Ok, here I am again. It took many minutes for me to figure out how to login and work on this blog. That's what I get for not coming here except every 6 months. :-)

So we are back in Abu Dhabi now, since about the middle of September. The house is about 90% done, but not yet livable. The kids are growing like weeds, ma'sha Allah. I will try to add some photos when I get some more recent ones. My time in Egypt was definitely interesting. I met a lot of lovely people, and made some good friends. I got closer to my IL's and that was nice. The kids got to know their family a lot better and that was one of the main goals of the trip. Yousuf and Tabarak have improved their arabic but we have to work now not to lose the gain. Amin is getting big. Insha'Allah, he will be 11 months next week. He is taking tentative steps and has 8 teeth. Yousuf is in "1st grade" this year, although we don't stick to a particular curriculum and limit him to only what schools consider 1st grade work. Tabarak is in Kg still so no particular expectations are on her yet from "others".

I'm feeling a bit homesick these days, but I'm not really what for. It's not the food or even the people in particular. I think it might just be the whole not being a foreigner thing. In the states I feel like I have a right to be there that no one can take away. And I guess I have the attitude that if someone doesn't like me, well, too bad for them. Here I feel a bit less "at home". I feel like I have to work harder to have the "right" to be here, and maybe prove myself or something. No one asks me to do that, it's just my own perception of myself I guess. I do miss my family and would like to be able to spend more time with them. Ahmed is agreeing that the kids and I should go for a visit, when we aren't too sure about. I would love to go up and visit my Aunt and cousins for a few days at some point but with living internationally and travelling with 3 kids, that isn't too likely.

The weather here is turning nice and the homeschooling group is getting active. I'm hoping to be able to get the kids out to the park more often now as the weather cools off. Anyway, I guess that's it, nothing really new or exciting. Oh, well. LOL.