iby and the alien

Iby's Alien talk

Ibrahim wanted to talk about the little alien pic beside his picture.

Yet he is too speechless to say anything or comment.

So, I asked him to blog about it, and write about it as he usually does.

But, he's too shy to say.

So, a picture is worth a thousand words they say. So I give you 2 pictures worth 2 thousand words.
which means we better get cracking at counting all the words to match up to the two thousand words to make up for the two pictures above.

well since those above were only 93. = 100 words.


I'd say to be continued.

iby's grad photos

These are exclusively for your viewing, yet cannot be copied, cut and pasted and used for your own personal use. You may view them, you may commensate on how much the children have grown. Yet, you cannot copy them and use them for your own purpose, whatever it is good or not without my permission.

These are the photos taken from Ibrahim's 5th grade graduation ceremony, in where he recieved his certificate.

Iby's Grad part 2

So, Ibrahim had his graduation ceremony yesterday.

As we, my mom, my daughter and I arrived at the school, we made our way into the gymnasium and taking our seats.

The introduction started with the teachers, and students from the 5th grade class walking into the gym down from the back to the front, and taking their seats.

It started off with the Principal welcoming the parents, and the students the Graduation ceremony. She introduced a few guest speakers, the former Principal of the school, and talked about the past year, and the progress that the students made.

As eager as all the parents wanted to take of their children, they set up something known as the "Photo Zone", as their child eagerly awaits to get the award presented to them by their teacher, and principal. You can take a photo of them there, then a video clip of them walking to get their award/certificate and then another photo of them with the principal and teacher, before they take their stand with their class.

As each of the names were called, and each of the students were called slowly one by one, and their parents standing up to take their picture, the minutes passed by quickly.

Soon, the ceremony kicked off to showing a slideshow of this past year, of all events, organizations, parties, trips, assignments that the children all worked on.

The children sang a song about their school, and the work they did and thus ended the ceremony, with students gathering with their friends, and hugging their families, and taking another picture with their teacher and principal.

As cake and refreshments is given out to the students, their parents, and the other guests.

I have to comment on when my son Ibrahim walked onto the stage to get his certificate and how proud I was of him. I thought about the progress he has made this past year, and how much confidence he has in himself and determination to do his best and saw it in him as he went to recieve his certificate, and saw it in his smile of the success he's done.

As he walked onto the stage, Daliyah his sister saw him and started waving her hands wildly, and shouting excitedly, "IBY! IBY! It's me Daliyah! Hey Iby! Yay!"

As he got his certificate and took a photo with his teacher, again, she clapped her hands and as he took a photo class with his classmates, she ran over to greet him, shake his hand, hug him, and give a huge hello to his friends, his teacher, and principal.

I remembered at the past events at his school, in which she would attend with me, on how eager, social, and friendly she was in greeting everyone and knowing them.

She recognizes this is their school, these are their teachers, and these are the rooms, and his friends and this is school.

She will not start until next year, yet I know she's looking forward to it, as she's use to the scheduled routine of these two, and how happy she is in par-taking in the meetings held at their school weekly with the other parents/ and their children to be actively involved in their children's lives as possible.

The ceremony ended, and everyone started gatheing their children, and belongings heading to their cars. We looked at the time, and it was only 30 minutes to spare before school lets out. Isa was in his class, with his teacher and classmates, outside flying a kite, in which he made from his art class and having fun. The weather was exceptionally warm, and they were all out enjoying the weather.

This was one of the first times in which Isa wanted to stay longer at the school, rather than returning home with us. So, we waited for him as he ran along with his friends flying the homemade kite he made, and then went back to his classroom to gather his bag to take home.

It was a good event and I'm really glad the children had a good day.

Iby's Grad

Ibrahim graduates today from 5th grade.
I shall be posting up a few pictures soon of the joyous event.

As he is excited he is graduating and starting junior high in the fall, he is also sad that he'll miss this school. Despite he was only there for a year, he has learned a lot and is grateful for the teachers for having patience, and faith in him to get through it.

So stay tuned!

Time warp to 2 yrs ago

Muslimfest is coming up this year.

I think I'll urge both, all 3 of them to do something other than just sit and watch and be a participant in the audience. I'll ask them if they want to do some arts/crafts and perhaps even join in on the sports/ and entertainment as they did so 2 years ago.

mac & cheese kd dinner

So.....

I come home from the grocery store, as my boys returned home from school. Putting away the groceries, was what we all pitched in to do.

Ibrahim and Isa sees the boxes of Kraft Dinner (no rennet or pepsin in the cheese mix so it's all halal), and wants to eat it.

I tell them I don't really have time to prepare it as I have to get ready to head out for my night class starting soon, that I need to pack up, pray, and eat something before I do.

Ibrahim offers, volunteers to cook as long as I tell him how by step by step instructions, I guess the one on the box wasn't clear enough.

So, I gave him a quick, easy, step by step version on how to prepare it.

And he followed the instructions carefully, and he was so happy that he was actually cooking, and carefully holding the pot and stirring the pasta often.

Then, carefully preparing the sauce and mixing it into the pasta.

These kids had a few bowl fuls of it. My mom was wondering what was up, as we wondered where the camera was to make it one of the most amazing, unbelievable things ever.
Not that he cooked the food, but that they had enough appetite to eat it.

I guess it's because he likes it, and he prepared it, so he took the time and effort to put the love in it. Which means he appreciated it more.
Which is good.
Saved me from cooking. Not that I would have to cook something as my mom decided to prepare some Sweet Daal and pita bread, which is really good.

Which reminds me, it's now 10:30pm est and I'm back from my class, and going to go eat myself some more, plus some baba ghanoush with some toasted garlic pita bread pockets.

YUM!

I have a video clip of this too, but it was taking way, way too long to upload. It's only 2 minutes long, yet it was taking over 2-3 hours to upload so even though it was my 3rd attempt.

I can't keep wasting 2-3 hours waiting for it to upload, then do some other work in the meantime on other windows hoping itll work.

but alas, memories in my head..... and for your own imagination.

june 3/09

Isa, now this is classic....same smile, same laugh, very cute story.

Ibrahim.......don't ask......ha ha......

Daliyah balancing some socks on her head..... again... don't ask. ha ha.

I have to honestly say it's hilarious, one of this cute moment of Daliyah's as she shoves food down at this moment as I type this, and insists I eat it.

Despite I tell her, "It's okay Daliyah. I'll eat it myself."

She'll still shove it and fast....lol.

She does the same to her brothers and drives them up the wall with her insistence and persistence of keeping after them, and keeping them apart from fighting as she is the one in the middle that sorts accordingly and fair, for a 3 year old you have to give her credit for that.

Tell me though, what 3 year old can open her own door with a key and it's locked?

Or take a plastic knife and cut her own strawberries into slices, despite I tell her I'll do it. She insists she'll do it, and she does.

Cracking an egg without putting the shells into the yolk.

Into no...scratch that. HEAVILY into cleaning and cooking...

she's going to be better than me. In fact, she's going to be better than my mom, me, and my grandmother put altogether.

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.

New Updated

My final attempt at posting this up. Apparently the site is under some type of maintainence that it doesn't seem to be working so I have to keep typing over all that again just so you can see and know.

Here is a new updated picture of the kids. It was taken in the beginning of Aug 2008. The picture to your left hand is Isa at 6 1/2 years old, and in the middle is Daliyah at 2 1/2 years old and Ibrahim is the one on the right at 10 years old. All my kids are winter kids and their birthdays are so close together.

This is a good picture of them above which I'll be printing out and blowing the picture out because it's really good. If only though the pacifier wasn't there then you would see her beautiful smile. Yeah, that's my plan to find out if I can take a picture of them or more without the things getting in the way.

below entries

For some odd reason, none of the entries I posted today is going up. Unless it'll come up later and you'll get tons of it.

A few of my entries below talks about some so called "monopoly" money. That's all it is. Fake, scam, balogney.

So, if you see that, don't fall for it as I have. Talk about waste of time.

Children's Update 2

The first picture is of Ibrahim when he was a year and a half years old. The 2nd picture is of Isa when he was about 6 months old. The 3rd is a picture of Daliyah when she's a year old.

Comparing the photos I can see the strong resemblances.

In a short bit, I'll be posting up newer pictures just from this past month of the children.

I'll also post up some really nice videos of their adventures.

Their latest activities to do is getting all the furashes (floor sofas) and the cushions that goes with it and building a fort or fortress out of it. They'll pile them on top of each other or in a row like a bridge and crawl underneath it. Usually I'll let them leave it like that for a few days and if friends are dropping by, bye bye goes those and up for a new one.

Kids keep themselves busy with things rather than being bored so easily. Kids these days, most of them get bored so easily even the ones that are online. I tell these people, you're on the internet and how can you possibly be bored when you have the search engine at your fingertips. You have a million things to do, read about, search about and learn so much more. Why complain that you're bored? Do you seriously need a guide, a step by step instructions on how to keep yourself busy and amuse your time?

If the internet tool is not helping you at all from getting unbored, perhaps you should get off the internet and take a walk, or visit some friends offline. If that doesn't boost you, you need to prioritize your time, or just re-think of changing your life style. It's impossible to get bored if you have internet access and it's all within your reach. I can understand if your internet is down or not working then ok, fine, be bored but, even then there are still a million things you can do offline such as play a board game, fly a kite, ride a bike, rollerblade, take a jog, get a job, take care of loved ones, learn to bake and cook, try something new and adventureous.

Live, learn, laugh, cry, these are the things that are told to us and these are the things we tell our children to do. Experience, experiment. Kids love that. So go out and blow bubbles, jump in the rain, jump in the puddles.

The other day as we were at the children's museum, my husband and my children got to one of the displays that shows an "On Air" as you would present the news. They got on and did the "meditation yoga" for some spiritual upliftment while doing the weather report. I'm sure people will get a kick out of that one, if not, then Iby and Isa's silly faces on the screen.

Ok that's it for now.

Children's Update

These pictures above were taken in 2006.

The first picture was taken in Dec 2006, almost a year ago. Isa had just turned 5 and Ibrahim was 8 going on 9. It was taken in Amman, Jordan and we were showing off our older son's school uniform.

The 2nd picture was taken in early Spring 2006, right before our move to Amman, Jordan. Even the 3rd picture was taken around then. That's them when they're getting along with each other and showing how loving they can be towards each other.

But, then there are other times when they're not so civil to each other. Those pictures though have to wait. Whenever we try to get the pictures, they pretend they're getting along for sake of saving themselves from "internet" embarassment.

New Pictures Equal New Adventures

Have you ever heard of the saying, "New Pictures Equal New Adventures?" Well, especially living here in Amman, Jordan the kids will have and has had a whole new set of adventures one after another that I'll try to remember and jot them all down.

Right now though, Ibrahim my oldest is now 9 1/2 years old. My 2nd son Isa is almost 6. He'll be 6 in a month insha'Allah. My daughter Daliyah is almost 2 years old.

The pictures above are of Daliyah the new addition. Those were taken shortly a month to a few months after she was born in Jan 2006.

I'll post more pictures in the next post and so forth so this doesn't get too crowded.

Hello.
Read my other blog the original one for updates.

This is Ibrahim rock climbing, at the Science Museum. We took the kids there on Saturday. It was cool, though the IMAX was a real killer, pain in the neck, and head... 

This is Isa, he too has been eating quite a lot and it shows.  

This is Ibrahim, He's been eating a lot lately masha'Allah. If my mom could see him now she would say wow! 

This is Ibrahim's Spelling Bee 2nd Place Ribbon award. He was very happy and we are very proud of his job well done. :) 

This is Ibrahim's Spelling Bee Contest. He was in the 1st group, which was 5, and 6 years olds. There were 4 kids participating in that and Ibrahim took 2nd place.