Halloween Eve

We went to a company Halloween party the night before Halloween. I looked for a costume for Levi when I was in the US that wouldn't be too hot, but to no avail. James thought Micah's kitty costume from when she was 6 months was too girly for him. So Levi got to wear this shirt instead (it says "This is my costume.")... anyway, he's cute no matter what!

Micah was this cute ladybug but she had to be bribed to put the costume on.

As you can see here in the jumpy castle at the party less than an hour later,

the ladybug didn't last very long.

After over two years of living in Qatar, I finally had henna done. It is basically a temporary tattoo painted on. If you really want to know more, read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna

Here is what it looks like when it is still wet. After a while it dries and you can scrape it off and it leaves a stain on your skin for anywhere from 1-4 weeks. Below is what it looks like now -

the next day:

Micah waiting patiently for her balloon flower. :)

They had a lot of fun activities for the kids and great food. Other than it being a little humid and all the mosquitos, we had a great time. It was also nice for James to hang out with work people away from work.

First food

Levi turned 6 months while we were in Texas but I was waiting until we got back before starting him on solid food. It has been three days now and he seems to be liking it!

He really did like it here...he was just trying to figure out how to move his mouth!

I just had to put this one in. It has nothing to do with anything else. We were eating at TGIFriday's. Levi looks a little squeezed! Such a sweet sister-brother moment.

October Texas visit

After a short week in Houston while James was at a conference, the kids and I went to my dad's house near Austin for three weeks and James went on to Canada. We had a great time and hope we didn't cramp Dad and Sharon's style too much!

Levi loved Grandpa's coffee cup

At Pedernales State Park just down the road from Dad's house.

This cat loves having babies crawl all over him...kinda like a massage!

On the Riverwalk in San Antonio - it was a rainy day but we (meaning me) loved it!

I was expecting some packages to be delivered so we left the gate for the driveway open and this is what happens! If they don't want cow patties all over, they have to chase the longhorns back out! It was quite funny to me!

While we were there, Levi learned how to get up on his hands and knees. He also started sitting! He is still working on crawling - he'll move his knees but then flop his front down and then scoot forward that way. He can't seem to figure out his hands yet.

Look at all the nice orange pumpkins! If we want orange pumpkins here in Doha, you've got to pay a LOT! Like over $30. We can get pale and green ones here but there not as beautiful as these! I thought about smuggling some in. Will they grow in my backyard?

One of my purchases was the pair of snow boots seen here. Micah insisted on wearing them all day. And for some reason, she wanted to sweep the porch! (You may be wondering why I need snow boots in Qatar? We are going to Finland in December.)

At lunch in the beautiful weather!

Carving a pumpkin with Grandpa

Heinz 57 Hours of Travel

Beth said she needed to catch-up on the blog; so here it is, the catch-up. They arrived back safely on Friday night after 24 hours of travelling. It seems everyone did okay, there was some crying but they all made it. Both of the kids slept really well last night after a rough time the night before. More to follow.

Beth's Haj

So, when going on a Haj (pilgrimage), you go to the most important places first. What was the first place we went to once we had the rental car? Wal-Mart; except we couldn't find one so we went to a Super-Target instead. Oh, well. Beth went to such sacred places as Wal-Mart, Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Old Navy, Sur la Table and Babies r Us. For the food side, we had a very good time. It was all yummy. Just why I love that town. I'm sure Beth will add more later but trust that she and kids are having a good time at her Dad's place west of Austin.