A trip to the zoo

Here's a few belated pictures from our trip to the zoo last Tuesday. The twins have started really enjoying looking at the animals. When they cried because we left the first animal exhibit we stopped at (the rhino) I knew that the zoo is now more than just a nice place to walk around.

My favorite animal. Don't ask me why I took 50 pictures.
I was trying to get Nicky to make an elephant noise, but instead he did a perfect imitation of my "what's an elephant say?" He's a really good mimic. Since I've been home, he's called me Erica a couple times, just like the people around us.Sorry.... couldn't resist....
The new baby tigers. Aren't they adorable?
I know just how you feel, Mama Tiger, just how you feel...

Baby Giraffe. :)

We better get back to Doha before the kids are completely spoiled. Nicky wouldn't let this elephant go at the gift shop, so Grammie bought it for him. He loves it to death.

Like Grandma, like Granddaughter

Happy Birthday, Ryder!

My nephew Ryder turned 2 on Saturday! What fun! I can't help but marvel at the fact that in less than two months the twins will be two also.

Here's Ryder enjoying one of his birthday presents before the party.

Catie had to get into the action too. Don't be fooled by those cute expressions; they're fighting over who gets to drive.

Catie loves her cousin Brindy. The jury's still out on whether the feeling's mutual.
I couldn't resist sneaking in this picture of my brother-in-law. He's such a good sport.

I call this picture "I Love My Camera: Check out the action shots I can get now that I've gotten rid of the camera with the 3 second lag between pressing the button and the picture actually recording."
Ummm...isn't this the cutest cake you've ever seen. I'm not bragging or anything, but I made it. :)

Blowing out the candles. Ryder was so excited by the cheers that he got for blowing out the candles that he just kept going.
Holy cupcakes! Soon after I took this picture, I took the wrapper off Nick's cupcake and you would have thought I had slapped him. He shoved his face back in, but continued to cry for a full minute. Don't mess with this boy's cupcakes!

Doha? Where's that?

Doha is starting to seem like a distant memory. Have I really been living in the Middle East for the past 8 months, because this feels so much like home here in the U.S. Right now, I could just not ever get back on a plane and fly 14 hours away from here and family. But, there are a few things drawing me back. My husband, for one. And the wonderful friends I've made there. And, MOPS. I've had MOPS on the brain lately. I spend every free minute thinking about it. I'm worried. I'd really appreciate it if you'd join me in praying for this potentionally wonderful ministry to the young mothers of Doha. Pray that we would be able to minister to these women. Pray that we might be able to see God's kingdom grow through us. Pray that I can step out of the way of God and let Him work. Pray that I can find speakers and mentors that will speak God's message to these mothers. Pray that some other moms will step up to some leadership positions so that I don't have to do everything. And, pray that I am able to find childcare workers to nurture and teach their kids while the mothers enjoy a break.

What we've been up to

This post is a compilation of all the posts that I would have posted if I had taken the time to post in the last two weeks. :)

The Great Blueberry Race

I used to hate sharing food or drinks with my mom. She would argue with this (in fact, we have argued about this) but she eats fast, and it's nearly impossible to get your fair share. Impossible, that is, until Catie came along. While sitting on my mom's lap, Catie ate all of the blueberries off her plate faster than you could say, well, blueberry. The look on my mom's face was priceless.

Parks and Playgrounds

There are like 5 million parks around here. We went to a park yesterday, and played on the playground there. The twins love going up and down the steps, and occasionally taking a turn on the slide. They really don't have much experience with swings (every baby swing I've seen in Doha has been broken) so they're not sure if they like them or not. But, what did they really want? Nick wanted to steal some woman's phone, and Catie wanted to snatch her daughter's baby doll. What kind of kids am I raising?

What kind of daughter am I raising?

Holy temper tantrums, Batman! Catie is testing my every nerve lately. She isn't listening to a word I say. "No, no" means nothing to her. I'm going insane. Monday, we went to the mall with the intention of practicing walking in public (ie holding mommy or grandpa's hand and walking nicely) but we underestimated the stubborness of my children. Catelyn would just sit down on the floor if I didn't go exactly where she wanted. After about 5 minutes of fighting, I put her in her stroller, which she fought tooth and nail (read: arching her back and screaming.) She didn't stop screaming for about 10 minutes. Grandpa took on the role of bad guy and held her tight while keeping her in the stroller until she calmed down. Afterward, all she wanted was for me to stroke her face. She was exhausted, and so was I. I just have to keep reminding myself that this won't last forever. She's learning new words everyday, and some day in the not so distant future, I will be able to reason with her. I have hope. On the way home, we passed over the railroad tracks and Catie said, "choo choo." Isn't she smart?

Playing with Grandpa