Christmas at Church

We had the annual Christmas Pageant at church. Andrew and Colin were wise men and Gaby was the Angel Gabriel. They had to sit on the front row of our chapel and wait for their turn to participate. Andrew was bored waiting so he kept turning his head cover backwards trying to get a laugh from his friends. Instead he got a laugh from the adults behind him since he looked like a covered Afghani woman (this is the color of blue they wear)!

I caught Colin doing this great yawn for the audience.

After the pageant we had a potluck dinner. You have to love potlucks when your congregation is from all over the world. We get to try all sorts of interesting dishes and desserts. And sometimes you get your dinner and dessert together on a stick! Colin could not have been more pleased to find this choice delicacy, a hot dog and marshmallows together on a kabob skewer. Not sure what country this tempting treat comes from. Colin would like to thank whoever was so ingenious!

Christmas Eve morning coming out of church. We go to church on Friday mornings here in Jordan. Friday is the sabbath day for Muslims.

Even though there are not a lot of decorations around town it has been really nice how all the Muslims enjoy wishing us a Merry Christmas. All the local employees at the embassy, my muslim friends at work, the neighbors, even in the grocery store I have people wishing me a happy holiday. The hardest thing when someone says "Merry Christmas" is to not say it back in return. It has taken some practice to just smile and say "thanks!" Muslims are very thoughtful and kind, I've really enjoyed all the well wishes. My kids are going to think it is strange when we are back in the U.S. next December and no strangers are wishing us a "Merry Christmas"!

Andrew's Red Hair

Question: What happens when I have to go into work on Saturday to write report cards?

Answer: Alex takes the kids to get haircuts and the barber offers to dye Andrew's hair red for "Christmas". Of course Alex and Andrew cannot refuse.

So this is what I came home to:

Luckily it washed out after a few days. The elementary principal (my boss) did ask what had happened to Andrew's hair. I told her to get my report cards done I had to leave dad in charge!

Christmas Eve

We had a group of friends from church over for Christmas Eve dinner. This time of year when everyone is wishing they were with family it is nice to have good friends. The kids enjoyed the big spread of food, especially when we gave them their own table.

After dinner, we had a small program.

Here is Gaby singing Silent Night with Stephanie and Fiona.

The grand finale was the Christmas pageant. The kids loved putting on these costumes and playing their designated parts.

After the company left the kids opened their Christmas Eve pajamas.

Here is my thanks from the boys. I have to admit they did not stay this sweet. Colin kept getting out of bed. I finally told him his presents were going to disappear from under the tree if he got out of bed one more time. Thank goodness that kid will believe anything you tell him!

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning Andrew insisted we put up ribbon they could run through to get to their presents (something we picked up from Aunt Pam). I love this picture because Andrew has his arm around Colin! That is totally out of character for our boys. In fact, they got along the entire day of Christmas. It was a "Christmas Miracle". Alex finally got what he has asked for EVERY year, "peace and quiet"!

Alex wanted an Egyptian Oud for Christmas. He is going to attempt to learn a fourth instrument! The Oud came in the giant box in the pictures below. That box ended up to be the most popular item all Christmas day. They took turns having an hour in the box. Andrew in fact said next year for Christmas he wants his own giant box! That's kids for you!

Christmas in Jordan

A week before Christmas we had a major sand storm followed by rain and then a little snow. The end result is seen in this picture:

A dirty, slushy mess. My kids could not have been more thrilled. They delayed school an hour because of ALL the snow. The kids were disappointed they could not stay home and have a snow day. It is good they went to school because within an hour or two the "slush" was gone.

Now we are on Christmas break and honestly there is not a ton to do in Amman. So Alex got creative and made homemade hockey sticks for the kids. They had a great time in the garage playing hockey.

Tonight we took the kids to the movies with some friends. Then we drove to the Christian sector of Amman, Fuheis. We heard you could see Christmas decorations there. This is the center of town. This may not look like much, but it was exciting for us!

Merry Christmas!

Yesterday was the last day of school before the start of the Christmas break. The kids came home bouncing off the walls constantly asking how many nights left before Christmas.

Shelley was also happy to start two and a half weeks of vacation. She went to bed dreaming of sugar plums and sleeping in the next morning. However, this morning the kids got up at 5:30 a.m. and started the break bright and early.

For a few minutes each day, I miss being in the U.S. with a traditional Christmas. It would be nice to enjoy the snow, a fireplace, decorated malls, and neighborhoods lit up with with blinking lights. Here in Jordan, Shelley has done a good job of decorating our place to bring home the Christmas spirit.

We took the picture below a couple of weeks ago at a typical Jordanian restaurant called Kan Zaman. Andrew was the spoiler - he refused to look at the camera, much less smile. The picture below was the closest we came to getting his cooperation. For those of you who knew me as a kid, I need not explain any further.

ACS Christmas Presentation