Back to the Red Sea

After a few days in Wadi Rum we decided to go back to Tala Bay at the Red Sea to cool off and enjoy the beach. We were there with several other Embassy families who also wanted to get away for the weekend. The kids all love coming here, everyone is happy!

Andrew is definitely a California boy, he is happy at the beach and in the pool ALL day long. He spent hours catching hermit crabs and starfish.

Andrew and Gaby went down the water slide at least a hundred times each.

Our Colin is feeling much better these days. He has these huge cheeks from the steroids he is taking. He has chunked up a bit due to the meds he is taking. He had a great time at the pools as well, he got brave and was jumping in and going under the water finally!

Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is one of Jordan's best known national parks. It is a three-hour drive from Amman. We took advantage of the three-day Memorial Day weekend to visit the park with our friends the Sanford family.

We stayed at a place called "Bait Ali" which means house of Ali. It was a little oasis in the middle of the desert. It had it's own pool, restaurant, tents, and adobe rooms. We chose to stay in the adobe structures because they had a private bathroom. Big mistake! These little rooms had one small window and no a/c or ventilation. We nearly died from the heat! We felt like we were sleeping in an adobe oven! Other than the awful night with the heat and mosquitos, we really enjoyed exploring Wadi Rum. It looks a lot like Southern Utah.

The two days we were in Wadi Rum the wind was blowing and the sand was in the air. We have had sandstorms in Amman as well. The visibility was not very good, but the views were still impressive. The kids had fun hiking the hills around where we stayed.

On a side note, this shirt I am wearing above is my sister Natalie's shirt. She gave it to me in high school! Alex has threatened to throw it out several times through the years, but I keep wearing it to tease him and my sister. She rolls her eyes every time I wear it. I think I should make a post of all the pictures I have of me in this shirt! It's a keeper, looks like new still!

At night we ate dinner under a large beduin tent. They fed us local salads, hummus, pita, rice, and chicken and beef kabobs. Throw in some Arabic music and a little hubbly-bubbly and you have a very memorable meal.

Gaby and her best buddy Mackenzie. This was another neat area at Bait Ali where you could eat or just sit and relax. The locals are always offering you a little tea, all hours of the day. They love their local tea.

The adobe oven!

We were happy to have survived and moved on to Wadi Rum the next morning.

We rented a jeep for the morning. Our driver Mohammed took us to three different sites in Wadi Rum. We went to Lawrence's Spring (Lawrence of Arabia), a canyon, and some sand dunes.

Everyone enjoyed the jeep ride. It was quite the adventure. We were all too busy climbing and sliding down the sand dunes to get any pictures. Andrew was first to get to the top. He is quite the hiker and outdoorsman.

Update on Colin

Well, I thought I'd better put another update on Colin. We have had problems with our internet the last two weeks so I better make a post while it is working. Colin is doing much better. All his levels are stable for the time being. He is taking several meds right now. He takes steroids for his kidneys, a med to lower his blood pressure, and a diuretic (to make him urinate more). At first getting a four-year old to take 12 small pills a day was a nightmare. I was crushing them up three times a day and hiding them in yogurt, jelly on toast, pudding, juice, and even ice cream. Somehow he would always discover their presence and refuse to eat the given food (this is unheard of for Colin)! Finally Alex said my attempts were pathetic and he taught Colin to just swallow the pills whole with a swig of juice! Amazing, huh?! I am still in awe at Alex's abilities to get the kids to do things they would NEVER do for me. He says I am too soft. I guess sometimes tough love is the best medicine! The worst side-effect of the steroids is that Colin is hungry ALL THE TIME. If you know Colin well you know that he already has a huge appetite. Well now it is completely out of control! He will eat two or three helpings at a meal and then twenty minutes later he is wanting to eat again! We are seriously considering starting to lock the kitchen door.

So Colin was going to the doctor every day, then last week it became every other day, and this week he told me I did not have to come back for a week! I was so happy. It has been so hard to make Colin go be examined and give blood every day. It has been pretty miserable for all of us. So you can appreciate how ecstatic I was to have this week doctor free! Colin has been much happier as well. We have had free time again and it is wonderful. The high school student I have been tutoring four hours a week left for summer vacation as well this week. So I have had my calendar open again. Life is good!

We are not out of the woods yet, but things are looking much better. He just needs to keep responding to the meds and then it means Colin does not have worse kidney problems than just nephrotic syndrome. We'll keep you posted. Thanks again for all your prayers, we know they have helped.