Birthday Cake

making cake

Calvin and Alayna love any reason to eat cake, and Christmas is Jesus Birthday right?? And what is a birthday without cake? So, we made the cake today (Christmas Eve) and we will eat it and sing Happy Birthday tomorrow. As you can tell my daughter clearly loves chocolate! Click above pic to see more.

I'm Addicted!

Ok, so I think I have a problem.......I'm addicted to my maid already! It's kinda like what they say about Meth, it only takes one hit and you are hooked for life! Our maid, Lorna, arrived on Sunday evening and by Monday at noon my house was clean and the kids were loving all the time they were getting to spend with Mommy. I have to say I have had the best few days in a long time with my kids. It's truely amazing how freeing it can be to know that you have NO obligations other than to care for and play with your children. We have been baking cookies, playing games, watching Christmas movies and just having a blast. Even baking cookies with the kids, which would normally stress me out by the way, was really enjoyable! Lorna hung out in the kitchen with us and when one kid needed their hands washed she went and did that while I continued on with the other child. And the best part.....When we were done, we just left the kitchen and went to play something else and magically the kitchen was cleaned!

OMG! All my Mommy friends out there, you can't even imagine what this is like. It's not even like having Dad around, who is kinda your parenting equal, you have someone standing there just waiting for you to tell them to do something! It's CRAZY!!! I don't know how I am going to cope when I have to come back to the real world in a couple years. I will have to check myself into Rehab for detox!! But trust me it is totally worth it.

Merry Christmas to ME!!!!!!

Green Island

We went to a park today called Green Island. We met a couple other Moms there so the kids could play. It is actually a small little island that I would actually call more of a glorified sand bar! It isn't very far off shore and they have just made it into a nice "green" area with places for the kids to play and places for BBQs and picnics. It was nice. The kids rode there bikes out there since you can't bring cars onto the "island". They had fun playing with the other kids, ate alittle lunch and then we came home. It was a perfect day....about 75 and sunny with a slight breeze. We had a nice time and I am sure we will go back again with Daddy.

Ryan's Trip to Jordan

So I will take my first swing at this Blog thing. I am back from a 5-day work trip to Jordan. Jordan is home to one of our largest suppliers of fuel for Iraq and this was my initial visit to gain an overview of their operation.

From Jordan

I flew into Amman, Jordan from Kuwait City. Jordan is an awesome county that is rich in Biblical history. Unlike Kuwait, which is very flat, Jordan has breath-taking topography. Some of the houses are built right into the side of severely sloping mountainsides.

From Jordan

During the trip I traveled to the Iraq/Jordan border to witness our fuel trucks crossing into Iraq. I was not allowed to take any pictures of the border, so the best I could do was to snap a picture of the border sign ten Km before the border itself.

From Jordan

From Jordan

Following the border, which is in the NE corner of Jordan, we drove to the SW corner of Jordan to the port city of Aqaba. Our supplier has large fuel storage tanks at their facility in Aqaba. Aqaba is on the Gulf of Aqaba, which is the northern tip of the Red Sea.

From Jordan

From Jordan

Along the way to Aqaba, we drove to the lowest place on earth -- the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is 1 mile below sea level. We were able to see Israel, which lies on the west side of the Dead Sea. While traveling down, down, down, to the Dead Sea you could feel the pressure building in your ears. Much like being on an airplane your ears kept popping.

What a great experience. I got to see the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River (where Jesus was baptized), and the Iraq border. I will have the chance to go back to Jordan every few months.

Pretty Boring Week

Well this week was kinda boring and uneventful in Kuwait. I think Ryan will be posting later this week; he and the camera were in Jordan all week and I am hoping he will come home with some good pics and stories that he will be willing to share with all of you.

As for what we were doing with out Daddy around, we spent a lot of time in our jammies! We did have 2 little play dates with Alayna's friend from school, Chloe, who lives in our neighboorhood. It was nice to have some adult conversation! Oh yeah, the kids had fun too! Calvin and I are still sick with this cold/possible allergy thing. We both have had this cold on and off for over a month now, so we are trying allergy medicine to see if it is an allergy to all the dust here. I just am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Can Santa bring Calvin and I a cure for the cold??

Stay tuned for Ryan's Jordan trip report!

CLOSED!!

YEAH! We actually did it.....We closed on our house in O'Fallon. It is final and the money is in the bank. Now of course there were more than a few bumps along the way including the title company going bankrupt and having to start over with a new company a week before closing, and then the little detail of the address of the property we were selling was WRONG on all the closing documents! Then the person who was handling our closing quit on closing day! Good Grief Charlie Brown!

But, the bottom line is that it is done and we can move on with our lives. Goodbye Keck Ridge Drive. We will miss you!

A Very Special Day!

First of all it is my Dad's 60th Birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! We all love you and hope you enjoy your day!

Brooke

Then we got to see Brooke today at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait! She had a pit stop there on her way back to the states for R&R. We drove up to the base and met her at the McDonalds and had lunch with her. It was soooooo good to see her. The kids were happy to see her too. Alayna just couldn't get enough of Auntie Brooke. We ate our lunch and then went to the USO there on the base and played some cards for a little while. Then we let them run around outside for a bit before we had to take off back home. We had a great time. It was a bit sad though, like a teaser to see her and then have to say goodbye so quickly. We hope to see her again on her way back through after R&R. I have my fingers crossed! Click the pic for more pics!