March Madness...

Bringing home Katie the Koala - the class "pet"

March - the last month before it really starts to heat up, so have to make the most of it and we tried. The big news was I went back to the classroom!  Yes, right before spring break, I got to substitute for a teacher who had to leave for a week.  It was great fun to be teaching again and Liam did well, too.  He hardly seemed to notice when I left or returned!  Ah, the benefits of having a nanny! Every afternoon, all the nannies and babies are outside watching the "big kids" play outside.  They all enjoy it so much, that if you don't take them out by a certain time, they start to get restless and whiny.

 
Then, during Spring Break, I took the kids to a nearby resort for a mini-vacation.  It was far enough away to feel like we went somewhere, but close enough that I knew we could make the drive with Liam. The girls declared it the BEST VACATION EVER!  I don't know about that, but we did enjoy ourselves.  Chloe didn't like the food (big surprise) and we all got mosquito bites.  And, it rained!  Wow!

While we were up in that area, I wanted to do a little site-seeing.  We found these bee-hive tombs near Barka, thanks to Connie (our nanny) knowing some Arabic.  Yes, I DID study Arabic, but everyone speaks English all the time in the city and I just can't keep it up!  Chloe was less than amused with the adventure, which involved several wrong turns, a brief exploration of a wadi, and a short drive on a dirt road.  She got back in the car after noticing the skeleton of a wadi dog while Julia walked up one more short hill to check out the tombs on the other side with me. She was glad to pose for the photo, but was convinced that we were going to see some scorpions. Glad to report, none were spotted.

Next on the agenda was to find the "world famous Oman ostrich farm".  This was a farm with supposedly 100's of ostriches and a famous breeding program where you could see all the eggs being incubated. I figured we found the tombs, how hard could it be to find an ostrich farm?  Well.......  Even in the guide books, the directions are rather vague and open to interpretation.  It doesn't help that there is so much road construction going on right now all over, that a landmark that was there yesterday, may not be there today!  So, we drove around and around, even went back to the hotel to ask directions there, and still couldn't find it.  Very close to the hotel there was a farm and we figured, why not, let's give it a try.  We drove in and finally found someone on a bike to ask -- yes, this is the Ostrich Farm.  Yes, we have crocodiles.  But, he wanted money. It was all a bit confusing and he seemed to be asking for way too much, so we just kept going.  With very little idea where we were going, we drove through field after field until we found an old, crudely painted sign that said "gators" with an arrow.  In the middle of the farm fields, there were two pens and a small pond with 3-4 alligators!  Not too much to look at, but there it was!  I did see some ostrich feathers close by and wondered if that was lunch? On our way out, we spotted another crudely painted sign that pointed to "ostrich".  Sadly, there were only a few and none looked very healthy. The pens were old and dilapidated and the birds' feathers were falling out.  But, the farmer had a horse to ride and the girls thought it was the best little farm EVER!  Hmmm...

 On another weekend, we went to see the Omani Royal Camel Corps.  A friend from the Embassy has daughters that perform with the Corps.  We got lost along the way -- see previous paragraph -- and missed at least 1/3 of the program, but we still enjoyed a lot of the show.  We saw camel races with the little robotic jockeys, a traditional bedouin camel caravan, demonstrations by the camel corps riders, and performances of traditional songs and the Royal bagpipers, too!  After it was done, we got to meet all the girls from the performance, which was a treat!

Back at home, we said goodbye to our "Go-Fort" that has been with us for almost two years!  It was time for some rearranging and the fort had to go.  We'll get another fort on our next move!

And, finally, it was Easter!  And, that is March in a nutshell!

Overheard...

M:  "Do you think he likes eating these new foods??"

J: "Yeah.  It's all over his face!"

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I was tucking Julia in bed and having a particularly sweet time.  She started stroking my hair and said,

"You know, if you feel down and tired at the end of the day....."

"Yes?"

(long pause and out of the blue:)

"HAKUNA MATATA!"

"Oh!"

"It means 'no worries for the rest of your days!'"

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Julia wrote a birthday card all on her own:

"Hape birfta to yuo"

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 J: "Why don't we drive that way?"
M: "That's a Dead End."
J: "Oh, there are dead people there?"

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C: "I have to admit, he [brother], is better than playing with my ipod"

House Guests

The school hosted an international choir festival in February and needed families to help host the 100's of students that were visiting from other countries.  Of course, I volunteered, although no one seemed to be that excited about it, except me.  In fact, Chloe was in tears.  THAT was not a reaction I was expecting!  I thought the kids would like to have a few girls staying with us for a few days, teenagers!  Chloe did not like the idea of strangers staying in her house, even if they were (cool) teenagers.  Note to self, check with ALL family members before committing to a similar event.

Well, after the initial reaction had passed, the girls became much more interested in the coming guests.  They helped me prepare the bedrooms, make the extra blow-up mattress bed, wrote welcome notes, and helped put together a little gift.  In the end, the festival schedule was so busy, the kids only saw the girls at breakfast time.  And, Liam was the star of the weekend.  They thought he was sooo cute!  All in all, it was a good experience and everyone had a good time. 

After picking the girls up, I found out one of them was with the US Embassy in another country.  Ah, I said, so you'll recognize the furniture - you'll be right at home!  And, yes, it was the same furniture here as she had in her house.  I thought that was amusing!

Julia would only get in if she could hold her brother.

Another Field Trip

Julia's favorite exhibit

 I went on another field trip, this time with Julia's Kindergarten class.  They went to a hands-on science museum that explored the many different forms of energy that people use.  I was the guide for 5 little girls!  That was fun and everyone cooperated and took turns, for the most part.  Julia was delighted that her mommy was there, which made it a special day!

After the museum, the kids ate their lunches at a local park and had some time to play on this gigantic jungle gym!  This is definitely a seasonal structure as the slides are all metal.  Yikes!  You could probably fry an egg on the slide during the summer!

The Royal Cavalry

In February, the whole school participated in "Discover Oman".  Every grade level went on multiple field trips learning about the history, culture, geology, and natural history of Oman.  It is a wonderful program and the kids learn a lot.  But, with all those field trips, they need.... volunteers!  So, for the first time, I left Liam for more than a few hours and became a chaperone.

Chloe's class went to the Royal Cavalry, a HUGE stable and horse facility for all of the Sultan's horses.  Actually, there are multiple stables, housing, arenas, training facilities.  Everything.  The students got a tour of some of the stables, pet the horses and ponies, buggy rides, and even a pony ride, which was Chloe's first time on a horse!

It was a fun day and both Liam and I survived just fine. 

The Royal Carriage ride

Royal Pony Ride

Chloe and friend -- waiting for the class

Tender Moments

In February, Liam had started to snuggle with his little buddy, a stuffed monkey.  I think it's on my top ten cutest things list! One of my favorites from the month:

Don't need no pacifiers (see corner), just my stuffy!!

And another tender moment.... Julia has more passion in her little pinky then the rest of us combined.  I love the way she adores her baby brother.  She looks at him with such love and tenderness and he adores her back.  It's a sweet relationship from the start!

And, finally, here's the happy guy after he mastered the roll over!  Watch out world!

Baby's First Dip in the Ocean

Finally some "Daddy Time"!  Off to the beach again.  It had recently rained... yes, RAINED in February.  The storm had formed an extra sand bar close to shore on this section of the beach, creating a little lagoon with ankle deep water:

While Liam slept, the girls ran around and played in the sand:

Chloe was not sure she wanted to go back, because she felt something crawling on her when they were covering themselves in sand. We did see a lot of little crabs running around that day.

Once he woke up, it was off to the water. Liam was a bit concerned about his quick toe dip in the ocean.  But, overall he enjoyed the sun, the sand, and the beach!

Sunset Beach

The weather had been fabulous -- clear, mid 70's, slight breeze. I'd been itchy to go for a walk on the beach, but with the three kids and juggling school, nap and dinner schedules, it was hard to find the right time. Determined to go, we ate dinner very early, jumped in the car, and drove down to the beach. Within seconds of hitting the sand, the girls were off!

THEN, Chloe bumped her leg on something scratchy and her leg started to sting. THEN, Julia needed to use the bathroom (there wasn't one). 

Total elapsed time of bliss on the beach = less than 10 minutes. 
Total time of preparation and driving = more than 30 minutes.

And, that's traveling with kids.... Still, it was worth it.  It was a beautiful night on the beach!

Family Outing

 We finally made it to Bait Al Zubair - it only took us two years to go and I wish we would have gone sooner.  Bait al Zubair (House of Al Zubair) is a renovated house from a prominent family displaying their many, many Omani artifacts, some centuries old.

Inside there were models of forts, examples of Omani dress for men and women, jewelry, swords, guns, khanjars... all sorts of things.  It was very interesting to see the history and traditions behind many of the Omani objects we see all the time. 

Outside there was even more to explore.  They had a model of a traditional village, complete with a running falaj system, a channel for transporting water.  There was a miniature town, popular with the girls. And, their favorite was a model of a home that the they could wander around in and explore.  Topped it off with an ice cream treat at the cafe!

Prickly Produce

I have to admit that I haven't ventured far from the familiar in the produce department, usually purchasing the same as I would back home, or something very similar.  However, one item we (or me and Julia) have come to enjoy is rambutan!  This prickly looking fruit is very similar to a lychee fruit you'd see back home.  The "spines" are very soft, it's easy to cut, and with little effort you can get to the juicy fruit inside!

Here's Julia, very serious, but excited to have handfull of rambutan!

Produce here comes from all around the world and usually it is marked by the country of origin.  Citrus fruits come from Europe, South Africa, Chile, China or the USA.  My favorite brand is "Le Crunch" apples from France!  And, every time they are in season, we get fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries from Watsonville!  They aren't even as expensive as you would expect.  Every now and then, I can't resist and I pick up a box or two.  Many of the vegetables come from Oman, but the rest come from India, Pakistan, or other Asian countries.  There are a lot of options, especially if you're willing to pay the price!

Grizwold's Family Picnic

The day started off like a chapter of National Lampoon's family vacation!  You would have thought we were going for a week, not just a few hours to the park.  Do you have the diapers, the sunscreen, the water bottles, the extra change of clothes for the baby, the extra-extra change of clothes for the baby, the keys, the camera, the extra battery for the camera, etc....  Did everyone go to the bathroom?  Now where are the girls?? Finally convinced we had it all, we headed off to the Riyam Park near Mutrah Port.  Every evening and all weekend long, you see Omani families with their wadi mats enjoying parks all around the city. It looks so relaxing, but getting there was not.

After getting the car packed and everyone in it, the next challenge was to get everyone's order straight at Subway.  Too many options for a five year old, need I say more.  But, in the end, it was worth it and we enjoyed a lovely afternoon!