Snap Painting

More after school fun sponsored by the S* family.

They like Popsicles, just like we do.
Only their mom makes them from yogurt and mangoes.

They are a family of 5 just like we are except they are heavy on the pink and bows instead of sweat and dirt. Don't get me wrong, they like to get down and dirty too. Just wait and see.
They are also transplants from Anchorage. The craziest part is they lived about 3 blocks away from us. We both ran the same trails with our littles in the same type of Chariot. We both took our kids to the same park near our home. We are both just over 5' with brown hair and often get mistaken for one another when out running in camp.

Zach wasn't so sure he wanted to go hang out at the girls' house. We agreed that he would come and stay for at least 15 minutes and if after that he wanted to go he could ride his bike home.

But of course painting rubber bands and snapping the paint onto the paper below proved to be worth his time.

I'm so glad he decided to stay for the first 45 minutes instead because this masterpiece ended up being my favorite of the day.

Ethan loved this so much he can't wait to teach Aunt Lauren how to do it over the summer.
(Lauren, Please start collecting small boxes now because he will be ready to rumble as soon as we get there.)
Graham decided the rubber-bands were just too complicated and just used the old fashioned paint with brush method.

Some decided body art was more their style.

No matter because after some bubbles and sand play....

they all needed a dip and rinse in the pool.

Thanks Carrie for opening your home to us as well as your backyard. We definitely left our mark.

And thanks Not Just Cute for sharing the idea with us.

Keeping Cool After School

What do you do when it's 102 or 4 or 6 or 8?

Take a tandem dip with a friend while eating a Popsicle of course.

Slip, slide, and dive through water that is only a little less hot than the air temperature.

Last week in DHA we took the boys to the pool with slides. Graham loved the hot tub which was only slightly cooler than the outside temp.

Of course water play is always more fun with friends.

Happiness is also a bit of jumping on the trampoline with the water hose. Something I suggested to the boys that I and my siblings once loved to do in our youth.

Staying cool doesn't always involve water sports.

Try getting chased by a FRIGGED Yeti or "...evil disgusting monster of the mountains...," as Zach stated previously.

Some COOL Jedi moves are always refreshing especially while accompanied by the Star Wars theme song.

We so love having a green backyard again. It is so luscious it just begs you to run through it with your shoes off.

Thanks ARAMCO for the new grass and sprinklers.

Fitness Club On Fire

Our Fitness Club has been On Fire this year so we celebrated with an end of season BBQ.

First we feasted!
Sorry the picture is so small but I wanted to show you how we do it here. About 3 weeks before an event someone calls the Recreation Department asking for rugs, chairs, tables, sound system equipment, etc. Their crew sets it up, takes it all down when done, and will provide a team of helpers throughout the event if needed. We can even get a helium tank for balloons if we want at no cost to us.

After the feast but before a game of Ultimate Frisbee our President had a few words about outstanding successes of the season, rankings in our race series, and last but not least some awards for things like:
Mental Toughness
Most Attractive to the Wrong Crowd
Fastest Person Who Didn't Spend a Small Fortune
Rookie of the Year (Yours truly)
......just to name a few.

Those who wanted to give out their own recognition awards did so too, such as the following saying written on a pair of bike shorts:
Pain is the Weakness Coming Out of You.....

and a fur covered bike helmet.

Kara recounted a story about a friend who has worn her bike helmet backward not once but....

TWICE!
She gave all the blonds in our group a hand mirror so they can do a quick once over before the next ride.

These are all the Fit Mammas in our group.

The week before the event a short survey was sent out. Now keep in mind only a handful of people actually responded but the numbers are outstanding!
(UDH 2011 Team Jersey)

General Recognition: August 2010-May 2011

Who ran further than they ever had before?
4

Who ran a marathon?
3, with another 4 who ran a 1/2 marathon

Participated in their first bike race?
8

Participated in a bike race?
18

Rode further than they ever had before?
11

Who caught a ride from a Bedouin back to camp?
5

Completed a century (100 mi, 160K)?
4

Saw improvement in their times during the season?
all

Participated in their first triathlon?
9

Participated in a triathlon?
20

Total Swim Miles/KM 177 mi (285 km)
Total Cycle Miles/KM 22705 mi (36540 km)
Total Run Miles/KM 1700 mi (2736 km)


Lastly we did lose a member of our group but quite frankly we were all happy to say good bye;) to...
Drum Roll Please......

Total Weight Lost Since August 2010
228+ lbs

Falcons Baseball Finale

A sand storm postponed the much anticipated first and last and only match between the UDH Falcons and Abqaiq Team.

Then a scheduling conflict with the other team threatened another postponement for the season finale. In the end the coaches decided to go ahead as scheduled and play kids vs. parents.

But to our surprise so many kids showed up we had enough players to play each other.

It was a coach pitch game where every player got a chance to hit. If after 3 pitches from the coach were missed then they were given a chance with the tee.

Innings changed after every child had his turn up to bat.

The coaches also moved kids to different positions each time they were on the field.

It was awesome to see all the kids and coaches hard work come together for this final game.

This team of first graders and up have really come a long way this season. Sadly, the head coach is moving in July. Hopefully those who remain behind can keep the enthusiasm going.

Zach was never that excited about practice and equally unexcited about the final game.

You'd never know it by looking at these clips.

It wasn't a serious game by any means and there were slip ups and silliness throughout.

Chris and I were super proud of him. He played really well and when he struggled he didn't give up or whine or fuss about it. He just kept going until he got a good solid hit.

Just shy of making it home the the hitter behind Zach sent it right to third base where he was tagged out ending the game.

As for this little guy he so wanted to get out their on the field for a bit of action. Originally I hired a babysitter because I thought I'd be playing but when enough kids showed up I was able to take pictures of the whole game instead while my friend Michelle chased him around the bleachers.

What Are Friends For

Ethan is hooked on phonics.....he loves to rhyme as most kids his age do.

He also loves his rubber ducky in the tub....can you see where this is going?
Before our Spring Break trip he was happily playing with his favorite little ducky and rhyming it with that word that also rhymes with yucky. He had no clue that he was being offensive and I just let it pass knowing that silence and not bringing it to his attention was best in this moment.

It hasn't happened since.

More recently Ethan loves to have friends over every day and often begs to do so as I pick him up from school. Friends over can mean a pleasant afternoon for me as he is entertained or a constant stream of fighting with his brother about what is or is not supposed to be happening.

On this day the Tunisian Twins were over and the boys were battling on the trampoline; to impress them I guess. One of the girls came running in, frankly I'm not sure which it was, saying Ethan had been hit in the face.

She was quickly followed by Ethan, who was not crying by the way, saying, "Mom! I just got punched in the face. But I didn't cry because I'm being brave for the girls." Followed by, "Come on girls! Let's go back so you can cheer for me."

His preschool teachers tell me he is quite the ladies man and has a different flavor of the week. He also likes to make special gifts such as pictures or princess crowns out of cereal boxes for all his little lady friends.

I'm just glad he likes girls!

Ethan's best friend's mother also recently recounted this story to me.

J* still needed a little assistance with bum wiping and with a new nanny in the house his mother wasn't sure he would feel comfortable with the nanny's assistance. When his mother went to help he said, "Don't worry Mom I don't need your help because Ethan taught me how to do it."

I'm not sure when this life skill teaching moment took place but J's mother is thrilled she no longer has to assist with this.

A few days after this took place J* didn't do such a good job and his Dad questioned him saying, "I thought Ethan taught you how to do this." J* replied in a whining tone, "I just forgot."

One Of These Guys Is Not Like The Other

According to the reptile guy on this website

This is perhaps the most famous lizard in Saudi Arabia. Called a Dhub in Arabic, he is hunted and eaten just like certain species of iguanas. Dhubs are not small, the fellow in the photo below is close to two feet long and ten pounds. Dhubs are plant eaters. The Saudi peninsular is not one big desert, but harbors several climate types, enough for this big guy to keep his belly full and grow to a very respectable size.

...these guys are quite feisty and a reptile of that size could deliver a bite guaranteed to send a message. A Saudi friend of mine over here told me that dhubs exhibit a lot of local color variation. These guys are so big you can actually see them popping up out of their burrows from hundreds of feet away. They are extremely alert and very fast.
(I've only seen one in the desert by our house and yes it was fast.)

But it's got nothin' on these Dhubs!

The Bedouin (on the back row left) will eat any Dhub that tries to chase down our very own UDH Desert Rats as seen here during a water stop on an 120K ride.
(Chris is the second from the right on the back row.)

The Bedouins have been known to pick up stranded bikers, serve them tea, and occasionally curse them if they get too close to their camels.

Whole Lot A Baking Going On

Sometimes I pleasantly surprise myself. Recently I baked this lovely loaf of bread. My mom makes Spinach dip then serves it in a round loaf of bread that has been hollowed out. Since that bread doesn't exist here I had to create it for a recent pot luck. See, Mom, you didn't completely fail me. I can do more than just boil water now.

The same week my Saudi friend and neighbor Haifa was asking me if I had a chocolate chip recipe she could have as the one she tried did not work. Not only did I have one but I invited her over to teach her how to make them. When she arrived I didn't even scream when answering the door this time. After unveiling we got right to work while Ethan and her son, a classmate played. The night before I had changed all the amounts from cups and tablespoons to grams, which she appreciated. We had such a fun morning talking about desserts, family life, and summer plans. She just kept smiling and scooping up dough saying how excited and happy this was making her. We cooked half so she could see the process all the way through and froze the other half for her to take home. It was a very pleasant morning and one I hope to repeat soon.

After lunch I was surprised to hear the door bell ring. And even more surprised to see Haifa's nanny with this beautiful plate of pasta with bechamel sauce. One thing about the Saudi people in general is that they are EXTREMELY hospitable and gracious.

A few days after this Chris mentioned, "By the way, Haifa's husband is my new boss. So, you might want to keep those cookies coming."

.......................................................................................

Now the two cakes below for the double birthday party I did not make. I am not that creative nor that talented, but my friend Marla is. She is one of those ladies that always brings the most amazing dishes to the potluck. If it's an international celebration you don't want to miss her table of Bahamian goods. She's a mom of four, styles/colors/cuts the hair for most of the westerners on camp, and can put the hurt on during cycling events; as long as her helmet is on correctly.

Not only is she gifted and talented; she is also beautiful both inside and out.

Boy was there a ruckus over who got to eat which character when it was time to serve the cake. The inside was amazing too with swirls of blue and green. In fact the next day Ethan was a little freaked out to see his bowels had turned blue and green. I reminded him of what happened when he drank the entire bottle of green food coloring and assured him it was the same phenomenon. He corrected me saying, "No, it's green because last night in my dream I ate a marker." I stand corrected.