Holiday update

A lot has happened in the last month, so I'll try to do a quick recap.

 Halloween was during our Eid break, plus it's my least favorite holiday.  We didn't do much, but Aden did sport his skeleton pjs which glow in the dark.  This was a very fascinating discovery to make at bedtime.

 While I was at a conference in Dubai, Aden and Daddy has some quality time together.  This included going to a friend's 3rd birthday party.  Aden had a great time eating cake and dancing with the other kids.  He was the only one who wouldn't wear a birthday hat though.

                                                       Here they are dancing away.


Shortly after Eid, I helped through a baby shower for our friend Heather (she's the one next to me in the teal shirt).  She has since had baby Luke and they are doing great.  There were 6 ladies pregnant at school and so of course we had to get a picture with as many of us as we could. 

 The holidays have arrived!  I love this time of year, although it is a bit different here in Saudi.  The weather for our Thanksgiving dinner was so nice (80s) that we all ate outside.  We had a fantastic array of food and ate until we couldn't eat anymore.  Aden didn't seem to understand why mom and dad were so excited, but he did thoroughly enjoy the cranberries.

Thanksgiving evening it has become our tradition to put up our Christmas tree.  This is because it is really the only Christmas decoration we see and we will leave for California before Christmas arrives.  This year Aden really got excited about the tree which was fun.  He helped put on ornaments and loved playing with the strings of lights.  We are still battling a bit with the fact that ornaments are supposed to stay on the tree, but at least he hasn't broken any.

It has been amazing to see how much Aden has been growing.  He is really turning into a little boy.  His vocabulary is increasing every week and it has been fun to increase our verbal communication with him.  His latest interests are Elmo and racing.  He loves to get into his racing stance, we'll say "On your mark, get set....", then he yells "GO!" and off we all run.  He also loves to watch Daddy workout and run by the house. 

 He decided for the picture above that he needed to add a bit to his outfit.  Silly boy!

 These are the newest addition to our family.  Jamie has been enjoying watching the fish more than Aden has.  The coolest thing though is that we did just discover baby fish about a week ago.  They are so small, but all 5 seem to be doing well.

We went in for our 20 week doctor's appointment not too long ago and got to see our baby girl again.  She is very active and the doctor says that she is doing great.  As of right now she is measuring a bit long for her age and has a larger belly, but the doctor isn't worried because he remembers what Aden was like.  I go in next week for another set of routine tests before heading to California for Christmas. 

Does this little button nose look familiar?  We think it looks just like Aden's!

-Tara

It's a . . .

It's a . . . . well first you may likely know.  Second, there is an announcement on the bottom of the page.

To catch you up quickly before the announcement, last weekend I was off in Dubai for a teacher leadership conference.  In short, it was a great conference, I learned a lot about managing conflict, building teams, and facilitating change.  I was also able to meet many people from many different schools which is great for our uncertain future when we leave Saudi Arabia.

This week we are off of school this week for Eid al Adha, this holiday celebrates the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.  We are having good relaxing family time.  Yesterday we went to Bahrain for the day and night to do some some shopping and going out to eat.  Unfortunately, Aden was a terror after a fitful nights sleep and being cooped up in a car for the morning, this lasted pretty much until dinner, with a short break while we were playing at the hotel pool.  The morning started with Aden running into a glass door to the no smoking section of Ric's Country Kitchen where we had breakfast.  After we opened the door for him to walk through we had to carry him across the doorway because he didn't want to chance running into another invisible forcefield.  Aden also successful convinced the other couple in the non-smiking section to relocate before their food arrived.  We were a little embarrassed. During dinner at Fudruckers, Aden was pretty good and stopped crying when the world's best hotdog came out for him.  All beef and wonderful!  You should try one.

This upcoming weekend it is boy's night in, as Tara shoots off to Dubai for a conference where she is going to attend math teaching work shops.  She is very excited . . . I don't quite get it though, but that's alright.

Ok, for the announcement!

What a cute girl and proud big brother!

Her picture at 15.5 weeks

I thought everyone would like this picture.  Aden helping Mommy brush her hair this morning.  Aden would give my hair one quick brush and then run back to Mommy's to do nice long comes down her nice long hair.

Big boy bed

Shortly after we came back to Saudi for the school year, Aden started a new nightly tradition.  He decided that he didn't like his crib and would cry a lot before finally falling asleep.  One night, Jamie and I were cleaning in our bedroom when the crying stopped and Aden walked into our room.  This was surprising since we had put him in his crib.  From then on, every night he would climb out (and got  quite good at it may I add).  We ended up putting a mattress on the floor and taking turns sleeping with him.  This was exhausting!  So, the first available weekend we had was spent shopping at Ikea for a new mattress for him and a gate.  Aden loves his new bed.  He still doesn't like going to sleep which is why we had to get a gate for his doorway, but the new freedom of being able to walk around is something that he enjoys. 

You may notice the blankets on the floor.  At first, Aden was not good at staying on the bed at night.  We would often hear a thud and then he would cry or we would just find him on the floor in the morning.  He has gotten much better about this. One thing has has changed since the picture was taken is that Aden no longer has the privilege of overhead lights.  He was continually turning the lights on when Jamie or I left the room.  His lamp also gets unplugged each night.  He is just too smart for his own good.  The next goal is to get him to understand that he has to stay in his room so we can get rid of the gate.

Another big adventure we have had lately is taking our first camel ride.  A few times while driving home, we saw a man with his camel in this nice parkish area by the ocean.  It looked like he was giving rides, so we decided to stop one day.  Below is a video of the experience Aden and I had while riding the camel.  I was glad that the ride was only about 5 minutes long. 

Afterwards, the guy tried to charge us about $50 for the rides.  Jamie put on his best bartering face and we walked away only paying about $15, which was still kind of crazy for the short and not fun rides we had.  However, now we can officially saw we've ridden a camel in Saudi.

Last but not least is a video we took at dinner the other night.  Aden is constantly amusing us by doing something goofy.  This is an okay video of his shoulder shrug.

Fall . . . Saudi Style

School is back in full swing.  Tara and I are doing pretty much the same thing as last year, but with some small changes.  I dropped all high school classes (not by choice, it is just how the schedule worked out) and Tara kept her old classes and picked up a new team teaching elective with one of our new teachers dealing with teaching life choices called Middle School Careers.  We also picked up a couple of new positions.  I was hired as the Middle School Team Leader and Tara was brought on as a Math Literacy Coach, she's basically the go to person for math questions and resources.  We will also both be taking a trip to Dubai this fall.  I'm going to a leadership conference in October where I'll be following a three day strand designed for teacher leaders.  Tara is going a couple of weeks later for a teacher training conference where she will be able to learn a lot about what she loves, teaching math.

Outside of school we have been having fun socializing and having play dates with Aden's friends.  As usual, it is incredibly hot still.  Luckily we have been able to cool off by spending a decent amount of time at the beach with Aden.  He is loving the water and is getting used to wearing water wings which really provides him with a lot of freedom.  This past weekend was Saudi National Day, which gave us a four day weekend.  One day we had beach play time with some of our friends and Aden's friends from school, and today we had a pool play date with our friend Laura and Aden's friend Savannah.  We are really enjoying Aden growing and being able to start actually playing with and not just next to other kids around his own age.

Our big news that most of you have already heard is that we are going to have another BABY!  April 4th, 2013 our second child is due.  So far everything looks good with Tara and the baby.  My favorite thing about the timing is that April 4th is the first day of our two week spring break.  We thank God for the timing because I only have two days of paternity leave at school.  We'll keep you updated when we find out if Aden is having a little brother or sister.

9 weeks!

12 weeks!

Aden surfing the paddle board!

Ah, Aden confused his Crayola Slicks with chapstick.

Catching up on Summer

Well, summer is over.  We arrived back in Saudi on August 25th, two days after Tara's birthday.  School inservice days started today and it was good to be back and see our friends at school again.

As far as the rest of summer goes, we have taken you up to Billy and Ashley's wedding on July 21st.  The previous weekend was spent in Viroqua for the third year in a row so my Dad and I could compete in the Viroqua Sprint Triathlon.  We really like the race and it is a great opportunity to see my Uncle Pat and Aunt Terri, their kids and my wonderful grandmother.  My Dad won his age group and I did not, but I did beat him.  After the triathlon we drove up to Minneapolis to spend a day and a half with Seth who was in the area for a friends wedding that weekend.  We didn't think we would see him so it was a great opportunity to get together.  Later on in the summer we also were able to see our sister-in-law, Kelly, as she drove through Mauston with her family so we were able to see both of them!

My moral support

My little training partner

The duo

The weekend after Billy and Ashley's wedding we went up to Eau Claire to go to the wedding of our friend Emily.  She married a guy named Kent who we hadn't met, but if she chose him I'm sure he is a great guy.  We also were able to catch up with some other friends from college and church at the wedding which was nice.

The last few big activites of the summer was a trip to Medieval Times with Tara's cousins in the Chicago area, a half marathon, and a trip to Mount Olympus water park in Wisconsin Dells for Tara's birthday celebration.  All three were a lot of fun, and while I don't know if Medieval Times or Mount Olympus is on the list for next summer, I'm already trying to get Tara on board to run the half marathon again.

My Dad joined me for the half marathon.  We both ran well too, much faster than the time in the background.

Medieval Times!  Quite the dinning experience.

Oh, we traded in our van . . . just kidding.  Tara went for a spin in our friends corvette!

Aden taking a splash at the water park!

Well try and keep you up to date with what is going on in our neck of the woods at the school year kicks off next week.  

Jamie

Wedding!

The biggest event of our summer was the wedding of my little brother, Bill, to his wife, Ashlee.  We were so excited to be a part of their special day.  It ended up being a beautiful day in Southern Wisconsin.  Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the ceremony because I was focused on the reading I got to do and Jamie was busy keeping Aden from running around the sanctuary.  However, we got beautiful pictures out by Lake Geneva.  

 My new sister-in-law!  Isn't she gorgeous?

 Hanging out on the pier.

 This is my favorite picture.  Bill was opening a box that contained a cigar cutter he had gotten for his groomsmen, but it fell out and in between the slats of the pier.  This was everyone's reaction.  Don't worry, we were able to get a boy who was in the water nearby to get it (for $5).  

The reception was full of time to play with cousins and other family members.  There was a grass area right outside the reception hall where Aden spent a lot of time.  I don't think he stopped moving all night.

 Aden with cousin Rory.

The morning after the wedding, we had a gift opening for the newly weds.  It was nice to spend just a little more time with Bill, Ashlee, and Ashlee's family before we left.  Aden loved spending time with Uncle Bill and Aunt Ashlee.   

The week before the wedding did involve some wedding prep, but we had a lot of fun as well.  We stayed at the house of some good friends, Marla and Leroy Carlson.  They graciously opened their house to us plus my parents.  Carlson's have a beautiful shelty named Rillian who put up with Aden's affections very well.  Aden's favorite thing to do was throw Rillian's ball for him, but often threw it right at him.  

Having fun with Papa Don's cowboy boots.

A few days before the wedding, Bill came out to the house and brought his motorcycle.  Jamie got the opportunity ride it which got him dreaming about owning one of his own.  Aden was enjoying the bike until it got turned on.  At that point he wanted to be held and would not be put down.

One of the great things about staying at the Carlson's is that their daughter is my best friend.  She came up from Chicago one day to visit with us.  Her son, Asher, came with to play with Aden.  Asher is quite the talker and Aden only says a few words so it was interesting to see them interact.  They actually did a great job playing in the pool and both have an interest in cars/trucks.  

 Asher, Aden, and Jamie playing in the pool

To me, the best thing about the wedding week was spending time with my parents.  We usually go up to Canada to visit them, but decided that since they were coming down for the wedding we weren't going to go up.  It was so much fun having them play with Aden and see how much he has grown since they last saw him.  

Nana taught Aden how to put olives on his fingers and then eat them.

Since the wedding was in my home town, we were able to see a lot of things that brought back old memories.  One day we took Aden to Timber-lee, the camp that I pretty much grew up at.  My dad used to be the ranch director, which is where I spent a lot of time as well.  We took Aden to the petting farm there and it was so much fun seeing Aden enjoy the animals the way I used to.  

 Checking out the baby pigs with Nana!

 He wasn't so sure about the Alpaca.

 Not sure was this face was for but I love it!

Overall, it was a wonderful week.  Congratulations Bill and Ashlee!  Thank you again for including us in your special day.

Hello Wisconsin!

So this is a little late, but we made it back to Wisconsin.  Aden did very well on the flight from Amsterdam to Chicago, one of his best flights yet.  When we landed, Grandpa and Grandma picked us up from the airport and we spent a few days at their house to get over jet lag, which was pretty easy. 

 

On July 5th we went up North to see Aden's great grandpa's, great aunt, uncles, and his cousins.  It was a great relaxing time for our family.  Aden had a great time enjoying nature and playing on the docks and pontoon boat.  He hugged trees, sat in the flowers, and even pet a chipmunk that his great grandpa tamed.  

Aden and his 98 year old Grandpa Howard.

Aden's first fish fry.  These were some of my favorite memories as a kid.

The cabin.

Tara and I also happened upon a new vehicle for us.  We were wondering what we were going to do this summer for vehicles because the van Tara's grandparents have let us use was sold this spring.  Our Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Kent drove up in two separate vehicles, two minivans in fact.  Then we learned they were going to try and buy my grandpa's minivan which isn't used anymore.  When my aunt discovered we might be interested in a vehicle she said we could take our pick of their minivans and take it home for the summer and buy it if we want to later.  So, I just sent the check out yesterday after my dad's mechanic said he would buy it for the price if we didn't.  We are the proud new owners of a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.  Our favorite is the stow and go seats.  My bike pops right it without lifting out heavy seats.  Thanks Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Kent.

Lastly, some of you know we have been house hunting.  We have seen some beautiful houses, but for this reason or that nothing has fit what we are looking for enough to put any offers in.  We'll look one more time tomorrow and then call it quits until next summer.

We'll catch you up on the rest of our summer soon.  

Jamie