More from my kitchen window...

From the window above our kitchen sink, I have a great view of the traffic on our street and the suuq (shopping area) at the end of our street.  I can watch life in our Middle Eastern town and observe many things.  Here are a few...

Yes, that is a heard of sheep with their shepard crossing our busy midtown street, as they do many days!

After those palm trees they'll take a right at the next road and graze up the hill.

We also have a great seats for parades!

Not a day goes by that we don't see someone sitting on top of a car celebrating something...i.e.  weddings, graduations, special holidays, soccer games.  Hanging out windows is very big here!

From My Kitchen Window

We moved recently to a different apartment in our Middle Eastern city.  One of Mom's favorite things in the new place is the window above the kitchen sink, because we can look out over the street below while we stand there washing dishes (which is OFTEN).  We can watch cars coming and going down the street, see people walking around outside their apartments, and watch the birds outside our windows.  Mom has taken to leaving the camera in the kitchen cabinet so she can snap a picture, now and then, to share with you the world from our kitchen window.

One of Mom's summer highlights would have to be the hummingbird feeder her sweet friend loaned her.  Although we don't have hummingbirds here, we do have the sweetest little Palestinian Sunbirds here.  (Thanks, Yu, for telling me what these are!)

Am I beautiful?  God made me!

They can hover like a hummingbird, but they usually perch to eat.

There's a line at this restaurant!

Am I too late for lunch?

Mom especially likes these iridescent blue and turquoise ones!

You can see her "straw" tongue sticking out.

Pretty Boy!

She looks like she's talking to someone.

Check out Miss Snaggle-Tooth!

Yesterday K lost her first tooth!  Before I could even get her picture snapped, she lost another one!  Here she is.. all grins!  

She's been watching her brothers and sister getting paid the big bucks for those pearly whites for all of her 5 years.  I think that grin says, "Show me the money!" 

One more...

Here are a few pics from M's school program.  It was about healthy living...I think.  All songs and speaking in Arabic, of course!

There was singing...

And dancing.

M with some of his buddies after the show.

A Fun Photo Op...

This is Jessica.  She came to visit us recently on her adventures traveling around the world.  She is a great photographer and here are some more of her fab photos!  The girls and I took her to visit an ancient amphitheater.

Boy, these stairs were steep!

Grandmas, don't look at the girls next to that ledge!

Love those sweet smiles!

Momma's gotta get a picture with her girls!

Spring Programs

With 4 kids the opportunities to go see end of year programs and "Show & Tell" presentations has been plentiful.  Many of them have had patriotic themes.  We've heard them sing many songs in Arabic and do lots of traditional dances.

E had a special part in his and did a unique dance.  His program had an "Arab Wedding" theme.

 M got to wear a traditional Arab dress for hers.

Here she is with a friend from her class.

 K was a flower...

and a strawberry!

She nailed her line, "A little bit sour, a little bit sweet.  All kids love me as a treat!"

I've been waiting my whole life for this...

We all hope our waiting skills improve with age and experience at having to wait.  The fact is, we are always waiting on something.  When you are a child, you can't wait for school break, for vacation, for your birthday, for graduation, or to grow up.  As a young adult we eagerly await marriage, our first job, our first house, our first child.  As our kids grow, start school and activities, the pace of life gets faster and faster, so much that the years seem to fly by.  And yet, we hear ourselves say, "I can't wait until the kids graduate from school, and are on their own two feet.  Then I can slow down."  We "can't wait" for retirement, so we can stop working and relax.  And in our last days on earth, as aging bodies, pain and illness encumber us, we may even long for death, when it is time, at last, for our appointment with our Creator.  When it comes right down to it,  we are all in the waiting room.  We all have an appointment with God.  What are you waiting for???