Calling Santa

We went for a trip to the mall to visit Santa to tell him all we wanted for Christmas. After we saw him, Madison and Matthew Ray discovered they forgot to tell Santa everything they want. So, Aunt Micah picked up her handy cell phone and made a call to Santa. Her first call accidentally reached an elf so we had to make another call to get to Santa. Here's a video of the Santa call and some pictures of our visit with Santa.

Decorating at Uncle Jeff's and Aunt Micah's House

Since we are still in the states and it is getting closer to Christmas, we are getting to help decorate at our family's houses. It has been so much fun for all of us but we are itching to get back to our house to decorate. Here's the fun we had at Uncle Jeff's and Aunt Micah's house.

Thanksgiving Day

Here's a slide of how we spent Thanksgiving Day. We made the trip to Jackson, TN from Arkansas with Stacey's mom and sister taking the kids in one car and meeting Matt's sister and brother-in-law half-way to get the kids and Stacey driving another car with Matt lying flat in the back seat. (What would we do without family!!?? :)) We tried riding with Matt reclined in the front seat but he was too sick to travel like that. Now I know some of you are thinking, "Why in the world would they drive all of that way with Matt so sick???" Well, we had to make the trip before Friday morning's doctor appointment in Tennessee. So, we took our time, got to Jackson and moved Matt from lying down in the car to lying down on Ryan and Sara's couch. He didn't feel like eating all day but was grateful to be able to see everyone standing over him. By 9 that night Matt was hungry so I fed him leftover Thanksgiving dinner while he laid down on the couch! (Boy, he has his work cut out for him when this is all over!!LOL)

Kickin' Back with the Kings

Well, it's been a week or so since we have been with a strong internet connection. Now it is time to catch you up on what's been going on.
The day after we arrived in the states some of our dearest friends, the Kings, drove all the way from Pensacola to Cabot, Arkansas to see us. They were on their way to see family in VIRGINIA for Thanksgiving and decided to drop by here first. (SOOOOO NOT ON THE WAY!!!) It meant so much to us for them to make that long trip with their 3 kids. All of these pics were taken outside because that is all the kids wanted to do the whole time! Our kids miss the grass and leaves and the day was just beautiful for them to catch up on some good-ole playin'. Thanks guys!!! We love you!!

Update on Matt

I took Matt to a neurologist yesterday. The good news is that they ran the test that ruled out the hemmorhage we had feared. The bad news is that they still are not 100% sure what is wrong. They suspect an "exercise induced migraine" but are going to run other tests to make sure. We will take a migraine over a brain bleed any day! He was scheduled for another test today but he was too sick to even get out of bed. The doctor has now given him some major drugs to help with the pain and he will re-schedule for another day. Until then, please keep praying for his recovery. I am really starting to feel sorry for him! LOL (For all of you who know me and know I don't have the gift of compassion and mercy, you can go ahead and laugh!)

The Trip to America

We made it to America without any glitches. Matt had to ride with a medic and they got to ride in first class while the kids and I sat in economy! But really, all went well and the kids were great. The medic, Mr. Rob, even let me sit up in first class with Matt for a little while. He was such a sweet man and the kids thought he was the greatest! Here's some pics of the trip and some "sticker fun" the kids had with Mr. Rob.

The kids travel so well! Mr. Rob playing with the kids! He even let them put stickers all over his face.

Matt and Rob became great friends. We finally made it to Little Rock!

Unexpected trip to America!!!!

Well, we leave in 7 hours on an unexpected trip back home to America! Just look at this view of my parent's house! Oh, it looks so clean, homey and peaceful! I can't wait! I think I am just going to roll around in that grass!(ha) Maybe I will leave that for the kids!

We have so many emotions going through us, we don't know quite what to expect. We will be going home for a doctor's visit for Matt. We are anxious about the trip and about the tests he will be having while there but we are also sad to leave our friends (really family) here and then we are so excited to see our family and friends in America! Matt has had his roller coaster of feeling good and then feeling bad while I have the roller coaster of every emotion you could dream of!

For all of you who check our blog regularly and for those who have emailed and called giving your prayers and support, we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. I will be posting again in just a few days to update you on Matt's test results. When this is all over, I have one more story to post for you! You won't believe it when you read it!

The McDonald's Birthday Bash!

Everyone in Harmony! :)

Listen to this harmonious Birthday singing! :)

Birthday Week!

This week is the week for birthdays at our house. Stacey, Madison and Matthew Ray all have birthdays the first week of November. The festivities began with a party at the pre-school for Madison and Matthew Ray, followed by a party at our house with Mr. Siede and his family (shown above). We will have the final party this weekend at McDonalds! It is sure to be a great event. I have heard that McDonald's parties here are AMAZING!!! We will post the great PIRATES AND PRINCESS PARTY in a few more days!

Snappin' Beans

I have done some snappin' in my past but nothing like I have done since living here! There is so much available here but so many of our "ready foods" are so much more expensive. For example, I found velveeta the other day and saw that it cost $11. Oreos were $10! And a can of good tasting green beans can run $3-5. So, needless to say we are learning how to buy, cook and eat without breaking our budget. One way we do this is buying fresh green beans. I can buy a kilo (2 lbs) for about 25 cents!!! Pretty cheap, huh? One of Madison and Matthew Ray's new chores is snappin' beans. So far, they love it! We will see how long that lasts! :)

Matthew Ray Gets Glasses

Last week we made an appointment for Stacey and Meredith to see the eye doctor. We have never had Meredith's eyes checked so we thought it was about time. We went as a family to meet our new eye doctor here. We were told to come to our appointment at 7:30 PM (yes, that is normal here in Egypt!) We arrived a few minutes late (which is also normal here) and we saw the doctor at 9:15 PM (again, normal!) We entered the office and just planned for Meredith and Stacey to be checked but the doctor said it was good to start checking children's eyes at around 3 or 4 years of age. So, Matthew Ray volunteered to go first. The doctor checked his eyes and then gave a sigh...He said, "We will have to give him glasses." We were shocked! He never complained! But apparently he has a condition where he is farsighted and doesn't see well up-close. The doctor said that putting glasses on him now will keep him from becoming "cross-eyed" and then he might not need them in a few years. At first, Matthew Ray was a little worried about people laughing at him but he has been a real trooper! And of course, we think he looks adorable! (kinda like that little boy on Jerry McGuire, don't ya think?)

The Performance

It's short but VERY SWEET...Madison and Matthew Ray were a hit during the pre-school performance. We have no idea why Madison got to hold her own mic. We think everyone was so amazed that these two little "white kids" were singing their little hearts out in Arabic! We are so thankful for their school. They are taught in Arabic all day and the best part is that they are learning Bible stories and songs and learning how to pray in Arabic. (Oh, to have their young minds!!!) :)

School Party

Madison and Matthew Ray had a program at their school today. It was actually a graduation program for those going to k-5. Matt got to teach on the subject of raising children to the Coptic parents that attended. He started with one sentence in Arabic and then used a translator! :) Here are a few pictures of this special day. Stay tuned for the video of them singing in Arabic with their friends!

Matthew Ray Learns to Whistle!

Matthew Ray is growing up so fast! One of his friends at school taught him to whistle. Notice how he licks his bottom lip before each whistle. His friend told him that licking the bottom lip is the key to a good whistle. Aren't three year old's smart??
You will also notice how Madison loves teasing him. Don't worry-he gets his share of teasing in with her, too!

Dog Sitting Part 2

Gameela showing her tricks!

Dog Sitting

A friend of ours had to go away for the weekend and she asked us to dog-sit for her. The kids were so excited to be able to have a pet for a few days. We have had our history of pets but they never seem to work out. I just can't see having to feed and clean up someone else's poopy around here!!!! But the last two days with Gameela (meaning "beautiful" in Arabic) have been a lot of fun. She is really a neat dog. She is so smart and can do so many tricks. Thanks "H" for letting us keep her!

Hollywood...Here We Come!!!

It is a holiday weekend here so we have had some "down time" and it has been a lot of fun. One of the favorite pass times for the kids is dressing up and making up plays. The title of this particular play is "The Prince and the Princess." As you can see, Madison loves the camera (note her looking straight into the camera.) You can't see Madison when the witch said she was going to kill her but she was clapping her hands and when I asked her why, she said, "Oh, that is Matthew Ray's hint that it is his time to come out and save me!" We had a long laugh about that one! Arent' kids fun???

Kid's Performing

We have been so busy with language lately that we have had little time to blog. We did get to go to a wonderful conference last week in the middle of the desert. It was a fun time. Here are some pictures of the kids singing some songs at the conference. They sang some in English and some in Arabic. Their Arabic is amazing!! We are so proud of them.

A Little Language Confusion

Retreat...Trick or Treat...Happy Holidays...Happy Pumpkin Day...Throwing Leaves at friends...How do you think a three year old little boy can lump all of these in one very long conversation that has lasted for 2 days now. It all started yesterday morning when I got out some fall decorations for our dining room table. We were having some friends over that evening so we thought it was time to get some fall things out since the air is a little cooler now. The kids were so excited to help decorate. We put 3 pumpkins, fall leaves, candy corn (sent to me by some GREAT people!! thanks, guys!) and a table cloth on the table. After the whole 5 minutes it took to decorate was complete, Matthew Ray ran and turned out all of the lights, closed the curtains, and hid behind the couch. I said, "What are you doing, Matthew Ray?" He said, "I am hiding here and I will jump out and yell at our friends "Happy Pumpkin Day" when they get here!!!" I explained to him that they would not be arriving for another 5 hours. After being a little disappointed, he played for the rest of the afternoon. The door bell rang when our friends arrived and Matthew Ray wanted to help answer the door. When I opened the door, he yelled, "Happy Holidays!!" We all laughed and I tried to explain to our friends what had been going on in his little mind.
This morning we were getting the kids ready for school. We were telling them that they only had 2 days of school this week and then we leave for a retreat. Matthew Ray started jumping up and down and said, "Yeah!!! We get to go to the RE-Trick or Treat!!! I am going to throw leaves on all of my friends and jump around!!!" Of course, we tried to explain the difference between retreat and trick or treat and we also tried to explain that we didn't think there would be any leaves to throw on his friends but all of that didn't seem to bother him a bit. He's just glad to get a break from school and in his little mind all of these phrases put together make perfect sense. I am beginning to understand him so much more because this is exactly what my brain is doing with ARABIC!!!!
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Is This How They Really See Us?

We were very surprised and excited as we were walking down a street near our home and found a new shop had opened. The floor and walls were covered with canvases of partially and completed paintings and drawings. As we stood outside the shop, it became apparant to us that the man in the center of the room painting was a gifted artist. After a time of admiring the different portraits and skillfully created scenes we inquired about the cost of a family portrait. After agreeing upon a price and delivering a family picture from which the artist would craft his masterpiece, we began to wait with anticipation for the final product. We were disappointed several times as we would arrive to find the shop closed during normal business hours (7-11 pm). Finally the day came when we found the store open and the owner inside. We paid the final price and the artist delivered his product. However, when we unrolled the canvas we discovered a picture that looked like the Dunavants had been genetically crossed with the Adam's Family or maybe even the Munsters!!!! Do they really see us this way?

Finger Painting Fun!!!

Some VERY PRECIOUS (: person (Mimi to be exact) sent finger paints to us! Thank you very much! I am saying this kind of sarcastically.(no, very sarcastically!) Some of you may not know but I (Stacey) don't approve of play dough and paint! Don't get me wrong, I love for my kids to have fun but clean fun! I know is sounds mean but that's just me. Anyway, we had a finger painting afternoon today and it was really great fun! The kids had a blast and I (Stacey) had a blast watching their creativity. AND and I didn't even mind cleaning it up!

My Altered Self (Stacey)

I have a really good friend here who has tagged me to blog "my altered self", describing to you the things that have changed about me since moving overseas. I didn't think I had changed that much since moving here 8 months ago but I surprised myself after I started typing!

1. I haven't driven a car in 8 months. We ride in taxi's here for transportation and we will do this for at least one more year. I don't know if I will remember how!

2. I no longer wipe down my faucets in my kitchen and bathroom sinks to make them shiny.(sounds kinda silly as I type this) Reason 1-I don't even think about it anymore because I have NO TIME! Reason 2-My house helper cleans my bathrooms at least twice a week.

3. I never thought I would leave my children at a run-down, ugly building with broken toys. Madison and Matthew Ray go to a Hadonna (daycare) that is really pitiful looking BUT the people are great and they love it much more than the first one that was beautiful but where they didn't get to run!

4. I have always been pretty relaxed about leaving my kids with others but I still was protective of them. Here I put all three of my children in a taxi alone to go to and from school!

5. I know this one may come as a surprise to some of you- I don't worry about my hair anymore! I can't worry because it is always being blown to pieces in the unairconditiond taxis. I fix it in the mornings and then never look back!

6. Matt and I have always worked close together but now we are REALLY WORKING CLOSE TOGETHER! We are in language right now and we have the same teacher at the same time in our home. We are together day and night. We love one another greatly but we are having to adjust to having each other around so much. :)

7. I think I would have panicked back in the states if my car had been broken down on the side of a major road with all three kids in 100 degree heat. For some reason I don't panic here-I am becoming quite the pro-only 2 taxi breakdowns this week!

8. I never would have dreamed that I would learn to speak another language. (I hated Spanish in High School because I thought it was so backwards and hard!) Now I am making (some) headway in the 2nd most difficult language in the world! (and I kinda like it!

Now I am tagging any of my camp friends who are now living overseas!

Coptic Wedding

When we visited the Coptic church we were invited to sit in on a Coptic wedding. Here's a clip of part of the wedding. All of the chanting is some kind of wedding song. There was this much movement by people on the stage the entire time! I am having a hard time commenting on this clip. I really don't know what to say except that it was all very strange. Tell us what you think!

Visiting a Coptic Church

Priests can be cool, too! Doesn't he look like ZZ Top?


We had some friends here this week and we were able to visit a Coptic church. Getting there was an event, as usual. The area was far from our home and we took a black and white taxi to get there. When we arrived to the edge of the town, the taxi driver told us that he would not drive into the town because the roads are very bad and the smell is even worse. So, we rented a tuc-tuc (small motorized vehicle) and proceeded through the town. We stuck out like sore-thumbs for sure! I don't think very many "white" people visit there often. On the way we passed small children running around without shoes along with livestock running freely beside them. One local man was throwing up on the side of the road. We assume some people just never get used to the smell.
After a very eye-opening ride, we arrived at the church. First we were able to speak to the church members. They were so warm and welcoming to us. We then were able to meet the priest and his wife and we spent some time with them over dinner at midnight!!!! It was such a great time that we decided to go back the next night. We took a break today but we are ready to see our new friends again soon!!

Us with a Saint and Jesus behind us.

The priest and his wife. (they are our age!)

Matt and the priest along with some dear friends.

Matt doing what he loves with a very interested young man in the church.

The group shot.

Scrapbooking by Blogging

I used to scrapbook all of the time with some really great friends. It was such a fun and relaxing time for all of us. Now that we have a digital camera and computer and I no longer live near those "scrapbooking friends" I hardly ever get prints from the pictures that I take. Blogging is a way that I keep up with our life now and I love it. So, when I put a new post up I am always trying to find creative ways to blog it. I have a folder on my desktop designated for pictures of each of our children. I put pictures in the folders that make me smile. Here are three slide shows of those folders.

"We are walking behind Jesus"

Madison and Matthew Ray learned a song at their pre-school. These are the words in English:

Jesus, I am walking behind You,
And the people are looking at me.
When the people see me with You,
We hope for them to be with You.
In my eyes, I am always seeing You.All of Your heart has compassion.

Here they are singing it for you!

Meredith's Photography

Several of you have asked for more pictures from the city. We forget to take our camera everywhere we go so we had Meredith go down and take some shots that she thought you might enjoy. All of these pictures are on the street right under our apartment. Meredith buys eggs, milk, soap, etc. from some of these shops. She is now able to use her Arabic and can ask for most anything. If she buys too much, she just has them deliver it to our apartment! The men in the little grocery shops sell items to Meredith several times a week. They were so proud to have Meredith take their picture.

Matt Forgot!!??

As you may remember, we took a family vacation last week. At the end of the vacation Stacey became ill and came home a day early, leaving Matt with all three kids and the responsibility of packing everything up and getting it back home. Matt and the kids had a great last day playing together. When they arrived home, Stacey was feeling better and began unpacking the luggage only to find that Matt forgot all of the "hang-up" clothes and all 5 passports at the hotel! At first, there was great frustration but this was soon followed by...."Hey, let's go back next weekend-just the two of us!" We made a call to some GREAT friends who VOLUNTEERED to keep our kids while we were gone. (THANKS, GUYS!) When we told Mr. Siede about the whole incident, he said, "Sure, Matt forgot!!?? He just wanted to go back alone with Stacey!"

Anyway, here are the pictures from the "mini-couple getaway." Matt played golf for the first time since we have been here and Stacey was glad to caddy.

Here's the beautiful view from our hotel room!

The Never Ending Party -Part 3

The last party Meredith had for her birthday was 2 days after her REAL birthday. We received a call from our taxi driver, Mr. Siede, asking us if it would be okay to bring over a cake for Meredith. We told him that we would be gone that day so he asked about the next day. We told him that we would be gone again and would be home late. He said, "That's okay! We can bring it late. What about 9:30 (PM)?" Sooooo, we had ANOTHER party for Meredith at 9:30 pm and it lasted until 12:15 am!!! Here's a video of Mr. Siede, Ms. Mona, Reeham, Ingie and Mazin singing Happy Birthday in English first, then Arabic. Sorry that it is a dark video-they made us turn out the light!

The Never Ending Party

As seen in the blog before, we decided to have Meredith's party a little early (1 week) while we were on vacation. Her REAL birthday is on August 14th. There were no big plans for the actual day, so we decided to make chocolate chip pancakes complete with 11 candles for her birthday morning. She got the song again but no presents this day. Here she is with her happy smile for her pancakes. Stay tuned for the next blog-another birthday party (Egyptian) to share with you!!!!

Meredith Turned 11!!!!!

Our first born is now 11!! It is really hard to believe. We decided to have her party while we were on vacation because all of her friends were gone for the summer. It was kind of sad for us but she is a real trooper and tries to make the best of situations. Anyway, she had a great time and loved getting a CELL PHONE for her birthday. She asked us this question after she opened her gift, "When did you (mom and dad) get cell phones when you were growing up???" We had a great laugh over that one!

The Salt Water Torture! "Everything Hurts on Me!"

There are a few people in our family that love getting into the sea. Madison and Stacey are not those people!!! So, while Matt, Meredith and Matthew Ray enjoyed burning their skin, Madison and Stacey sat on the sand and spent this "quality time" together. You see, the rest of the family talked Madison into joining them in the water which was not the best idea in the world. Here's a video to explain why:

Vacation Pictures!

We have been here 8 months and have taken one small vacation so we thought it was time for some more "down time." We loved the place where we visited on the Red Sea so we decided to go back! We spent the whole time just relaxing by the pool and sea. We also had a little birthday party for Meredith. We will blog shots of that soon! Enjoy the slide show!

Mixin' It Up!

Since there is no yard here, we are always looking for something fun to do with the kids to try to "mix things up!" We are preparing to leave for vacation in two days so Matt thought of a fun activity to help us get ready! If you know Matt, you know he enjoys food! One of his favorite "road snacks" is trail-mix. Well, trail-mix can't be found here so we created our own! We purchased raisins, peanuts, pretzels, cheerios (no chex mix here), m & m's (paid $10 for the bag) and chocolate chips (from our friends back home). The kids enjoyed pouring each item into the tupperware container and mixing it all up with their hands. We are set for the road! Stay tuned for pics and stories from our vacation on the Red Sea!