updated may 2009

Here is a new update of the children.

Ibrahim is now 11 years old. He's in 5th grade, and he's currently doing really, really well in his public school. The class he's having trouble with is French, but he's doing really well on the other subjects.

Isa is now 7 1/2 years old. He's in 2nd grade. He's also doing a lot better than he was last year. Before while we were in Jordan, he was at an Arabic exclusive Montessori school, they put him back a year so he could learn Arabic.
By doing that, he was behind his peers, and behind in learning what he was expected to know.
When he came back and he had a hard time keeping up.

But, I'm happy to say after one year he has finally done it and caught up to his peers.
Not only is his exceptionally fast, and quick in his learning, he's also very organized and neat.
He can now read in English, and can read at a very well fast pace. Before, it took him a while to sound out the words, and he would stumble a lot.
But, now he's gotten a lot better and it's really amazing at how he went from where he couldn't read it, to now that he can read it.

They're both into Pokemon, and Naurato, and these Anime things. They're no longer interested in PBS, Treehouse, Nickjr unless it's Fairy Odd Parents, Sponge Bob, or one of those shows.

My daughter Daliyah whose 3 is into those things of Nickjr Dora and Diego, Barney and such.
She too is growing and talking a lot.

She's also a super neat freak. I'm telling you ,she's a mini version of my mom. It's like they skipped a generation and went to her. She's very precise and if she spills something she'll run quickly for a napkin, a paper towel, a rag, or a sponge and quickly wipe it up.

She'll take things and put it most of the time in the trash, and clean up her toys and things. She loves to help out in the house in house chores, and cooking and cleaning.

If we're cutting vegetables, she'll want to help by cutting. It doesn't work as well with a butter knife or one of those plastic knives yet she does it so carefully, and I look at her with such fascination that I wonder, and ask her, "Who are you?"

Very cutely, she says, "I'm Daliyah."

"Daliyah who?"

"Your girl. I love you Mommy this much." as she stretched her arms out wide and hugs me and I hug her back and she kisses me on the cheek and I kiss her back and we laugh about it.

I usually tell her that she doesnt need to help me with these things, go out and enjoy being 3.
She still insists she can help me and wants to help me.

I look back, and think back to when I was that age, and hard to imagine I was ever that young and yet there are little bits and memories of such incidents of when I was little to 3 years old, to the different stages of how my children are now.

There's just no way I would let Isa outside by himself to play in front of our house, or even ride his bike out alone, or go to his friends house or to the park alone. Even though he's 7, and even though his friends just live down the street, or the park is just minutes away. Just no way.
Why?
It's not that we live in a totally unsafe neighborhood, on the contrary we've been here or I've been here on and off for 20 years or so, so yeah it would be safe.

Yet, it has to do with different people living here, and not knowing everyone and because of that, you lose trust and you want to protect your children and keep them safe.

I do not want to overburden them though so I will take them to the park or take them to their friends house, yet I have to be there, even if that means to befriend his friends moms and we talk awhile I'll have to do that so he can have some play time with his friends.

I just don't believe it would be good to send him out alone until he has a better understanding, or maybe when the pervs stop being pervs I can feel safe and comfortable about sending them out alone to play.

But, we have a nice yard so they have plenty of space to keep them busy and occupied as well as their board games, and games.

I'll shall post more soon, yet this is the update of May 2009.

I do remember the funny little stories I would share often about my children and it has been so long since I have shared a good memory.

One thing I can remember is throughout this year, is their progress. There's been a lot going on, and all of us have been through, and are in counseling to discuss these issues.

I've found that they can easily relate to someone that's been in the same position as them, to say you know one day...maybe not today, or tomorrow or the next week or so...but one day.
you'll be better and fine.

we need closure, kids need closure...
only way is through bloggin.