Summer Vacation I: Grandma Ginna

My friend Imad and his Mommy & Daddy
ended up sitting right behind us on the plane!All

All year, I've heard Mom & Dad talk about vacation: Christmas vacation, spring vacation, summer vacation, etc. And for a while there, I thought it was just time when Mom and Dad seemed to be around a bit more. But we're on week three now of our "vacation" in America, and I think now I actually know what they are talking about. Here's my definition of vacation:

vacation: n (va ka' shun) a time when I get to spend lots more time with Mom & Dad, try a lot of new things, and be with lots of new people. It's a great time: you wouldn't believe how many cool things I've been able to do and people I've been able to meet!

Grandma Ginna pushed me in the swing

Because this post might get pretty long if I try to tell you about the whole vacation all at once, I'll divide it up. 

Part One: Grandma Ginna. 

Mom and I flew from Amman direct to Chicago in mid-July. I loved the plane ride: there were lots of kids to play with, and Mom and I walked around a lot, so I got to meet a lot of people. We played with cards and toys and bubbles and other people and Imad's toys (Imad's Mom & Dad are friends of my Mom & Dad's--and they just happened to be sitting right behind us!) . . . I did take a little nap right near the end, but for the most part, I just played.

Although Daddy wasn't there to play trucks with me
at first, I showed them to him via skype

Once we got to the airport and made it through a really long line (fortunately there were more friends to play with in the line), Grandma Ginna was waiting for us! Mom, Grandma Ginna, and I stayed at an apartment near Chicago for a week before Dad arrived, and we had a great time: I got to swing for the first time, got my first pair of shoes, helped Mom & Grandma Ginna cook, played with Tonka trucks, went on walks, read books, watched a thunder and lightning storm . . . wow! Of course, there were some more familiar things as well (like Lammie), which helped. Mom says we also saw squirrels and bunnies, but I'm not really sure what she means by that. 

Making asparagus . . . 

 Oh! I also got to go to Oregon for the first time. No, not Oregon the state, Oregon, Illinois. We stopped at a Dairy Queen there. :) That was on our trip out to see some of Mom & Dad's friends in Polo. They have horses, so I got to see live horses for the first time. They were pretty big. I think maybe for now I'll stick to horses in my books.

One day Mom had meetings she had to go to, so Grandma Ginna and I got to play together. She even took me to McDonald's for french fries!!!


Later that day, Mom & I went to the airport to pick up Dad, but that will have to wait for Part 2: Chicago.

Heading out on a walk . . . 

Reading books . . . 

And, of course, cuddling with Lammie!

Laughter

Just in case you need a smile today . . . 

Summer Time!

Mail Delivery! My friends Sara & Saif
 (and their mom, Noha) gave me this
great mail cart that I can push!

Welcome to summer! The warmer weather here in Amman means that I get to spend a lot more time outside (Dad put up tarps to make a great shady area for me to play in) and that Mom gets to do a lot more laundry (you'd be amazed at how black my feet and clothes can get!).

Summers also, though, mean more time with friends. Not long ago Saif and Sara and their mommy came over for a barbecue, and I'm getting to know the other kids in the "haara" (neighborhood) a lot more now that we're all outside. They're all bigger than me, so they can all walk, but they're willing to help me out so that I can join in as well. And one friend, Tareq, is only two, so he likes to come play blocks with me. Yesterday we even played with bubbles!

Summertime also means some good-byes :(  Malou will be working with someone else next year, so I had to say "good-bye" to her. My friends Joshua, David, Hannah, and Sarah are also in the States, so I don't get to see them much. And Mom has had to say "good-bye" to some of her friends at work. Not a lot of fun.

Thank you, Malou! I will miss you!

Good news, though, is that in only one week I get to see Grandma Ginna! Woo-hoo! I've been working hard, practicing standing and sitting (it's kind-of hard to go from standing to sitting without falling!), walking and crawling, and I must say that I think I'm getting pretty good.

The other good news about summer is that Mom gets to be home all day. So we play and I help her clean house (I'm quite good at taking the tupperware out of the cupboard for her, and yesterday I tipped the water over so she could wash the floor) and we listen to music and go on walks and lots of other things. Quite busy, you know.  Fortunately, she still lets me take naps. Huh. Wonder what she does during those times!

Have a great summer!