Claire is One!

Wow! Can't believe my baby girl is a one year old.  I think it is more of a milestone in a parents life than in the child's. We survived the first teeth, the sleepless nights (even though I know there's more to come!), and a toddler who didn't quite understand all the changes! Whew! I know that when they are 13 I will be wishing for these days again!

Her birthday this year fell on a Wednesday, so we went out to dinner at a restaurant called The Steak House. It was here in Jubail. It was actually pretty good! I would have to say, the best meal we've had! It is considered to be one of the nicer restaurants in town. The best part was the play place they had, literally right in front of our booth! Elise played while we got to eat and talk. I was so happy when the waiters came and sang "Happy Birthday" to Claire. We even got a free dessert! 

We had a small party at the compound. We invited all the other families and BeBe and PaPa. I had limited resources for the party. There is NO Hobby Lobby or anything comparable to it here. A lot of the stuff I used came over in our suitcases.

It wasn't a complete party without the rest of our family. I felt very sad that we didn't get to celebrate with everyone.

Boat is Delayed...

I'm bummed because our sea shipment has been pushed back until April 10! It may not seem like a big deal, but that means it will be in customs that much longer. I'm still hopeful we will receive it by the end of April and that our stuff is all there!

I forgot to mention the unbelievable news that I'm taking sewing class.  It is something I joked about doing before, but all the ladies here participate! It is really fun and so far quite hard for me to figure out! I'm not what you would call very domestic, but I get a B plus for trying a little. A Saudi lady teaches us out of her home. So, it's really interesting to get to go into a neighborhood and inside her house. It's a small peek in to their world. The lady is super nice and is patient with us newbies! So far, I have made a pin cushion. We are working on a table runner project. The hardest part of sewing is the cutting part. I'm not good at the whole "cut a straight line" part--and that is pretty important.

I was so thankful that I brought all of my St. Patrick's Day goodies with us! We celebrated St. Patrick's day with pretty much everything I usually do! Alecia sent me some "Bella" stickers which Elise loved. Elise's teacher is a pretty awesome face painter too! We had dinner at BeBe and PaPa's--Elise loved the ice cream!

The international school had an awesome spring spectacular this weekend. A lot of the ladies on the compound worked to put it together. It was complete with jumpy houses, games, vendors, and a silent auction. The food was AMAZING. The theme was "around the world." Each table was decorated for the country it represented. 

This week we are going to have them come and paint the girls rooms. If I told you how much they were charging your jaw would drop!

Last night BeBe and PaPa watched the girls so we could venture out to the paint store. Everyone shops late at night here because of the prayer time interruptions throughout the day. The paint store is in old Jubail. We got purple for Elise and pink for Claire. I know--real original, right?

Grocery shopping is very difficult here, so I was so happy when I found these things today at the store!

I'll end with a picture of Claire. I can't believe she'll be one this week!