I keep meaning to upload some pictures to the blog and then post but I haven’t done it.  I figured that I’d better bite the bullet and  do it tonight.

Ok, I know that I did something wrong when uploading these pictures but I don’t know what so they’ll stay small for now.  Aidan borrowed a bouncer seat from my Dad’s wonderful neighboor and he’s been enjoying it.

We had a family bonefire the first weekend that we were here.  It was so hot that we had to pull some of the fire to the side for the kids to roast marshmellows on.  It was a good time until the mosquitoes came out in force and then we had to run away.  I didn’t miss them living in the desert.

We went hiking this afternoon up the stream to the source waterfall above this waterfall.  It was wonderful to be lush green world.  We had to book it back to the car when it started to pour in torrents.  Luckily it was short lived and we got to have our picnic we’d planned after all. 

All the cousins but one who desperatley needed to go to bed before the picture was taken.  He’s only two so we can all understand that one. 

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Ok, ok, I didn’t actually write the part one but I figured that since I got to the point where there is a part two that it’s note worthy.  A week ago I was cleaning out the fridge and gouged a chunk out of my pointer finger on the metal bar on the door.  It bled for like a day and a half until Bo got these amazing band-aids that are thin like skin and produce a healing gel over the wound from your bodies own fluids.  They worked great.  Last night I was finally able to take the bandaid off because the scab was skin level and healed well enough that it didn’t crack open every time I used my finger.

I suppose that since I was done having pain on my hand that it was time for me to hurt something else.  I am a self declared klutz and if I haven’t told you that before I declare it loud and clear this morning.  I’ve tried to get past it to no avail, I think that it’s a hereditary trait though who I inherited it from is unclear.  I can say that Victoria inherited it from me though.  Anyhow, we were running errands and I was coming down from a friends house, turned and bam I was on the ground with a twisted ankle.  Bo says “are you ok” and when I can’t stand I realize and say “no,” all at the same time.  So I get carried to the car, sweet on his part humiliating for me, and off we go home to get stuff to treat it.  I don’t have good ankles since I hurt them running in high school so that it’s sprained is no surprise but the timing sucks.  I guess it’ll be a gimpy day and I’ll have to try and get it healed up enough to lug all the stuff on the plane, through customs and to my Dad’s car at the airport.  Life is full of challenges and I guess this one could be worse than it is.  It could be broken so I’ll count my blessing!

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They finished packing yesterday and the truck is coming this morning.  Last night we went to visit and have dinner with friends some of who we’ll not see again.  Leaving seems real now and though not hard a little sad.  I’ll miss the people much more than the place though there will be some missing of the place as well when it comes to it.  Kuwait has been a good two years in our lives.  It’s been a pretty good 4 in Bo’s.

A development is that the movers think that they can get everything into a shipping container half the size of what they originally estimated.  I hope that they are right for two reasons.  One I want to pay less.  Two I have visions of them partially loading the 20 and seeing that it won’t all fit and having to take it all out and change to a larger container.  While this might be a little amusing years down the road I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t find it that way today, tomorrow or next week.

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Last night I realized that Aidan’s first tooth came through.  It’s taken so long that I kinda had stopped looking for it every day but it’s here.  It feels like just broke though so I feel safe putting it down for yesterday on the baby calender.  I’ll post a picture once it’s big enough to be noticeable.  It’s so cute when they only have those bottom two teeth!

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Sunday Bo’s coming came and took the smaller shipment that they are paying for.  It was a short experience with the only hitch coming at the end when we found out that the shipment was going by air instead of sea and started kicking ourselves for not packing different things in it.  We now Bo will have many boxes of games to occupy himself with and a bunch of pillows and comforters to relax on until the furniture gets there.  Ahh well, every experience is a learning experience.

Yesterday the packers started in on the big household shipment.  They did three of the rooms and only have two left for today.  They said they’d be here until Thursday but I don’t think so.  It’s strange yet again to see all our belonging in boxes and piles in the corners of the house.  Given that we’ve done it so many times for me it bring a certain sense of nostalgia.  The funniest thing about this shipment is that the contract says that we’re supposed to pay them before they start packing but they’ve made no provision for us to do so as of yet.  I’d figure that they’d want their money but they don’t seem to care about getting it one way or another.  We talked to the head packer and he says phone his manager and blah, blah, blah.  I guess we’ll have to get assertive about giving away gobs of our money and hope they haven’t raised the price yet because gas has gone up so much.

Off to another day of sort and pack.  Four more days to go and we’ll be headed to my parents.  Yeah for progress.

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Here is the mother load of spices that my friend bought fresh for me at the spice souk today.  If I want to be able to keep on with my Arabic/Indian/Lebanese cooking and eating habits in the states I’ll need this spice injection to get me started as they’re expensive in the states.   I just looked it up and most of them out to be able to be stored in spice jars for about a year without ill effects.  I don’t think that I’ll run through this much in that time but it’s not bad to have extra and toss them if it comes to that.

The house is looking empty.  Seven more days to go.  Today was furniture removal day.  The only things that we have left to be picked up are washer/dryer and stove and they are going in the morning so that’ll be that.  We’re camped out on a air mattress since our bed is gone.  Aidan didn’t take well to it and woke up every 45 minutes to an hour last night.  I hope he gets over it soon or I’m not going to be all that productive.

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When I was in 5th grade my dad bought me a Franklin planner.  With this time management system (before it was digital) you would list all your things that you had to do in a column on the left hand side of the page.  You could then prioritize them and check them off as you completed them.  I became a task completion addict.  I used to write down things like wash my face or shower just so I could check them off.  I’ve gotten busy to the point where I’ve dispensed with that but the old habit remains true even though now it’s a click of the mouse instead of a check of the pencil.  The gratification of knowing it’s a day with all I set out to do completed helps me to sleep better.

Today was a check day.  There are 9 days days till be get on the plane to leave.  The 9 days are all fuller than any day has a right to be.  The majority of the people who bought our furniture wanted to come and get it on Friday so that means that I have to have it all emptied, cleaned and ready to go tomorrow.  Given the amount that we sold that meant that I had to start yesterday and do a lot of it today.  Two wardrobes are empty as I write this and one bookshelf.  I went to put things in my children’s rooms only to find that they had undone much of the sorting that we took days to do earlier in the month.  I tried not to scream too loud about it but I must admit I blew my top just a little bit.  We’ve smoothed all that over and cleaned it all up again though the result is that now they aren’t allowed to play with any of the things that we’ve put in containers with lids or in drawers.  This amounts to them not being able to play with almost all their toys.  I guess that tomorrow they’ll just have to help me work around the house and not complain about it.  We’ll see how that one works out.  Here’s to wishful thinking!

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It’s starting to look like we’re moving now.  A family just came and took away the dining room furniture and it leaves a big hole.  I have to say that furniture was my favorite thing that we bought here.  I don’t mind selling it all that much as it can always be replaced eventually and it doesn’t fit in our small new house but still…

We have sold all but the bookshelf in Victoria’s room and a few little electronics.  I’m really pleased.  We’re not getting rich but we’re getting ready to move and that’s something.  So if you want a bookshelf you can give me a few KD and I can cross selling the furniture off my to do list.

I am like a yo-yo of stress.  Now I’m on a stress free plane because the furniture sale for the night went off without a hitch.  Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up with a full slate for the day and a full component of stress which hopefully will be dissolved with the resolution of each item on the to-do list.  Such is moving from one country to another.  11 more days and we’ll be on a plane which will take us to a stress free zone where my parents spoil the kids and my step Mom spoils me like she always does at least for the weekend.

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For anyone out there who looked at our stuff and thought “those crazy &%$*#@! want how much for that crap!?!,” we’re now slightly less crazy.  By about 50%.  Oddly enough the main thing left is the one thing I wanted to take back with us the most (other than my TV); the dining room set.  If it doesn’t sell I might take one of the end chairs (with the arms) with me to NM.  It won’t match the other chairs at whatever table we get there, but who cares (other than Beck).

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Aidan figured out how to roll himself up in his blanket on the floor today. I looked over and he was grunting a little and the top picture is what I saw. He really didn’t seem to mind all that much but I figured it might be a little hard to breathe in there so I liberated him.

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Warning: This post is not for the weak stomached.

Poor Bo has been burning the candle at both ends of late. He’s been coming home late from work and getting up early to do moving things. He has slept only 4-5 hours a night every night since the work week started. This morning I was determined that he was going to get to sleep late and catch up a little. Victoria came in a bit after 6 and told me that her stomach hurt. I figured it was because she hadn’t really eaten much for dinner as lentil soup and grilled cheese aren’t her favorites. I told her to get some yogurt and I’d be up in a minute. I did all this in a whisper in hopes that Bo would stay asleep. Aidan woke up so I actually got out of bed and she said she was still hungry she thought so she got an apple. I went to get the maid and left her here with Chullain to play (Bo was home still sleeping so no shouting child neglect). I am on my way home and the phone rings… “Mom, Victoria is throwing up all over and now she’s in my bathroom so what do I do?” Awww, now we can say, “poor, poor Bo,” as he’s about to be woken up from his one sleep in morning to clean up funky sweet, apple yogurt, vomit from all over the tile. It’s lucky that I wasn’t far away because it had to be cleaned all out of her long hair as well and I don’t know that he was up to that task. This is not the ideal way to be woken up and hopefully it won’t bode for the entire day though it appears that it might…

I foresee a day of Victoria napping on the couch and sipping water and me crossing my fingers that none of it comes back up again. Poor thing.

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