The Madson's Life Overseas

Challah with the Madson's

2012-02-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

Under Negotiations

2012-02-09T01:44:00.000-08:00

Now that we have our next assignment I'm feeling rather uneasy. Mostly, probably because it is stepping out of our comfort zone and starting something new again. New schools, new house, new life, everything. Yes it is something we are use to and do often but it doesn't mean it is easy.

We have had a lot of ups and downs here in Morocco but now that it is drawing to a close it has been one of our most exciting posts (and I'm not counting the various health and medical issues- It has been one of the most stressful posts as well) exciting as lots to see, interesting country, beautiful weather, comfortable house, great school, etc.

So I'm studying what there is to do in Australia and where to visit. I'm studying places like trips to Queensland which is Eastern Australia with the Barrier reefs and Sea world and Hawaii at some point. I believe it is called negotiating where I say okay I'll go to Alice Springs with you if we can.....

Perhaps it will help my outlook to spend the summer in America as we really need a dose of American life. It will have been 3 years since we've been there. I'm just waiting for Brent's dates so I can fill in the blanks and start negotiating the summer as well.

News

2012-01-26T05:03:00.000-08:00

Not sure if I should be excited or scared yet!?!

Discovery

2012-01-16T00:29:00.000-08:00

What I found in the garden today while waiting for the bus.

Volubilis

2012-01-09T02:24:00.000-08:00

Volubilis is a Roman ruin site located near many olive orchards. It was a fun trip and a beautiful day.

No grandma and grandpa pictures included today, somehow?

Pile of olives just picked.

Grand mosque

2012-01-09T01:37:00.000-08:00

This Grand Mosque is located next to the ocean in Casablanca. This was our first trip to it and we were really impressed with it. Although it is hard to tell from the pictures it really is GRAND as in BIG. We even thought it was more impressive than some of the mosques in Egypt.

a sunny day -lots of squinting faces!

Exotic Gardens

2012-01-09T00:40:00.000-08:00

You've seen many pictures of the Exotic Gardens in the last few years on this blog! It is one of our favorite places here and so we took Grandma and Grandpa there. It was beautiful weather while they were here although our house itself is COLD! Outside is always sunny and beautiful skies. We had some fun excursions with them!

Christmas Highlights

2012-01-05T01:17:00.000-08:00

Music concerts

Gingerbread house decorating

Hyrum wiseman

Mary and Joseph

Shepherd, Angel, Mary and Joseph

New pajamas

Having fun with new flashlights

Christmas stockings

Tour Hassan

2012-01-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Spending some time with Grandma and Grandpa at Tour Hassan in Rabat.

Christmas Season

2011-12-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

This Christmas year I'm trying to teach my kids more about giving service then the give me, give me, give me outlook that Christmas can bring. So I'm looking for opportunities to involve them in reaching out to others.
I wanted to keep track of our journey here and hopefully start a new tradition this year:

The whole family sewed fleece hats and cut out fleece scarfs to give to a shelter for kids who live in the mountains where it gets cold. I sewed 6 blankets to give to them as well. (this was a great bonus for me as I cleaned out my sewing cabinet in preparation to moving this summer- no idea where yet but we'll be moving next summer)

The kids went through their toy closets and cleaned out. My kids really don't play with toys They play legos, knex, read books, play wii, Nintendo, crafty stuff and play outside so this was a major overhaul of toys. We filled 5 paper sacks and a box with toys and games and drove by a nearby shanty town and dropped them off. We called it Operation Toy Drop Off. When they saw us drive up and pull a bag out about 7-8 people came running to the car so excited and exclaiming in excitement.

I had no idea I would be so affected by this but these people who have so little and live basically in cardboard boxes (google shanty town and you will get a look at the housing) they were so excited to get our cast offs I cried the whole way home. We prayed that the toys would get to some children that would really use them so hopefully they did. Even if they sell them in the medina for cash I guess that is what they needed.

I cleaned out my pantry and gave my housekeeper cannery cans of soup mix and dried beans that we won't eat but she is very grateful for.

Next big project is to buy things for an orphanage that the Utah national guard helps out with here.

Stay tuned for more Service projects as we find them this Christmas season.

Happy Holidays!

Outside of Tangier

2011-11-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

After stopping through Asilah, our mom's getaway continued on to outside of Tangier. Our hotel was wonderful. We had a great dinner in the resturant. Woke up the next day and walked down the beach.

Then it poured rain the rest of the day and I don't mean a little see below....

Dispite the drizzling rain this morning we stopped at a cafe where we had fresh squeezed orange juice. A typical fare at cafes and really fresh and delicious. My friend Jenny wanted me to take a picture of her mint tea another typical Moroccan drink.

In this area is Hercules cave where you will find a large hole in the cave shaped like the continent of Africa. It was neat to see.

By the time we were getting ready to leave the cave, this is what we had. The rain was coming down so hard the stairs were like a waterfall. Then the street up to the hotel was flooded. We were drenched up past our knees. If only I had a picture of the three of us screaming and running through the flooded street.

It was a great weekend and I plan on going again when my parents come next month! (don't worry mom the cave isn't very big, if I can do it so can you =}

Asilah

2011-11-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

I spent this past long week, as it was Moroccan Independence day last Friday, with some friends and we took a trip up North to Asilah and Tangier. While the dads watched the kids overnight.

I love this little town, Asilah. It was quiet, clean and really pretty.

The day was beautiful and sunny.

Pictures from London

2011-11-11T02:33:00.000-08:00

One of the things I had to do was walk a couple miles each day, so I got to take some pictures of London until the battery in our little camera died. Here they are in no particular order

We don't get fall in Morocco so it was nice to see
Autumn Leaves

Waterfall in Regents Park

Bridge to weeping willow in Regents Park

Kennsington Palace

Kennsington Garden

See no evil, Speak no evil, Hear no evil geese

Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

The London Eye

Debbie got to go to the London temple

London from atop Primrose Hill

The Rosetta Stone

A fresh start (and scar) in life

2011-11-11T01:23:00.000-08:00

I finally got the back surgery that I was putting off as long as I could and I owe it all to a single sneeze. Knowing what I know now, I should have done it two years ago. Apparently the sneeze was the straw that broke the Brent's back, or at least caused enough pain and loss of leg function to force me to go to the doctor. The health unit at the embassy sent me to see a neurologist here in Rabat who determined the nerve root was more than 30% compressed and that I had significant paralysis in my right leg and foot.

The following Wednesday I was on my way to London for an MRI and an appointment with a neurosurgeon the following day. The neurosurgeon took one look at my MRI and immediately had me admitted to the hospital and on the emergency waiting list for surgery which was done Saturday morning.

I woke up from the anesthesia with no pain in my right leg for the first time in two years. I can really get used to being pain free. Since I waited so long to get it taken care of, some of the nerve was damaged due to a lack of blood supply, resulting in some lingering paralysis in my right foot and weakness in my right leg which is likely permanent.

I've been told by several doctors now that I have an unhealthy pain tolerance and both neurosurgeons said very few people would have been able to stand on their own, much less walk into their appointment. Both were very surprised to learn that I wasn't using any pain medication.

For some reason I am able to use the pain as a weapon against itself so the pain becomes its own pain relief. If I can figure out how I do it maybe I can teach others to do it and really tick off the pharmaceutical industry.

way back when

2011-11-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Keeley- 6 months

Brent Beard

2011-11-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

We'll I'm waiting for Brent to write a report on his trip to London but here is a picture of what he brought back.

We thought he looks really good but it didn't last long before he shaved it off so we had to take a picture to document it.

I think he keeps looking better as he grows older boy that is just not fair is it!

Gumball Award

2011-11-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

We have done a terrible job of reading each night as our kids get older. We use to do a great job when they were small and we read them books and the book of mormon each night before bed. As they get bigger and learn to read themselves the practice has decreased significantly. Cody and Keeley both said they don't remember when we use to read at night so we started the practice again.

To help us Keeley really wanted to use this gumball "thing" I made years ago for another project. So we filled the gumball machine with gumballs and each night we read we take one off.

We decided before hand what the prize would be, a Chinese dinner night. We love Chinese food so I ordered special bowls, chopsticks, etc and we worked on reading every night to earn our special night. We really didn't read every night but more than we did before the gumball project.

On the Menu: Kung Pao Chicken, Egg drop soup and Fried Spring rolls

What does marshmallows have to do with a Chinese dinner? I don't know but we had a fire so that led to roasting marshmallows!

Way Back When

2011-11-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Cody 2 -1/2 years old

Way Back When

2011-10-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2007

Way Back When

2011-10-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

2008 Rendition of Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil

Our Jack o Lantern

2011-10-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Cody has decided to become our Jack O Lantern this year!

At least they take turns every few years.

Piano Recital Fall 2011

2011-10-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Way Back When

2011-10-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

2008- 3 years old

Way Back When

2011-10-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

2005- 5 years old

One of those days

2011-09-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

So it has been one of those days again. A day that I need to type it all out and get it off my mind. What started off as a day to stay home and work on things turned out a little different. A few days ago Brent's back, that already hurts constantly, took a turn for the worst as he sneezed while walking down the stairs and he has hardly been able to move since. Well this means a trip to the neurologist which means a phone call asking me to bring his x-rays to the embassy so he can take them to the appointment.

Then on the way home I figure I'll stop at a store for tomatoes and lettuce to go on our hamburgers for dinner. I minds well go to the only store that sells anything remotely like cheddar cheese too while I'm at it because we haven't had any for a very long time. (All week I've decided to avoid the store I usually shop at after last week's trip. Last week it was so busy that I was the 12th person waiting in line, no kidding. I was there for 1- 1/2 hours and one hour of that was waiting in line. I could have cried!)

The store today was a smaller store attached to a mall so I park (which really isn't as easy as you would think, parking) The guy behind the deli counter laughs a little when I ask for cheddar cheese although their is a sign clearly advertising for it. He probably is laughing thinking we haven't had that for months. Strike one and I'm off to the produce section which results in wilty lettuce and mushy tomatoes. I sigh and think that someday perhaps I will buy produce without little gnats buzzing around them and eggs without chicken poop still on them. Or is that normal! Well, that was 15 minutes of my life that I'd really liked to have spent somewhere else as I'm leaving the store without having bought anything.

Now, I fight in traffic yelling at other cars, Do you not see me here?! and other rude comments that I'll leave to your imagination. I decided to take a short cut through a side street that low and behold turns out to be under construction so I can't get through it, which results in me backing up 2 blocks to get out. Believe me there is no way to turn your car around on some of these streets especially when cars are parked on both sides of the street.

I do make it home in one piece, praise God I made it alive and without any accidents and vow to stay home for a few more days without leaving the house.(unfortunately it doesn't work out that way but it is a nice thought) Instead I give another sigh and a tear that I really could use a break from Morocco.

I can't wait for the moment at dinner time when the kid who loves lettuce and tomatoes on their hamburger comments how they sure wish we had lettuce and tomatoes with these. Yes, that is the moment where all heck breaks lose and mom bursts out in tears at the dinner table. Yes, I can see it happen now.

I wish these days weren't as common as they really are.

Way back when

2011-09-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

1 year old

Way Back When

2011-09-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Learning how to measure- 5 -1/2 years

Rabat Tour

2011-09-20T02:04:00.000-07:00

We recently had visitors from our church that created our little church group here into a branch. My friends Marci, Jan and I took Sister Porter out to see Rabat.

where the river meets the ocean

In the Rabat Medina

Chellah in Rabat

Jan Myers and Sister Porter

Driving in Rabat

2011-09-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

We've been here two years and haven't really mentioned the joys of driving in Rabat. It really isn't any different than any of the other countries we've been (all in Eastern Europe) so I guess we've pretty much become accustomed to it. But one thing's for sure, it's NOT like driving in the United States or Western Europe. So here are some of the rules of the road in Morocco:

1. Traffic laws are based on the kind of car you drive. Mercedes and BMWs have zero laws that apply to them so they can basically do anything they want. If you drive a "lesser" brand of automobile you really only have one rule you need to follow: Mercedes and BMW's get to do anything they want so don't get in their way.

2. Lanes are anywhere you choose to make them. You can drive between the lines or you can straddle the lines. You can do any combination of the two. But if those are the only possible lanes you can think of, you really need to work on your creativity. Just watch the Moroccan drivers to learn about the more creative lanes which are between or straddling the lines in oncoming traffic, and using any available space that will get you to the front of the line so you don't have to wait. And if you drive a Mercedes or BMW there is no excuse for not knowing or following these guidelines.

3. When changing lanes, cars not visible to the driver while looking strait ahead don't exist. Simply put, if a car is not even with you or ahead of you, even if only by a fraction of an inch, you are free to move over. It is their responsibility to move out of your way. On the other hand, it you are slightly behind another car, be prepared to move when they need to make a lane change.

4. If a policeman sees you "breaking a rule" and you aren't in a Mercedes or BMW, he will blow his whistle at you. If that isn't enough to make you think twice about doing it the next time, I don't know what is.

5. On the rare occasion that a policeman does blow his whistle and the offending car actually stops, traffic will immediately become gridlock as all the cars behind the offending driver will immediately move over into the next lane so they don't have to stop while the officer collects his br....issues a citation.

6. During rush hour at the busier intersections the traffic police control the lights manually. If you get impatient and honk at them, you had better be driving a Mercedes or BMW. Otherwise you will just make them mad an you will have to wait even longer. But the maximum amount of time you will have to wait is only until the other traffic going crosswise clears out enough for you to move into the intersection and force them to either stop or hit you. But just know in advance that this action will get you honked at by the other driver and a whistle from the policeman.

The main thing we as Americans have to remember is that when we go back to the States, we are NOT in Morocco anymore and that following any of the rules above will have consequences.

~Brent

Way back when

2011-09-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

2006- 1 year and 3 years

Hyrum

2011-09-13T02:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture on the school website apparently they were playing a game in class with the hat-I love the picture!

Way back when

2011-09-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

November 2006- 1 year

Latest Musings

2011-09-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

What is on my mind lately.

So we have our next posting list(s) in and are waiting ever so impatiently for an update of what will the future hold for us. Usually this time doesn't stress me too much but this time it is. We research, we study, we pray over the list and take our ten we like and feel good about and turn it in with the thoughts that where ever God wants us to go from here is where we'll end up.

I can look at the past and see reasons in each of our posts of why it was good for our family. Moldova was a good first post (first for me -second overseas for Brent) it was a close knit community was good for the beginning of our family. Bulgaria had a lot of trying experiences we loved the country but the experiences have tainted the tour in general. However I know we were sent there for the school. I truly feel like my oldest needed that awesome Kindergarten teacher to help him get started on the right foot in schooling. It wasn't an easy step for him but she was great and the school was great. Ukraine was for the international church branch in English. After 5 years of Non English not totally pleasant church experience we needed that to boost ourselves. Here in Morocco has had its experiences and we've had quite a lot of ups and downs but all in all this is the first post I've just loved everyday life. (okay usually!) I love having the sunshine year round, seeing the beauty of our garden and everywhere we go, we've all been blessed with good friends that have made a difference, a good school and good church group.

It is always the friends you come across in every post that make a difference. we come and go and it is always the people and the friends we miss the most. The examples of others in our lives that have strengthened us. The people that have stepped up and been our family while overseas loving us and loving our kids.

People hear about state department families and they either are shocked that people actually do this or

1. they think we must have an amazing and exotic life living in a different country traveling and meeting people all over the world.

2. They feel sorry for us thinking that must be a hard life living in such places.

3. They think we have turned our back on America which really burns me b/c ummm, my husband works for the American government. I think people don't actual realize that for some reason.

The reality is it's a little of both. We grow in experiences that change us and our kids think are natural. Being one of a few American's in your class, socializing with people from other countries, learning how similar people are from Bangladesh, to South Africa to England, to China. Yes, my kids have been blessed in their life to have friends that are Muslim, African, Christian and American.

I grew up in a small town in Wyoming where everyone was white and I remember one black child going to school and he was so mistreated and shunned even, they pulled him out and moved somewhere else. An Asian friend recently asked me if there are only just white people in Wyoming because when they traveled through Wyoming and stopped somewhere she had people point and stare at her. I know from a personal experience what growing up a sheltered life is like. So I'm extremely happy for my kids to be raised in such cultural experiences overseas.

We have amazing perks living overseas, beautiful houses to live in, household help, chances to travel and explore, good international schools, meeting friends from all over.

However, what people don't realize is that we sacrifice too. We sacrifice family, I've often said you realize who your friends are when you move clear across the world. We have a blog, we have facebook, we have a Utah phone number if anyone wants to follow us and keep in contact we are out there but life sweeps us all up and friends and family drift. Moving clear across the world changes things or maybe it just heightens the differences. Unfortunately you're kids lose out.

We sacrifice an easy life, I mean the everyday occurrences like going to the store to buy something simple like white socks for your kids is ridiculously hard that you might not even understand had you not lived where you had to shop at three different locations and finally buy it online and wait 2-3 weeks for your kids to have socks to wear. Yes, that is the normality of my life.

Having to say the store didn't have any cheese you like so you'll have to wait for a few months and see if they get it back in. Yes, that's our life and that's normal for us. We sacrifice experiences we can't give our kids, I realize my oldest has never had a normal Primary (church youth group) his whole entire life and it makes me feel bad. It is frighteningly ordinary for me to go to the store and not here a single English speaker and have people stare at you and you are pretty sure they are talking about you but you don't understand the language so you just tune it out. That's my life.

You pray daily that your kids will be safe and nothing terrible happens because one, you live in a country where medicine isn't totally up to par and second, you can't speak the same language as the doctors unless by some answer to prayer they speak English. And third, anything really bad gets you a trip to London where you juggle who is going to watch the rest of the kids and how do you handle such a traumatic experience on your own. Yep, done this twice! After the last year of several emergency room visits and Brent's hospital stay we are feeling a little lax in this area but it's difficult regardless. Yes, this is my life.

We try to make up for it in other experiences . My kids have traveled to Egypt and seen the pyramids gone to London and seen Big Ben, seen the Eiffel Tower and been to the Sahara Desert. But if you ask them what their favorite thing was they'll say the squirrels running in the park in London or playing at the beach in Egypt. And that they really don't like flying on airplanes and chances are they don't even remember all these adventures. For them this is normal life and from my eyes they don't realize how blessed they are. How many kids in the world get to have these adventures and get to learn in a global environment. I love it.

Yes it's our life and this is just how it is and I wouldn't trade it for anything else even with the good and bad. So we continue to wait anxiously to see what the future holds and hope that for whatever reason God sends us there, it will be a good place for our family.

Way Back When

2011-09-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

2006 - 3 years old

Misc. Morroco moments

2011-09-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

A typical Morocco style door in the medina

You can see storks everywhere in Morocco

Trip to the Beach

2011-09-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

A fun family day at the beach

Way back when

2011-08-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

November 2006 5- 1/2 years old

1st day of school

2011-08-31T02:24:00.000-07:00

School started last week and everyone is enjoying their new schedule.

1st grade

6th grade

3rd grade

Way back when

2011-08-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Summer 2006- 3 years

So I'm start a new thing here. Way back when with some random picture I've found on the computer...

End of Summer Family Night

2011-08-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

A little hurrah before the end of summer.
Tin Foil Dinners
Smores with Giant marshmallows -- I ordered this online and had no idea how giant they were. The kids are showing them off. I'm surprised they got their mouth over that!
and hanging out by the BBQ talking about our summer.

This summer we have spent several days a week at the pool. I will really miss the pool next summer. It is a nice pool and often it is like having a private pool because it isn't very busy. The kids have become better swimmers and are much more comfortable in the water.

What else kept us busy this summer

playdates

Chess

Life board game

movies

Smurf cartoons downloaded from itunes

cooking classes

writing assignments

regional cooking nights

math workbooks

reading

sleeping in
being lazy
morocco trip

Baking Day

2011-08-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

I use to have a baking day once a week or every two weeks but I've been avoiding it this whole summer and just haven't wanted to cook in general all summer. Perhaps with school and back to a routine I'll start again. We'll see...

This weekend I made whole wheat bread. I added Rye flour and it turned out well actually. I've had some on hand and threw some in and I really can't taste it. In general whenever I make bread it is about half white flour and half wheat flour.

I also cooked English muffins. These are so easy I don't know what I didn't make these years ago. And froze several batches of zucchini muffins for school snacks/lunches.

Yep its back to school time.

US Regional Night: Hawaiian night

2011-08-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our final US regional night for the summer was on Hawaii. The kids did there studying of Hawaii and wrote a short report. The kids made meatballs and I finished off making sweet and sour meatballs with pineapple and peppers. Served with rice. As well as a fruit salad served in the carved out pineapple. Chocolate coconut cake for dessert.

I'm glad we did a little learning about the US this summer. It was fun and so much we never even got to - it might have to be an ongoing process.

Part two: Region US cooking

2011-08-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

Part one was New England States.

Part Two: Pacific Coast

Since the area is big on seafood, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables we had tuna melts, grapes, fresh green beans, roasted beets and apple slices with caramel dip for dessert. Then we had reports on Alaska and Washington and watched a Dirty Jobs on picking grapes and making wine.

US Region Cooking Night: New England States

2011-07-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

So this summer my kids and I have been studying states within the United States. Since they no very little about the country they are from, because we've lived overseas going on 10 years, I thought it was high time to learn a little about US culture and geography. To start I've put out the word through those I know (facebook) and my Kids-Cooking-Activities newsletter for a postcard plea. Whenever we get a postcard from a new state we study and read about the state. Then write the state name on our US wall map.

Then, when we have several from a certain area we do a little more indepth studying, the two oldest study and write a report with pictures on the state they choose.Then we have a US night and cook food from the region. (Thanks to Amy Houts cookbook for ideas for regions in the US.)

Our first region was the New England states. We had a report on Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Had clam chowder, clam linguine, Boston brown bread and chocolate chip cookies (did you know it is Massachusetts' state cookie!)

The kids did great on their reports and it was a fun night. The best part was after Keeley (who loves noodles) ate 2 servings worth of clam linguine and I said so you like the clam linguine and she says CLAMS, I thought that was chicken!

A little hard to see the clams in there!

After dinner we red One Morning in Maine, which is a great book and fit in well with the clam dinner.

If you'd like to help us out with postcards send me a message or leave a comment for our address.

Birthday presents

2011-07-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

After our vacation around Morocco we bought these carpets for my birthday presents and had a framer frame the picture.I choose this picture b/c everyone is happy and having a good time together. Had to capture that moment to remember as it doesn't always happen.

Garden 2011

2011-07-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

Tomato plants

cute little eggplants

sunflowers

This summer I've left the planting a garden solely up to our new gardener which does an absolutely wonderful job. I wish I could bring him with us where ever we move he is so good.

Deadly Hallows

2011-07-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Most people with children would shudder at the thought of having poisonous plants in their yard. We have not only one, but two, deadly plants we have been living peaceably with for almost two years. To bad they aren't poisonous to ants.

This is our caster bean plant. It started out as a tiny sprout when we first moved here but is now over 15 feet tall.

The leaves are LARGE, have nine points, and make pretty nice shade.Perhaps this is why the gardener let it grow.

This is the size of the leaves compared to my hand.

This is the main stem. I can't get my hand around it and it isn't even the largest part.

The caster beans form inside these pods (ovaries). There are three beans to a pod.

Once the beans are fertilized and ripen they look like this.

If the beans are ready and you squeeze the pods, they sort of spring open and release the bean. Those that aren't ready are difficult to get to. Kind of like a pistachio that hasn't started to open yet.

The beans are tiny but have interesting colors and patterns. From these beans they derive caster oil, which is used as a medicine, and ricin, which is a deadly poison. They say one is enough to kill a child and four can kill an adult. If you swallow them without damaging the seed coat they will pass           harmlessly through you, or so they say.
I'm not about to test it, I'll just take their word on that.

Our second deadly pant is Oleander. It grows everywhere here in Morocco, probably because it's such a hardy plant. All parts of the plant contain a toxin that effects the heart. Just two or three leaves can be lethal to small children if ingested. Fortunately it tastes bad to humans. Dogs on the other hand will ingest it and it's fatal to them too. Another good reason we can tell the kids why they can't have a dog.

Our Oleander plant has pink flowers.

~Brent

Keeley's Baptism

2011-07-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today we had Keeley's baptism. In our Mormon church we wait until kids are 8 because we believe it is the appropriate age of accountability- meaning they are old enough to start making choices and be held accountable for their actions. Since the ordeal with Brent's foot we had to postpone the baptism until his foot was healed enough and today was the day!

Keeley even blew up her baptismal font herself (with a little help from Cody). It worked great and it was a nice day with our church family.

And later in the day. Keeley practicing with Cody and teaching him how to get baptized (we call it baptism by immersion or going completely in the water)

Morocco Trip

2011-07-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

Our 10 day trip around Morocco started with a relaxing stay at a beach resort called Oualdia for 3 days. This was to be a way to de-stress after a crazy last few weeks. With Brent’s foot and back pain we still decided to go ahead with the trip.

Oualidia is known for oysters and seafood and is a fishing village however we aren’t much of a seafood eating family so we just enjoyed a few days of sitting on the beach, playing in the pool, playing games together, reading and watching Spongebob on the laptop.

Always searching and trying to catch fish.

We stayed at a beach house that turned out to be totally NOT what we were expecting but it turned out alright. (that happens a lot in our travels)

Oualidia has a lagoon that has made this town into a beach resort. The actual ocean is a rocky cliff. Several fishermen would show us the lobsters, crabs, shrimp, squid, sea urchins and sole that they had caught. We enjoyed looking at them.

Cascades and Mountains

2011-07-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

Making argon oil

Cascades
From the beach we traveled inlaid through Morocco to see the Cascades d’Ouzoud waterfalls. This is a very small village that we stayed in a riad, which is a hotel with a courtyard. We had a tour guide take us down through the town and to the waterfalls. It was a long walk with Brent’s back, foot and it was 100 degrees out it wasn’t such a good idea to take this 2-3 hour trek but we all survived. The tour took us through a 100 year old olive tree grove, we saw artichokes growing wild, cacao trees, wild asparagus, saw a village that the ladies showed us how they make argon oil. The waterfall was really pretty we walked back up the other side about 1000 steps (!) in the heat of the day and all felt really tried after that. Nobody felt like eating dinner so we had ice cream for dinner and the kids thought that was the best thing ever as they’ve never had ice cream for dinner before.

Mountains
next we traveled through the High Atlas mountains. This was a really long day almost 9 hours in the car and the scariest mountain roads I’ve traveled on in my life. Lots of zigzag switchbacks and sheer cliffs. Then we arrived at our kasbah which is a Moroccan castle. This kasbah was probably the worst place to stay but it was the only one I could find in the region. ( Could this be where the bed mites traveled home with us?) Although we had a horrible nights sleep it was one of the best tangine dinners we had our whole trip. Was that worth a good night sleep? Depends on who you ask!

One of my favorite towns of the day was Ourzazate. It had pink beautiful buildings throughout and was very clean. We traveled through the valley of the roses to get to our hotel in El Kelaa M’ Gouna. However it wasn’t the right season so we didn’t even see any rose bushes. They produce rose oil, rose water and other rose products from this area.

Gorges and Sahara Desert

2011-07-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

On the way to the desert we took a side road through the Gorges Du Dades. This was a beautiful area with villages in the valleys and beautiful scenery. Farmers in the valleys. We didn’t drive that far into them as the roads were like yesterday sheer cliffs and my nerves were already shot from the mountain drive the day before and Brent’s back.

On our way to Erfoud where we were staying for the night we ran into a small village that was having a strike or something going on with people sitting in the middle of the road chanting and basically blocking the main road through town. When you have a one road town and it is the only road to where you need to go you start to panic. People talk to you through the car and stare at you because you are pretty strange looking. Very white and not dressed as they are. It was the first time in Morocco I felt insecure or unsafe.

Southern Morocco is much different then Northern Morocco. In the south we saw hardly anyone without a headdress or scarf. In Northern Morocco it is very common to see people with scarfs and those without. We (I mean me as the woman) aren’t fairly out of the norm to be walking around without a head scarf. Here in southern morocco we stand out like a really loud sour thumb. However they know we are tourists and as such I believe are given a little understanding just stares anyway.
We saw a few trucks that were trying to get through the road that was blocking off and as they turned around thought we should follow them because they probably know a road we don’t know about. So we did right through the desert on a dirt road. Who needs to trek into the desert, we already did!
Once In Erfoud we checked into a great hotel and the kids went swimming, relaxed and ate a late lunch. This area is known for fossils and we stopped at a fossil shop/ museum. They had a fossil that said it was from Wyoming, USA. (we thought that was pretty cool)
We traveled a little further to reach the Sahara Desert picked up a young guy for a tour guide. (These tour guides spot you from a mile away and descend upon you with offers of treks, camel rides, overnight stays in the desert in a Berber tent, etc. ) We just wanted a short look at the desert at sunset and play in the sand dunes. The kids loved rolling down the sand dunes. It was probably about 105 degrees however! The high season for desert treks is November-December this is the low season. (in case you want to come on a tour here)

oasis

So we were about the only ones around. Actually Morocco tourism they have told us is down over 50 % since the Marrakech bombing.
It was a fun day and now we can say we have walked in the Sahara Desert. We even collected some sand to take home (for cindy)

We stayed in a nice little villa in Midelt the next night. It was quiet and not much to do there.

Forests of Morocco

2011-07-01T04:52:00.000-07:00

On through the Forest of Morocco in Azrou. The best thing there? The Barbary Apes. Super cute and use to humans so we could walk right up to them. It was like traveling through Yellowstone and suddenly seeing wildlife on the side of the road. Just that it was apes and not deer, bear or buffalo or elk.

Next city up the road was Ifrane which is like a little European city inside Northern Africa. It had European type houses, a nice little park and we stopped and took a short walk around.

Fes

2011-07-01T04:45:00.001-07:00

That afternoon we arrived in Fez. After finally finding our hotel which was next to the medina (and only found it because we had a taxi lead us there) we took a tour of the medina. Now this medina is huge and as I told Brent there is no way I’m going in that media with out a tour guide. The hotel (which was like a palace) called an English speaking guide for us and we could have never done it without them. Fez is a craftsman type of city. They are known for the tanneries where they dye leather and make leather goods, iron work, pottery, etc.

We saw many of these areas. The tanneries were the most interesting as we walk in they hand you a sprig of mint to help with the smell. They explain the dyeing process and hope you’ll by something. First they stick the hides of sheep, goats, cows in a limestone vat for a week to remove the hair. Then it goes through a machine. Then it stays in a week in pigeon poop (natural ammonia) to soften it. Then it goes into the dye vats for several weeks. The dye is made with saffron for yellow, red poppies for red, indigo for blue, mint for green, mascara for black, etc. Then it is taken away to dry in the sun and different families make different products out of it such as leather coats, shoes, bags, belts, etc. The total process takes 37 days from the limestone bath to the drying.

some tight alleys!

A visit to the weaver- I'll add more to this on a different post b/c it is one of my favorite things to buy here.

The 1st Fes University- men washing and getting ready for prayer

The medina is very interesting and gives you a taste of how most Moroccans live and work. However it is very crowded and busy and I’d never want to do it without a guide because it is safer and the chance of getting totally lost is most likely. So once is probably enough for me. I’ll take my nice quiet medina in Rabat where I usually shop for such things.

Chefchouan

2011-07-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

Chefchouan
On the way to the beach today we stopped at Chefchouan. A small city in the Rif Mountains. It is known for its blue doors. We stopped for a picnic along a creek bed and went on to the beach.

Tetouan

2011-07-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

Cueta, Spain

Tetouan
On to a beach house in northern morocco on the Mediterranean to de-stress again. However it was much the opposite. The apartment we rented didn’t have water so we were pouring well water from buckets in the toilet and boiling water to wash dishes. No showers at the beach doesn’t go well.

We drove up the coast to Cueta, Spain which is a colony of Spain but attached to Morocco. We had to go through passport control and everything for a quick drive along the coast. It reminded me of Maine.

The kids enjoyed the beach and collected lots of seashells.
We cut that trip a day early and started for home!

5th grade graduation and awards

2011-06-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hyrum graduated from elementary school and they had a very nice little program. He also received a Presidential Award for Reading. The US Ambassador here in Morocco gave him his award and it was a special moment for him.

Mrs. Morabet, Principal of RAS

US Ambassador and his wife with Hyrum

Fellow award winners

5th grade friends

End of Year Pictures

2011-06-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

The end of the year! Teacher pictures

Time for Brent to get back surgery?

2011-06-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

As many know by now, I got a nasty staph infection in my foot that required surgery to remove the necrotic tissue, massive doses of IV antibiotics, and 5 hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to get it under control. I was lucky in that it hadn't quite reached the tendons or the bone or major reconstructive surgery would have been in my future with the possible loss of the foot.

                               This is what the foot looked like the day I left the hospital.
                               The hole is about 4 cm long, 2 cm wide, and 2 cm deep and
                                went all the way to the tendon.   This hole has caused absolutely
                                no pain because the infection destroyed the nerve and my back
                                pain masks it.

This is the foot just 10 days later. The healing process
was sped up significantly by the hyperbaric chamber.

This is the hyperbaric chamber where I had an hour
of oxygen therapy for 5 days.

This is how I picture a submarine to look.

                                          This was home sweet home for 5 days. Apparently I
                                          had the VIP suite because the doctor at the health unit
                                         said none of the other rooms she had seen were this
                                         nice.

Today I talked with one of the regional doctors. They have been puzzled as to why I could get a classic case of "Diabetic's Foot" when I'm not a diabetic. He said it was odd that I didn't feel any pain until it got that bad, but that does happen on rare occasions. I told him that my sciatic nerve pain pretty much masks any other pain in my body so I didn't feel the foot until it got worse than the back pain. That's when EVERYTHING made sense to him.

Apparently it's really bad when chronic pain masks all other pain in the body since that's the only way the body has to tell you something is wrong. So now it looks like I may get a free trip to London for consultations, nerve conduction testing, and possible back surgery.   Isn't it great to be me?

Happy Birthday Keeley

2011-06-07T04:10:00.000-07:00

Keeley had a sleepover party for her birthday. She had a great time with 9 friends, 7 that slept over. I was exhausted -HA! It may be the last sleepover ever. I guess I forgot how late they stay up and chat and the drama of being an 8 year old girl. She had a horse party, the girls painted small horses, played outside and watched movies. They were awake past 11:30 when I went to bed.

Keeley is such a sweet girl we're glad she belongs in our family!

Baseball season

2011-06-07T03:25:00.000-07:00

Hyrum out of the blue told us he wanted to play baseball this year. We can never talk him into doing sports so I was quite surprised and he really enjoyed the season and wants to play again next year.

Cody played tball this year and enjoyed it too. (we don't have pictures of him playing though)

Hyrum's a boy scout

2011-06-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

Hyrum crossed over to Boy Scouts this month and received his Arrow of Light. He was made an arrow from wood and an arrowhead with his name carved on it as well. It was very nice and he loved it.

Brent is on crutches in this picture which is another post in itself, which I'm waiting on Brent to write.

(The picture's lighting is bad but I couldn't not post the pictures!)

Happy Birthday Cody

2011-05-06T03:21:00.000-07:00

Some highlights of a 6 year old space party

Kindergarten Field Trip

2011-04-25T01:56:00.000-07:00

This is Cody's Kindergarten Class with his teacher Mr. OTt and assistant Ms. Sophia. This was during the week when an author, Susan Kuklin, came to the school and talked with each of the classes and taught them about taking pictures, interviewing for articles and writing.

Then we went on a field trip to the botanical gardens.

Cody's Front Tooth

2011-04-25T01:40:00.000-07:00

With all the talk about teeth and Cody on this blog for the last year this was a tooth that was suppose to come out!

Pinewood Derby

2011-04-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hyrum had his final pinewood derby as a Webelos scout. He carved his car by hand using a leatherman tool. (Brent had to carve the darker/harder portions of the grain and both got blisters.) It was fun and Hyrum took first place among the Webelos. The only car that beat his was the one Brent carved for Cody. Next year Cody will officially be a cub scout.

Euro Disney

2011-04-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

The second half of our spring break trip we took a train ride and stayed in a fun hotel in Euro Disney. The kids enjoyed the swimming pool with a waterslide and pirate ship inside the pool more than anything we did the whole time.

Brent however enjoyed going on every roller coaster ride and Cody being the adventurous one went with him on everything he was tall enough for. We took our time for several days and went through the 2 parks, Disneyland and Walt Disney studios. It was a fun trip.

It was cloudy and drizzling most days so we were rather glad to come back to our palm trees and sunshine!

Some of the highlights.

Paris

2011-04-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

For spring break we went to Paris for a long weekend and then to Euro Disney outside of Paris for the rest of the week. In Paris we stayed in a very small and creaky apartment (reminds me of the apartment in the Ratatouille movie-mental note to watch that again. ) We spent most of the time walking around seeing the Louvre where the Mona Lisa is hanging. The museum is huge. It is said if you spent 1 minute in front of each painting it would take 4 months to go through the whole museum. We enjoyed what we did see at any rate.

We saw Notre Dame cathedral, the picture of the stain glass below is inside the cathedral. We saw the Eiffel Tower and went on a boat ride down the Seine River. Those were the highlights.

It was a nice trip despite the whining, fighting and complaining that comes along with family time. We (Brent and I) are learning that family time doesn't always mean peaceful time, HA!

Notre Dame Cathedral

In front of the Louvre- The glass pyramid is the entrance.

Birthday pics

2011-03-07T02:25:00.000-08:00

He is getting so OLD and so am I, I could just cry. =}

Love you, you big 11 year old

Fun pictures

2011-03-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

violin

2011-03-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hurray, we have a violin teacher again

botanical gardens on a rainy day

2011-03-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

Birds of Paradise

2011-03-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite plants here in Morocco....

Doors and Keyholes part 2

2011-03-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

Part 4 -Moroccan doors and keyholes

2011-02-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

Remember this post where I showed you my new dresser/cabinet and introduced you to Moroccan keyholes?

Here are some great pictures to prove my point and show you some beautiful Moroccan doors that you'll see in the old city.

Part 3- Field Trip

2011-02-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

The next few posts will be about a 2nd grade Moroccan field trip
Part 3 Bits of Morocco wall and beach side

Part 2- Moroccan field trip

2011-02-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

The next few posts will be about a 2nd grade Moroccan field trip
Part 2 where the Bouregreg River meets the Atlantic Ocean

2nd grade Moroccan field trip- part 1

2011-02-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

The next few posts will be about a 2nd grade Moroccan field trip to where the Bouregreg River meets the Atlantic Ocean and bits of Morocco.
Part 1 Keeley and classmates

London Conference

2011-02-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a quick three day trip to London for a Site Build It web building conference. I told Brent I only took one picture while I was there. He wasn't very impressed this was the picture I took. Hello, MILK! Anyone who has lived overseas and only has boxed UHT milk will get this picture- I hope.

Anyway on to the conference...
I have several websites I write and publish. What started as a hobby and a way to have a creative outlet while my kids were young has continued to grow for 5 years now. It has become my own web business and I (we) are creating a LLC as we speak because it is getting big enough now. Last June I went to Edinburgh for a Site Build It (who is the web building company I use) conference. It was a group of 30 people and I enjoyed the meetings and the networking with other webmasters. This past week there was an advanced web building conference in London with 50+ people and I so enjoyed seeing past friends from Edinburgh conference and meeting so many more.

There is a great feeling of being in a room full of people that do what I do and think like I do when it comes to internet business. Normal people like me (wait a minute-am I normal?!?) that we get together and share ideas, network opportunities and learn.

Thankfully I have a wonderful husband that has supported me from the beginning and knows how much I enjoy what I do. From the beginning 5 years ago his main question was why do you want to do that now? Which my answer was I have ideas I want to write down and share while they are in my mind.

While my kids were young I worked online when it was naptime and after they went to bed at night. Thankfully he watched me obsess and work hard and supported me as I wrote, studied, took pictures, carried out my ideas, etc. He has stood by as my hobby has become a full/part time job whatever time I choose to put in. Now that my kids are in school it gives me more time to work on my projects.

The ideas keep flowing and I still love what I do. He supports me as I've gone on these two conferences takes over the household and getting a break that I rarely take. Thanks!

picture taken by Mike Cox which I blatantly copy and pasted

If you want to learn how I do it, read how to build a website business and/or ask me!

Palm tree street

2011-02-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to take a picture of our street with the lined palm trees. This day I happened to have a camera in the car.

Piano Recital

2011-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hyrum and Keeley have an excellent piano teacher now. She is also in our church group and we just love her. We had a piano recital this month and they did a great job memorizing two pieces and doing a duet with Mrs. Myers.
Next year all three will take piano with her.

Webelos service project

2011-02-20T08:52:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from the webelos service project planting trees in a Moroccan neighborhood. Brent is now the webelos leader and will work in scouts next year. Next month Hyrum will cross over into Boy Scouts.
Make sure you scroll down and see what happens after you plant trees in Morocco!

why family photos don't always work

2011-01-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd try taking the kids picture one day-the pro was working so I gave it a shot...

one deer in the headlights look

Um, no not good but typical

One goofball

glad they are having fun with this

another deer in the headlights look

um, maybe passable except for the big gap between the boys

Anyway we'll try again Grandma perhaps when the pro is here and get the whole family.

The size of those lemons!

2011-01-14T02:09:00.000-08:00

lemons versus size of a kiwi

lemons versus size of an apple

Our lemon tree is bursting with lemons again. This time I'm just amazed at the size of them. Brent came home and thought they were grapefruit. I tried to do some comparison pictures here for your benefit I'm not sure it really did any good though.

I love having a lemon tree but I try not to be jealous of others I know that have avocado trees, pomegranate, orange trees even a banana tree! Now that would be fun.

I juiced all these lemons and froze them in ice cube trays.

Tangine Cooking

2011-01-14T02:02:00.000-08:00

So what do you cook in those tangines? They are like crock pots on the stove kind of. Place your meat and vegetables, seasonings and place the lid on. Cook for a an hour or two. I've had a few Moroccan variations now and believe it or not my favorite is the onion and raisins one. It turns out really sweet even the onions are good.

lamb, carrots, parsnips, peas, tomatoes

meat,onions, golden raisins

meat, parsnips, zucchini, carrots

chicken, potatoes, carrots, zucchini and lots of pepper

One of these days I'll actually use it myself ,too. Yea, I didn't make any of these!

I'm posting my friend Heather's recipe here for my future use:

Lamb or other meat Tajine
Ingredients:
1 pound of lamb tender meat or lamb shoulder chops (or other meat)
1 large onion grated
5 Oz of raisins (soaked in water)
...4 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon of pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
A large pinch of saffron
A pinch of turmeric powder
water

1- On medium heat, add the butter, the grated onion, the meat, and the spices. Mix well, cover your pan and let the meat cook for 5 minutes.

2- Cover the meat with water. Cover the pan and let the meat cook for the next 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5- When the meat is almost cooked, drain the raisins from their water and add them to the sauce...pan. Add the honey.

6- Add a little more water to the meat and raisins if needed.
7- Cover the pan and let the meat and raisins cook for the next 15 minutes.
Serve

Note: To serve the Mrouzia, put the meat first on the plate, cover it with the raisins. Enjoy!

Morocco shopping

2011-01-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

I've done a lot more shopping here in Morocco then other countries here are some of my favorite finds...

I've bought more than these two baskets but I just love 'em!

Moroccan nativity made out of clay.With a Berber tent.

As a sidenote: You can actually take a camel trek in the desert here and sleep in a real Berber tent. (sounds like my personal nightmare-just for the record)
I had lunch once in a Berber tent though that was more my style.

This is one of my favorites. It is made from cedar wood. See the close up the detail work. This keyhole on the doors are very Moroccan. You'll find them in the architecture here as well as mirror shaped keyholes, decorations, etc.

I bought these stools for Brent's photography so you might see them in future portraits.

Moroccan tangines. The brown one is to cook in the little ones are for serving or decoration. They sell little ones to put your salt, pepper, etc in very cute. I saw a tangine like the brown one in a kitchen magazine for $200. This one cost me $15. Today I had a real Moroccan tangine cooked in it too. (not by me but my housekeeper)

So what do you think, what to come visit now?!?

Christmas Eve

2011-01-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

A belated post. I don't have any pictures from actual Christmas but on Christmas eve we do a little musical program, read stories and the kids get to open one present here are the pictures from then....I made pjs and robes.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

So I'm debating on recapping the new year in kind of a Happy New Year post. However the year had a lot of downs and not as many ups so the thought is a little depressing. But here goes...
1. 1 kid has parasites-heck we probably all have parasites but one suffers from stomach aches daily. Trying to resolve that with medicine and herbs.-verdict still pending.
2. 1 kid after a 6 month period of dentists finally gets his molar tooth pulled out. (5 years too early)
3. 1 kid needs surgery and we fly to London for a week on medivac.
4. 1 kid had stitches two times this year-both in the chin!
5. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer
6. Brent's back is getting worse and causes him chronic pain and crankiness
7. Braces (enough said there)

And the good b/c after all we have to look for the bright things in life
1. I go on my first alone trip to Scotland for a web building conference. Fun, met great people, learned more, missed family but got some alone time! ( I get to do this again in February in London!)
2. Went on a family trip to Egypt. Saw amazying sites, spend several days on the beach, Brent got to do some awesome snorkeling.
3. My kids conquered fears and accomplished things they didn't know they could do like learning how to swim, playing t-ball, riding a bike without training wheels, learning how to read, etc.
4. We played at the beach and swam at the pool all summer in beautiful Morocco weather and scenery.
5. We love our church group, embassy friends and neighbors who go shopping in the medina with me, let my kids come and play, share good potlucks and bbqs, laughs and stories.
6. I love being able to work from home and really love what I do that actually makes money.
7. Finally, after all the bad and hard times in the last year, I still see the hand of God watching over my family, guiding us and blessing us. Giving me direction and answers to help us figure life out especially when it gets difficult and depressing. Thank heavens for that!

Gingerbread houses

2010-12-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

This was a fun kit we got this year, we all enjoyed it. I tried to find a safe place in the house where the ants wouldn't find it. Yes we have ants here in Northern Africa and yes they found it by morning so our gingerbread houses became ant houses.

Christmas Deco party

2010-12-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

Each year (almost anyway) the kids have a cookie decorating party. It is always a lot of fun.

Santa

2010-12-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

First time ever one of my kids sat on Santa's lap. Had to document it-this is proof this kid will do anything for candy.

Tooth Mystery-CLOSED (hopefully)

2010-12-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

Cody should have been singing at the concert below instead he had his tooth pulled hours before. Remember the whole tooth issues we've tried to save the tooth. All for the love of popcorn too! His abscess came back again and I noticed it was cracked from the top of the tooth to the gum line so the next day he had it pulled out. This is the bravest kid I know for all the things he has gone through in his short life! Do you see the roots on this tooth! Hyrum lost a tooth soon after this so I'm comparing his tooth with the pulled tooth. Makes me want to cry thinking he had to lose his tooth over popcorn. Since this tooth wasn't suppose to come out until he was around 10 (Hyrum just lost this tooth this year) he'll probably need a retainer or spacer so the teeth won't crowd each other until then. Something to look forward to down the road.

You can kind of see the crack in the tooth here. We are wondering if it was a popcorn kernel that cracked his tooth intially and 6 months later this is what happens.

For being such a brave kid AGAIN. He got a whole book making set. You see he goes to school everyday and comes back with a handful of books he made in his free time. He draws pictures and staples the book together and comes up with some amazing stuff. So he got his own ream of paper, little stapler and scotch tape.

He recovered quickly and was eating normally later that day. As usual it took/takes me longer to recover from these episodes.

Keeley concert

2010-12-10T02:52:00.000-08:00

Holiday concert can you see her!

Walk in the countryside

2010-11-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

What Brent and the scouts saw in a walk in the countryside

Surprise in the garden.

2010-11-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

We didn't know this was out there until Brent found it the other day. He was rather excited if you can't tell!

Volubilis

2010-11-19T05:51:00.000-08:00

We took a day trip to Volubilis. We had a nice time exploring and climbing up and down old Roman ruins and then had a picnic next to a giant olive tree.

Jack o Lanterns

2010-11-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

Who needs a Jack o Lantern?

Girl Scout Ceremony

2010-11-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Keeley has bridged over from a Daisy to a Brownie Girl Scout.

Halloween Pics

2010-11-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

School Halloween Parties
One Strawberry
One Batman
One little Red Riding Hood

Favorite of London

2010-10-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

We went to London several years ago as a family but these are my kids favorite parts of London forget Buckingham Palace, Big Ben or policemen with big hats...

Can you see him? This is the only time I had the camera handy.

It's Autumn...

2010-10-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

well in London anyway not in Morocco.