><span style="color:#990000;">winter to last us a long, long time.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-24160041518986816462011-03-30T04:54:00.003-05:002011-03-30T05:00:42.937-05:00Sharing the Roads<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj7BS8mg0P6NEzA5qQRruowf_2z8ximqOoJElQ2xOWZKSz0VjJth6wBKovTzgpkabBgLFk5icFqItY5XuLrbEed-PZwB32H2qjMWS38YpE5fpcS6wE0zjtoiRELdQ2HlHHaKZCg/s1600/IMG_0375.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589809322820975074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj7BS8mg0P6NEzA5qQRruowf_2z8ximqOoJElQ2xOWZKSz0VjJth6wBKovTzgpkabBgLFk5icFqItY5XuLrbEed-PZwB32H2qjMWS38YpE5fpcS6wE0zjtoiRELdQ2HlHHaKZCg/s320/IMG_0375.JPG" /></a><span style="color:#990000;">And you think being stuck behind a school bus is bad! Imagine how these donkey-pulled fruit carts clog up traffic on our streets. (The two boys driving this couldn't have been much older than 10 or 11!)</span>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-36608926653634929062011-03-27T07:02:00.005-05:002011-03-28T06:55:55.814-05:00Bike Ride Part I<span style="color:#990000;">Well, I think we're officially raising City Slickers. When I was a kid, we had room in our yard to learn to ride a bicycle. And the streets were quiet enough that when I was 7 I rode my bike to school and to friends' houses with no supervision and no problems. But my kids live five floors off the ground, and the streets around here aren't all that quiet. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv94BWPMqeQMC8Ea_x2JR4xuFWrTwQ-61u5pkIPGGXOV_7FnBtxdJAw05crcBUy-ZQwPJzc7_uOZHwcio0qPRBg2_p1EB9-UryerTp9vohhQeVWRqqIIa3mSA-Cu9KAekwkoQYg/s1600/DSC_0650.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588730403547469826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv94BWPMqeQMC8Ea_x2JR4xuFWrTwQ-61u5pkIPGGXOV_7FnBtxdJAw05crcBUy-ZQwPJzc7_uOZHwcio0qPRBg2_p1EB9-UryerTp9vohhQeVWRqqIIa3mSA-Cu9KAekwkoQYg/s320/DSC_0650.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">But this weekend, we decided to do a little beginning bike riding anyway. We have two small bicycles, but they hadn't been used much lately. So I started by dusting them off and then took them to the bike shop to get the tires patched and inflated. Then we were ready. We got an early start that morning, so I was back home with the bikes ready to go before noon! </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlq9dA9ZkAFFPf4BZSBc6D9ga1tS-gXfwDHpEVWfj47FHonaX2WZIj76wEFXtFjndSSrDCAjaNfABFkPTr-TdMf15268g18BuvEfH6OWNQVl0B_OND_Fkz4c7Cs8w84AtJt_WBg/s1600/DSC_0656.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588730399409081234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlq9dA9ZkAFFPf4BZSBc6D9ga1tS-gXfwDHpEVWfj47FHonaX2WZIj76wEFXtFjndSSrDCAjaNfABFkPTr-TdMf15268g18BuvEfH6OWNQVl0B_OND_Fkz4c7Cs8w84AtJt_WBg/s320/DSC_0656.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">These little guys had a big time riding in circles around a flat spot in the desert. There was no traffic to contend with, so they just rode and rode. </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyUsghKZV_aznj2Sy-dRi-KwhLkZSe91GQ3OcqKfUucjNU16AMsaQEePIkV9Ek-spt1inzVBlxu8_jWuEqa1HxfDAoxLr9ZoN0GrF3BxcYxaCDhKSRBFPUajUDbiV2udtcBIMdA/s1600/DSC_0665.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588730395357450690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyUsghKZV_aznj2Sy-dRi-KwhLkZSe91GQ3OcqKfUucjNU16AMsaQEePIkV9Ek-spt1inzVBlxu8_jWuEqa1HxfDAoxLr9ZoN0GrF3BxcYxaCDhKSRBFPUajUDbiV2udtcBIMdA/s320/DSC_0665.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">The training wheels were great, as long as the ground was flat. But frequently, the training wheels would get propped up on rocks and the back wheel would be raised into the air and turn the whole thing into a stationary exercise bike. </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7US3vKaYQWDygs82cIpdZpszhebDwb7eF9ZE8vf83KDuCRpYHSM5_kr6XepXwcLRh5mrN8wyyWT7PEfHCOSPZ767MpV8dWDLuwpbjxEkiW5FlL2Jex7oHHhcAygNoUGA0Gxj5eg/s1600/DSC_0666.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588730390518790194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7US3vKaYQWDygs82cIpdZpszhebDwb7eF9ZE8vf83KDuCRpYHSM5_kr6XepXwcLRh5mrN8wyyWT7PEfHCOSPZ767MpV8dWDLuwpbjxEkiW5FlL2Jex7oHHhcAygNoUGA0Gxj5eg/s320/DSC_0666.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">Maybe if they practice in the garage a little first, we'll be able to get out on the streets pretty soon. Sarah Claire looks ready, doesn't she? </span><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYKOoI-Sn6LldY84SIvF6QNdurCaNW4bSZZlP8nY1ge38EZxS4S5TFiPiHfFRXdW13Fu_NSlNwHCbxjByWJ3rADqgViuUeE8YLAXhlwZmYCLMTq3qSxQ5trTXxpx924KGM12wGg/s1600/DSC_0672.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588730382944472626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYKOoI-Sn6LldY84SIvF6QNdurCaNW4bSZZlP8nY1ge38EZxS4S5TFiPiHfFRXdW13Fu_NSlNwHCbxjByWJ3rADqgViuUeE8YLAXhlwZmYCLMTq3qSxQ5trTXxpx924KGM12wGg/s320/DSC_0672.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> </span><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-61782717642426836062011-03-23T16:28:00.004-05:002011-03-28T06:55:07.681-05:00Two Simple Errands<span style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I left home about noon on Tuesday, 8 March, to go on a simple errand: just take four bags to the air freight area at the airport and have them sent to a nearby country. It sounded simple enough, right? Well it took about an hour and a half to get to the airport to start with. As I first arrived a young man asked if I was going to the cargo area and volunteered to ride with me. I wasn't sure at first if he was there to help me or if he just needed a ride to work. But he showed me where to go and arranged things for me. We spent about 2 hours weighing the bags, getting papers stamped and waiting around a lot, but we got it done. The</span> bags were on their way, so I started home. That's when the fun started. Traffic had been pretty heavy all day but after 2 or 3 miles the highway just stopped. We -- we meaning me and 10000 other cars-- crept along for 45 minutes or so making almost no progress. Then cars from the other direction started waving and motioning for us all to turn and go somewhere else. Several even stopped their cars to explain what was ahead. </span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;"></span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;">So I took the first exit to the right and made really good time for the first 5 minutes while in a tunnel. But when I came out of the tunnel, I found myself downtown and approaching a very famous square that you probably saw on TV in February. The major protests were over but there were still a few hundred camping out and waving banners. And selling t-shirts. Lots of t-shirts and bumper stickers and other revolution souvenirs. Traffic was understandably slow. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;">When I finally got around the square I passed by the street to the American embassy. There were six big tanks guarding the entrance to that. I finally got out to the highway by the river and on home. Almost three hours after leaving the airport. I found out later that by turning I avoided a major riot that involved throwing rocks at passing cars. </span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;"></span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;">Then last week I needed to renew my car registration. In the states it seems like we did this by mail. At worst it might take an hour at the courthouse. So I left about 10, dropped the kids off at school and headed out. It took about 2 hours to cover the 8 miles to the traffiic department. Then another 15 minutes to find the right building. But I got in and started the process, paying some fees and such on the third floor. The guy told me to go down to the second floor, so I asked him which window to go to. His reply was classic: "God only knows--ask them down there." When we got downstairs, I went to the first window on the right, and that guy looked at my papers. Then he looked at me and said, “Foreigners can’t do this in this building. You need to go to the new one by the river.” Great. I knew approximately where the new place was—it’s next to a mall I’ve been in. When I got to the road by the river, I was about a half-mile from the mall. But there were big tanks blocking that road because of some government buildings there. So I crossed the river on a bridge, went north a half mile and took the other bridge back over. Well, the exit I wanted was also blocked so I ended up several blocks away before another chance to turn. When I did turn and get headed in the right direction, I found my self stuck in very slow-moving traffic, not all that close to the river. I got to the area where the traffic office is at about 2:30. But they told us it closed at 2:00. So I decided I'd try again on Monday. The GPS on Sunday said we had travelled 6 hours and averaged 8 MPH. 11 MPH if it only counted the time we were moving. Wow. Over an hour was “sitting still in traffic.” </span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;"></span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;">Monday morning, I left pretty early by our standards—7:30 a.m.! I thought I’d drive through the only McDonald’s drive through in town and grab some coffee and a McMuffin. They serve breakfast now, but they don’t start until 8:30!! So I stopped in a little grocery store and got some really bad muffins and a Coke. It only took an hour and a half to get there this time, and I found the place pretty easily. I got my papers turned in—after visiting several windows on two different floors—and the guy told me to have a seat, it would be ready in a few minutes. That was at about 10:30. At 11:30, he told me the computer system was “down,” and it might be a few more minutes. </span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;"></span></span></div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;">At noon on Monday, he gave me his mobile number and told me to call him on Tuesday and see if it was working yet. Nice. So I headed back home, still with no new tags. I actually had to screw the old tags back on the car, since I had taken them off and turned them in already. On Tuesday, I called and indeed the system was back up. So I told him I’d see him Wednesday morning. By Wednesday the tanks were cleared from the highway I wanted, so I got there about 8:30. They “open” at 8:00, but at 8:30 only 2 of 12 windows were occupied. When my guy arrived, he gave me one of his little breakfast pizzas. That was nice. By 10:00 it was all finished and the shiny new tags were in place. I got home about 11, ready to start another adventure. </span></span></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-83355186494030805112011-03-06T15:05:00.009-06:002011-03-06T16:04:19.990-06:00Back to Fagnoon<span style="color:#990000;">There are places in the world where it is still quite cold in March. This is not one of them. We are deep into spring weather and rapidly careening toward summer temps. But for now, while our days are still pretty and pleasant and not sweltering, we are trying hard to get in as much "outside time" as possible. So this weekend we took a little day trip.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">There's a special place just across the river that our kids just love. The architecture was inspired by Dr. Seuss (at least that's how it looks to us), and it's a great outdoor place to get away from the big smoky city. Fagnoon is a non-word that's a combination of the Arabic words for Crazy and Art. They call it an "Art School," but it's like no school I ever attended, unless the playground could take the place of the classrooms. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTA-8BlOOP_yBw4eF9I-zaNYgOgjzU3QfaR6AlLBxZLGso6p7KWiElkSCnQRDeBETVjfe9rV_5tKTS8AAp5PLOHEfL1SXHu_4mJoCv-b838uBheAlbq4J3vymCCSKfVqXei7Rig/s1600/DSC_0568.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581079655565516498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTA-8BlOOP_yBw4eF9I-zaNYgOgjzU3QfaR6AlLBxZLGso6p7KWiElkSCnQRDeBETVjfe9rV_5tKTS8AAp5PLOHEfL1SXHu_4mJoCv-b838uBheAlbq4J3vymCCSKfVqXei7Rig/s320/DSC_0568.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">These big nets we're climbing on are made of strips of colorful cloth twisted together.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOL_HViBx1PhwtGL5E_SClAf7XinRIspQxirdUJAtNj3DWRbMv1X22x_tMb4__K5HvTTYCBKYemD5aaP734t1brACzo39fvcoF9T4aAgW5dhErUdIfKrPJcSPNBgqDY99ZM2j2w/s1600/DSC_0570.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581079664140435010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOL_HViBx1PhwtGL5E_SClAf7XinRIspQxirdUJAtNj3DWRbMv1X22x_tMb4__K5HvTTYCBKYemD5aaP734t1brACzo39fvcoF9T4aAgW5dhErUdIfKrPJcSPNBgqDY99ZM2j2w/s320/DSC_0570.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">We don't have a backyard, so the kids love to run around in the grass and dirt. On previous trips out there, we've seen giant water-balloon fights and ridden camels. </span></div><div><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color:#990000;">When they fired up the grill you see here, we got inspired and came home and cooked out, too. After supper, we even roasted marshmallows over the charcoal fire. Of course, we were back on our 5th-story balcony instead of out in the wild, but roasted marshmallows are good in any setting. You can't really see them, but the kids are climbing on that huge mass of netting behind the grill.<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNQ7FCvW_al-EpsINCltsDl31HaJzQXPjlUHFwg-eHdYzIHw2vnsluBAccu8yL3Z_ZnQsbJI-p7-Gp7X0sYMPLSZY5amXC8YRkc4UnPHYPVX5ApU1AqJthZMXq_E-zZqbPItwyQ/s1600/DSC_0607.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581079691720884594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNQ7FCvW_al-EpsINCltsDl31HaJzQXPjlUHFwg-eHdYzIHw2vnsluBAccu8yL3Z_ZnQsbJI-p7-Gp7X0sYMPLSZY5amXC8YRkc4UnPHYPVX5ApU1AqJthZMXq_E-zZqbPItwyQ/s320/DSC_0607.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">Here's Sawyer posing like an iron statue. He may have learned this trick from his dad.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJ1TTfAjO9ezs-7y32XLkiyCuAwOFQFRX0tavCePYaq0w4g9P3nAgjz24rBxgkKLTHBkucDrTSph4-mScOkcG16OyWaD66WcdGMCLa-HpDcWv3mdfyeBd8nmTqcMgVOVxOi0MFA/s1600/DSC_0588.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581079676305672578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJ1TTfAjO9ezs-7y32XLkiyCuAwOFQFRX0tavCePYaq0w4g9P3nAgjz24rBxgkKLTHBkucDrTSph4-mScOkcG16OyWaD66WcdGMCLa-HpDcWv3mdfyeBd8nmTqcMgVOVxOi0MFA/s320/DSC_0588.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">Sarah Claire couldn't get enough of climbing on the bridge.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WAIh4_HqsGd0sQ9fIoUbR1Bs1WcUvI6JsmfDFoTBfEXkDBT_rDQ-WVPL5CMkf80SbdDRKEo8lqqI0GOypyfKIiAaCf9kQ6c2w38oiKvPkbwyYLalGsAC3b1dW3jJF6tirQOszg/s1600/DSC_0582.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581079672075674674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WAIh4_HqsGd0sQ9fIoUbR1Bs1WcUvI6JsmfDFoTBfEXkDBT_rDQ-WVPL5CMkf80SbdDRKEo8lqqI0GOypyfKIiAaCf9kQ6c2w38oiKvPkbwyYLalGsAC3b1dW3jJF6tirQOszg/s320/DSC_0582.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">In addition to all the climbing and running and yelling and playing, the kids do actually also do some art activities each time. A favorite is always making things from clay on the spinning wheels. I think it's a favorite because it involves getting muddy clay all over your hands. And arms. And clothes. And parents.<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEges4dr65765joPY0NoSmcstol3WwFhrf3Flepd7oAI44uCnn3AHu0gjikv6vd8Q9Mbdc61V0V48eMj4YNcVlYVT7VLNp8IXEbruyaXMdgUTx94rrs0MZJOe-7R1OhZiNhh78IefA/s1600/DSC_0621.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581082149330147346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEges4dr65765joPY0NoSmcstol3WwFhrf3Flepd7oAI44uCnn3AHu0gjikv6vd8Q9Mbdc61V0V48eMj4YNcVlYVT7VLNp8IXEbruyaXMdgUTx94rrs0MZJOe-7R1OhZiNhh78IefA/s320/DSC_0621.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSrVmuQJhyphenhyphenArRsU8J-6F3ASjkc8cD5mJ9Pg0aCGZt8V3kd4qXZ_Waw0DNYrLB3jWcXKXc5ilTO2DJnCw-xi28TXQa-jrZ5irBMb_mT0adAhoQ5w9P3yyZKSYT2tSTIrkPebF62Q/s1600/DSC_0624.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581082156421156098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSrVmuQJhyphenhyphenArRsU8J-6F3ASjkc8cD5mJ9Pg0aCGZt8V3kd4qXZ_Waw0DNYrLB3jWcXKXc5ilTO2DJnCw-xi28TXQa-jrZ5irBMb_mT0adAhoQ5w9P3yyZKSYT2tSTIrkPebF62Q/s320/DSC_0624.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">We didn't make Sarah Claire demonstrate her mad sculpting skills, but she did participate in lunch time with us.<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoBV36B-ZeJ_jvvss99zwOSaEEhNEBxUqN6GSHbiniwZMjQzbrspiuRzLUF0qLwx9gV0WjbKgo0ZfViaXMwVKGwnAUrFabw7vB7RWz19fABt0nfH6RIbGHCxngYcch2ZfuIaSnw/s1600/DSC_0612.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581082161353778418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoBV36B-ZeJ_jvvss99zwOSaEEhNEBxUqN6GSHbiniwZMjQzbrspiuRzLUF0qLwx9gV0WjbKgo0ZfViaXMwVKGwnAUrFabw7vB7RWz19fABt0nfH6RIbGHCxngYcch2ZfuIaSnw/s320/DSC_0612.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">And boy did she have fun with this swing!<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mRcckki0bMs?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mRcckki0bMs?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></div></div></div></div><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Overall, it was great to be out in the farmland, breathing fresh air and playing in the dirt. We may have to try to get back out there again before it's too hot to want to do anything outdoors!</span>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-59396071262259709792011-03-02T15:19:00.002-06:002011-03-02T15:27:44.900-06:00The Arab-Scottish Yankees<p><span style="color:#990000;">We realized today that we have video footage of the bagpipe players we mentioned in </span><a href="http://arabmusicians.blogspot.com/2011/03/were-back.html"><span style="color:#cc9933;">yesterday's post</span></a><span style="color:#990000;">. Now you can experience the irony with us. In the video, you'll hear the tail end of <em>Amazing Grace, </em>followed by a seamless transition into a rousing rendition of <em>Yankee Doodle. </em>Enjoy!</span></p><p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ziLgehOdPPg?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ziLgehOdPPg?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-70795648203145501062011-03-01T14:31:00.005-06:002011-03-01T15:45:23.839-06:00We're Back!<span style="color:#990000;">For 27 days in January, we wrote new blog posts every single day. If the reader has seen any world news at all since then, he will understand why we were interrupted. We took a little break from blogging when the internet was turned off for a week. Then things got a little warm for foreigners here, so we took a little trip. Lets call it a Home-School-History-Class Field Trip, just for fun. The city in which we live has been a city for thousands of years. But it wasn't the only city back in those early days of citification. We visited some sites in a nearby country that have also been around a long, long time. Lee Anna has read a good bit about Ancient Rome in her first grade material, so she was pretty excited to see a real-live Roman city up close and personal. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-y-CPsbizK8OyR6ljri1HAFSccVTvonxqt5jpRX_nitkppBlJdyBH3fU-tDhuML7_Kr1z4XBnQOUATC-kWDJsam7GXqPSYFX_hL_1kHk2i_Y-K9NAMs3rHUMFyBIRsDfxYsVxNA/s1600/DSC_0492.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579215782066714850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-y-CPsbizK8OyR6ljri1HAFSccVTvonxqt5jpRX_nitkppBlJdyBH3fU-tDhuML7_Kr1z4XBnQOUATC-kWDJsam7GXqPSYFX_hL_1kHk2i_Y-K9NAMs3rHUMFyBIRsDfxYsVxNA/s320/DSC_0492.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> These Roman ruins were just a half-hour's drive from where we stayed. In the picture below, we're in a cool little amphitheater that probably seated 2500 or so. We're sitting there on 2000-year-old seats, watching a couple of Arab guys playing Scottish bagpipes. These Arab Scotsmen were playing some traditional Arab-Scottish tunes like "Amazing Grace" and "Yankee Doodle." No, we don't really understand all that, either, but it sounded pretty cool.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rZV_VhEFqjERGbABZGmrUAfpIJrIpfGoPOHs1UFeJQUOk4q7jnniBK6eLGEM5He1Bj3wgpnNgjnkkO7pUA68GRgKB4XAF4A4PuiZV9WvAgLivpuZ4bk82N-53cQpyjIgxyyB2Q/s1600/DSC_0485.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579215766844999282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rZV_VhEFqjERGbABZGmrUAfpIJrIpfGoPOHs1UFeJQUOk4q7jnniBK6eLGEM5He1Bj3wgpnNgjnkkO7pUA68GRgKB4XAF4A4PuiZV9WvAgLivpuZ4bk82N-53cQpyjIgxyyB2Q/s320/DSC_0485.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> The hippodrome below was the home of Roman chariot races, back in the day. Lee Anna and Sawyer ran around it, but they didn't have chariots. So they got tired.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeDeMoTMCsFik_yUrPxrBGKvjNc_GSDXGfiMjam5W40-IkZqeJq49VEVD3X3J79xEJZ1BlHJqiR-z3xwe9Cs9UTsEc8PbtxTfIqUpSq1Z1TlEiX5QFxXEO1IC_wtjgxzEL5_ssg/s1600/DSC_0477.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579215748860444018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeDeMoTMCsFik_yUrPxrBGKvjNc_GSDXGfiMjam5W40-IkZqeJq49VEVD3X3J79xEJZ1BlHJqiR-z3xwe9Cs9UTsEc8PbtxTfIqUpSq1Z1TlEiX5QFxXEO1IC_wtjgxzEL5_ssg/s320/DSC_0477.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> This is a big arch. I think I read that it was built to honor the Emporer Hadrean when he came for a visit. Wow.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZADjMyKOrAtzgWSMres82UyCqf06cNHuGQocdYGhDyQ5wkYqQO5dd2cLq8Kng5Rcs8HbfsZcZaT9RfSbyP3vrGnemK_4HG0m6_8hO9vStkfNCOtOXLpF_R2aJtmUd94gSyWlcQ/s1600/DSC_0475.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579215744095670034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZADjMyKOrAtzgWSMres82UyCqf06cNHuGQocdYGhDyQ5wkYqQO5dd2cLq8Kng5Rcs8HbfsZcZaT9RfSbyP3vrGnemK_4HG0m6_8hO9vStkfNCOtOXLpF_R2aJtmUd94gSyWlcQ/s320/DSC_0475.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWpHiMmXRpubFjXQg13CCeBOW_NhJ6jkVj5YkGlk9xeIuLaRNOdWHxUFflIlDqO0BrXJHwz2lSRo9oMyc1SDThVh-URAmZnMHN1hnbYsDtRn1s0Bgt1PPDlZhL9h95jLrirzPGQ/s1600/DSC_0470.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579215732797172754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWpHiMmXRpubFjXQg13CCeBOW_NhJ6jkVj5YkGlk9xeIuLaRNOdWHxUFflIlDqO0BrXJHwz2lSRo9oMyc1SDThVh-URAmZnMHN1hnbYsDtRn1s0Bgt1PPDlZhL9h95jLrirzPGQ/s320/DSC_0470.JPG" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjCelKlgxJNkmLX8b2lBFmBuzFpmfVMoj9muMKDFmPlHtQDDBrq9EBL1WVJY1FbrbhvOXs-NjdPe_iAmmEAGQUmIgt2bSwBAd6wlsnbaioilQcCKVAPlwI6_zFFrWRNGJE5G9Ng/s1600/DSC_0500.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579218177320694946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjCelKlgxJNkmLX8b2lBFmBuzFpmfVMoj9muMKDFmPlHtQDDBrq9EBL1WVJY1FbrbhvOXs-NjdPe_iAmmEAGQUmIgt2bSwBAd6wlsnbaioilQcCKVAPlwI6_zFFrWRNGJE5G9Ng/s320/DSC_0500.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> The rest of the photos are from the citadel in the city. They've had some sort of fortress on this hill since before King David was a shepherd boy. Lee Anna and Sawyer loved climbing on the old rocks...<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsLt6sOIcvmeNRrkIA7Juz0zxdCY0FCpulMUxZbVdizXPnbEyaMHXa59DTAyLRdRf-ApqG2iW_z5rCMcaq9C7QVve-GTAvqFSgGrvqz3ZJo8DhD9StKkulRoiKQs2IM-OvRvisw/s1600/DSC_0505.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579218173057720130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsLt6sOIcvmeNRrkIA7Juz0zxdCY0FCpulMUxZbVdizXPnbEyaMHXa59DTAyLRdRf-ApqG2iW_z5rCMcaq9C7QVve-GTAvqFSgGrvqz3ZJo8DhD9StKkulRoiKQs2IM-OvRvisw/s320/DSC_0505.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> ...but Little Sister was not to be outdone.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCK-_aRIbiRzzPYrhLlqE1C8IUH8EL6IqHJTle_Nim8pBVzoaYS40han19-LrzfGdva5Ox6PiJffP0WQdxxmSx7Q6hemhwaLOZIBiX-ngL8TKgAAlxcwg8DIzZWTWH_eAmJJK4w/s1600/DSC_0507.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579218164511745986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCK-_aRIbiRzzPYrhLlqE1C8IUH8EL6IqHJTle_Nim8pBVzoaYS40han19-LrzfGdva5Ox6PiJffP0WQdxxmSx7Q6hemhwaLOZIBiX-ngL8TKgAAlxcwg8DIzZWTWH_eAmJJK4w/s320/DSC_0507.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> These are some really big columns. You can see a section of a column on the ground in the foreground of this picture. Lee Anna wanted to know why they don't just put them all back up! I'm not sure modern machinery is strong enough for that.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIgom91ZHPHPNNHlKMWRPoLkrwt6Xvq9doWnRb65gc6321by_OO5STcIgO-bPzgaKA0DjPtZU42iysd93Q4mI4ywdMHgm3SUJ9Sjyd4I4SmUBriJOiIsCEvEwEfnVUlLMVyZ_4w/s1600/DSC_0509.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579217133942516306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIgom91ZHPHPNNHlKMWRPoLkrwt6Xvq9doWnRb65gc6321by_OO5STcIgO-bPzgaKA0DjPtZU42iysd93Q4mI4ywdMHgm3SUJ9Sjyd4I4SmUBriJOiIsCEvEwEfnVUlLMVyZ_4w/s320/DSC_0509.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> In the background of this picture one can see our "city of refuge." The buildings are almost all made of white stone, and it's built on a bunch of hills. It was a pretty place to hang out for a few weeks.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN324j9twQ6Gm-1RCa6rknqiiepzFfnKD48s_jHYfs1OiLK6M6shqfigJCDyrRtDt2jRqcxT0ne3cxG7d5PcIl83-zvT22DwRfK6NsrMzuqBscEgk81OJZZSEh1RNeL-qeyL2pFQ/s1600/DSC_0516.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579217126101838370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN324j9twQ6Gm-1RCa6rknqiiepzFfnKD48s_jHYfs1OiLK6M6shqfigJCDyrRtDt2jRqcxT0ne3cxG7d5PcIl83-zvT22DwRfK6NsrMzuqBscEgk81OJZZSEh1RNeL-qeyL2pFQ/s320/DSC_0516.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> At the citadel, there's a small museum. In the small museum, we stumbled upon some parts of the the Dead Sea Scrolls! Lee Anna had read about them in her school books this past fall, and when she saw them she said, "They found those the year G.G. turned 2!" That was how her Mama had put into perspective how recently these old, old Scripture texts were discovered.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJehiyAxW2Ku2d0HlC1RZ3dHGd-SPBLgK3Yg4iSSCQ4MQwmqFyD7Kylz2gO8h4p3VwV5ISDKw-ar9-4XSsCLw0bN2FKHKodPfdPv2U9Pp58OjP7sIjIpK-Le1O2JfZtHY2QsvYDw/s1600/DSC_0525.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579217123139202274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJehiyAxW2Ku2d0HlC1RZ3dHGd-SPBLgK3Yg4iSSCQ4MQwmqFyD7Kylz2gO8h4p3VwV5ISDKw-ar9-4XSsCLw0bN2FKHKodPfdPv2U9Pp58OjP7sIjIpK-Le1O2JfZtHY2QsvYDw/s320/DSC_0525.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> The twins sitting with the fingers of Hercules:<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_CKkLXfo3T4-j80aZZhpoWOejvpnqlBNHqqqWOgGhkRA2jmSeqfmVXdcCZ3TYrmxPmXuj7mbjUvyHDYuW0BgrzKL3neuvTuKiV1NNPfdktclOIJvVRYea_WT4qHYMa0Gx9Cezw/s1600/DSC_0526.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579217115721294530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk_CKkLXfo3T4-j80aZZhpoWOejvpnqlBNHqqqWOgGhkRA2jmSeqfmVXdcCZ3TYrmxPmXuj7mbjUvyHDYuW0BgrzKL3neuvTuKiV1NNPfdktclOIJvVRYea_WT4qHYMa0Gx9Cezw/s320/DSC_0526.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> And this is our favorite. You'll have to click on the picture to see what's happening here. Go ahead, click on it, then come back. Okay, what you're seeing is Sarah Claire sitting on a bench, listening to some more Arab Scotsmen playing bagpipes. The rest of us walked to the other end of this big courtard, but SC just sat there and watched. We called to her repeatedly, but she didn't budge. We're 75 yards away, and she's just mesmerized. Maybe she was trying to figure out why these guys in a medieval Arab palace were playing American music on Scottish instruments.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYM9VseNJ8VwaaFh2IMagXKbEQx4BNnuMy3Qh8tysMW7ACyglBcQIOM_smBx8U-O5s39criPRaX_sJ0ogZuMQoW43IxqwJ9R3uPH4dpqdjDM4mCZrm66hm-ybp6sx1DNS3ndKcA/s1600/DSC_0535.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579217107804549890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYM9VseNJ8VwaaFh2IMagXKbEQx4BNnuMy3Qh8tysMW7ACyglBcQIOM_smBx8U-O5s39criPRaX_sJ0ogZuMQoW43IxqwJ9R3uPH4dpqdjDM4mCZrm66hm-ybp6sx1DNS3ndKcA/s320/DSC_0535.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">Hopefully, current events will allow us to continue blogging again, though we probably won't make every day! </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-64668765290538116962011-01-27T14:20:00.005-06:002011-01-27T14:57:47.880-06:00Pine Cones<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG_6K0R1Xf0bZWXJYqlD-yW9op_oFiTvPROaJYDbqxiHpmOUiX_-EjtEsT_FVCDA58XfCUv4FSqpmOkpSDVQhp0Sz_tdiRxrwDKI6q33Aj7fwv12uzBUuXvIcY9CGvzMPvxVYSQ/s1600/DSC_0428.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566963567177631442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG_6K0R1Xf0bZWXJYqlD-yW9op_oFiTvPROaJYDbqxiHpmOUiX_-EjtEsT_FVCDA58XfCUv4FSqpmOkpSDVQhp0Sz_tdiRxrwDKI6q33Aj7fwv12uzBUuXvIcY9CGvzMPvxVYSQ/s320/DSC_0428.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> This, boys and girls, is a genuine, pure-T, real-live, Florida Pine Cone. Imported directly from the piney woods of the Florida Panhandle for your educational benefit. </span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"><br />You see, this past October, Beth was reading a story to Sawyer from his pre-school material. The story was called <em>The Magic Pine Cone</em>. So she asked if either of them knew what a pine cone was. Nope. No idea. Beth then googled "pine cone" and found this picture for them to color while she read the story. Sawyer took some artistic liberties, or maybe he just thinks pine cones really come in all the colors of the rainbow.</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRmVFD-O7Pre-ZBUc3X3i_7G_wdIvHyz19_verVYyq0R11GSseIXW76hzRYJryRwd2tNyAYrMjdufem9eiz40lz6GxKi55aN_3Ppv2nNakxPRiOH2lcd8jBJznMBqzsV2Svd38g/s1600/DSC_0264.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566965151842931538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRmVFD-O7Pre-ZBUc3X3i_7G_wdIvHyz19_verVYyq0R11GSseIXW76hzRYJryRwd2tNyAYrMjdufem9eiz40lz6GxKi55aN_3Ppv2nNakxPRiOH2lcd8jBJznMBqzsV2Svd38g/s320/DSC_0264.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Mimi heard about this incident and determined that her grandchildren should be deprived no longer. So, in her latest package, she sent us a real live pine cone. The box had a few other gifts in it, too, but they were quite excited about the pine cone!</span></p><p><span style="color:#990000;">I, (Jason) on the other hand, grew up knowing a lot more about pine cones than I knew about pyramids. Our yard in Crestview covered almost an acre. I bet there were 50 big tall pines in that space. Once, when I was just a little older than Lee Anna is now, Mama offered me 10 cents each for all the pine cones I could pick up. She was thinking I'd find 15 or 20 and make a buck or two. I was a rich 4th-grader after that bountiful harvest of over 200 pine cones! We never had to google anything (not that we could have!) to find out what a pine cone looked like, but I did want to send some to the kids in Africa after that experience. </span></p>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-80355522701338524312011-01-26T14:26:00.005-06:002011-01-27T15:00:24.142-06:00Oh, the Knockoffs!<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span">When one gets away from those pesky trademark<span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;" class="Apple-style-span" >® </span>laws that stifle American creativity, one finds some awfully creative ways to market products. We've seen some that are really close and hard to tell from the real thing, while others don't really try that hard. I found some Crocs<span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;" class="Apple-style-span" >® </span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">sandals for sale in a nearby gas station that were about half the price of what we see in the legit Crocs</span></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> store in the mall. I thought they were the real thing, but a close inspection revealed a misspelling in the word Colorado. Made in Coloroad, USA? Really? The Nike</span></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:georgia;" class="Apple-style-span" > flip-flops being modeled below by Beth's brothers are actually Aloalloa</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:georgia;" class="Apple-style-span" > brand. Not really all that close, although they're only $4 per pair</span></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:georgia;font-size:15;" class="Apple-style-span" >. </span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6BHFJIhTGMRcRTXXjbSBDTMWgEk6XQO6w85V9sWQkD88IDpLvaYbaRz5hEkVbBWJqCdW6su7752ux9_anDLIh0-UzfsakYaA46PhxvS6ZUiGCHDQrrhMv-ckh70r_CYNsI5U3w/s1600/DSC_0058.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566595559534460658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6BHFJIhTGMRcRTXXjbSBDTMWgEk6XQO6w85V9sWQkD88IDpLvaYbaRz5hEkVbBWJqCdW6su7752ux9_anDLIh0-UzfsakYaA46PhxvS6ZUiGCHDQrrhMv-ckh70r_CYNsI5U3w/s320/DSC_0058.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br />These candy-coated, peanut-filled chocolate candies bear a striking resemblance to something you might buy in the States. We really laughed out loud when we noticed the N in M&Ns.<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERcfKX_wdNaFiXSVsMaUqXy13VCSRZo97G376tosg45Q0NcqPRYcTyZY1myrL6gJtA11r2yuJkRBrtp8uAIwhqQPWVcru9TFu6IFgJcx8sdrPBXmc3hb6UmsIqHVQlStd68v1Yg/s1600/DSC_0295.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566595556267413570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERcfKX_wdNaFiXSVsMaUqXy13VCSRZo97G376tosg45Q0NcqPRYcTyZY1myrL6gJtA11r2yuJkRBrtp8uAIwhqQPWVcru9TFu6IFgJcx8sdrPBXmc3hb6UmsIqHVQlStd68v1Yg/s320/DSC_0295.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">The Pirates logo on this toy boat is an awful lot like one from the Pirates of the Caribbean<span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:15;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span> ride and movies. But I don't think Disney<span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:15;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span> would approve of a product that says on the packaging "Adorable Jocular fish Ocean Toys." It also says "Attach Peach to most flat surfaces." Do <i>what</i>?</span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPUgS3hyitL77zoJDYsugrXSfX4GFX7Cas4x7qFlhf-ia1h9tDi-t89gvnHBV0d15dpaVwQUk9HCPiwn4GIL7Cgx4P573MzxdvRhiDbOcJ0Kr7PR9A6Km6PFWtpf4OKiZmBOVmw/s1600/DSC_0291.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566595554299353538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPUgS3hyitL77zoJDYsugrXSfX4GFX7Cas4x7qFlhf-ia1h9tDi-t89gvnHBV0d15dpaVwQUk9HCPiwn4GIL7Cgx4P573MzxdvRhiDbOcJ0Kr7PR9A6Km6PFWtpf4OKiZmBOVmw/s320/DSC_0291.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">And if you click to enlarge this last one, you'll find Panasonic</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><span class="Apple-style-span">®</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> spelled correctly and incorrectly all in the same stack. Penoaconic is probably not close enough to get anyone in trouble, even if the Panasonic</span></span></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:15;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;" class="Apple-style-span" > people found it. And I love the "Natiolan" space heater right next to the "National"</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:15;" class="Apple-style-span" >®</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;" class="Apple-style-span" > one. I was shopping for a stereo once and found Panasonic spelled 6 different ways on one street. I really loved the Chinese stereo that had a real-live Sony</span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:15;" class="Apple-style-span" >® </span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">logo glued to it--only the logo was crooked and the glue was dripping a little. </span></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;" class="Apple-style-span" ></span></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6ysnaGz9hMIXZDIsivYC0vZChjLudwOVQZ6s1fsFV8e-iOXuJBtvaUJzIaDvH3QgmO8RWmhHRRCViEXsjEYML1xNsSlAhfSLT5Us6ghLJb8Bc1375n2Gb4cyRysMealLflbknw/s1600/DSC_0497.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566595547638950370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6ysnaGz9hMIXZDIsivYC0vZChjLudwOVQZ6s1fsFV8e-iOXuJBtvaUJzIaDvH3QgmO8RWmhHRRCViEXsjEYML1xNsSlAhfSLT5Us6ghLJb8Bc1375n2Gb4cyRysMealLflbknw/s320/DSC_0497.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">Some of our favorites have been</span><span style="color:#cc6600;"> </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/[10:46:47"><span style="color:#cc6600;">featured here</span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> before. Check them out.</span> </span><div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-59088320390007079592011-01-25T14:33:00.004-06:002011-01-25T15:12:17.949-06:00A Near Tragedy<span style="color:#990000;">We have some wonderful friends who live in Amsterdam. They sometimes try to tell us it's not really cold here, but we don't believe them. Anyway, last month when my parents were coming to see us, they were supposed to have a long layover in Amsterdam, and they were going to get together with our friends. Unfortunately,<span style="color:#cc9933;"> </span><a href="http://arabmusicians.blogspot.com/2010/12/all-present-and-accounted-for.html"><span style="color:#cc9933;">that all fell through</span> </a>when they ended up flying to Brussels and Casablanca instead.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">My friend in Amsterdam had bought some sweet gifts for us that she was going to send with my parents, so when she wasn't able to do that, she went ahead and mailed them to us in a package. The package came this week, and the kids were so excited. We opened it right away, and they each found their treasures.</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqkSbkBP627s8UuW8nsHXj0xaaCZXPIvVt4ZBSDe2HXDxpB7p7qsitL_H1nWvX7-bOFjhsIJNBq5Oyugurj5FCAPo0e7RWlkhn55yH_7eA1_d4gMmCDdqA27tbkf6mbYRS1Ac_w/s1600/DSC_0402.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566224804613300658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqkSbkBP627s8UuW8nsHXj0xaaCZXPIvVt4ZBSDe2HXDxpB7p7qsitL_H1nWvX7-bOFjhsIJNBq5Oyugurj5FCAPo0e7RWlkhn55yH_7eA1_d4gMmCDdqA27tbkf6mbYRS1Ac_w/s320/DSC_0402.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Sarah Claire got an adorable bunny that is very famous in Holland, Lee Anna got a snow globe decorated with Dutch things, and Sawyer got the awesome shirt he's wearing in the picture (Jason is almost over the fact that it's orange and blue). They all loved their gifts. There was also a bunch of candy in there, and a package of something called stroopwafels, which are delicious. </span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">So the day after we got the package, we were talking about all the sweet things they had sent us, and Jason asked me, "Where's the wooden nativity? I didn't see it."</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Blank stare. "What nativity?"</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">"The note in the package said there was a wooden nativity. Didn't you see it?"</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">I hadn't seen that note, although I had read the notes about all the other gifts. It was, admittedly, a bit chaotic with three kids all trying to help me unpack the box of gifts. I quickly made my way to the kitchen and pulled the box out of the trash can (thank goodness it was still in our kitchen trash and not down at the bottom of the chute with all the other garbage from our building--yuck!).</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">I opened the box and lifted up the newspaper that I thought was just there for padding, and discovered underneath a beautiful (unsoiled) wooden star with a nativity scene carved in the middle. It is gorgeous, and I love it, and I am so glad that my friend wrote a note to tell us it was there and that my husband saw it and asked about it!</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">So, the tragedy was averted, but I cannot take any credit for it.</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03UcYtcTvtmxvFxw4J4cRng7nhFKqc7BvrdPafeLKnamhx4A8JRQtZe1ZO8mO11F6hyphenhyphentyYOa8-Aa5QY_BxvDnbyhO0439zMTECptcDEf8lQsTtj0nMtnaDoYY9cqiv-n-EUFWaA/s1600/DSC_0424.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566224800275045362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03UcYtcTvtmxvFxw4J4cRng7nhFKqc7BvrdPafeLKnamhx4A8JRQtZe1ZO8mO11F6hyphenhyphentyYOa8-Aa5QY_BxvDnbyhO0439zMTECptcDEf8lQsTtj0nMtnaDoYY9cqiv-n-EUFWaA/s320/DSC_0424.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">But I promise that if any of you ever send us a package, I will try my best not to throw any of it away!</span>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-92678906705899592011-01-24T14:31:00.003-06:002011-01-24T15:21:29.551-06:00Happy Birthday, G.G.!!!<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:#990000;">January is birthday season in my family. Since GG couldn't be here to celebrate with us, we thought we'd simulate some grandbaby visits through pictures on the blog. I think this is a little more than the 11th anniversary of her 29th birthday, but I'm not saying how much more. :)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtpOS5NzMkeRVYJ2t4oNpHCQRPSrmH_cDo0SysCTDbyfDADdD-YEFNgh16aWwxbU-OSWniIJrcWYLxmmxh6liUwuiMFHhnwVW3ajZ40QPxPqE7ubH_fGVIyPnAvAFCbw9FnDM6A/s1600/DSC_0907.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565853289121317570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtpOS5NzMkeRVYJ2t4oNpHCQRPSrmH_cDo0SysCTDbyfDADdD-YEFNgh16aWwxbU-OSWniIJrcWYLxmmxh6liUwuiMFHhnwVW3ajZ40QPxPqE7ubH_fGVIyPnAvAFCbw9FnDM6A/s320/DSC_0907.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirljVKBzxi2GaD3HEq4QI3oIEj33mNMsh_kS6XZjyDOSUpD1TtWYpVwsIa3_QojctRzs3uz-89btWOrk7S1GZ9I1WrEXrIGcJo2LVtB-q5EAThvh7dHYsNVbD-5eEy7dKXR4LWfg/s1600/DSC_0692.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565853282720253058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirljVKBzxi2GaD3HEq4QI3oIEj33mNMsh_kS6XZjyDOSUpD1TtWYpVwsIa3_QojctRzs3uz-89btWOrk7S1GZ9I1WrEXrIGcJo2LVtB-q5EAThvh7dHYsNVbD-5eEy7dKXR4LWfg/s320/DSC_0692.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzExM_ljXcGuZBgBI0QHKye_K5NB6Xa6KuO52SxXhbOd0jJngjogcmWjyM242b2UyL7kGUB8LJGSZjO9wPPk0jbViQ8VukDgkOBaiNzpPuypCDaiYXRkSSidfrXUIMf9BRpJU-A/s1600/DSC_0667.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565853278291386690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzExM_ljXcGuZBgBI0QHKye_K5NB6Xa6KuO52SxXhbOd0jJngjogcmWjyM242b2UyL7kGUB8LJGSZjO9wPPk0jbViQ8VukDgkOBaiNzpPuypCDaiYXRkSSidfrXUIMf9BRpJU-A/s320/DSC_0667.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></span><div align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2i6PHExn2h44ltbhTqtms6p2aIUSsickaEMcSN6mpPk_cipfkCtRhDj8Z34vvm1xsGGe58yASQZGVghjzsrvQG0HmVHGlOgdvB-EZY8uou9xu8Hdym_Lip7FVEA9zqeUcHP1kA/s1600/DSC_0640.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565853274918798386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2i6PHExn2h44ltbhTqtms6p2aIUSsickaEMcSN6mpPk_cipfkCtRhDj8Z34vvm1xsGGe58yASQZGVghjzsrvQG0HmVHGlOgdvB-EZY8uou9xu8Hdym_Lip7FVEA9zqeUcHP1kA/s320/DSC_0640.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBfozhD5yYcdSsV5fxyAnI-x5R0aCt60vZVmk4HJcU8PNRGYnFWuiY2P0WhDyXab5rphoKdJqMKuTRDTwW_803YJx1EBNLf-ucfD-hw3YXt5IXoLUmN_7qUKFrj8AtMycXEYEbw/s1600/DSC_0621.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565853270242256322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBfozhD5yYcdSsV5fxyAnI-x5R0aCt60vZVmk4HJcU8PNRGYnFWuiY2P0WhDyXab5rphoKdJqMKuTRDTwW_803YJx1EBNLf-ucfD-hw3YXt5IXoLUmN_7qUKFrj8AtMycXEYEbw/s320/DSC_0621.JPG" /></span></a></span><span style="color:#990000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Come see us, GG, and we'll get you some real-live lap time! </span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Happy Birthday! </span></div><div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">We love you!</span></div></div></div></div></div>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-51820682658280938012011-01-23T14:54:00.002-06:002011-01-23T15:18:55.529-06:00Sunday Evening Sailboat<div align="center"><span style="color:#990000;">Sailing at sunset...</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemozq3NFuU3OjXqrpkcwIQ2ctGgw_bKWevzfaAv8eGUNtw0BaPESE08d5M4_auwLTQ4exORPG3vqONKvExItxwOG-frnl9Wt1U9KA6mhppMKJ1NXhT8R3euIJjQPvQQz41RDLIg/s1600/DSC_0421.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565491587467560482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemozq3NFuU3OjXqrpkcwIQ2ctGgw_bKWevzfaAv8eGUNtw0BaPESE08d5M4_auwLTQ4exORPG3vqONKvExItxwOG-frnl9Wt1U9KA6mhppMKJ1NXhT8R3euIJjQPvQQz41RDLIg/s320/DSC_0421.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> with people I love...<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QbwETRSv-eUkEXOUA_DOUfHaZu39-YsEK5euHH8ZizyB42YyAMhYyG-8cQbtqk9MrPiVGvXm7t2xU6NDB3_683BrvOoPxK3OMBthacr7H7i7zYjC_PX9qVXahcAzCA95JmPx0Q/s1600/DSC_0414.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565491566552798946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QbwETRSv-eUkEXOUA_DOUfHaZu39-YsEK5euHH8ZizyB42YyAMhYyG-8cQbtqk9MrPiVGvXm7t2xU6NDB3_683BrvOoPxK3OMBthacr7H7i7zYjC_PX9qVXahcAzCA95JmPx0Q/s320/DSC_0414.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> makes for a lovely...<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInQtdMpKPFe96acjzFvDf8MHjeYIC8nHSaGSs70alAlxmkeldAuCk5UqVPGTSodLxGtxR5H6Q7y7DOpfMmWwKEI6M8dINMnbbsQjcx1CaFqeqGN30j8nO8dS3dak_ZdrPnk_qcQ/s1600/DSC_0417.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565491573729744130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInQtdMpKPFe96acjzFvDf8MHjeYIC8nHSaGSs70alAlxmkeldAuCk5UqVPGTSodLxGtxR5H6Q7y7DOpfMmWwKEI6M8dINMnbbsQjcx1CaFqeqGN30j8nO8dS3dak_ZdrPnk_qcQ/s320/DSC_0417.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> </span><div><span style="color:#990000;">peaceful...<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqOLcKtXc6e3VpkkvRkdXPWRAStkAzj6sz0yezuYaDuXzFZyMWu_WpfbVzXJVj9QVpaQXltECTKqdUnBhLut3-m8DzRZln0VRHj12K2Z73ti-kvRhyVLaDND2XgEE_5DdQkudwQ/s1600/DSC_0413.JPG"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565491562353063538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqOLcKtXc6e3VpkkvRkdXPWRAStkAzj6sz0yezuYaDuXzFZyMWu_WpfbVzXJVj9QVpaQXltECTKqdUnBhLut3-m8DzRZln0VRHj12K2Z73ti-kvRhyVLaDND2XgEE_5DdQkudwQ/s320/DSC_0413.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Sunday...<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFllreCNJ6GBs126IjaGcguRi3YuKqUqCUwLiEcJ8P4QXMdfDPKIuEQ6AcpfquFpILvfhy_9BSLnk3EOrxcsVzp1SUl9rDym5ZwlGq59rdWjwpF7N1_hsDaEy5wsg2UDDeKkX_g/s1600/DSC_0410.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565491580326564066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFllreCNJ6GBs126IjaGcguRi3YuKqUqCUwLiEcJ8P4QXMdfDPKIuEQ6AcpfquFpILvfhy_9BSLnk3EOrxcsVzp1SUl9rDym5ZwlGq59rdWjwpF7N1_hsDaEy5wsg2UDDeKkX_g/s320/DSC_0410.JPG" /></a></div></div></div><br /></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#990000;">evening.</span></p>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-32422170770882291472011-01-22T12:57:00.004-06:002011-01-22T14:59:13.314-06:00Blast From the Past<span style="color:#990000;">In the process of uploading the video of Sarah Claire's secrets yesterday, I came across several old videos that we've posted in years past. If you've been with us from the beginning, these will look familiar, but I thought they were worth posting again. I could hardly believe I was looking at my children, they've changed so much since then. It's amazing the difference three years can make!</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Hard to believe the sweet little 3-year-old princess in this first video is now devouring Boxcar children books and whizzing her way through first grade...<br /></span><iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s01FgJJhFIc?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="480" type="text/html"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;">or that the little guy in this video (taken when he was the age Sarah Claire is now) has succeeded in learning the rest of the alphabet, is already reading simple books and will start kindergarten this fall!<br /></span><iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q-DS_0hpXmc?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="480" type="text/html"></iframe><br /><span style="color:#990000;">(I should have called that one "Sawyer's EFGs.")</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">And this one made us laugh a lot. Looks like Sarah Claire is </span><a href="http://arabmusicians.blogspot.com/2011/01/swing-those-hips-girl.html"><span style="color:#cc9933;">learning her moves </span></a><span style="color:#990000;">from the wrong person! If any of you is interested in online dancing lessons, we'll be glad to offer tutoring sessions with Lee Anna...for the right price. :)<br /></span><iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-1tPiFeZAuM?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="480" type="text/html"></iframe>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22612343.post-9436473413995337022011-01-21T14:33:00.005-06:002011-01-21T14:40:10.223-06:00Quite Possibly the Cutest Thing My Child Has Ever Done<p><span style="color:#990000;">We wanted you all to see what Sarah Claire has learned to do: tell secrets! I don't really know where she picked this up, probably from seeing her big sister whisper things to me that she doesn't want her brother to hear. For whatever reason, just a few weeks ago Sarah Claire started telling us secrets, and now she'll do it any time we ask her to. She also tells secrets to the rest of the family, and to anyone else who might be at our house. It never fails to bring a smile. </span></p><p><span style="color:#990000;">I think you'll see why.</span> </p><p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D9k0tx8XPFQ?hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D9k0tx8XPFQ?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>The Arab Musicianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05396672971235225341noreply@blogger.com0