the dog days of summer

As the final days of summer are passing and the fall beginning we realize that we have had a number of new experiences over the past few months. We wanted to share a few of these with you before so much time passes that we forget they even happened!

Our little guy, Ethan, started on real foods this summer. From 4 to 6 months he ate rice cereal, which he did amazing with from day one! I think it helps that mom knew a bit more about how to give a kid a fighting chance when they are first learning to eat, but I was pretty impressed with his overall ability to jump right into solids! This past month we started him on his veggies, and just a few mornings ago tried his first fruit.....pears. Now he refuses plain cereal anymore...I guess once you've tasted the good stuff who can blame him!

We have had some very long, hot days. At times all we could do was just sit as still as possible. You can imagine how hot it was when you realize that Scott had a toddler boy sitting completely still! We are thankful that the electricity has been better than the summer we first arrived, although it had its challenges this summer as well! At least we get some bragging rights for having made it through each day of 110+ degree temps! In fact it was so hot that Scott's croc sandals curled up and melted! We had no idea that such a thing was even possible, but for those that endure this sort of weather, don't leave your sandals outside!

We also were able to have some fun personal experiences. We had a wonderful fourth of July at a park outside of the city. We enjoyed hamburgers, potato salad and watermelon just as though we were back in the US with all of you! Zeke also got to go to his first movie in the theater. He saw Toy Story 3 and LOVED it! He was so cute sitting in that big old chair with his little tub of popcorn. The theater staff were even kind enough not to charge him for a ticket (I love this culture:-)). Now he asks us all the time when we are going to go see his "feater movie"
We also were very excited to finish our long English course that we did in partnership with a new university starting here. Although tiring, it was a great experience for us and we enjoyed working with high school students once again. The picture below is from our graduation day.


Overall it was a great summer. We are looking forward to a great fall that is ahead of us and are anxious to see what God wants to do in our lives next. This week ends the month of fasting for Ramadan and is followed by a week that is full of visits, fun and lots of food! It is a great time of celebration and we are looking forward to connecting with friends we haven't seen for awhile. Following that time things will get rolling at our center as well, so more to come!