13 Days and Counting...

We are finally under the 2 week mark! Given that we have not had the movers come and pick up our house stuff it kinda does not seem real ;) (Most of our stuff is already stateside in storage). But this week and next I know will be busy enough - it will be appt time: Alex 1 yr vacc's, the dogs going to the Vet for health certificates, housing walk-throughs, etc.

Meantime we found out we got housing on-post. The worst housing they have, but we have it (crappy tiny row housing with flooding basements). Friends there now refers to it as the 'crack houses'...yeaaaa babay!! I am trying to stay positive that we will get switched out of it (ie something else will open up on base) OR that we will find something off post. I actually found 2 off-post but they were scooped up by the time I got a hold of the property manager. Being overseas right now really sucks LOL

Other than that we are enjoying the sunshine by the pool these days :) Weather here: hot and sunny. Not sure Max & Riley like it so much but the rest of us do!

I can stand by myself now....as long as I don't realize it! Which usually means.....

...I am watching my sister be a ham!! ;-)

Alexandra's 1st Birthday!

Birthday girl - rested and clean (...does not last long LOL)




Alex's birthday was low-key but fun :-) A day of sunshine, picnics, swimming pools, naps and chocolate cake with ice cream!!!

At the baby pool

Inflatable ring is Ty's - she has a Spiderman thing going on right now :)

Daddy giving rides in the kiddy pool

Tyler & Naomi hanging out

Back at home - chocolate cake, strawberries & ice cream.....

and the same "1" candle that we used for Tyler :)

Liking the candle as much as the cake (it now has bite marks on it)

Hey!! Where's more cake????

Post bath!

More Pictures

Some pictures from playtime today...

Big sister helping with the scooter

Extra push never hurt LOL

GOTCHA !!!

Alex is after me!

RUN RUN RUN!

All tired after play!

Planning away....

Well it all seems to finally be coming together. We have a confirmed flight date - 19 June - and the truck has been dropped off and will go on a boat as of Monday (yeaaaaaa!) Hopefully it will only take 4-5 weeks they said to get there.

Flight confirmed was a relief - because S's head office is in Germany there was some confusion as to why we were flying out of Israel LOL Its taken a couple weeks but finally it's done. Now if Delta will just let me upgrade our seats using Skymiles we'd be set!! (At the moment they keep telling me none are available for miles upgrades, only if I want to pay an additional $2000 plus per ticket!) Dogs have been to one vet and now just need to go to one more the week before we fly...even the moving company is coming this week to check out what we are shipping out! (We don't pack out till a week before we leave).

Oddly I am not going to miss the car much. We walk to most places the girls and I - though admittedly it is getting HOT outside. Sebastian can still get a car for any work stuff he needs to do.....If we can get assigned a house (we are on the waitlist) that would be better!

Now its just biding time. I feel more like lets hurry up and go already LOL Really I just want the airport/flight part over with. Its never fun. Kids, dogs, kennels, car seats, looooong overnight flight (please please let my kids actually SLEEP on the plane)....we will both be much happier when we are on the ground driving away from the airport in Atlanta :)

The girls are doing well - potty training is great. Ty has decided its time :) Well, for most things LOL Lets just say we are halfway there! Alex is sporting a nice bruise on her temple from slipping while climbing the stairs yesterday. She is still cruising but not walking and (finally) has the front teeth in....I say finally because the teething was getting crazy. She still has 2 more lumps on her mouth that juds have not broken through yet!

Alex getting busted :)

Hiding under the hat...big hats needed here!

This post will get completed.....lol

I do not know how many times I started a posting only to have the kids or something else interrupt me....at least 4 or 5 LOL So this morning I am determined to get something up! Even if most of it is just pictures :)

We have been busy getting ready for the upcoming move and for the past 2 weeks my Dad and stepmom have been here visiting. We have been traveling all over and it's been great. The girls were wonderful travellers (always a key factor in if the trip ends well or badly lol) and the weather was beautiful.

We went to a couple of places we had been to before but were well worth going to again: Bet She'an, Dead Sea, Caesarea, etc. and two we had not: Petra and Eilat/Red Sea. They were fantastic!! Wish we could do them again - we meant to snorkle and got to the end of the dock where you get in to see the reef and heard the announcement that a storm was hitting and we would not be allowed in and that everyone currently in had to come out. Bummer!! But we hit a sea park that had an underwater observatory so got to see some of it anyways.

Petra was amazing - more than pictures can show. Our first time to Jordan as well. Took a while to get across the border but it was worth the hassle (we did a tour bus for this trip). Our tour guide and most in Jordan loved the girls - especially Ty. She had more hellos and handshakes, etc than she knew what to do with LOL It was a one day trip - go in the morning and come back in the evening - not enough time to really explore the site in my opinion but still most worthwhile!

And now, since Alex is climbing my leg, here is one of my longest slideshows: