Megan's Birthday

Megan had a great birthday day! Even though it was a Thursday, the kids had off Wednesday and Thursday for Student Led Conferences, so it was great that she was home for the day! Dan took off the morning and we went to a new to us restaurant for breakfast! The Early Bird is a small hole-in-the-wall cafe south of here that serves western-style breakfasts - i.e. American breakfast! We got there and realized we should have made reservations. I thought friends that had said that here just meant for the weekends...clearly not. It has around 4 tables inside and is packed regardless of the morning! After a fairly quick wait of 20 minutes, we were seated and ready to eat! Megan ordered a stack of blueberry pancakes with country fried potatoes and sausage!
The food was great, we had a great time and we will need to head back there sometime! Yummy food and a great little place!

The rest of the day was pretty low key - hanging out at home, watching a movie, pb&j crackers for lunch (Megan's choice) and shrimp scampi and orzo w/feta and red pepper for dinner (also Megan's choice!)! We had a great day and enjoyed celebrating our 10 year old!

Kylie and Megan with the sweet card Kylie made - it reads Happy Birthday Megan, I love you Megan

Jack's sweet card he made for Megan - with her initials and a nice note inside it!

Two of the presents we gave Megan - a fun scarf from H&M and a great necklace that has her name written in Arabic in it! She also got the American Adventures Series of 48 books :)

Megan couldn't believe that the Early Bird had these enormous containers of syrup on the tables - and wanted her picture taken with it!

Megan, Dan and Jack

The Birthday Girl and her Daddy

Momma and Kylie

Megan's first reaction to the size of her pancakes!

And her official picture with the pancakes :)

Me and my 10 year old!

Birthday candles from Mom Mom and Pappy (which we were so thankful for because we coudn't find a pack of different colored ones here!)

Hokie bag from Grammy and Grandad!

And her sign awaiting her downstairs on her Birthday!

Hi, My Name is Megan, vol. 4

Megan's 4th Grade School Picture
They edited out her freckles!

...And I'm the Birthday Girl because today I turn 10!!!

Job: I go to school. I'm in 4th Grade. I like 4th grade. I don't love it but I like it. I love art class, music, drama, reading and learning. I don't like math, IT, Arabic tests (although I like Arabic), science, kids who don't listen and 4th grade girl drama.

Favorite things to do: Shopping in H&M, reading, drawing, riding my bike, singing, writing songs, sculpting in my after school activity, performing and trying different foods.

Least favorite things to do: Homework, studying Arabic, washing the dishes, cleaning up.

Favorite books/series: Clementine, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Because of Winn-Dixie, Ranger's Apprentice, the Bible, Did you Know? Devotions, Who Was/Is Series, Geronimo Stilton, A-Z Mysteries.

Favorite Foods: Orange cinnamon rolls, pancakes, peanut butter, shrimp scampi, Maryland crabs, bagels, cranberry orange bread, blueberry and lemon poppy seed muffins, sweet and sour chicken, roasted potatoes with roasted garlic, big chicken fajita baked potatoes from Jacket Potato, PF Changs, Taco Bell, maple syrup, orzo salad with feta and red pepper, tacos, refried beans, queso, Cheddar Chowder soup, Broccoli Cheddar soup, Chick fil a, cheese ring, egg mcmuffins, french toast casserole, watermelon, carrots, apples, plums, peaches, cucumbers.

Favorite Sayings: KY-lee-Eee, Mo-om!, That's so unfair!, Have you ever broken a bone?, What did you DO? Don't break my stuff, you're not allowed to play with them!, Can I take a shower?, How long can I read? I'm serious! Seriously!, What earrings should I wear? Can we watch a Good Luck Charlie? Can we have a treat? What are we going to have for breakfast/lunch/dinner?

Favorite TV Shows/Movies: Good Luck Charlie, Chopped, Good Eats, Guys Big Bite, Food Network Challenge, Star Wars Clone Wars, Top Shot, Sing Off.

What I want to be when I grow up: Either a famous chef, a teacher or a country singer.

What I like about Kuwait: H&M, food, our view, our house, my teachers (classroom, art, IT, Life Lab, Drama).

What I miss about Thailand: Friends, Sudathai, Que Pasa, Khun Som, ISB, my 3rd grade teacher, riding my bike to school, going to get groceries by myself or with Jack, having taco night with Ken and Amy's family, church and Ms. Kathy.

Things I've done since I turned 9: Lost 2 teeth (one a couple of minutes ago - now I've lost 10 teeth in 10 years), broke my arm for the 4th time, lived in 3 different countries, learned to speak Arabic and Spanish, been to a camel race, changed to a "girly girl" interested in clothes, got my ears pierced, can swim in the Atlantic Ocean by myself, visited 15 States, performed in an Elementary school musical!

Why Mommy loves me: Because you are an amazing young lady and I am so thankful that you are my daughter! It's amazing to be at school and hear continuously that your teacher and your principal want to clone you! Because you have a lot of my traits and personality - which gets us into trouble with each other, but you have a ton of amazing qualities that are so foreign to me - like your amazing voice and musical ability, your dance moves, your style and your confidence in front of people! I love that you love people and talking to people and that you want to know about people. I love you because you are a great helper at home and a great big sister, even if it's not always easy. I love you because you've started reading your Bible every night and reading through your devotional book and are amazed that the things you have been thinking about is then what you're reading in the Bible that night! I love you because you are a blast to be around and you have a great time hanging out at home with our family. I love you because you get along so well with your Daddy. I love you because you are a great friend to little kiddos and a great helper for them! I love you Megan Colleen! I am so thankful you are my daughter and that God has given you to me and Daddy! We can't believe you're 10 years old!!! WE LOVE YOU MOOPERT!!!

Most beautiful shot of Dan and Megan EVER!!!

Me and Moopert out shopping for her Christmas presents

My favoritest 3 kiddos!

Happy Birthday Megan Colleen!!! We love you and cannot believe you are already in the double digits!!! Love, Mommy, Daddy, Jack and Kylie

Kylie's Aquarium Field Trip

Kylie's class went on her first ever field trip to the Aquarium here in Kuwait! Thankfully, parents could join in on the field trip if we wanted - so I got to go! We already have an annual pass, so it was free for me! I loved getting to be with her and her group - and helping to keep track of the kids continuously! They each had their own little clipboard with paper and pencil and after each section, they would sit down and journal about an animal from that section! For one of the sections Kylie wrote: "I saw a beetle." Then explained to me that she used a period and not an exclaimation mark because she wasn't excited about seeing a beetle, but she had to write about something! After their time there, they ate pizza and french fries at pizza hut at the Aquarium! Such a fun day!

Journaling

Spotting Sea Otters!

Wahabi, Ahmed, Yousef E., Zainah, Kylie, Raja and Amelia

All the kiddos eating lunch

Pizza hut lunch!

Desert Day at Cheri's Camp

Me, Debbie and Marsi

My friend Cheri is an American married to a Kuwaiti. She has lived here for 36ish years, is in my Bible Study and is really just an amazing lady! One of the special traditions here in Kuwait is that most of the Kuwaitis have "Camps" here in the Desert! Apparently from about November-April, anyone can go into the desert and set up a "Camp". Cheri's family has quite a nice camp - humongous tents, portable buildings, electricity and running water in the bathrooms. Really nice! She invited our ladies Bible Study out to her Camp for lunch! They cooked a traditional lamb "Mindy" style with rice in a cement pit in the ground for 3 hours or so and we all brought side dishes to share! It was a great time to hang out with ladies - about 1 hour outside of Kuwait City - so it was a great time in the car to get to know my friends Nike and Debbie a bit more!

Really HUGE tent! One of two at Cheri's Camp!

Gabby, Debbie and Taryn - plus babies:)

Can you take me seriously? Even though it was not hot out - it's really sunny in the desert! Sunglasses and a borrowed hat from Megan worked just fine!

Desert Camps off in the distance - it's crazy to see all the trash everywhere...and pretty much like that everywhere in Kuwait.

Sand covering the pit to keep it warm underneath!

Uncovering the pit!

Taking the lid off!

Wonderful wonderful lamb! My first official time of eating lamb - I've tried it a bit in Thailand in various dishes, but this is the first time I really ate it for a meal. It was wonderful! And mostly tasted like pulled pork - I guess because it was roasted in a pit? So yummy!

Amazing Rice that was cooked under the lamb!

The Crowd :)

Top 10 Hottest Cities in the World

We've lived in 2 of the 4 Hottest Cities in the World! Dan told me when we got married that he hated being hot and that we wouldn't live anywhere hotter than Virginia. :) Too funny.

1. Kuwait City, Kuwait
2. Ahwaz, Iran
3. Jizan City, Saudia Arabia
4. Bangkok, Thailand
5. Aziziya, Libya
6. Illizi, Algeria
7. Mecca, Saudi Arabia
8. Marrakech, Morocco
9. Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Dallol, Ethiopia

Check out the complete list here and here!

Random Happenings

We eat at Taco Bell every Friday after church...And love it. Yay for Taco Bell in Kuwait!

Jack had fun climbing trees at the park

Dan had fun climbing on this pyramid and hanging the girl's coats in different locations for "challenges" for them. Then they had to climb to retrieve them! They loved it!

Action shot of Kylie and Megan climbing

We met up with this little cutie at the park, too! She kept saying, "There's a Wocket in my Pocket!" so now we can't stop saying that, either! :)

Fun beautiful fish bone braid in Kylie's hair for church

And cute french braids for Megan

Beautiful girls!

Turquoise Lamborghini

I've loved the weather lately...and the wind! We've had waves that I can hear from our bedroom...and the view is amazing!

We've had brooms standing all by themselves in our kitchen...

And new projects completed!
These are maps of every place we've lived - Dan in Baltimore, Me in Greensboro and Oak Hill, Us in Malone, Blacksburg, Leesburg, Nichada and Al Bidaa! The coordinates are for our houses we've lived in...and a bonus because Dan loves coordinates to places!

And other ones not quite finished...but getting there!

National Day / Liberation Day

So, last weekend was National Day and Liberation Day here in Kuwait. This year they celebrated 51 years of being a country, 21 years since the Iraqis left Kuwait after the invasion and 6 years of the Emir being the head of the country!

For us, that meant staying home at night because Gulf Road becomes a PARKING LOT with joyous people in cars honking horns, flying flags, getting out to talk to each other and spraying each other with water guns in the evenings!

It also meant International Week at the kids' school! Each class studied a different country, as well as Kuwait and then they had special events all week long. Megan's class studied Ecuador, Jack's studied Ethiopia and Kylie's studied New Zealand! I loved hearing all they were learning about the countries! They also got to wear outfits from the countries they studied one day, Kuwait flag colors or costumes another day and then the final day they wore costumes from their home country!

It's been fun to see all the decorations and "patriotism" around here - Kuwaiti flags on light posts, pictures of current and past leaders everywhere...so fun!

Kylie's grade had a luncheon where parents brought in favorite foods from their home country to share with the kiddos - Dan and I brought in bagels :) The cutie boy cheesing it up for the picture is her friend Sami that she plays with on the playground!

Kylie's relief map of New Zealand! She made it in class and can tell you all about Mount Cook and Cook Strait and the islands of New Zealand!

Everyone in Kylie's class had to make a home country poster complete with all the information pictured above! I let her pick out the pictures she wanted and told her how to spell everything. She did a great job!

And one made by a friend of Kylie's...I'm guessing it wasn't the Kindergartener who actually put it together? I don't think I could do this nice of a poster! It even has layers of pictures to make them pop!

Fruit display at Lulu's Grocery Store

Jack sitting with his class

Megan in her Ecuadorian clothes sitting with her class

Kylie's class wore all-black because they were copying the New Zealand Rugby Team the "All Blacks"! So cute with their headbands, too!

The 2nd Grade doing an African Dance

Megan auditioned and got to play the middle drum for the whole elementary school singing "Beautiful World"

Lots of fun kids!

Cute kids in Kuwait Flag colors! We made Kylie's shirt with fabric markers!

Fun lights on side of buildings of famous landmarks in Kuwait

And our friend Cara made a great fruit pizza in the form of a Kuwaiti Flag for a Soup Night/Welcome home to Kuwait party for friends who had a baby girl in the States and just got back here!