It's Lookin' a LOT like Christmas

Leif's advent calendar

I was lucky enough to get a tree from a teacher who was leaving Riyadh last year.
Christmas trees are hard to come by in Saudi Arabia. ;)
Lacking some lights and decorations...I'll have to go Christmas shopping in July, I guess. 

Looking at the lights. 

Advantages for Children Living Abroad

Jordan and I have found so many advantages to living abroad for ourselves, it's nice to read how wonderful it will be for our children!

Advantages for Children Living Abroad

Camping in the Desert

We had a 3 day weekend last week, so Jordan took advantage of the extra day and drove out to Wahba Crater for a night of camping. The scenery during the drive was more diverse than expected and made for an enjoyable 6 hour drive. 

This large fence keeps camels off the highway 

The perfect picnic stop

Got there as the sun was setting 

Wahba Crater is Saudi's only National Park.
The white buildings are there for anyone to stay in, free of charge.

Wahba Crater at dusk.
This crater was formed when a volcano erupted in to a lake.

 

Campsite right on the edge

Jordan enjoying his morning coffee

The circumference of the crater is bout 6 miles.
Jordan ran around it twice.

Salt at the bottom

Lava flow

View from the old volcano

This is what happens in the desert if you're not prepared.
Luckily they had plenty of water and 3 cars caravanning. 

Leif and I ended up staying home since my sciatica was bothering me. Unfortunately, spending that much time in a car and sleeping on the ground was not an option for me. Next time...

Water Baby

I organized a baby and a toddler swim group this year with one of the teachers that used to teach baby swim lessons. There are a ton of kids within 2 years of age (18 to be exact) and I knew this would be an amazing opportunity for us all. There are 5 babies in Leif's 6+ month swim group.

Our first swim lesson was last weekend and Leif loved it! We sang lots of songs, he rode on a floating mat, and even started learning how to swim under water. I am glad that Leif will grow up with access to a pool and learn to swim at an early age.  

Leif and Alia hanging with their dad's

Sitting on the "row boat" as we sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat..." 

Happy Halloween!

Stationery Card

View the entire collection of cards.

StayCation Adventures

Our 10 day Eid break is coming to an end. Instead of jetting off on an international trip, we decided to go low key and stay in Riyadh. After a busy summer of traveling, staying "home" sounded very enticing. We enjoyed lazy mornings drinking coffee on the porch, took a couple quick day trips out to the desert, relaxed with friends at the Mariyah Spa, and spent afternoons at the pool; Leif had his first dunking session with daddy and loved it.

Impulse buy at the firework souk

Look what we found...crazy

Kristin and Billie Jo shopping at the Saudi Gaudi souk

Look what I found...

Our first desert excursion was to the Heet Cave, 40 minutes south of Riyadh. We had heard rumors of there being water at the bottom of the cave, but were cautious not to get our hopes up. We were pleasantly surprised to find a warm turquoise pool at the bottom, complete with cliffs to jump from and walls to climb. We'll be heading back soon!

Hiking to where we thought the cave was

Enjoying the ride

Got to a ledge and realized we were directly
above the cave entrance 

View from the top of the cliff.
The parking lot below is where we needed to be.

Finally found the cave entrance

Heading down

The girls leading the way

As we got closer to the bottom we heard "splashes" and
noticed the beautiful turquoise water.

View from the bottom

Jordan and David climbing the walls

Jordan couldn't get in fast enough

Our second desert excursion was our second attempt to find petrified shark teeth. Between the six of us, we found over 3 dozen shark teeth of all shapes and sizes. According to Mark's book, these shark teeth could be 45 million years old. 

Learning how to drive

Gabe is also learning how to drive. (haha)

Driving out into the ocean floor

Loves sitting in the front seat

Old ocean floor

Hunting for shark's teeth

Mark and Kristen's finds

Stopping at Jordan's favorite milkshake stand.
Perfect treat after a hot day in the desert.