the douglass casa

barcelona!

2009-12-21T14:45:00.010-06:00

we spent thanksgiving in barcelona. i know thanksgiving was weeks ago and christmas is days away, but oh well. i feel like the story of my life right now is being about two steps behind. one of these days i will catch up.

we had an amazing time. it was so great to take the kids to the zoo, imax, aquarium, movie theater (in ENGLISH!), and treat them to yummy food we can't get here. we got a two day pass on the double decker bus tour so we got to hop on and off and enjoy all the city. the kids were real troopers, being that we dragged them all over the city for four days! we couldn't have done it without our sweet friend kayla who lives about five steps across the hall. she was an amazing help!

i think it is funny that anytime we travel outside of morocco we look for the "american" experience: food and shopping!
we load up with all the yummy things we cannot get here. here is a summary of what we ate in 5 days (note: this may sicken you!)

hard rock cafe (twice) - we got yummy nachos loaded with yummy cheddar cheese and i got a chicken sandwich with BACON! ella was very happy to order mac and cheese and scott got a pulled PORK sandwich. kayla got a plate of ribs and finished all of them! we went back the next day for more yummy goodness!

dunkin donuts - had to stop anytime we saw one. there was even one in the metro! oh, i love you, canela (cinnamon) donut!

starbucks - i forgot what it was like to have one on every corner! a nice warm treat on a cold day. i love you, to go cups!

burger king - i never ate at one in the states, ever. i don't care what you say it is way better than mcdonalds!

ben and jerry's ice cream - EVERY night! i love you, cookie dough ice cream. scott had the shakes when we got back here. he was going through withdrawals, as many of you know he LOVES his ice cream.

here are some pics from our trip. i am sad to say that the camera battery died and we didn't have our charger! ugh, it makes me sick thinking about it, but at least we got some good shots. thanks, kayla, for taking great pictures!

beautiful beckett.

beautiful ella.

beautiful iris.

riding in the golf cart. yes, scott insisted we rent a golf cart to cruise the zoo. he said it is the only way we could see the whole zoo, but i know deep down he wanted to drive the golf cart.

like father, like son.

beckett, you can't go in.

right after this picture was taken the long beaked bird was an inch away from biting beckett's finger off! he told the bird, "no! no! no!"

ella is a giraffe.

beckett is a camel.

imax 3D! ella and b loved it. i think it is funny that ella didn't even mind the movie was in spanish because she is used to hearing french or arabic on the tv. we did make it to a movie theater to see Planet 51 in english. she is still talking about it!

yummy!

scott finally gets his donut! we miss you, super donuts!

movies on the iphone was a lifesaver while shopping!

scott loves ben and jerry.

dancing with the birds.

sweet becks.

beckett loves birds.

10 weeks later...

2009-11-03T14:58:00.007-06:00

so, here we are. still alive and well for those who thought we might have dropped off the planet. we are still here living it up moroccan style. it has been a time of transition with the addition of baby iris, scott starting a new job (recruiter), ella starting french school...and i must add that this all happened within two weeks. crazy. here is a recap of the last couple months.

we become a family of five. notice beckett peering from behind the couch. fitting.

ella starts school. she goes 4 mornings a week and is doing great. everything is in french, her teachers don't even speak any english. definitely a culture shock for her, but she is awesome. i love listening to her sing her french songs. ella, you are so brave!

lulu and popi come to visit! they got the true moroccan experience being here during ramadan. when are you coming back?!

brother and sister love. these two have become great friends. i love watching them together and can't wait until iris can join in on the fun.

ella turns 4! in true ella fashion, she had a princess party. all the girls got manicures and make up done and of course, dressed up as princesses. her babysitters even came dressed up in their prom dresses.

ella and jayden had a party together at school. she is still talking about the barbie cake jayden's mom made. the school went all out...lots of loud music (in french), dancing, and even a clown!

sweet iris. i overheard ella talking to iris and this is what she said:
"iris you are perfect. you are perfect for our family." i couldn't have said it better! she is the sweetest baby. full of happiness. she loves to talk and laugh to anyone that will pay attention to her. i love you, sweet iris!

this is my beckett. love him to pieces. he is obsessed with bugs and looks forward to bug hunts with scott when he gets home with work. the obsession came when he became accustomed to our frequent cockroach visitors. he loves cars, balls, and all things toy story. can't wait to take him to see it this summer when we are back in the states!

here is my silly ella. i just love her. she is full of love and compassion.

sisters.

i had to do a star wars theme for halloween. when in the land of jelabas, why not! besides, beckett loves his lightsaber so we went with it. we tried to get b to dress up as yoda but had a major wardrobe malfunction with the green paint so we had to switch last minute. thanks najate for giving b a moroccan robe! here is the star wars trio: princess laya, luke skywalker, and queen amidala.

beautiful princess laya.i really had to play this one up. she wanted to be princess aurora. i had to tell her that princess laya was the best of all the princesses. it took a month to convince her. i was sure she would turn on me last minute, but she didn't. i think the hair and make up was key.

luke skywalker. can he be any more handsome?

queen amidala. she is wearing the tiniest of all jelabas!

"i will save you laya!"

i will try to be better about posting. i am now choosing sleep over food, so i am not sure where the blog fits in. i will try, but i cant make any promises.

viva la london.

2009-09-20T15:11:00.002-05:00

we just got back from a whirlwind trip to london. scott and i (with iris in tow) went to surprise aina for her 30th birthday. she was surprised...full success. i don't have words to sum up the trip, because it was that amazing, so i will give it to you like this:

land in london. burger king. reeses pieces. dr pepper. surprise aina. aina meets iris for the first time. big ben. westminster abbey. starbucks. wicked. mcdonald's egg mcmuffin. more starbucks. london bus tour. view of london from the top of st paul's cathedral. shopping. h&m. gap. wembley stadium for coldplay concert. stand only feet away from gweneth paltrow and her little ones, apple and moses. jam out to jay z. only feet away from chris martin who is hiding under a hoodie and has apple on his shoulders. coldplay. viva la vida. need i say more?

by far, the best trip EVER! thanks, aina, for turning 30 so we could go to london to celebrate with you. we wouldn't have missed it. you are such an amazing sister, friend, mom, and wife. it was so, so good to see you. i was definitely needing a dose of aina (and scott was needing a dose of caleb), even if only for two days! miss you already. love you!

(check out aina's blog in the next couple of days for pics of our trip...yes, including gweneth paltrow and fam. and no, iris was not at the concert with us. we brought along a friend to watch her at night while we went to wicked and coldplay...thanks anna!)

iris' story.

2009-08-30T15:37:00.006-05:00

we had been waiting and waiting for iris to come. aina had come and gone, and no iris. now gus was here. i wasn't sure she would come while he was with us. i think i had it in my mind that she was never coming out, but she did. on september 15th at 3:35 am she entered our world. here is her story.

scott and i wanted to take gus to dinner at our favorite restaurant, the hippopotamus (don't ask why it is named that), for his birthday. it was a friday night so traffic was heavy. i started having contractions in the car on the way to the restaurant. i didn't really say anything to scott to avoid a freak out, and besides, i wanted to have a good meal. i could tell that these contractions were different and would eventually lead to labor, so i suggested we go eat somewhere closer. we headed to our second favorite restaurant, thai garden, and enjoyed a nice quiet meal. the contractions continued and by the end of the meal my lower back is aching. i suggested we hurry and get the check and go home because it hurts just to sit straight up. when we are headed home i tell scott that i am having regular, hard contractions and it might be time to call becca (she is a labor and delivery nurse who comes to my appointments and will be in on the delivery.) the funny thing is that when i tell scott this, he is at the beginning of a story. our conversation was like this:

scott: i have to tell you what i learned about the eggs here...
me: (groaning in pain) babe, these contractions are really hard. it might be time to call becca.
silence in the car because i am breathing through the contraction.
scott: well, while it is quiet, do you want to hear the story about the egg?

as most of you know, scott is good at providing comic relief. so we get home and the contractions are about 10 minutes apart so we call becca to come over. i labor at home until the contractions are 3 minutes apart, then we head to the clinic. by this time it is 1 am. after many speed bumps and potholes (not fun to drive through when you are in labor) we arrive at the clinic. the clinic was locked so we actually had to ring the bell for someone to let us in. the guy was sleeping on a hospital bed next to the door. i felt like i should be apologizing for waking him up to let us in. we head to the second floor where, once again, we are waking up the nurses who were sleeping. once they get up i get settled into the delivery room. plain room, tile floor, metal carts for medical supplies, no air conditioning, and no chairs for scott and becca. very, very different from the hardwood floor, flat screen on the wall, air condition room we were used to in the states. highlights from the labor include: my iv tube being dropped on the floor and then put in my hand, scott spotting dried blood on the floor (not mine), scott and becca opening a window and standing in front of it just to get some air, my epidural feeling like i just got a knife in the back, scott running up and down to the lobby to send messages to our family, meanwhile waking up the guy down there every time because the guy had to turn the light on. comedy.

my doctor was amazing. i will avoid specific details, but i will tell you that after only 2 pushes she pretty much pulled iris out. my quickest labor and delivery yet. exactly what we prayed for. iris went into the nursery while i was recovering, which was hard for me because ella and b were always right next to me. i told scott to go check on her and after several knocks on the nursery door (all the lights off...was the nurse sleeping?) scott was finally let in and saw about 20 babies all lined up. he said he had never seen so many babies in his life. after recovering for an hour we all head to our room. we paid extra to get the suite because it was bigger and had air conditioning. who know i had to have a baby to get 2 days in air conditioning? anyways, we get to our room and get settled in and then the nurse tries to get us to switch rooms. i don't know exactly what she is saying but i know it has to do with the ac. she tried telling us that it was broken, which it wasn't. they tried to get us to switch rooms but we didn't. they were afraid that me or the baby would get sick because we would be too cold. each nurse that would come into our room would make a comment about the ac. when the nurse brought iris to our room (after her bath), we noticed that the note card taped to her bassinet (the notecard had scott's name on it, not iris') said that she weighed 4 kilos, which is well over 8 pounds. impossible. she was my tiniest of the three. we had her weighed again before we left (najate went with her to be a witness) and that time she weighed 3 kilos. so, it is unknown how much she actually weighed at birth. that was our first night/early morning in the hospital. our second night in the hospital we had iris stay in the nursery for a couple of hours. scott and i had to get some sleep since we had been up all night the night before. iris was quickly introduced to tea, which i am guessing they gave her in a bottle. i could not communicate to the nurses to tell them to bring her to me when she needs to eat. all just a part of it, i guess. we left the hospital the following day. thank the Lord for najate who came up in the morning to help us fill out paper work and pay the bill! speaking of the bill, the hospital bill was about $1,000. can't beat it. when i see my doctor again and iris sees a pediatrician, we are ready to go home. so, we just head out. simple as that. no security tag taken off (because one wasn't put on), no being wheeled out in a wheel chair or having a nurse check the car seat. i think we are one of the few that actually have a car seat. you just have to love the moroccan way.

continuing with the story, i had to get iris' birth certificate in order to get her passport. najate and i head out with iris in tow. after going to the wrong government building and circling around trying to find where we are supposed to be, we finally get there. we go into the building and meet with a guy who proceeds to tell me i need my marriage certificate, passport, etc. the funny thing is that friends of ours who had just had a baby two months before us went to get the same certificate, but did not need all that. so, i had to go back home and then have najate go back with all my papers. now that we finally have the certificate we can get her passport. scott and i (and iris) arrive at the consulate office and scott realizes he forgot his wallet. so, we proceed with the paperwork and then i go back to the consulate to pay for her passport. i know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but it really is when you take into consideration driving in traffic, having to find parking, and then having to find an atm that actually works. not as easy as you might think.

all this to say, it was an adventure from start to finish. we have many memories and iris has quite a story. although complicated and uncomfortable more often than not, we are thankful for the peace throughout this journey and for the Lord's faithfulness.

iris naama ("grace") douglass

2009-08-20T13:57:00.007-05:00

another moroccan miracle. (what we say here when things go right!)

born august 15th 2009
3:35 am
6.9 pounds
20 inches
(at least this is what we think her stats are...it is part of her story.)

we had been waiting, waiting, and waiting. finally, after much prayer, the Lord gave us iris. here are some pictures of our sweet new baby girl. i will write her story later... it is a good one.

new baby.

ella is so excited to finally hold her sister.

ella wanting to "sleep" with her sister (note: she is pretending)

gus and iris (thankful he was here for her arrival!)

najate and iris.

sleepy baby.

sooo tiny! ella and b were both 8 pounds!

peaceful, beautiful baby.

exactly one year ago...

2009-08-12T16:17:00.002-05:00

we said goodbye to our family and friends and stepped on board a plane to morocco. ella wasn't even three yet and beckett was only 5 months old. both still by babies. i remember the plane ride like it was yesterday...beckett slept the whole way but ella's sleep was disturbed by some very rowdy boys (an early "welcome to morocco.") when we finally landed, all i saw was brown dirt. the reality set in and i thought, "what the heck did we do. we made a mistake. maybe we can catch the next flight home." when we finally picked up our 6 duffel bags and 4 bins, which took over 2 hours (another "welcome to morocco" moment), we were headed to the school and our new apartment. the next couple of days are hazy as we recovered from jet lag, tried to get settled in the apartment, and had our orientation. here we are one year later. as i think about the last 12 months, i am reminded about the Lord's peace and faithfulness. it was his perfect peace that led us here and his faithfulness that has sustained us. we have been through many little and big trials as we tried to figure out our new life, and the Lord was always with us.

ella is now almost 4. she is full of life and full of words. she knows no strangers as she is friends with everyone, even the flower guy at the store. beckett is 17 months. he is not so full of words, more the quiet type. he likes to observe from afar. he especially likes to watch and copy his sister (i won't tell you that he knows how to put on make up and put bows in his hair), and his favorite is to dance and play swords. scott is now on staff with human resources. his job title is recruiting. he is working with some of the most amazing men, so it is a really exciting time for him. i am very much with child. she should have made her appearance TODAY, but she is on her own time. praying that she comes soon...i don't think it is possible for me to get any bigger. honestly, if you had told me a year ago before i got on the plane, "oh, and by the way, in a year, you will have another baby and deliver her in morocco...." i might not have gotten in the plane. it would have been too much! i am so glad the Lord is patient with us and tells/shows us what we need to know at the right time. i am looking forward to this next year with our new addition. i know it will be a time of transition (again!), but it will be good. one of the things we have loved most about living her is true family time. i am thankful for His faithfulness. i am reminded of one of my favorite songs by enter the worship circle.

FAITHFUL
I WANT TO SING YOU A LOVE SONG, YOU ARE THE THIEF OF MY HEART
RHYTHM AND RHYME TRY TO DESCRIBE IT
NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY...I CAN'T HIDE IT

FAITHFUL, YOU ARE FAITHFUL
I HAVE FOUND NOTHING BUT GOOD IN YOUR HEART
LOVING, YOU ARE LOVING
I AM IN LOVE WITH THE WAY THAT YOU ARE
THANKFUL, I AM THANKFUL
I HAD BEEN RUNNING AWAY ON MY OWN
AND THEN YOU FOUND ME, OH HOW YOU LOVE ME
I KNOW YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE, LEAVE ME ALONE

happy 4th of july.

2009-07-04T17:19:00.003-05:00

we had a relaxing 4th of july eating burgers with friends by the beach. you know me, i had 4th of july plates in napkins (planned ahead when we were in the states.) scott even got a dr. pepper. good times. scott would want me to include that he won the water balloon toss and the watermelon seed spitting contest. so glad he is still a kid at heart.

conversation of the day...
ella (holding and american flag): mom, this isn't my flag.
me: what?
ella: this isn't my flag. this flag has too many stars. my flag has only ONE star.
(in case you didn't know, the moroccan flag has one star. don't worry, i did explain that she is an american but we live in morocco. she says she is an american and a moroccan.)

roasting marshmallows. notice ella is using an american flag to roast her marshmallow. hmmm...not so patriotic.

a REAL roasted marshmallow (jet puff from america. not the nasty kind they sell here.)

dirty bird after the water balloon toss.

scott and b. i know, he needs a haircut. i just can't bring myself to cut his curls.

First love

2009-06-27T06:32:00.001-05:00

Every time we pass the beach (which is often) Beckett points and screams in delight. Today we had a little breakfast by the beach, so we had to let the "man cub" roam the beach. Can you see the happiness?

-- Post From My iPhone

year in review.

2009-06-25T16:02:00.024-05:00

i know, i know. you are supposed to do the whole "year in review" thing in january, but i wanted to do one on the school year. scott's last day of school was last friday. he had an incredible year, or in his words, "i just kicked the crap out of this year!" and he did. his students were sad to say good bye and even more sad that he would not be teaching next year. in fact, three of his students took him golfing just yesterday at a really posh golf course.

it is crazy to think that a year ago exactly we were at training in new york, getting ready to make the biggest move of our lives and be forever changed. the Lord has been so good to us. here are some of the highlights from the last 10 months...

on august 12th we say good bye to our family and friends and move to morocco. (quick side note...that is my due date with baby #3. how crazy is that?!)

we make new friends.

our first time to be on the beach.

we are quickly introduced to ramadan (fasting sun up to sun down) at the beginning of september. we enjoy moroccan meals like couscous and get henna tattoos.

ella turns 3 moroccan style on septembr 18th.

the smurf. so small that i can parallel park it anywhere and also so small that beckett's car seat doesn't fit behind scott.

in october we visit marekesh.

we start leading the youth group and enjoy game night. who doesn't like a good game of twister?

my tink and my pirate. a full on party with caramel apples and trick or treating.

family reunion with lulu and papi in november! they came with lots of love and american goodies!

thanksgiving.

surprise! expecting baby #3.

moroccan holiday eid kbir. the slaying of the sheep.

christmas in spain with aina and caleb! aina even brought christmas to us. seriously, she even packed the stockings that have hung over my parent's fireplace. they were filled with goodies! not to mention all the presents! what a treat! not to mention that spain was great and we got to have dunkin donuts, starbucks coffee, and shopping!

ella and aina reunited.

new years in casablanca.

quick train ride to marrakesh. have you been to aina's to see their rug?

lots of love.

scott coaches basketball. the funny thing about the games was that the coaches yell at the refs, but the refs don't speak english, so the players have to translate. comedy.

my moroccan princess at the moroccan festival.

beckett turns 1 superman style on march 3rd.

oarzazate.

festival of the arts.

soccer season.

return to america! we are so, so happy to see family and friends. we are also excited about chick fil a, dr. pepper, lucky charms, blueberries, pf changs, and the list goes on! (sorry no pics! aina has them on her computer!)

ella and b love to swing.

prom. scott was a junior class adviser meaning that he had to help with prom. he was the dj. there's nothing like some "house" (techno) music to get the moroccans movin.

a new car to fit a family of five.

evenings on the corniche. ella gets a pony ride and scott gets corn.

outdoor restaurant with kefta (beef) and rides.

talent show.

graduation.

the girls hit the west cost

2009-04-15T22:19:00.002-05:00

aina and i took ella and charlotte with us to california to see papa. beckett was in good hands with lulu, papi, and uncle gus gus...all hands on deck! it was a whirlwind trip (left sunday morning got back wednesday night) that can only be summed up like this:

airport at 6:45 am. arrive at orange county. go get rental car. wait forever because aina lets a group cut in front of us. finally get in the car. ella pukes. clean ella and the car with wipes. go to the condo to wash ella along with her clothes. the girls rest. go visit papa. the girls put a smile on papa's face. ella keeps going into joyce's room to see the stuffed animals. back to the condo. the cousins come over. cousin daniel reads to ella. the wee ones go to bed. yogurtland - blueberry tart with fruity pebbles. sleep - the first 8 straight hours of sleep i have had in almost 2 years.

wake up and go visit papa. surprise ella with disneyland. meet mary poppins. peter pan, alice in wonderland, its a small world. corny dogs. charlotte gags and then pukes on aina. buzz lightyear ride. ella asleep in stroller, charlotte asleep in the backpack. shopping. girls wake up for the parade. pirates of the caribbean, yes with the girls. pinnochio, tea cups, buzz lightyear again. go home. girls go to bed. dinner with tio paco and cousin jimmy. yogurtland - strawberry tart with fruity pebbles, sprinkles, reeses pieces. sleep.

wake up. pack. donut shop. visit papa. ella meets dorothea with an amputated leg and starts to play with her pant leg. proceeds to ask about the missing leg and foot. shopping. corner bakery. ferris wheel. back to see papa to give him one last hug and kiss. girls sleep in car. in n out burger. airport. back on an airplane. ella watches bolt. papi pick us up. bed. ella sleeps in until 9:30.

pics of our trip to follow.

i heart morocco

2009-04-04T16:52:00.002-05:00

before i leave for america, i wanted to share some reasons that i love morocco...

1. life is simple. we have learned to take joy in the little things, like randomly finding blueberries or seedless grapes at the store. we are easily entertained with a group game of basketball, baseball, or an occasional game night.

2. soccer. moroccans love their soccer and i do, too. i grew up playing soccer and in texas it isn't really appreciated. here, everyone plays. my morning walk around the track with the kids is usually interrupted by a group of boys ranging from 1st-4th graders who rush down to play a game before school starts. they don't pick teams or make kids sit out, they all just start playing. even in the poorest of villages you will see a soccer field outlined in mud, rocks, or sticks.

3. affection. greetings are with a kiss on each cheek. men sometimes greet this way, too, and it is not unusual for men to shake hands and continue holding hands for a good minute or two. women also walk arm in arm down the street. it isn't looked at as how you think it would, friends just show each other affection. i think it is sweet.

4. hospitality. it is not uncommon to be invited to a moroccans home for a meal and stay for a good three hours. we went to a friends house and her mom made us traditional couscous, then mint tea and dessert, and lots of great conversation (with some much needed talking slowly and translation.) just last week scott and beckett enjoyed some tea and bread with najate and her family.

5. fruit and veggies. it would sicken you to know that i can buy 2 pounds of strawberries, apples, bananas, yellow and green peppers, and carrots each for $1.50 or less! and i guess you could say they are organic because they are straight from the ground or tree...dirt, bugs, and all!

6. friends. we have gotten to know some of the coolest families. we have had a blast hanging out watching movies, playing sports, or watching sporting events at the school. we are a tight group. we have also met some of the sweetest moroccans through work, conversation group, and from around town.

2009-04-02T15:43:00.005-05:00

i love the beach. i grew up going to the beach every summer. my children have no choice but to love the sand and the water. scott doesn't like the sandy mess during and afterwords, but i think it is worth it. every morning i get to look out the sliding glass door and see the waves breaking on the shore. it is wonderful...now, if i could just get there everyday then that would be awesome.

special time with daddy.

beckett explores the sand.

sweet smile.

daddy and b

"oh yeah! oh yeah! wanna fight?!" ella and ezra fight the waves.

b is mad at the sand on his face.

ella, ezra, and leul running from the waves.

playing volleyball...yes, that is me. how do you like our rigged up volleyball net?

catie (ella's most favorite babysitter!) plays volleyball with us.

kamel shows us his killer serve.

happy birthday charlotte.

2009-03-24T17:02:00.002-05:00

happy birthday to you!
happy birthday to you!
happy birthday little charlotte,
happy birthday to you!

little charlotte,
it was exactly a year ago (our time) that we got to finally meet you. ella stayed up late, waiting in the waiting room in her pajamas, just waiting to get a glimpse of you. we were so happy that you were a girl and that ella would have a sister cousin. we were all so excited to see you and hold you, especially ella. you have always had your mom's good looks and your dad's temperament, and i am sure you always will.
we hope that you had a great day celebrating your first birthday in california. i am sure you enjoyed your delicious birthday breakfast. we wish we could be there to celebrate with you. have you gotten your birthday present from us? we hope you will like it. we love you and we can't wait to play with you. see you in two weeks!

la fille

2009-03-19T03:21:00.001-05:00

i am pleased to announce that in august the girls will overtake the house. the boys will be outnumbered 3 to 2...we are having another girl! ella always knew the baby was going to be a girl. even before i knew i was pregnant she was telling me that she was going to have a sister. she thinks we should name the baby tinkerbell and got very upset when i told her that was not a choice. don't know quite how beckett will respond. i am just hoping his sweetness stays with him and that he doesn't turn on me come august.

we are having the baby here in morocco. we opted out of maternity coverage upon moving here because we did not plan on getting pregnant this year and....surprise! the medical costs here are amazingly cheap. i get my blood taken for about $15 and have a check up with an ultrasound for about $20. it is great. we will actually be able to pay for the delivery (including epidural) in cash. pretty cool.

i am seeing a great doctor. she was trained in france and has delivered lots of babies in our community. she knows some english, but things do get lost in translation so one of my friends goes with me to my appointments (she was a labor and delivery nurse back in the states.) i feel very well cared for. now, about the clinic. i haven't been there yet. haven't done the whole "tour" thing. just kidding, they don't do that here. what i do know about the clinic is that there is a vip room that i will be requesting because it is a room by myself and has a shower and air conditioning (august is way hot here!) it should be an adventure to say the least.

ouarzazate (war-zah-zat)

2009-03-16T03:01:00.010-05:00

there was a moroccan holiday last week so we were able to take a long weekend trip to oarzazate (best known lately for the city where babel was filmed.) it was the best vacation we have had in a long time. we got to have down time as a family and hang out with some great friends. the guys got to spend the day on dirt bikes and quads while the girls got to spend good time together watching the kids and eating lunch at the habbous. we went and toured a studio where they have film movies and then to kasbah where they filmed gladiator, which is one of my favorite movies so i was really excited. the day would not have been complete without some shopping in local stores with some friendly moroccan hospitality. in one of the shops we were served tea and had a djembe jam session where even beckett participated.

a five hour drive turned into eight, but we couldn't complain because we had the most beautiful view. about 3 hours of the drive was through the mountains so you can imagine our conversation...diana: slow down! slow down! scott: diana, we aren't going to die.

view of ouarzazate from the balcony at our hotel

too cold to swim but ella gets a little wet.

sweet face.

after dinner music provided by andy and a local.

the castle in the kingdom of heaven. now i am motivated to see the movie.

ella on the cleopatra set.

a door from the set of moses.

family pic on the set of gladiator.

happy b.

kasbah - where some of gladiator was filmed. it is the part where maximus first becomes a gladiator...where they have training and the first arena fights.

ella's muscles.

hold on tight!

all ready to go! only in morocco will they let a 3 year old go on a quad with no safety gear. ella was laughing the whole hour on the quad and cried when she had to get off.

stopping in the mountains on the way home to see some snow. ella shows me her "cold face."

this is how ella spends her time in the car.

this is how b spends his time in the car...playing with a marker.

happy birthday beckett.

2009-03-03T15:47:00.003-06:00

here we were a year ago. so happy to finally hold you and have you in my arms. you were sweet from day one. when friends and family called that day and asked about you, all i knew was that you were so sweet, and you still are. it is amazing how the Lord knows exactly what we need. he knew we needed you in our family. we love you more than you will know, even ella. you two are best friends. you follow her around most of the day and you watch everything she does and you try to copy her (yes, even brushing your hair and putting in bows.) you are still a mama's boy and still love to cuddle. you love being a boy with daddy and you two could laugh together for hours. thank you for a wonderful year. happy birthday, sweet beckett.

beckett had a superman party. we all sore the approriate colors: red, blue, or yellow. beckett is getting some help blowing out his candle from ella.

beckett enjoys his cupcake.

beautiful boy

cupcake madness...we had a cupcake bar.

ezra sports his superman outfit and shows his muscles.

happy ella.

happy birthday boy.

cravings.

2009-02-08T11:59:00.003-06:00

when i was pregnant with beckett i lived off of rice krispies. i was so excited when i saw them at a friend's house. of course they do not have them at my usual grocery store and it has taken me three weeks to make it to the other store. i finally got my rice krispies yesterday and had two big bowls this morning. i wasn't sure if would be just as i had remembered them (we made the mistake of getting excited over fruit loops which are nothing like the real fruit loops!)but they were. it was a good morning.

i had a huge guacamole craving. so much so that i dragged all four of us to the only mexican restaurant in casa ("mexico"). it would not have been such a big deal but it was very rainy and we had to park down the street and walk quite a ways with the kids. the guacamole was actually really good, especially for morocco. i thought it would fix my craving but i just wanted more! we go to the store to buy avocados but none of them were ripe so i asked najet to bring me some when she came. well, wouldn't you guess that it floods so she can't make it to our apartment or to buy avocados. i finally get my ripe avocados three days later and i am able to make my homemade, fresh guacamole. i ate about half the bowl in one sitting, not even caring that it was only 10:30 in the morning.

this was a great moment. i had been having a hard time last week, just missing the little things. i told scott that i would do anything just to sit on a couch and sip a starbucks. well, scott had a BIG surprise for me. he heard of an "american" style coffee shop and took me there last night! they had real couches and real coffee drinks. when i say real coffee i mean real caramel lattes in regular size cups (not just dark espresso with a little bit of caramel syrup in a shot glass) and even frappuccinos! yes, frappuccinos! i would even venture to say that they were better than starbucks because the actual coffee here is better than starbucks and it was sweeter. oh, and they have to go cups! it was one of my best nights here: out alone with scott, sipping my decaf caramel frappuccino (yes, they even have decaf) and reading a gossip magazine (didn't even mind that the magazine was french!) we will have many more of these dates.

happy 11 months!

2009-02-05T14:18:00.003-06:00

here is my sweet beckett. i can't believe that he will be one next month. so crazy how time flies. he is crawling all over the place trying to keep up with his sister. notice in the last picture that he got into her markers. don't you love his long hair? i can't bring myself to cut it so he will be a surfer boy this spring and summer.

stuck.

2009-01-28T15:51:00.002-06:00

i meant to post this a while ago but never got around to it. this is how i found beckett during one of his naps. when i put him down to bed he will cry for a couple of minutes in protest. one day he was crying a little longer than usual but i just ignored it. when he finally fell asleep i went to check on him and this was his position. i felt pretty bad. no wonder he was crying so long. i imagine he was saying something like this, "hey mom! what the heck? i am freaking stuck in my crib. get over here! oh, forget it...you're obviously not coming. i guess i will just go to sleep."

made in morocco

2009-01-22T05:54:00.004-06:00

yes, that's right, we are already having another baby. this one caught us by surprise. well, not all of us. i should say that the week before i found out ella was asking me for another baby, a sister in particular. she was actually wanting beckett to go back into my tummy to come out a little baby again, one that she could hold. at least that is what she thought could happen. i had to explain that was in no way possible (the beckett back in my belly thing). the next thing i know is i am feeling really tired and a nap isn't cutting it. the real kicker was when eating chocolate made me nauseous. that was when i knew. i knew that i knew. and i was right. we are expecting baby #3 august 12th.

oh, scott says the baby is giving us the finger. "you know...the finger..." but not my sweet baby.

sick.

2009-01-20T13:40:00.004-06:00

my nine month stint is over. i am officially sick with the flu. as much as i hate to admit it, it am. i used to pride myself on the fact that everyone around me could get sick, but somehow i always stayed healthy. for nine months i managed to stay fine, nine months! i remember it clearly because beckett was just a newborn and scott was back at work so my dad had to fly in to help me with the kids (thanks dad!) scott used to call my immunity my superpower. i think this last week finally did me in. the kids got really sick, one at a time, and then scott got sick. i guess it was a matter of time. poor beckett, he was so mad at me today. i could not pick him up, i mean, have you seen him? he is huge and my whole body was aching so i would just sit with him on the floor or just leave him to cry by himself (i know i am a terrible mom). so scott comes home to pick up ella to take her to lunch at his school and as soon as scott walks in the door b zooms right to him, crying his eyes out...i think he was trying to tell on me. scott tries to hand him back to me and beckett would not come to me. he has never ever done that. he was royally pissed off at me. i don't think he is over it yet.

here is my conversation with ella about mommies getting sick (on sunday before i got the flu.)

ella: mommy are you sick?
me: no, mommies can't get sick.
ella: why?
me: well, who takes care of mommies when mommies are sick? (hoping she will say, "mommy i will take care of you because i love you, you take care of me, ....")
ella: NOBODY!

not true, scott was a real trooper today canceling a meeting to be at home with the kids and prep dinner for tomorrow night. thanks, babe!

merry christmas and happy new year.

2009-01-01T16:27:00.003-06:00

the douglass casa has been out and about. we met up with aina, cub cub, and charlotte in madrid a week ago. we spent a couple days in spain with them and now we are all back here in casa. we are loving every minute here with them. aina has been good about updating their blog about our time together so check out what we have been up to. click on the link to AINA'S BLOG.

greater things are still to be done.

2008-12-21T18:30:00.012-06:00

Morocco from Douglass Casa on Vimeo.

here are some pictures of our last four months here in morocco. there are some from around town, some from marrakech, from the eid kbir, here on campus, and some family pics. the Lord has given us a love for this country and the people. we are humbled that He is choosing to use us here. it has been a great adventure.

here is what ella said the other day...
ella: (pointing at the moroccan flag) mom! there is our flag!
me: yep, there it is.
ella: i just love our star!

i realized she really thinks that the moroccan flag is her flag. i should probably show her the american flag, too.

cirque montecarlo

2008-12-15T13:23:00.003-06:00

we finally made it to the circus. we were lucky, too, because they were going to cancel the show if not enough people showed up(yes, welcome to morocco). we decided to splurge a little by getting "box seats" and when i say box seats i mean the seats about three feet in front of the bleachers. we were so close that the kids could reach their hands out and almost touch the animals. a pretty scary thought when the tigers came out. i mentally had a plan ready just in case something went wrong. it seemed incredibly unsafe. there were kids ella's age riding on the elephants, and one that was barely able to run. seriously, he would take off running and then he would fall. they were so cute, though. they would climb all over the elephant and she would pick them up by her trunk and swing them around. looked like fun, but a little scary. there wasn't even any sort of net for the acrobats. if one of them was to fall, ella would have seen bones break. glad that didn't happen. the whole time i kept telling scott, "aina would die if she was here." oh, and there was a random break dancer in between acts. welcome to the french circus in morocco.

sofia with her cotton candy

where's ella?

b loved the circus

b and daddy

ella and mommy

eid kbir...not for the weak.

2008-12-11T14:32:00.007-06:00

seriously, if you have a weak stomach i would stop reading right now.

this past tuesday the moroccans celebrated eid kbir. it is also known as the slaying of the sheep holiday. this holiday comes from the story in the old testament when God tested abraham and told him to offer his only son, isaac, as a burnt offering. as abraham is about to sacrifice his son, an angel tells him not to kill isaac, and instead, abraham sacrifices a ram. (i really encourage you to read genesis 22.) so, in rememberance of God providing a ram for abraham, they sacrifice a ram or a sheep. for the past month there have been sheep running around everywhere. it has made for good conversation for ella and i in the car. we talk about how we are the sheep and the Good Shepherd takes care of us. in one conversation ella said, "i am NOT a sheep", so i had to do some more explaining. ella made a cute sheep during craft time at school (she goes to a moroccan french school.) as we drove through town on Tuesday, we were reminded of the perfect lamb who was slain, who washes away our sins.

little lamb among the sheep

sheep being carried away

sheep not wanting to go

waiting to be killed

notice the skin on the far right of the clothesline with the laundry (click pic to enlarge)

burning the head

notice the headless sheep hanging upside down

slight detour

2008-12-08T15:24:00.003-06:00

the circus is in town! ella is a huge fan ever since lulu, aina, and gus gus took her before we moved here. we told her this morning that we would take her tonight, despite her not feeling well. she talked about it all day. so, we head to the big top and what is there...nothing. a big tent, but it is closed! our hearts were crushed for ella who was so, so sad. after many tears and promising her that we would go on wednesday when it was opened she felt a little better. we headed to mcdonald's for some ice cream to put a smile on her face. guess it worked. here is the picture. i will update with actual pics of the circus when we finally get there.

elijah, sofia, ella, and ezra

hymns.

2008-12-05T16:30:00.004-06:00

i love hymns. i used to hate singing them in church when i was growing up. i wanted to be singing the cool, contemporary songs. now it is the other way around. i love the story behind the song and the beauty and truth of the lyrics. i have a hymn for each of my children. they have been sung the same hymn since they were babies. now ella can sing with me and it is the sweetest sound. here are their songs:

for ella: as the deer
as the deer panteth for the water
so my soul longeth after thee
you alone are my heart’s desire
and I long to worship thee

you’re my friend and you are my brother
even though you are a king
i love you more than any other
so much more than anything

you alone are my strength, my shield
to you alone may my spirit yield
you alone are my heart’s desire
and I long to worship thee

i want you more than gold or silver
only you can satisfy
you alone are the real joy giver
and the apple of my eye

you alone are my strength, my shield
to you alone may my spirit yield
you alone are my heart’s desire
and I long to worship thee

for beckett: come thou fount
come, thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! i'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

here i raise mine ebenezer;
hither by thy help i'm come;
and i hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

o to grace how great a debtor
daily i'm constrained to be!
let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
prone to wander, Lord, i feel it,
prone to leave the God i love;
here's my heart, o take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

oh, and here is our family verse
zephaniah 3:17
the LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. he will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

there is a really great song to that verse provided by steven. i sing that to the kids, too. it is one of ella's favorite and she likes to sing it with me. it has helped her to not be scared of the badgers or dragons in her closet. thanks, steven!

happy 9 months

2008-12-03T14:17:00.003-06:00

beckett is nine months today. i can't believe it. i have mixed emotions. i love his independence now that he is crawling around and eating everything (except green veggies, but who like those anyways) but i am sad that he is not my tiny baby anymore. well, lets be honest, he was never exactly tiny. he is still as sweet as ever and still a mama's boy. here are some stats:

size: big
teeth: almost 6
motor skills: crawling and pulling himself up
favorite food: anything we are eating
favorite toy: anything ella is playing with
best friend: eliana (our neighbor, also 8 months old)

b's sweet smile

serious beckett...not his usual demeanor but i thought it was funny

check out the huge teeth

happy, happy baby

homemade christmas

2008-12-02T14:24:00.003-06:00

when we moved here we quickly became accustomed to the word homemade...especially when applied to cooking. i wanted to make an advent calendar so that we could share the meaning of christmas with ella. it is a very homemade calendar with lots and lots of love and help from ella. it is too cute so i had to share it. here are some of my favorite creations...

our advent calendar

baby jesus

baby charlotte...this is her nickname and the only letters we had

aina's day...the day after christmas when we get to see aina (ella's idea all by herself!)

get real.

2008-11-29T15:13:00.006-06:00

so, it is the weekend after thanksgiving and what else to do but set up for christmas. i did think ahead and brought our stockings (all 4) with the stocking hangers, and a couple special ornaments. i sacrificed precious packing space for a few christmas decorations to make our apartment feel like home. scott thought i was crazy at the time, but i know that he appreciates it now. i went out shopping today at a store that is somewhat similar to a walmart (at least as close to walmart as morocco can get). i am headed there with a friend because they have christmas trees, fake trees, but nonetheless, christmas trees and some ornaments, too. i was excited to go get it because i should be thankful that they even had christmas trees here. as i buy the tree i am a little sad at the fact that this will be my first fake tree in i think forever. for as long as i can remember we have always had real trees...sometimes flocked with fake snow and sometimes so massive it took up half of our living room or bending at the top because it was too tall for our ceiling. for the last two years we have cut down our own trees in elgin so i was missing that, too. i purchased the tree and a couple ornaments and was truly happy just to be getting what i could. well, wouldn't you know that on the way home, my friend pointed and said, "look! they are selling REAL christmas trees!" and yes, oh yes they were! i flipped a u turn and went to look at them. i was so happy. i almost cried when i stepped out of the car and smelt the sweet smell of christmas. there is nothing like the smell of real chirstmas in the house. another blessing delivered from God. they never have real christmas trees in morocco, and if they did, they were really hard to find. i bought a tree that was small enough to fit in our tiny car, but big enough to make it feel like christmas. when i got home, my good husband set up the tree and even turned on my josh groban christmas music while i decorated (as is my tradition). so, here i am, living in morocco, with my stockings hanging over the fireplace and small, but beautiful real tree in the corner. christmas has officially come.

our cozy living room

the tree i will never forget

stockings hung by the chimney with care...

thankful.

2008-11-28T16:37:00.004-06:00

we have much to be thankful for. the Lord has been so faithful to take care of us in many, many ways over the last few months. we are thankful to be surrounded by wonderful friends and supported by loving family back in texas. we celebrated thanksgiving with two other families and some single girls who work here at the school. there were about 30 of us total so we combined three tables, taking up our entire apartment. so much fun! here are some highlights. oh, and yes, we did have a traditional thanksgiving with a turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, 2 sweet potato casseroles, corn, cornbread, applesauce, and fresh pumpkin pie and apple pie. yum! we even got to watch some football provided by the slingbox (thanks cub cub).

the very long table

the kid's table

happy ella

the girls

thankful for my family

mommy and b

silly beckett

matching daddy and b

najet and beckett

he perceives our thoughts from afar...

2008-11-20T02:12:00.004-06:00

i got on the subject of diet 7up with a friend of mine in french class. she said that she was able to find some in fes (another city in morocco) but hadn't seen it here. i hadn't seen it either and let me tell you that i have been to several different grocery stores (at least 5). i haven't had diet 7up in over three months and the other night i was thinking to myself,"i could really, really go for some diet 7up." i quickly dismissed it, knowing that i would be settling for citron schwepps for the next 7 months and loading up on sugar, probably causing me to gain a couple of pounds. oh well. so the next day i go to the store. i stroll down the soda aisle and throw in a couple of schwepps and a coke. just as i am about to turn the corner something catches my eye. could it be? yes, yes it is! diet 7up! i had just been to that store a couple of days earlier and it was not there. they must have just gotten it in stock. i was so happy. so, so happy. in that moment i was reminded that God does know all our thoughts, even the petty ones about diet 7up. how amazing that our God knows us that well, and more than that, He loves us. so, God i thank you for knowing me intimately and blessing me with a simple beverage.

family reunion

2008-11-09T14:23:00.007-06:00

we are soooo excited to have my parents here for a visit! it has been three months since we have seen them...three months! the four of us went to the airport to pick them up and ella was so excited. upon pulling out of the gate she yelled, "here we come, lulu!" we have had such a wonderful time with them. ella has loved waking up to lulu here and asked if she was going to stay forever. the first day they were here she followed lulu around all morning...even sitting on the sink to watch her put on make up. beckett actually started crawling this week. he had been so close for a while and i knew that he was waiting until they got here to show off his stuff. it has been great to show them our life here...the school, some of the many places i buy groceries, where we like to go out to eat (ella had to show them her mcdonald's), the beach, etc. they also got a good taste of morocco with many moroccan dishes prepared by our house helper. here are some pics of us out and about casa...shopping at the habous, getting a drink at a cafe, and eating at one of our favorite restaurants (one of our favs b/c it is equipped with a playground). enjoy the pics.

popi will always have something to teach ella

taking a break at a cafe

ella's new shoes

at the habous

beckett is tired of shopping

popi and b

lulu & ella

the brother and the sister

happy b

b hitching a ride from popi

ella & daddy

at the beach

a night out out without the kids!

happy wedding birthday

2008-11-08T08:38:00.004-06:00

today we celebrate five years of marriage. five years! it seems like just yesterday i was waking up early to get ready for our big day. scott, i will never forget how excited i was to walk down the aisle and become your wife. we have made so many memories in the last five years...too many to count. it has been the little things like playing rummikub and eating brownies in our little apartment, you teaching me to swing a golf club, endless dates to the movies to "sit in a cold theater and eat milk duds", and us cuddling on the couch to watch our shows that remind me that you truly are my best friend. i have also enjoyed the big things like cruises and vacationing in fun places like destin, vegas, and beijing. so many memories. so, here we are, five years and two kids later living in morocco. thank you for being adventurous and thank you for being obedient to the Lord and following where he leads you (and our family). thank you for continually keeping your vow to love, honor, and cherish me. i love you.

happy halloween

2008-11-03T15:24:00.004-06:00

yes, we do have halloween all the way over here in africa. linda and i hosted a "fall party" (aka halloween party...aren't they the same thing?) where all the kids got to dress up and even go trick or treating here in the apartment complex. we feasted on corn dogs, popcorn, cupcakes, and caramel apples (i have to add that the caramel was made from scratch), and someone even brought candy corn all the way from the states. the tink was, you guessed it, tinkerbell and the brother was a pirate.

aarrrrr!

tinkerbell

tink and cinderella (ella and sofia)

the pirate and the ballerina (beckett and eliana)

ecole l'ocean

2008-10-27T15:43:00.005-05:00

today was ella's first day of french preschool. the teachers speak french and the children speak french...everything is in french (days of the week, months of the year, colors, etc.) so this is a new experience. we had been to visit a couple of times and she was excited to start. we prayed together the whole way there. i told ella that her name meant "light" and that is what she was going to be in her classroom. she said, "it is dark?" we talked about how people who don't know the Lord are in darkness, but those who know him are in the light, and so it is us who in the light who have to shine his love. she like that.

i think we (me and ella) were both a little nervous upon arrival. i took her to her classroom and when i gave her a hug she clung to me. one of the teachers in a class next door spoke english and we had met her before so she took ella and helped her get adjusted to the class. as i drove home i prayed and prayed. i prayed for her all morning. i kept thinking,"what the heck am i doing? i am in a foreign country. something can happen to her. what kind of mother am i?" bad, bad thoughts. i had to cling to what i knew was true. the Lord is her protector, we have a peace about her being in school, she is ready to learn french, and she will have fun. i picked her up a little early because i was afraid she might have been crying all morning. i was pleasantly surprised to see her playing with another little girl...i have no idea what they could have been talking about. i asked her what her favorite part about school was and she told me "coloring and when you come to pick me up." she does want to go back, but not tomorrow. maybe in a few days. i think we will start out with twice a week and then possibly work up to three. i am so proud of her. she is so brave. way to go ella!

lunch duty.

2008-10-23T09:25:00.003-05:00

the kids and i took our usual thursday afternoon outing to mcd's. for those two hours we are back in america. well, today when we pulled into the gate, this is what i found...pay close attention to the tall man shooting the basketball.

yes, that is right. it is scott. there are two funny things about this picture. one is that he always complains about lunch duty. he hates it. he was actually grumbling baout it this morning right before he walked out the door. so, this is how i find him at lunch duty. looks like fun to me. two is that he totally took this kid out in whatever game they were playing. i forget what the game is called but you know it...where the person behind you tries to make it before you do...i think it is called knock out. not only does scott get some kid out and win the game, but then he proceeds to tell another kid that was getting first in line (named sam) to give him the ball back because he (as in scott) was now actually first. so , scott proceeds to go first and the kid behind him makes the basket and gets him out. ha! it was quite a sight to see. i am so glad i had my camera in the car.

notice that scott's ball will not go in and the kid in the shooting stance makes it and now poor scott is out of the game. oh, and scott had no idea i was witnessing any of this. he will find out when he checks our blog.

peeping batman

2008-10-19T06:46:00.004-05:00

this is what was peering through our back door one morning at 7:30. i was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast (still in my pj's) when batman came looking for ella. i have to add that ella is scared of ezra when he has the mask on. he has to take it off and say, "ella, it is just me, ezra."

"so, what would you say you do here?"

2008-10-16T15:33:00.003-05:00

any of you remember this quote? it is from the great movie office space. i thought you may be wondering what it is that we do here in morocco. here are a few highlights. scott obviously teaches all week. he is teaching 8th grade science and 10th grade ancient civilizations. his classes are off to a great start. i am sure he will share some stories with you later. i am at home with the kids. i am pretty much homeschooling ella, and she will also be starting a french preschool next week (hopefully). we have a lot of fun reading, singing, dancing, making art work, and playing. scott and i are high school youth leaders. we have loved getting to hang out with them on tuesday nights. they are a really great group of kids. i meet with american moms on wednesday mornings for tea and coffee and on wednesday afternoons i will be a part of a conversation group for arabic speaking moms at the school who want to improve their english. i am taking french lessons on tuesday and thurday afternoons when scott gets home from work. we have a playgroup once a week and try to go to mcdonalds once a week so the kids can play in the playland and so we can get some "american" food. we go to the beach when scott isn't working and the weather is nice. he has the surfing bug so we are usually at the beach on saturdays. since entertainment in minimal (the movie theater only has movies in arabic) we have become big fans of having movie night at our apartment with a projector (and yummy popcorn made by linda) so it feels like we are at the real movies. we are also big fans of the wii. it feels like we are usually busy so the time is flying by. here are some recent pics.

b and daddy at the beach

ella at the beach

sweet b playing in the morning

the knight rescuing the princess (aka ella and ezra)

marrakech

2008-10-08T16:39:00.002-05:00

we spent this past weekend in marrakech. we stayed in an old hunting lodge about an hour outside of the city. we were able to see a different side of morocco as we drove for an hour up the atlas mountains. i will admit that i was a little (okay, more than a little) freaked out on the way up the mountain. you have to imagine the four of us in a tiny electric blue european car trailing up a steep mountain, competing with oncoming traffic and the occasional donkey for space on the narrow road. as i was about to vomit from the twisting of the road and looking over the edge only to imagine us driving right off, scott kept reminding me that it was actually safer being in such a small car. all i could say was, "stop talking!", "look at the road!" slow down!" i am sure you get the picture. we finally arrived at the lodge and it was great spending time together as a family and hanging out with other teachers at the school. we did some shopping and scott got a rock that he is very proud of. now, it is not just any rock. he swears it will be worth a lot in the states. that is still up for debate. we will post a pic of this rock later. on our way home to casa we stopped into marrakech to do some shopping at the market. i got a basket for my produce shopping and scott got a djembe so we were both happy. ella was happy because she got to see snakes.

snake charmer

the market

the four of us

scott and b

HAPPY 29th AINA!

2008-09-21T15:38:00.003-05:00

aina turned 29 yesterday. she is hanging onto her 20's by a thread. here is ella (and beckett in the background) wishing auntie aina a happy birthday. sorry it is late...we could not get the video to download last night because we did not have internet (welcome to morocco!)

we love you, aina, and we hope that you had a great birthday dinner. wish we could have been there to celebrate with you. sending much love from morocco. we can't wait to see you!

the party continues...

2008-09-20T15:54:00.002-05:00

ella had another party last night. this would be #3 if we are including the one in austin. as you can tell, we in the douglass casa love to have a good party.

christy making corny dogs for ella

mommy making sure there is something healthy on the table

ella getting shy when everyone is singing "happy bday"

all the kids on campus to celebrate ellas bday

ella getting a bday kiss from catie (her favorite babysitter!)

happy birthday, ella!

2008-09-18T16:28:00.004-05:00

happy birthday, tink! today you turned three, which is crazy because i remember vividly the day you were born, just like it was yesterday. i told you that story last night and today, about how everyone was in san antonio for a wedding (even sunny), and you decided that you wanted to come out and meet us. i told you about how we were so happy to find out that you were a girl and that i cried (happy tears, not sad tears) when i finally got to hold you and kiss your sweet little face.

here we are three years later and you are officially a little girl. you are so beautiful, so beautiful. you have a lot of personality and words for such a little body. you can be sweet, sour, sensitive, and sassy all in about 10 minutes. i love when you are so happy or excited about something, that you smile your big smile, squint your eyes, and crinkle your little nose...it is priceless. you always have something to say (which is like me) and something to do (which is like your dad). you know no strangers because you make friends with everyone. i love that about you. had it not been for your extrovert personality and free spirit, we probably would not have been able to come here to morocco. ella, i learn so much from you. you continue to teach me to have childlike faith, you teach me love, and you teach me patience (when you test mine and also when you are patient with me.) you are who you are, and we love you just the way you are.

you had a wonderful day today. your friends across the hall came over early this morning to eat apple pancakes with you and give you birthday cards they made for you...so sweet! we went to mcdonald's (which you call old mcdonald's)for lunch with ezra and you got to run around in the playland and get an ice cream cone. i made you a cake this afternoon so we could sing happy birthday to you when daddy got home from work...you told me that you were not 3 until we sang happy birthday to you. you had a true moroccan birthday as you wore your moroccan dress and ate a moroccan dinner at a nice little cafe...just you, mommy, and daddy! as if all that was not enough, all the kids on campus are coming over for corny dogs (made from scratch) and cupcakes! "we love you too much!"

ella, ezra, and "old mcdonald"

"cheers!"

the mister

playing in the playland

happy birthday to you!...now you can be 3.

the girls

henna tattoos!

2008-09-14T16:17:00.005-05:00

ella finally got her henna tattoo! for those of you who might not know, ella loves tattoos. loves them. ramos' (mexican restaurant in manor) made a small fortune off of us when ella discovered the tattoo dispenser. if you happened to see ella over the summer, she was sporting all sorts of ink on her arms and even tummy. she was very excited to get her first henna tattoo by najet's sister on saturday. she stayed very still and even let it dry (with the help of a hairdryer). it looks really pretty on her hand and the great news is that it won't come off after being in the bathtub. it should last a couple of weeks. i got one from my foot to ankle. it looks pretty cool. so, come visit us and get a sweet tattoo.

so happy to get a real tattoo

sitting very still...if you know ella then you know that is not easy.

ella and ezra decide to give each other tattoos with sidewalk chalk...you can see the henna tattoo on her hand

the end of summer...the beginning of ramadan

2008-09-09T15:48:00.006-05:00

summer is officially over as scott started back at school on tuesday. as he was getting ready for work he said, "that was NOT a summer!" and he was right. we were so busy getting ready for the move with training and packing and selling the house and getting logistics done for moving overseas that there was not much down time. we did have a good vacation with my family in the LBC and hang out time with scott's fam in rockwall, so i can't complain too much. those two trips were great times with family (aina, ella will be needing another california love book because she has read it so many times the pages are falling out and tape is not working!) anyways, we were very sad to see scott off to work. we do live on campus, though, so no leaving early to avoid traffic because he walks right down the hill to school...so convenient! he can also come home for lunch or we can go eat with him. he is also always home at a reasonable hour. scott will update with some stories from his classes in the future.

note to self: don't go the grocery on the first day of ramadan. my friend, linda, and i made this terrible mistake. we thought that being it was ramadan and everyone was fasting then the last place they would all want to be is surrounded by food. wrong! everyone was at the grocery getting food for f'tour (meal for breaking fast in the evening) so it was packed! there linda and i are, each with 2 kids (3 and 6 months), packed like sardines in the aisles and waiting forever in the check out line. needless to say, i had a tired and crying baby and an impatient 3 year old while i was trying to check out. did i mention you have to bag your own groceries? i was so thankful that a sweet lady behind me had pity on me and helped bag my groceries. i think everyone in line was just happy to see me get out of there! i convinced myself that they were staring at me because i am american and not because of the crying from beckett and occasional screetching from ella.

have i told you about ella's bff? his name is ezra. they are complete opposties. ella is all girl...playing with babies, princesses, pretending to be maid marian from robin hood, etc. ezra is all boy. he likes to play war and fight. you can see where i am going with this. they are already like brother and sister. they love each other inside, but sometimes on the outside they don't so much. there is the occasional whack at the other but they are learning to work out their differences since they are all each other has during the day. let me tell you what these two got into last week. it all started when linda and i went shopping in town with some other ladies. we left ella and ezra with najet (our house help...another blog in itself!) and beckett was taking a nap. i get a phone call an hour later from scott who was totally frantic. he begins to tell me that jason (ezra's dad who teaches next door to scott) spotted the kids outside past the grass where they were supposed to be and in the dirt in the construction area. both dads begin to yell from the third floor of the school building outside their classrooms, trying to tell the kids to go back home. both kids look up and acknowledge their dads, and keep walking. to make the story better, ella is decked out in her "i heart LB" shirt and panties (she had taken her pants off) and is dragging her green blanket while ezra is carrying an old pillow. thankfully a construction worker managed to stop and keep the kids while scott left his class to go get them and take them home. ella proceeds to tell scott that they were going on a picnic. linda swears it was ezra's idea but my tink has a few tricks up her sleeve. she cannot be trusted. oh, and ella's "badger toe" has returned!

also last week, beckett turned 6 months! it was a tough week for my big guy as he took a tumble and got a big bonk (almost causing his frantic mother to hyperventilate) and then got hit in the head with a nerf football while some guys were tossing it around. my poor baby! he is back to his usual self, though. very happy hanging out playing with eliana next door and watching ella and ezra be crazy. he has become a big time momma's boy, but still does love to get cuddles and tickles from daddy. we love you, sweet boy!

oh, and there will be more "note to self" stories as i learn new things and have to make mental notes to myself.

ella has a head on collision with ezra

return of the "badger toe"...the orange is from ezra painting her toe nails

sweet beckett (6 months old)

beautiful atlantic ocean and moroccan sunset from our backyard

ella, sofia, and ezra

ella and ezra...the day of the "picnic"

sister and the brother

2008-08-31T15:42:00.005-05:00

we have been here in casa three weeks and counting. our apartment feels like home and we are actually enjoying the small space. we all already have great friends (yes, even beckett) and we are excited to be living in community with them. so far, we are loving life in casa. we have had many adventures already. scott got pulled over by a police officer on the way to the beach for turning right on red, which is illegal here, but don't worry, he got out of it. the police officer only spoke french and scott played the dumb american so he pretty much just laughed at us and waved us on. going to the grocery store is culture shock enough. i was so proud of myself for knowing how to ask for turkey at the deli (in french) but i did not know the conversion for pounds to kilos so i ended up getting almost a kilo of turkey, which is over 2 pounds...needless to say we had ate a lot of turkey for the next couple of days. we ate dinner as a group at a restaurant where they have the cow carcases are hanging and you go select which part of the cow you want and they cut it and cook it for you. i did not take any part in picking out the meat or wouldn't have eaten it...and i have to admit that it was pretty good. scott has made a friend at the local grocery store who usually weasels scott into giving him more money for watching our car while we shop or for washing it. we are getting used to the fact that everything takes more time here...everything! for starters, we don't have a microwave so leftovers are pretty much a thing of the past. we buy our produce on the street or in the market and we have to let it soak in the sink with a some special cleaner before eating it. i am having to learn to make meals from scratch because the only prepped meals are pizza and chicken nuggets. i am thankful to be across the hall from a family who has lived overseas for years so she knows how to make lots of yummy meals.

now, about the kids...
ella is having so much fun. she has made friends with the little ones across the hall and they play together all day. it is so nice to be able to open our back door and let her run around and come and go as she wants. there are a lot of teenagers, too, so she is getting lots of attention. she is getting so big and is constantly amazing us with her adult words and phrases. she does miss the family back home and blows kisses to their pictures. beckett is awesome. i could not be more thankful for such a chill baby. he is so sweet and so precious. he adores ella and is usually looking at her or grabbing at her and laughing. he is getting so big (if you can even imagine him getting bigger) and he will be crawling before we know it. he also has a friend next door...a 5 month old baby girl who has almost as many rolls as he does. they are so cute together.

here are some pics so far...

pray with us.

2008-08-21T12:54:00.003-05:00

we got a phone call late last night. it was one of those phone calls where you know something must be wrong, and something was. caleb's sweet father had suddenly passed away. please pray for caleb and aina, caleb's mom (kathy), and his brothers and sister (john, shane, and carrie). scott is trying to head back to the states to see his best friend but the kids and i will be staying here. check out aina's blog for more info and prayer requests.

we are here.

2008-08-14T12:29:00.002-05:00

through much shopping, packing, unpacking, repacking, more shopping, more packing, and many tears...we are finally here. we had stayed monday night in ny and got to see my dad's sisters, do some last minute shopping, and eat ice cream at pinkberry. upon seeing pinkberry scott said, "there is light at the end of the tunnel." for those of you who don't know, pinkberry is the best frozen yogurt and they only sell in california and new york. anyways, we arrived wednesday morning at 8:45 am (time here) which would be 2:45 am texas time. the kids did great on the flight. beckett slept the whole way. he actually didn't wake up until we got to baggage claim. ella was another story. she did really great considering there were 3 7 year olds crammed into a seat for 2 across the aisle watching a movie without headphones while yelling and laughing and periodically running down the aisle pretending to be superman or spiderman. i couldn't sleep through that so i couldn't expect her to either. we were thankful that the man in front of them let them have it and then scott got a flight attendant who made them go back to their seats. after that, ella quickly fell asleep the rest of the flight (only 2 hours!)

we were picked up by a guy named charlie who works at the school. when i told ella that charlie was picking us up she said, "charlotte is picking us up? is aina here?" oh, it was so sad! we finally got all our 11 bags (we are quickly learning that people really take their time here), scott got searched at security (his stack of luggage that is) and made it to our apartment. it is nice to see familiar faces...friends we met at training in june. the kids are already getting used to the time change (praise God!) and we all slept in until almost 10 am! we are in orientation the next couple of days and enjoying some yummy meals! ella and scott are in town with another family running some errands right now...don't worry, aina, scott has a tight hand on her!

are we there yet?

2008-08-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

no. we are not there yet. are we supposed to be...yes. here is how yesterday played out:

-wake up at 7 am to get our bags checked in at the airport by 8 am.
-come home to get the kids and our carry on and return to the airport at 10:15.
-sam (scott's dad) meets us to say goodbye.
-hang out with family until we are supposed to board (flight scheduled to leave at noon).
-flight gets delayed until 3:30. we convince my dad to fly with us to ny so he can help us make our connection (flight to morocco departs at 8:30).
-say our very sad goodbye to my family...lots of tears on the jet bridge and plane.
-wait on the runway for an hour then return to the gate because of weather in ny
-finally leave dfw at 6...definitely no way we are making our connection
-10 pm arrive in new york. go to ticket counter to get voucher for a hotel...very thankful we got one of the last rooms! oh, and ella still had not slept!
-at midnight we finally arrive at the hotel and all five of us crash in one room...scott and i on the king size bed, ella and beckett on pallets on the floor, and my dad on a cot.
-ella wakes us p at 8 am asking, "mom, is this morocco?"

we are almost there. we are sitting at our gate waiting to get on the plane. what an adventure we have already had!

Beckett's First Belly Laugh.

2008-08-02T22:15:00.008-05:00

Beckett has had the silent laugh going for a while...today I caught his first real laugh on video. Funny.

"goodbye, house."

2008-07-31T21:04:00.003-05:00

there is a tradition in our family where we say, "goodbye, house" when we are leaving for a while. it was usually said in the wee hours of the morning when we were on our way to the airport to head out of town. well, yesterday i said goodbye to my house. it has served us well. we have had many play dates, parties, poker nights, and dinners in that house. it is the house ella grew from a baby to a little girl and the house we brought beckett home to. many, many great memories. here are a few things, besides my house, that i will miss.

1. friends
we were blessed to truly know what it is to live in community and "do life" with our friends. i am so thankful for jen and julie who were right down the street and who always encouraged me and reminded me that i was not crazy even though i felt that way at times when raising a 2 year old and then having a newborn. thanks for the many times you helped watch one or both of my kids. i cherish the conversations we had (or tried to have) while the kids played.

2. ramos
i came to love the local mexican restaurant. they have great chips and salsa and a yummy spicy ranch. i usually got the chicken fajitas. oh, and if you go there on a friday night you get great mariachi entertainment.

3. poker night/settlers night
very sad we will no longer be a part of the group, especially now that settlers is in the mix. we always had such a blast with the fierce competitors...james and julie.

4. the pool
have you seen our sweet set up in shadowglen? it is huge and kid friendly. unfortunately we were not there as much as i would have liked this summer because we were out of town so much or packing. ella loved playing with scott and watching him go down the slide and i liked talking with friends and meeting new ones.

5. super donuts
they new scott by name and order. he and ella had a saturday morning tradition of going to the donut shop (ella in pj's) to get a donut. they would always run into some of ella's friends (usually anna and cole or rilyn and ella p).

6. bunco
i will miss our bunco group. it was the one time a month that i knew i could get out of the house and hang out with other ladies. i am bringing my dice to start a new group in morocco.

it is pretty surreal that we have officially moved out of manor. we have been so busy that it hasn't had time to sink in. ella actually asked about our house tonight. i had to remind her that she said goodbye to our house and that we will have a new house in morocco. she said that she wanted her house with the bricks (and motioned with her hands as if laying bricks one on top of the other). i am glad that our house was a true home for her. i just hope she is not shocked when she sees our new house is actually an apartment and made out of cement and not bricks. i will update later a picture of our moving truck packed to the max (not even an inch to spare!)

Douglass Casa(BLANCA)

2008-07-20T18:14:00.007-05:00

For those of you who don't know, we are moving. I apologize we didn't get the word to you sooner. For those of you who are saying "about time they updated the old blog, jeez", I'll ignore your complaints...we've been just a little busy.

It is true, we are moving to North Africa.

I am teaching in an International American School. Yes, the wife and kids are also coming.

We will be updating our blog frequently, so please check back.

Also, starting Aug. 12th we will have a new US phone number. I'll email you the number.

Here are some pics where we will be living.

Scott, Diana, Ella, Beckett

Yes, we can see the ocean from our apt.!

i scream, you scream....

2008-05-15T19:14:00.009-05:00

I don't blog here much. I let the wifey say the important stuff....children, family, the latest happenings and so on and so forth....
I usually don't have the time to write but this is important.
I know ice cream....i mean I KNOW ice cream. If YOU know ME then you know that I KNOW ice cream.
There are very few ice creams I have not tried in my life. There is no ice cream chain that I have not been to. Very few flavors that I haven't tried. No brand that hasn't crossed these lips. Breyers, Dreyer's, Häagen-Dazs, Blue Bell, Braum's,Blue Bunny, Dippin' Dots, Good Humor, Healthy Choice :(, Maggie Moo's, Marble Slab Creamery...etc, etc....i could go on and on, and thats just North America!

Here is the deal. Ice cream companies have started doing something that is absolutely shocking. Several big companies are trying to trick the general public. I won't be tricked. The are charging the same prices for a significantly less amount of ice cream. Look at the pics. below.

Have you noticed the change?

Before you judge me. Before you say "YOU STUPID, FAT, UGLY AMERICAN...PEOPLE ARE STARVING ALL OVER THE WORLD!!" I know there is a food shortage, I know people are hungry. It is just crazy how big corporations are personally screwing us over...(ex. gas) and now something that really hurts. Ice cream. I am sad.

Time to go to the end of the ice cream aisle and buy the big cheap plastic tub of ice cream. You know...the one that requires a handle to pick it up.

God save the USA.

--scott

"life is just flow"

2008-04-10T20:37:00.004-05:00

my bible study leader said this a couple of weeks ago and it has stuck with me. this is so true for our life at this particular time. we are learning to just go with the flow as we take care of a newborn and a very curious 2 year old. many things have happened since baby beckett came home and here are a couple highlights from the last 5 weeks that have taught us that "life is just flow":

-scott takes ella to chickfila for lunch and then they are going to meet us at the dr for beckett's check up...ella has an accident in the play area and scott does not have a change of clothes

-going to the mall so ella can sit on the easter bunny's lap (as we promised even though beckett wasn't even a week old) and having to wait over an hour because the bunny was late!!! oh, and ella wouldn't even sit on his lap. she about wet herself when she saw the bunny and i had to sit with her and the bunny.

-going to trophy club for easter and the arrival of baby charlotte

-i get a random stomach virus so papi had to come save the day and help take care of the kids and do laundry because scott was swamped with papers to grade

-the kids and i head back to dallas to hang with aina and baby charlotte. lots of stories from this trip but i will only tell you two of them, both of which happened in the same day...aina and i had gone to the mall for some shopping and then let ella play in the play area where there were hard foam toys for her to climb on. it was a restaurant theme so there were eggs, steak, pancakes, and silverware. i am nursing beckett and i see ella with her jeans and panties down and she is about to pee in the life-size spoon. i ran over with beckett in my arms under the hooter hider and stopped her just in time, but she did flash her goods to the very crowded play area! a sweet mom helped me out and took ella to the bathroom. in ella's defense that spoon did look like a toilet. so after the mall we go back to aina's for a nap. aina and caleb go into charlotte's room where ella is sleeping and notice that something smells. then they find that ella had pooped in her pull up and then took it off and went to bed! she had left her mark on the carpet and the pull out couch she was sleeping on. i gave her a good bath when she woke up.

-the day after we get back from dallas (which was last weekend) scott gets sick and then a couple days later i get sick...scott eventually calls in sick for a day so we can both get some rest as we switch off with the kids.

-yesterday beckett has a 101.5 fever! we spend 2 1/2 hours in urgent care where we have to keep cool washcloths on him and he gets poked at (blood work from him arm, chest x-ray, and catheter two times because his bladder was empty!) they think he caught a virus that scott and/or i had last week. my poor, sweet beckett! it was a very hard day for baby and mommy!

i know that all you mommies have these same experiences so it is good to know that i am not alone. life gets crazy and we just hope that we don't. we take care of our families the best we know how and just pray that we are doing it "right"...whatever that is. i have learned not to sweat the small stuff, choose my battles, and have a good sense of humor (did i mention ella is 2?) we laugh with (and at) our children and spouses and could not imagine life without them. thank you, my family, for keeping me on my toes and blessing me daily! i love all three of you!

good charlotte.

2008-03-26T08:29:00.003-05:00

we are very happy to announce that charlotte marie carruth was born on march 24th. after a long day, she graced us with her presence at 8:09 pm. it was so exciting as we waited for caleb to come out and tell us boy or girl...well, actually show us! we were all surprised to see a baby girl but so, so thrilled to have her here! she is beautiful and looks just like aina! aina and charlotte are doing great (and caleb, too) but please continue to pray for aina as she recovers from a c section. we left our camera in their hospital so we can't update pictures but link to her website to see some pics of their sweet baby girl. congrats aina and cub cub!

and then there were four.

2008-03-15T21:25:00.002-05:00

we welcomed beckett north douglass to our family at 1:09 pm on march 3rd. He weighed 8 pounds and was 20 1/2 inches long, and did i mention he was 10 days early! the word we keep using to describe him is "sweet". even when he is crying, he is still my sweet boy. my little man. it is amazing how in an instant, the moment we held him, we were overwhelmed with love for him. don't get me wrong, i loved him while he was in the tummy, but when i held him i truly fell in love with him. didn't think it would be possible to love another one like i love my ella, but the Lord is very good about making room in your heart for another. speaking of my little tink, she is doing just fine. she adores her little brother and loves to hold him (with the help of the boppy) while watching signing time and singing him lullabies before he goes to bed. she has been very patient in the transition to our family of four. i think we all have. it takes a little longer to get out the door and mommy and daddy are a little more tired than usual, but life is great. we are loving every moment just the four of us. it will be a sad day when scott goes back to work on monday...i think ella and i will both cry a little!

More Pics....

2008-03-14T19:55:00.004-05:00

My talented sister-in-law and brother of KMD Foto (kmdfoto.com) came in a took a few pics of the new kid. Great job guys!

Beckett!

2008-03-04T20:29:00.006-06:00

Here are pics of the new guy. All is well with baby and mother.

special delivery

2008-03-02T21:49:00.004-06:00

tomorrow morning we will make our way to the hospital so our little guy can enter the world. we are very excited to say the least. we had thought he would come see us last week, but he decided to stay nice and cozy inside...we think he heard ella on the outside and decided he was not ready yet! despite the waiting and anxiety, we did have a great week. our sweet friends (thanks jeff and jen!) watched ella one night so scott and i could go out and have what we call "our last supper." we went to ruth's chris steakhouse which is where we went to dinner before we had ella...i guess it is a tradition. it was so yummy and the perfect last date. i got to enjoy one last night out with the girls, too (thanks, angela)! kristen and tim came in town to help take care of us (again!...as scott would say) which was wonderful! ella and i have had a lot of special time together which i have really enjoyed. lots of cuddling, reading books, watching movies, and playing with babies. my parents came into town today so we are officially ready for the little one to get here. i will be going in tomorrow morning and we hope to be holding him in the afternoon. we will post pics soon!

shout out

2008-02-12T20:32:00.001-06:00

i gotta give a shout out to some of my peeps...

first, to my husband who has been so sweet and patient the last couple of weeks with me and my many demands. he has been such a trooper getting the house ready (every room...including closets). he is now at the point of having to put on my socks and and shoes (tie them, too) since i can't bend over anymore. last week he followed me as i swept the floor, picking up my little piles. this week he insisted on having a maid come this week so i would not have to do any housework before we have a lot of people come in from out of town. she is coming thursday and i am very excited! i am also getting a pedicure this week! thanks, babe!

next to my mom who came into town for two days to run errands with me and help out with ella. she planted some flowers in my flower pots for our front porch, which looks great. she also made scott a steak dinner. thanks, syl!

last but not least, to tim and kristen who came from college station to help with whatever we needed. they made us a yummy fajita dinner and i did not have to wash one dish! it was awesome! they helped hang shelving and frames in the bedrooms and bathrooms and kristen helped me rearrange ella's playroom (a task i had been wanting to do for a while but never found the time). i feel so much better now that our house is in order! thanks for being such a servant!

you know you are huge when...

2008-02-05T14:22:00.000-06:00

i go into the gas station to pay for my gas and the girl (teenager) behind the counter says, "whoa! you're big! are you due soon?"
i smile and say, "yes, in five weeks." what i wanted to say was, "really. you really think i am big. and you just had to tell me that. thanks for the 411 because i could not tell how big i am from the now waddling, swollen ankles, and the fact that my maternity clothes are barely fitting me. but hey, thanks for letting me know."

i am at starbucks. i am about to order when the barista says, "the emergency room is that way." (pointing out the door)

scott told me months ago that this baby is coming early...thanks, babe. i need at least 2 more weeks to get my house in order (see nesting below).

UPDATE:
yesterday evening a guy comes to the door selling alarm systems. not the smallest guy in the world i might add. he asks me when i am due and then makes a comment about how at the end you feel like a beached whale. really? did you really just say "beached whale" to me? unbelievable!

nesting

2008-01-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

i am going through what some would describe as "nesting." it is pretty bad. no, i confess, it is really bad. so bad in fact that tonight i even had scott clean his side of the closet. it started when we got back from our christmas break and scott insisted that we paint the baby's room. in order to paint the nursery we had to move ella to a new room. that meant taking everything off the walls and switching closets. in order to make room in one closet i had to clean out the other closet and in order to make room in that closet i had to clean it out. in other words, i was cleaning out three closets and three bedrooms. that little project of "lets paint the nursery" took well over a week as it was a little difficult to organize with ella running around. i was a goner after that. last weekend scott went room to room with me to make a list of things that needed to be done in order to let my mind rest a little. i decided that all the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs needed to be painted. so, like any good husband taking care of his pregnant and currently psycho wife, he hired some guys for $200 to paint. money well spent. this week i have been getting the rooms back in order. i feel a lot better now. the only things left to be done are hangning pictures on the wall. oh, and i need to order pictures. oh, and i need to reorganize the playroom. oh, and have i even mentioned our room? we won't even talk about that. okay, now that i think about all that i am getting overwhelmed again.

give into the craving

2008-01-16T14:05:00.000-06:00

yesterday i had a doctor's appointment. it was the usual 15 minute appointment (check weight, blood pressure, listen to baby's heartbeat) and everything is going great, but that is not my point. so, my doctor comes in and says, "your weight has jumped a little bit, but that is usual getting weighed in the afternoon...are you still eating healthy?" of course i tell her yes because i really am, for the most part. this whole time i am thinking in my head that i probably should not tell her that i really enjoyed all the good food over the holidays, not to mention the famous fried chicken from babe's on new year's, and who can forget the bellagio buffet in vegas? hmmmm. i had to stop at the store on the way home. as i am driving there i pull an apple out of my purse, remembering the healthy eating, and not wanting to be hungry when i go to the store. it didn't help. i pass by the bakery and what is calling my name? a chocolate iced donut. do i do it....yes, yes i do. i grab a donut and put it in the cart. and then what do i see...fruity pebbles...and on sale! so, yes, i take the plunge and get a box. the lady checking out my groceries probably thought i was nuts. here i have organic milk, healthy soups, bread, and then random junk food. i get in my car, drive home eating my donut, and think "oh well!" oh, the joys of pregnancy!

yes, i will be updating about our christmas with pictures and the whole nine yards. have not had much time with scott starting project baby room (that is another story!)

a good dad

2007-12-18T12:45:00.000-06:00

day after day scott works with snot nosed kids in the peak of puberty (he refers to them as human viruses because he keeps getting sick). this requires much patience as they test him with their "too good" attitude, laziness, and disobedience. he is in the classroom all day standing, talking, and probably sometimes yelling. then, he comes home to his two ladies. he says it is the best part of his day, and i am sure it is, but his job is still not done. sometimes he will get to sit on the couch and watch a show with ella but she is usually on the move and wanting him to play with her because after being with me all day, dad is so much more fun. her new request is to play "teacher" which is a little game that scott made up with her. they line up all her little friends (notice dog, minnie, pig, elmo, scott holding a cat and bunny, and elephant). either scott or ella is the teacher and they read to all the animals. this time it was ella's turn to be the teacher so she sat in a chair and read a book to scott and all her friends. wondering what the flowered necklace is around scott's neck? it is a necklace for the "guest of honor" (which scott made up) and ella chose scott. i really need to get this on video because it is hilarious. last night ella tried to get scott to put on her princess dress and tara. if it would have fit he probably would have done it...anything for his baby girl! thanks, babe, for being such a good dad!

ella's favorite things

2007-12-11T12:23:00.000-06:00

"for it is good to be children sometimes, and no better time than at Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child Himself."
-from a christmas carol by charles dickens

this has been a wonderful Christmas season with ella. she is fascinated by it all. oprah has her favorite things and so does ella...here are her top 7.

1. "the baby Jesus story"
she has requested this story so many times in the last couple of weeks that she can tell you about the angel appearing to mary, mary and joseph going to bethlehem where there was no room for them to sleep, and baby Jesus being born and sleeping in a manger. she can even tell you that there is a bright star in the sky that told the three wise men (on camels, can't forget the camels) where Jesus was and that Jesus got three presents.

2. "away in a manger"
her favorite Christmas song. she has been asking for Christmas music rather than her usual music of "wheels on the bus" so it has been a nice change.

3. shrek the halls
did you happen to catch this on abc? if not, you are totally missing out! ella loves to watch this show (we recorded it) and it is a wonderful change from the usual signing time show that she is obsessed with. thankfully, she does not understand exactly what is going on or being said in shrek but she does tell shrek to "be nice!" when he kicks everyone out of his house. her favorite are the shrek babies.

4. cindy lou who
do you remember her from "how the grinch stole christmas?" ella calls her cindy who who.

5. hot chocolate with marshmellows
this is a new treat...and i guess i shouldn't say hot chocolate but warm chocolate. a tasty treat after dinner while watching either of the above.

6. christmas trees
she loves the tree in our living room and her very own tree in her bedroom.

7. santa
ella and santa have a love/hate relationship. she loves him in books and from a distance in person. but, you get her close to sit on his lap and she goes nuts...literally, she kicked santa in the nuts!

bed, bath, and beyond

2007-12-09T21:46:00.000-06:00

"no, no i can't drink tonight...besides i got a big day tomorrow...we are going to home depot...and maybe bed, bath, and beyond...i don't know, i don't know if there will be enought time." -will ferrell in old school

some of you may quote scholars, poets, or theologians. not me. i am choosing the words of the great will ferrell (we watched old school on tv last night so that sparked this blog). scott loves home depot, as most men do. i don't know what the hype is because frankly i can't stand it. seriously, i don't like to go in there. i will sit in the car and let scott go in. i don't remember the last time i went into home depot. ..i think it was for paint when we were painting ella's room a over a year ago. i don't know what it is, but i don't like it. now, about bed, bath, and beyond. some of you may be surprised to know that scott likes this store as well. it is never a battle to get him to go. as a matter of fact, when we walk by the store, he will actually ask me if i need anything from in there (you see, he can't go in there by himself). when we go inside for a pillow, sheets, etc. scott always seems to find some treasure. it is usually a gadget of some sort in the front of the store on in one of the aisles. i think it is like a little treasure hunt for him. what usually happens is that we walk in, i go one way and scott goes another, and then i find him and he is trying to convince me that what he has found is something that we need (which we don't). so, for all you guys out there, go ahead and enjoy bed, bath, and beyond...you are not alone.

Citizen's Arrest...

2007-12-02T13:14:00.000-06:00

I want to give all of you fair warning. This is your only warning before I take action. I have on several occasions called 911 to report drunk and/or reckless driving. I called on someone this morning. Young, Caucasian, male driving a silver BMW X5. License plate : T65 BK9. (and yes...that is how I described the perpetrator to the 911 dispatch...it is the "lingo" we use in the law enforcement field). The 911 operator thanked me for my call. Yes, she did...I was doing my part. An officer was immediately dispatched to stop the reckless driver. Thanks to me.
They really should give me a gun, badge, and maybe some sort of medal.

I used to be a somewhat hazardous driver, now I am not allowed to drive like this due to an over anxious wife and child...Uhm, I mean "precious cargo." I call all the time, so watch your back...I am on the lookout.

--Officer Douglass

you know your husband when...

2007-11-26T15:09:00.000-06:00

let me set the scene: scott and i are at cvs pharmacy last night. i am getting ella out of the suburban and scott is standing right next to me looking through the car window.

scott: "can we eat leather?"
diana: "scott, stop trying to figure out if we could live in our car."
scott: (looking at me stunned) "get out of my head! get out of my head!"

ballet

2007-11-24T21:18:00.001-06:00

ella is a little too young for ballet or any sort of dance class. don't get me wrong, she loves to dance (the gonzalez genes), but i don't think a structured dance class is her thing right now. when she does eventually take dance class, and i am sure she will, this is the class i would want her in. these kids get funky, yet still keep their ballet pose. sign us up!

hurry!!!

2007-11-15T21:31:00.000-06:00

ella has picked up a lot of my little sayings. we do spend all day together so i guess that makes sense. for example, this morning she told me what she wanted for breakfast and concluded it with "sound good?" because that is what i ask her. she often says "thank you sooo much" instead of just thank you and "i'm good" when she doesn't want something (like if if ask her if she needs something to eat or drink). at first i would wonder where she got that saying and then i realized it was from me. don't worry my point is coming. last week ella said "hurry mommy!" i was stunned. at first i thought, "who is this little girl telling ME to hurry?!" then, it hit me. how often do i tell her to "hurry!" i have been very convicted about it lately. why do i rush her? now, i am not talking about the usual stall at bedtime (trying to go potty AGAIN), i am talking about the day to day stuff: putting on shoes, getting into the car, getting out of the car, going to the bathroom, eating at meal time, etc. i think our society in a whole is always in a rush. we speed while driving and eat fast food food because we don't have time to sit down and enjoy a meal. we are all about "time is money" (even though i technically don't get paid). i don't want to teach ella this. what is the big deal for me to let ella try to put on her own shoes even if it takes five minutes? i am done with rushing her. if she wants to smell the flowers on the way to the car i say smell away! if she wants to talk and talk to me instead of taking bites of her meal then i say lets keep chatting! if she wants to feed the birds right outside our car at the grocery store then feed away! if she wants to examine all the tiny rocks on the way into scott's school then look right on...mommy can wait, and daddy can, too.

"two weeks and the proper training"

2007-11-12T20:32:00.000-06:00

we took ella to the circus for the first time. i don't know who had more fun...scott or ella. from the cotton candy to the stunts and animals, they were both very impressed. i don't know how many times i heard scott say "two weeks and the proper training" which meant that was all the time he needed to do what they were doing. yes, even working with the tigers in a cage with them jumping through hoops, the motorcycle guy on the trapeze, training the elephants to stand on two legs, and being one of 6 guys riding a motorcycle in a cage...he thinks he can do it all. i love his confidence.

cotton candy bigger than her head

all smiles at the circus

ella and her friends

"two weeks and the proper training" (six motorcycles in a cage)

kmdfoto.com

2007-11-08T19:22:00.001-06:00

I have this brother and sister in law...see....and they have this business.
Before we get into this let me say a couple of things....I am not one to solicit or promote anyone, much less members of my family. I find it cheap and self-destructive. I feel that if a member of my family takes advantage of somebody else then it reflects poorly on me. That is just the way I feel.

BUT...

We had them out last weekend to take a few photos of our family and BOY OH BOY did they turn out great!! I don't want to oversell it but for the money you can't beat it.

You be the judge.

We got 50-60 photos back...here are a few examples of what I am talking about....very natural, no fake "photo shopping"....

kmdfoto.com

I think they also aren't charging any sort of travel fee for the next few months....

wine connoisseur

2007-11-07T21:15:00.000-06:00

i had scott stop by the store for a couple of things i needed for dinner tonight and he came home with a bottle of wine. this is pretty unusual. he might pick up a bottle of wine once every three months, have a glass, and then the rest of the bottle goes to waste. well, tonight he explained to me how he goes about choosing a bottle and i thought you would be interested. pretty much he goes to the wine section (usually where the red wine is) and he looks to see where there are a couple of empty bottles in a row because somebody must have thought they were good. then, he chooses the least expensive. tonight he said he chose well. thought you might want to try this sometime.

we have a little news.....

2007-11-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

all is well in the womb! we are blessed with a healthy baby. the baby was very cooperative today and let us see the sweet face, including lips and nose which look just like ella's! the baby even gave us a wave! thank you for praying for us and our baby!

a little more conservative

2007-10-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

ella got to dress up for school today. it needed to be a "positive" costume and i thought the whole punk rock thing may not fly with the church, so she had on the tutu and ballerina slippers aina got her for her birthday. thanks, aina!

ella's "happy face"

ella's "beautiful smile"

punk rock

2007-10-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

ella told me she wanted to be elmo for halloween. not excited about that idea, so i tried to convince her to be a pirate so we could all participate in the fun (i was hoping scott would be captain jack sparrow). she repeatedly said "no, i don't like it." i tried everything...dorathy, a hot dog, a cat...anything but elmo! so lulu, being the good grandma that she is, finds ella an elmo costume. since getting that costume i have tried everything to get her in it but she will have nothing to do with it. she would still tell people she is going to be elmo for halloween but she won't put the costume on. well, we had a fall festival with our community over the weekend and i was desperate. i had to think of something ella could dress up as without actually dressing up. what better than a punk rocker? so here is my two year old with a totally homemade a rockin' costume:

side poneytail...check.
pink hair...check.
purple, blue, and green eyeshadow...check.
off the shoulder shirt...check.
ripped pantyhose...check.
short denim skirt...check.
pearls...check.
microphone...check.

here is my totally 80's punk rock ella!

yelling "rock and roll" into the microphone

daddy with his 80's queen

punk rocker and cowgirl (rilyn)

Rogaine - US$45.95 for 60 ml

2007-10-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

I am a little sensitive about the "big callic" I have growing in the back part of my scalp. Today in class all was quiet. A young boy out of nowhere says, "Mr. Douglass you have a bald spot." I say (pretty effing annoyed) "yeah, well I got a wife and kid...what do you got big guy"? He, without blinking, responds "well, I don't have a bald spot!" He smirks and goes back to his worksheet. I sit there staring at his full head of hair, shocked, and wondering how many days of self therapy I am going to have to put myself through. Damn.

liam, ella, and gooey stuff

2007-10-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

aina put this on her blog and i had to share it. here is ella with her cousins, liam and burke, on their way to get ice cream with aina and cub cub (caleb). she doesn't get too much time to be silly with boys because most of her friends in our neighborhood are girls, so she is loving it! the trip would not be complete without a little yelling from ella and someone having to tell her to be quiet.

note to self: stop saying "ohmygosh!" in front of ella

destin in october

2007-10-20T16:32:00.000-05:00

my mom and dad were in destin last week. lulu (my mom) called to talk to ella and started telling her all about the beach, trying to get her to want to go. well, she did not have to try very hard because ella immediately said, "mommy, we go to the beach!" she was telling me we were going to the beach, not really asking. so, i took that as an invitation from my parents. next thing you know ella and i are on a plane and off to destin. ella is a great little traveler. she is 2 now so she has her own seat, which i love! she has been on a plane several times so she knows the whole routine...going through security, handing the agent her ticket, buckling seatbelts, and telling the flight attendant what she wants to drink. she loves it!

we had such a wonderful time in destin. the weather was beautiful so we got to take rides on papi's boat and see dolphin, swim in the pool, and build sandcastles (this is new.) last time we were in desting (in may) ella was not such a fan of the sand but she went running full speed this time. what she was not a fan of this time was the ocean...she actually remembers her "bonky at the beach" from california (see "ella vs. seal beach" for more info). she would barely put her feet in the water so i had to hold her. hoping she gets over this one. it is always so wonderful being with my parents. i did not have to cook and i don't think i even washed one dish! what a treat! ella absolutely adores them so she is always very entertained. lulu always
makes sure ella has little snacks and even took her to the build a bear workshop! too spoiled!

ella and her suitcase

building sandcastles

driving papi's boat

tag your man

2007-10-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

aina said she wanted me to do this so here you go....

The Game of Tag about your MAN:
 
1. Who is your man? Scott Paul
 2. How long have you been together? married 4 years on november 8th (together a total of about 6)
 3. How long dated? 2 years
 4. How old is your man? 29...he turns the big 3-0 in April.
 5. Who eats more? usually scott but lately my cravings have been crazy!
 6. Who said "I love you" first? he did.
 7. Who is taller? scott. he is 6ft 4in...i don't stand a chance.
 8. Who sings better? he says i do, but he definitely likes to sing a lot more than i do. i think the problem with his singing is that he can never remember the words to songs!
 9. Who is smarter? scott, for sure. i made better grades in college but my classes were probably easier and i actually studied.
 10. Whose temper is worse? me...especially lately! gotta love the hormones!
 11. Who does the laundry? i do. scott only uses the dryer when he needs to "iron" a shirt.
 12. Who takes out the garbage? usually scott.
 13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? if you are looking at the bed, i am on the right. it is closer to the bathroom and further from the windows (which for a year had a light shining in...we finally got black out shades!)
 14. Who pays the bills? scott. he is very good at it and has his own little system, but come to think of it our water has gotten turned of three times in the past 2 years. hmmmmm.
 15. Who is better with the computer? totally scott. i don't know much.
 16. Who mows the lawn? scott. i have never mowed a day in my life (what can i say, my dad or brother did it!)
 17. Who cooks dinner? i do, unless we are grilling out.
 18. Who drives when you are together? scott.
 19. Who pays when you go out? we have cash in our entertainment envelope, so usually me because i keep track of the envelopes.
 20. Who is most stubborn? me, me, me!
 21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? scott, for sure!
 22. Whose parents do you see the most? mine...popi and lulu can't go 2 weeks without princess ella!
 23. Who kissed who first? he kissed me.
 24. Who asked who out? he did.
 25. Who proposed? scott.
 26. Who is more sensitive? scott, scott, scott! dave kiesel is quoted as saying "so sensitive" to describe scott. i have to say that ella has gotten his sensitivity.
 27. Who has more friends? probably me although scott has gotten more social the last 4 years. scott has maybe 4 really good friends, which is all he needs.
 28. Who has more siblings? scott does...an older and younger brother (mark and tim) and two younger sisters (kinzee and karlee)
 29. Who wears the pants in the family? there is no question that scott is the head of our house. i trust him completely with all the big decisions. i make the smaller decisions, like planning when we go out of town and stuff like that. i once got a forune in a fortune cookie that says "the husband is the boss if the wife allows"...i still have the fortune.

julie, jen, and vanessa you need to do this!
 

ella has something to tell you...

2007-10-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

(read her shirt!)

yes, its true...ella is going to be a BIG sister! we are very, very excited! i am actually surprised how aware ella is of what is going on. she told her teachers that there is a "baby in mommy's tummy" and that she is going to be a big sister. she loves, loves babies...especially real ones. she got to hold baby halle from down the street and wants to go see her everyday. i am already 17 weeks along and the baby is due march 15th, just in time for spring break. now, we did not find out that ella was a girl and i thought it was amazing. scott, on the other hand, really wants to find out on this one. he says its his turn to decide. the verdict is still out. we have a month to decide.

neo

2007-10-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

scott had a little guy in his class named neo. well, his name isn't really neo. its a funny story. his name is tristan and he asked scott to call him neo (guess he likes the matrix?) so scott, being the great guy that he is, agreed. scott later asked him if anyone else, like the other teachers, calls him neo. he said no. scott was a little confused but still called him neo. in getting to know neo, scott found out that he was a foster child. he was withdrawn from school yesterday because he was moving to live with another family and he would be in a different school district. apparently this will be his fifth family. he is waiting for his older brother to get enough money to legally adopt him. this just broke my heart. not only is this little guy moving to a different school and having to meet new friends but he is moving to yet again another house. i could not imagine that. scott said that neo acted really cool about it and was probably used to it, and i am sure that he is right, but i have been so burdened for this little boy. i know that there are tons of kids in this same situation but this is one that we know and that we can pray for. we pray that he would not feel rejection but know that he is adopted as a son of God and that the family that he is with now would take really good care of him. we hope to still be able to keep in touch with him. please remember to pray for tristan.

zilker park

2007-10-01T21:41:00.001-05:00

ella and i spent a morning at zilker park. like i said earlier, ella just loves dumbo and kept asking to ride a train, so i took her to ziler park to play and ride the train. ella had a great time playing with friends at the park. up the stairs and down the slide about a hundred times! ella was very excited to sit on the train and hear the bell ring. she even yelled, "all aboard!" after the train ride we sat to eat lunch. this is where the story gets interesting. we are sitting at a picnic table and down the hill from the picnic area is barton springs where people go swimming. i glance at the water and notice a man walking up the other side of the hill. i thought to myself, "is he wearing a nude colored bathingsuit?" then i noticed he was holding his bathing suit in his hand and before i could look away he turned around. yup, he was naked! i freaked and yelled to my friends that there was a naked man up the hill. now, he was a great distance away but we could still tell he was naked. he proceeded up the hill and to make matters worse, he sits indian style on a blanket to meditate...still naked! he sat there the whole time we ate lunch. for some reason i lost my appetite. just a normal day in austin, i guess. (oh, and don't think i am a perv. i had to take the picture to tell the story on our blog.)

ella on the train

ella chasing the birds instead of eating lunch

the naked guy...

don't be fooled...i wasn't this close...scott fixed the picture!

mr. douglass

2007-09-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

okay, some of you know that scott has done several different things as an occupation over the last couple of years. it is his personality to do something and then want to do something totally different. well, he has done it again. did i tell you that scott is a teacher? yup, he's teaching 6th grade world cultures at pflugerville middle school. he is doing such an awesome job! most of the parents say that scott is their child's favorite teacher (of course!) and scott's friend across the hall refers to scott as "mcsteamy of the hallway" (i guess some little girls have a crush on him!) i think its great! he comes home exhausted but with great stories! there is never a dull moment in his class for sure. the kids really do love his class even though they try to push his buttons (he has only made a couple of kids cry...that is another story). teaching is the hardest and most rewarding job, as scott is finding out. it has its daily challenges but scott is sticking with it and is an amazing teacher. way to go, babe!

he had open house a couple of weeks ago. they had a dinner before the open house so i went up there to eat with him. as i was leaving and students were entering his classroom with their parents i was reminded of how greatful i am that i am not in 6th grade anymore. crooked teeth and bad hair, no thanks! i look at pictures and i honestly don't know what i was thinking...i am sure all of you can relate and if you say you can't then you are lying!

quote of the week

2007-09-21T07:56:00.000-05:00

last night we were sitting down and eating dinner. ella loves to pray so this was the third time we held hands and prayed. it went a little something like this:

scott: Jesus, thank you for daddy and mommy.....
ella (interupting): and lipstick! amen!

i blame aina and yuna mostly for ella's love of lip gloss (which she calls lipstick). ella knows that they always have lip gloss and will put some on her. growing up so fast already.

happy birthday, ella!

2007-09-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

today is ella's birthday. two years ago our lives were changed forever. i always say that my wedding day was my favorite day and hearing "its a girl" when she was born is my favorite moment. okay, i will admit it, i secrectly wanted a girl. we celebrated ella's birthday over the weekend. a lot of our family came in town to celebrate...even uncle eddie from new york! ella had a great day today. she went to school and shared cookies with her friends and they sang happy birthday to her. she loved it! for dinner we went to chick-fil-a because she loves the playscape. of all days their ice cream machine was not working so we had to go to sonic to get her ice cream. after all, we had promised her ice cream and she did not forget it.

i realize that some of you may not get to see ella very often or may have never even met her, so i will tell you a little about her. she was born bright eyed and bushy tailed (isn't that the expression?). no joke, literally bright eyed...look at the picture...seriously, she was a day old and staring directly at whoever was holding her. to this day she has her big eyes open and does not want to miss out on anything (she gets that from scott). ella is full of life and energy (again, from scott) and keeps us on our toes. she has a tender heart and is sensitive (like scott) and can be VERY stubborn (like mommy). ella has lots of friends...if she meets you once, you are friends for life...no joke, she won't forget you and will probably talk about you for days! i love everything about this little girl. we have been truly, truly blessed with ella. what did we ever do without her?!

here are a few things you might like to know about ella:
favorite toy: babies, babies, babies
favorite book: "santa clause" (yes, i know it is out of season but she loves it) and "guess how much i love you"
favorite color: orange (i don't know why, but she loves it...she even has an "orange song" that she makes up)
favorite movie: dumbo (only makes it through the first 15 minutes)
favorite song: at the moment, "i'm bringing home a baby bumblebee"

september 18, 2005

september 16, 2007

New for this week.

2007-09-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

Found some sort of grub worm last night in my grapes. Near miss. Stay tuned.

judgement

2007-09-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

we were at the round rock outlet getting scott some new clothes, which he desperately needed. so there we were looking at shirts for scott and ella somehow managed to take her water bottle and dump it on top of her head. yes, her head, and a lot of water. her hair was soaking wet as well as her back, butt, and stroller. she started crying and saying "i'm wet!" so i took off her shirt, which was soaked and headed to the gap where they were having a huge clearance sale. i got her a tank and shorts for a total of $5, quite a steal. oh, and this is not the first time this has happened. once yuna and i were at old navy and somehow ella spilt her milk all over her dress and stroller so once again she was stripped down and i had to buy her a new, cheap outfit. okay, this is not the point of my story. the point is that as ella and i headed to the gap something happened. let me first give you a little background to my day. ella has not been feeling well all week. she has really bad allergies, a cough, and an ear infection in both her ears. she was up a little early and was very grouchy all day. i had to lay down with her to nap because when she woke up to caugh or sneeze she wanted to know that i was right there. needless to say i did not get a shower. i was wearing a white tank top (wife beater), baggy jeans, and a cap...not looking my best by any means. so, here i am looking like you know what carrying my daughter whose hair is wet, she has no shirt on (you could see her bikini tan), but she is wearing her camo capris and her crocs. she did not look her best either and she was being fussy because her but was still wet and she was cold. we were both looking a little rough. as i am walking i see two ladies strolling their babies. one of them glances at me (not a very nice look on her face) and then proceeds to stare at ella! i mean STARE! she even turned her head a little as we walked past. i just wanted to turn around and explain the tiring day (or should i say week) that i had with a sick child and that i am not a bad mother who does not keep her child appropriately dressed. she had NO idea of our circumstances. as i was festering in my anger of her judging me, i realized i had also been judging her and the lady with her. you see they stroll by all dressed up with their babies laying so quietly in their mcclaren strollers (for those of you who don't know, mcclaren strollers are the porches of strollers). my first thought was, "who does she think she is staring at me? is she miss perfect with her perfect stroller (and here i am using my cheapy umbrella stroller)? so perfect in her perfect outfit! and how is she strolling in those shoes!" it was then i realized we were judging each other. as much as i hated to admit it, i was judging her. i have realized that it isn't easy being a mom. it is the best job and the most challenging. i would say the the harshest critics to moms are other moms. usually it is nothing done on purpose, like today, it just happens. no more i say! you can stroll past me in your umbrella stroller or peg perrego. you can have a peacefully sleeping child or one throwing a tantrum. your little one can be in just a diaper or an outfit with matching bows. still, no judgement here. we're all moms. we know we all have good days and bad days. we don't do everything perfectly, though we try to. we just try to be the best mom for our child(ren)...and that's enough.

the doulgass family vacation

2007-09-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

so, a couple of weeks ago we went on the douglass family vacation. not just our douglass family but everyone...mark and bethany with their 3 little ones, tim and kristen, sam and joanne with their girls, as well as scott's aunt, cousins, and grandparents. yup, for the most part, we were all there. this was our second douglass family vacation. this year we went to lake conroe. we had good times riding on the boat, swimming, and just hanging out. that was the week ella learned the word "brave" as mommy would tell her "you are so brave!" she really was very brave that week. she went tubing with her daddy. this upset her aunt aina who is always concerned about ella's well being, but she was perfectly fine. the boat did not go too fast, although ella did love hitting the waves...that was when we saw a big smile on her face! plus, scott knew that if something were to happen to ella he would never hear the end of it from me! she also loved swimming in the lake (yes, she was wearing a life jacket). as a matter of fact, every time the boat stopped she wanted to jump in the water. ella also went horseback riding. not a pony ride, but a real big horse...at least the horse looked huge with little ella sitting on it. she was a little nervous at first but LOVED it. she is still talking about her horse, "hercules." we had a great time hanging out with family. it was good to sit back and talk and let the kids run around. ella adores her cousins! oh, and yes, we all had matching t-shirts...it would not be the douglass family vacation without them.

the little ones last year...

...and this year! blythe is the new addition

ella swimming with mommy

ella tubing with daddy

Protein.

2007-08-23T21:52:00.000-05:00

Another useless post by me.
I usually consider myself a very blessed man...some might say that I am abnormally lucky. Its true, I can think of many, many times where I'll just walk into a situation and it turns out to be incredibly favorable specific to me.
This is all very nice, and I am very grateful for these times. But there is one area of my existence that I am VERY, VERY unlucky. Food.
I always find unwanted things in my food. Examples: a shredded roach in my frosted mini wheats, ants in my jolly rancher, and ohhh the hairs!! Hairs, hairs everywhere...all the time. Long, short...I get them all.
Today was a fun one! A bit tricky, as I almost missed this one and gobbled it down, but years of experience have trained my eyes.
Fresh dried mango. Yummy. Recommended by my brother Tim last week, I ran out and bought this delicious treat.
I should have read the label :)
Notice in the second picture the bite marks so close to the intruder. Near miss!

--scott

ella vs. seal beach

2007-08-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

when we were in california we took ella to the beach. we went to seal beach which is where i went a lot when growing up. ella was very excited. no, really, she kept saying "i am so excited!" so, there is a park on the beach which we played at for a while but ella wanted to go put her feet in the ocean. that was a direct request. i thought for sure she would change her mind for two reasons. one...she says the "sand is messy" and well, i can't blame her because i was the EXACT same way when i was little. two...the water was really cold. but, off we go with uncle gus. ella was holding my hand laughing wildly while running in and out of the water and letting the waves get us. having the time of her life. then she decides to let go of my hand and darts for the water. i am just watching her at this point knowing that she won't go in very far (we were only going in to our ankles). i guess she got a little top heavy because she does a forward roll, landing on her back in the sand and just inches of water. if that's not bad enough in comes a wave to sweep right over her. it all happened in an instant. i was that terrible mother who was laughing so hard i could hardly pick her up. good thing uncle gussy was there to capture the "after" pictures.

ella and uncle gussy

brave ella heading into the water

"i got a bonky!"

taking off her clothes...sand was EVERYWHERE...including and not limited to hair, ears, nose, and belly button

"mom, stop laughing...i am freezing!"

remembering nana

2007-08-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

ella meets nana for the first time

on nana's birthday

i was so blessed to be in california this past week with my papa, my mom, and her brothers to remember nana on her birthday, august 7th. nana would have been 79. it was a perfect california day with the sun shining and a nice breeze. we went up to the cemetary in the morning and all the family was together for dinner that night. my mom made the most beautiful flower arrangement with dark and light pink roses. nana loved pink and looked so good in it. as a matter of fact she is wearing pink in this picture. this is my most favorite picture of nana and ella. it is the first time nana met ella. let me tell you nana did not want to miss out on anything...i guess that is where my mom gets it. my nana came from california to be in dallas that weekend because that was the first night scott and i were going out alone with aina and caleb (without ella). we went to go see the musical, wicked, and nana babysat with my mom and dad. she was also there that weekend for ella's blessing (a little gathering we had at my parents house). she was even here in austin for ella's first birthday! that was just the type of nana she was. she was there for countless soccer games, holidays, and anything that she knew was important to us. i remember talking to her on the phone in the hospital just before i had ella and she was so excited. when my mom came into the room after i had ella i told her she had to call nana and tell her its a girl (we had decided not to find out). nana was absolutely beautiful...everything about her. she had the "gentle and quiet spirit" that all of us ladies strive for. she always had a smile on her face and was she was so funny (especially when she didn't mean to be). we have our nana quotes that we say to each other that always make us remember her and laugh. we always say "call me later" becuase that is what nana said on her voicemail. so funny...instead of saying "i'll call you back" she says "call me later" in her sweet voice...i think it is great! another classic is "never you mind." that came about a couple years ago when yuna came to california with me. we went out to a sports bar and yes, nana was in tow because like i said, she can't miss out on anything. so, there we are and yuna walks by to go to the bathroom and nana notices that two older guys are checking out yuna so she tells them, "never you mind, never you mind." it was awesome! oh, nana. not a day goes by where i don't think about my nana and wish i could just pick up the phone to have one of our daily chats. she was so special to all of us grandkids. i am so thankful that she was a part of my life and ella's life, too. ella got to sit on nana's lap and snuggle next to her in bed...such sweet memories for me. thank you, Jesus, for blessing us with such a precious nana.

wii update

2007-08-02T16:28:00.000-05:00

scott went to target yesterday and wouldn't you know it...there was a wii. they got in three that morning and scott happened to get one of the three. coincidence? i don't think so. scott set it up last night and we did some bowling and tennis. scott has me on a strict tennis training program so we can be ready to take on aina and caleb in doubles tennis. oh, and vanessa, next time you and ross are touring texas you will stop in austin to experience the wii. you will be very glad you did.

the wii

2007-07-31T21:57:00.000-05:00

for those of you who have been living under a rock for the last couple of months, nintendo has a new game system called the wii. i will be honest, i am not a big fan of these types of games. sure, i had a nintendo growing up and even a sega but i think i was done with all that after about 7th grade. scott and caleb used to continually try to get me and aina to play xbox with them...no success. a couple years ago scott used to play halo online, wearing his little headset, and talking smack to middle school kids. oh, and scott and caleb also played some sort of rainbow 6 game, at least i think that is what it is called. i remember it had planes of some sort and they would try to shoot each other down. come to think of it caleb did get aina to play that game once. he took her helicopter down immediately and she was not happy. i don't think she ever played the game with him again. okay, back to the wii. it is awesome. i was a doubter at first but now i am sold. sold, sold, sold. it all started this past weekend when we had friends come in town and they brought their wii. we played all weekend. we bowled, golfed, and played tennis. i can't tell you how sore i am. my left leg is sore from lunging while bowling. i have to add that scott totally made fun of my bowling technique saying that i lunged too far. okay, so i got a little into it. my right shoulder and arm is so sore i can hardly move it and that is from the tennis. i know that the wii is all in the wrist but let me tell you that i was moving all around the room jumping and swinging. plus, it is more fun to act like you are really playing tennis. i have told scott that i really think we need to get a wii. i know it is expensive but the way i see it, we can have date night right in our living room. we can bowl, golf, or play tennis. after playing the last few days i really think it has brought us closer together. i am in full support of the wii.

thriller

2007-07-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

scott did not appreciate this as much as i did but i think most of you will really enjoy this. i am a child of the 80's and still love 80's music. my favorite dance of the 80's just happens to be from the "thriller" video (michael jackson for those who are not familiar). my love for this dance really came back a couple years ago when i saw the movie 13 going on 30 (which scott hates) because they do this dance in the movie. anyways, i came across this video and it is hilarious. i think the funny part is that these guys are in a rehab and detention center in the philippines...oh, and that one of the guys is playing the "girl" part from the "thriller" video. you have to have seen the actual video to appreciate this. i thought it was hilarious. note to self, if ever going to a rehab or detention center, check into one in the philippines to learn awesome "thriller" dance.

stinky feet

2007-07-15T13:40:00.000-05:00

scott and i went to the movies to see harry potter. i loved it, but that is not the point. the movie theater was very crowded since we were seeing potter on a friday night. the guy to my right he had the stinkiest feet i have ever smelt! he was pretty tall so even though there was an open seat between us, when he would prop his long leg on his knee they were right in smelling view! NASTY! here i am trying to enjoy a movie and i am about to throw up in my mouth because of this guys stinky feet. i couldn't even eat my whoppers. scott thought i was being really lovey dovey leaning on him but i was just trying to get away from the smell. when i finally told scott that the guy next to me had stinky feet, he said he noticed the smell but thought i had been farting. yeah, right. okay, for all of you who wear chacos, reefs, or tevas as courtesy to those around you PLEASE wash them and your feet regularly! use bleach if you have to.

quote of the year

2007-07-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

we're in church last sunday and scott leans over and says to me, "hey, let's put our heads together and act like we're praying but talk about where we are going to eat after church." classic. spoken like a true preacher's kid.

scott says that in his defense he was really hungry because he did not eat breakfast and really tired because the sermon was long and boring (the pastor was on vacation). now, i did lean over to scott once during the service and whisper that i was hungry but i would have never said to "act like we are praying" to talk about lunch plans. i could not stop laughing when he told me this. the first thing i thought was that this was definitely blog worthy. i have used this quote a couple of times already and hope that you can, too.

black mamba

2007-07-08T07:48:00.000-05:00

we recently had some friends over for a game of poker. there was a $5 buy in (the wives are cheap and keeping to the family budgets) and you could buy back in for $5...yes, scott had to buy back in. well, i happen to win this 3 hour poker game and here is the picture to prove it. i won with a straight...or maybe it was a flush...the one where the numbers are in order but the suits don't match. i was given the nickname "black mamba" (i was wearing a black t-shirt). i may not know what everything is called but i know when to bet. when i won a hand they guys would say that the black mamba has attcked. well, the black mamba kicked some butt and won $40...maybe we should of had the $10 buy in.

Diana

2007-07-05T08:09:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you about my loving wife:

She turns 26 today. She is the mother of my child. She is my best friend and confidant.
I have seen wisdom and grace grow in her over the last five years. She has more patience than I could ever have. My wife is a woman who deeply desires to grow in the Lord. She has always had a tender heart towards the Lord. She continually presents herself as vulnerable and trusting to the Lord. She is open to anything He has for her and at any cost. She cries when she sees suffering in the world. She wants to build as many bunk beds as she can in our house so we can shelter the worlds needy children. She is giving. She will offer anything we have to anyone who needs it. She is an early riser who makes sure our child is fed before herself. She is the organized and clean one in the family. Her days are filled with household tasks that allow our family to function. There is much laughter in our house because she creates an environment that allows laughter. My wife has a stubborn streak that when opposed will not fail. She will defend me to anyone at anytime. She is one of the most selfless, frugal people you will ever meet. She cuts coupons and gets excited when she finds a good one. I can't remember the last time she paid full price for any item of clothing. If there is a decision between buying something for the family or for her she will pick the family every single time. She loves me when I don't deserve it. She is my greatest blessing.

Happy Birthday Diana!

PS. Also, she kinda snorts sometimes when she laughs. She always says she does it on purpose. I don't believe her.

eddie dancing

2007-07-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

okay, this is a MUST see. i still haven't stopped laughing! some of you may remember my brother, eddie, from my wedding. for those of you who don't, let me fill you in. eddie is from new york...accent and all...and he LOVES to dance (very much like our dad). if there is music on in a room he is dancing to it. when we went on a cruise everyone at the night club on the ship thought eddie was on staff with the cruise and that his job was to be entertainment and get people to dance. no kidding. we would be walking around with him and people would say,"hey, there goes that guy that dances." on our wedding dvd, i think half of it is eddie dancing at our reception...the douglass' got aquainted to the "gonzalez" way of having a party very fast. here he is dancing at AJ's in destin. please note that he is dancing to the macarena but not doing the "macarena"...he is doing his own dance. i can't decide if my favorite part is the break dancing or the forward roll. i LOVE it!!! click below.

-diana