Mixed Media Picture

In this picture, I cut out pictures from an extra book we had, I colored with pens, and I painted. (I used collage, ink, and paint.) I chose to draw butterflies because they are pretty, and I chose these colors because I like them. I chose to do it in shapes because I like it like that.

Mucky 5 (in other words, the very first post Katie actually is in charge of)

This is the funniest picture (woo-woo-woo)
(Mom's note: this was summer 2015, when we finally made it
"home" to Covallis . . . yes, Katie was a bit jet lagged!)

khmkjh,oooooooooooooooooo; Poke
(Katie's first ever school program: spring 2016
at Ahliyya/Bishop Kindergarten

This is the best, cutest picture
because of the cutest baby in the whole world!
(Last year, with friend (and Jim's co-worker) and his daughter.)

llklju8ikggvj9ybm.h.fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
khmoyuy9-ynli6ff88980998;
(see previous picture; Katie and our friends' daughter)

Alemph (I'm Alemph) and Grandma and Grandpa;
I love them so much!
(Summer 2015)

A Day in My Life . . . Summer 2014

Our front door makes for a great climb!

OK, so maybe these didn't all happen in ONE day, but it's definitely what I've been up to since returning to Jordan this summer. Yes, I did just skip an entire year in my life. Who knows: maybe some day I'll go back and attempt to catch up, but by then it will be "nostalgia."

For now, though: here's THIS summer!

After discovering Playmobile while in Madison (thanks
Pankratz's!), I realized this could be a good thing . . . 

Playing "zoo-zoo" with friends . . .

And then we made pizza!!
(Of course, I mostly just ate
the cheese, olives, & corn :)

Our neighbors had a "pool" day!!!

Happy Summer!

Friends

Yes, I know that I am way behind on blogging and haven't even posted during 2014 once. But let me tell you, I've got a lot on my plate! There's school three or four mornings a week, going on walks, taking care of Prince & Angela & Sally & my other dollies (Prince tends to get 'poopy' diapers), swinging, and, of course, playing. So, yeah, blogging does tend to slip.

But I thought I'd start trying to catch you up before summer comes and I'm once again one year older.

So . . . back to last summer: after getting back from Japan, I spent a lot of time playing with friends. Most of the time I played with friends in the "haara" (neighborhood). We cooked, played outside, even had an end-of-the-summer party, complete with water balloons!

 

Early in the summer, each of us chose a recipe from Mom's "Hershey's Chocolate" cookbook. In August, we made "A's" recipe. It tasted great . . . but did you know that if you try to move a whole cake from one place to the next, it might just break in half?

Yeah, it does.

Whoops

 I gotta tell you, though: broken cake or not, I LIKE those chocolate recipes! They were yum-my!

All set for the water balloon fight

A bit more mellow water play

And this is what you get . . .

When you leave my friends . . .

Alone in the kitchen!

Camping

Yes, Jordan is a desert, but that doesn't mean there aren't great outdoor places to go. In fact, the weekend after we got back from Japan, Mom, Dad and I went camping with some friends down in Wadi Dana. It was my first time camping, and I'd say it's something we need to do more often!

On the way down, we saw  a herd of white camels
crossing the road. This is how close we were!

The first night I was so excited that I didn't want to
go to sleep. And then the next morning I was ready
to go at first light! So we headed out on a hike.

This is Jordan in the sunrise . . .  

Breakfast with my friends. Kind-of looks like a milk
commercial, huh?!

This is one of the well-known lizards of
Wadi Dana. Mom laughed because usually
lizards try to blend in . . . if that's what
this guy is doing, he's failing miserably!

Mom (She doesn't show up in the pictures much,
so I figured I'd include one from the trip :)

The second night of our trip we "camped" in the Lodge
at Wadi Dana. Mom & Dad didn't want me to fall out
of bed, so they moved the mattress to the floor.
I started the night laying neatly on the mattress; this
is how I woke up.
I guess maybe they were right!

Sunrise over Wadi Dana.

Japan Highlight 3: Grandma & GranTom!

This is my Grandma & GranTom. They're Mom's Mom & Dad, and they live in Japan. That's why we went there. I mean, yeah, it's a great country and there's lots of green there and lots of water to play in, and there are GREAT parks and we met a lot of fun people and made new friends, but the truth is that this is why we went: to spend time with Grandma & GranTom.

So let me show you a little bit of what we did together . . .

Grandma taught me how to use a fan (it's hot in Jordan,
but not humid, like it is in Japan!).

She let me try on her sunglasses . . . 

And let me help her with the dishes
(I even got to wear one of her aprons :)

She gave me piggy-back rides . . . 

And she read with me from her  Bible.

We read books and made lists . . . 

We went to the park
and looked at the water and the fish . . .

Grandma even took me to her favorite store:
I'm wearing my new hat and holding my new
rubber duckies!

GranTom took me to get my first ever Starbucks drink. . . 

And let me help him plant flowers:

One of the things I got to do was
to dump the dirt in the pots

Yes, I got a little on me . . .

But look at how pretty they were when
we were done!

GranTom and I also went on walks . . . 

and watched TV together.

This is GranTom and me watching "Elmo's Song"

And this is us getting ready for bed.

We had special meals together . . . 

and played peek-a-boo (or "Inai-nai-ba!").

We celebrated my birthday a few weeks early

And they took me to parks. Again and again!

GranTom even got up in the middle of the night
to take Mommy and me to the airport!

Thank you, Grandma & GranTom: I can't wait to see you soon!