So I finally got around to downloading all the videos of our video camera (it still had Christmas videos on it) and found a couple of cute ones I thought you might enjoy. Jaydon can now tell anyone who asks how old he is and him and daddy are always finding amusing ways to keep themselves entertained.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Bubbles and Circles
I'm sure it's no surprise to you to find out that Jaydon loves bubbles. 
It's one of his many words and it a great way to get him to cooperate when washing his hands or in the tub. We've also learned that it's well worth investing in the premium bubble solutions that is much thicker and much more satisfying to blow bubbles from. We can fill the whole kitchen with them (just be sure to cover up your wine). 
(You also get a great shot of one of Jaydon's worst haircuts so far. It was completely crooked and he was called a little girl until we went and got it fixed...)
Jaydon is also getting much more stable on his feet. He likes to practice keeping his balance while turning in circles.
It's one of his many words and it a great way to get him to cooperate when washing his hands or in the tub. We've also learned that it's well worth investing in the premium bubble solutions that is much thicker and much more satisfying to blow bubbles from. We can fill the whole kitchen with them (just be sure to cover up your wine). (You also get a great shot of one of Jaydon's worst haircuts so far. It was completely crooked and he was called a little girl until we went and got it fixed...)Jaydon is also getting much more stable on his feet. He likes to practice keeping his balance while turning in circles.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Night at the Opera
Placido Domingo - a world famous tenor opera singer came to Doha for the grand opening of one of the restaurants he owns. 
They set up a gigantic tent out in the Pearl (which is Doha's equivalent of Dubai's Jumeria Palm island) and had him perform a night of opera. 
The show was a lot of fun with great dancing, singing, and costumes. The venue didn't quite have the proper acoustics for such a show but Placido is a great performer and did 4 different encores to the cheers of the audience. It was a fun night out.
They set up a gigantic tent out in the Pearl (which is Doha's equivalent of Dubai's Jumeria Palm island) and had him perform a night of opera. The show was a lot of fun with great dancing, singing, and costumes. The venue didn't quite have the proper acoustics for such a show but Placido is a great performer and did 4 different encores to the cheers of the audience. It was a fun night out.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Birthdays - part 4, Tristian, Santiago, and Nicholas
There always seems to be someone in the compound having a birthday. Jaydon's good friend Nicholas turned 2. 
At the party we pulled out the inflatable pool and filled it with balls. 
It was a big hit with the kids (and the parents). Our next door neighbors Tristain and Santiago also had their birthday party. 
Tristian turned 3 and Santiago 1. They had lots of great game set-up and grandma even got into the fun of musical chairs. 
She didn't last very long though. 
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Jerash, Jordan
On our last day in Jordan, Jaydon and I took it easy and caught up on some much needed sleep and Grandma headed out to see more of the sites. 
Jerash is one of the most complete roman city ruins discovered which means the entire city has been recovered, not just a few buildings or a single church. 
I saw it last time we were in Jordan and highly recommend the visit. 
It's an easy hour drive from Amman and well worth the trip. 
Grandma saw the sights and made friends with some of the local Jordain school boys practicing their English.
Jerash is one of the most complete roman city ruins discovered which means the entire city has been recovered, not just a few buildings or a single church. I saw it last time we were in Jordan and highly recommend the visit. It's an easy hour drive from Amman and well worth the trip. Grandma saw the sights and made friends with some of the local Jordain school boys practicing their English.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Petra, Jordan
The highlight of the trip to Jordan was definitely Petra. 
This is one of those places that every one must see - and no the Indiana Jones movie doesn't count. 
We strapped Jaydon into his backpack and headed out for a day in the desert, rocks, and ruins of Petra. The first attraction for Jaydon was all the horses and donkeys. Since donkeys sound so much like doggies he was content to call everything a doggy. 
The weather ended up being perfect with just a little chill to make long sleeves comfortable to help protect tender skin from the intense sun. It's a fairly short and easy walk to the first ruin known as the treasury. 
You see all kinds of interesting people on this part of the walk from the back packers (like us) ready for a full day of hiking to the leisure tourists who just jumped out of their car and thought a quick hike in flip flops and sun dresses (and usually no water) was a good idea. 
This is the ruin used in the Indiana Jones movie. Every time I see it I expect big stone balls to come rolling out or big knives to come jutting out of the walls. I think Jaydon was impressed all same. 
From the Treasury the valley opens up and you can see ruins of an entire city that used to thrive here in the rocks. These are small houses carved into the rock. 
They even carved out an amphitheatre (it was later 'remodeled' by the Romans). 
The further you walk down the valley the more interesting ruins you see. All of them are perched up in the cliffs so the residents must have appreciated a good view. 
And with the beautiful patterns that the sandstone makes in the area they didn't even have to decorate the walls. 
It was about a 2 hour walk to the place where we had lunch. After getting refueled and rested we started the big climb up to the monastery. 
My goal for this trip was to make it to that ruin since the last time I went to Petra I was 7 months pregnant and was not able to make the climb. The hike was very interesting and a little tricky at times. 
Jaydon had spent all morning in the back pack without an issue and was content to watch the world go by from his perch. 
The climb was intense and I was happy it wasn't a step further then it was. When we reached the top we were rewarded with the magnificent ruin. 
It was well worth the climb! 
After all that hiking it was time for a break. Jaydon happily played with the rocks and sand for a good hour while we regained our strength for the hike back down. 
We also got a show from one of the local boys who had climbed the facade of the monastery and was standing on top of the main steeple (yep, that's a person up there). 
He was doing tricks and flipping off of it to the gasps of the tourists and cheers of his buddies down on the ground. 
Since we had accomplished our goal of hiking to the Monastery on the way back down we were a bit more relaxed and took the time to chat with a few of the locals. We met Ahmed, who was just a few months younger than Jaydon, and his mother and grandmother. 
We sat and had tea and let the little boys play. One of Ahmed's cousins came by on his donkey and gave Jaydon a ride. 
He wanted to trade me the donkey for Jaydon but I didn't think the donkey would fit in the plane very well. 
On the way back down we got to see all of the neat ruins again and enjoy them in the cool afternoon light. The camels were getting ready to call it a day and Jaydon had finally seen everything he could manage and fell fast asleep. 
Napping in a backpack is pretty tough, his poor head was flopping everywhere but he got in a good 20 minutes and was ready for more sight-seeing. 
We got one more good look at the Treasury and called it a day. 
Said good-bye to the doggies and hiked back to the hotel for a well deserved rest. 
This is one of those places that every one must see - and no the Indiana Jones movie doesn't count. We strapped Jaydon into his backpack and headed out for a day in the desert, rocks, and ruins of Petra. The first attraction for Jaydon was all the horses and donkeys. Since donkeys sound so much like doggies he was content to call everything a doggy. The weather ended up being perfect with just a little chill to make long sleeves comfortable to help protect tender skin from the intense sun. It's a fairly short and easy walk to the first ruin known as the treasury. You see all kinds of interesting people on this part of the walk from the back packers (like us) ready for a full day of hiking to the leisure tourists who just jumped out of their car and thought a quick hike in flip flops and sun dresses (and usually no water) was a good idea. This is the ruin used in the Indiana Jones movie. Every time I see it I expect big stone balls to come rolling out or big knives to come jutting out of the walls. I think Jaydon was impressed all same. From the Treasury the valley opens up and you can see ruins of an entire city that used to thrive here in the rocks. These are small houses carved into the rock. They even carved out an amphitheatre (it was later 'remodeled' by the Romans). The further you walk down the valley the more interesting ruins you see. All of them are perched up in the cliffs so the residents must have appreciated a good view. And with the beautiful patterns that the sandstone makes in the area they didn't even have to decorate the walls. It was about a 2 hour walk to the place where we had lunch. After getting refueled and rested we started the big climb up to the monastery. My goal for this trip was to make it to that ruin since the last time I went to Petra I was 7 months pregnant and was not able to make the climb. The hike was very interesting and a little tricky at times. Jaydon had spent all morning in the back pack without an issue and was content to watch the world go by from his perch. The climb was intense and I was happy it wasn't a step further then it was. When we reached the top we were rewarded with the magnificent ruin. It was well worth the climb! After all that hiking it was time for a break. Jaydon happily played with the rocks and sand for a good hour while we regained our strength for the hike back down. We also got a show from one of the local boys who had climbed the facade of the monastery and was standing on top of the main steeple (yep, that's a person up there). He was doing tricks and flipping off of it to the gasps of the tourists and cheers of his buddies down on the ground. Since we had accomplished our goal of hiking to the Monastery on the way back down we were a bit more relaxed and took the time to chat with a few of the locals. We met Ahmed, who was just a few months younger than Jaydon, and his mother and grandmother. We sat and had tea and let the little boys play. One of Ahmed's cousins came by on his donkey and gave Jaydon a ride. He wanted to trade me the donkey for Jaydon but I didn't think the donkey would fit in the plane very well. On the way back down we got to see all of the neat ruins again and enjoy them in the cool afternoon light. The camels were getting ready to call it a day and Jaydon had finally seen everything he could manage and fell fast asleep. Napping in a backpack is pretty tough, his poor head was flopping everywhere but he got in a good 20 minutes and was ready for more sight-seeing. We got one more good look at the Treasury and called it a day. Said good-bye to the doggies and hiked back to the hotel for a well deserved rest.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sights around Dead Sea
While at the Dead Sea we took a day to visit a few of the historical sights since this is the birth place of Christianity. First stop was Jesus' baptism site. 
Not much to look at but it was a nice walk to get there and was the first time we were able to use the backpack for Jaydon on the trip. 
We also went down to the Jordan River which denotes the border between Israel and Jordon. 
The river is really small, really more of a creek but in the dessert if it has water all year then it's a river. 
That's Israel in the background there. Grandma also did some water playing of her own in the holy water at the river. 
Next stop was lunch. 
Our driver took us to a local restaurant which ended up being catered for the tourists so we got a picture of Jaydon at the tourist table. Next stop was Mount Nebo. 
The day had turned to cloudy for us to view the 'promise land' but it was a beautiful drive up the mountain (though a little too curvy for those us who get car sick). 
We also got to see some very old mosaics dating back to the time of the bible. 
Jaydon was a trooper for all the sights and had the most fun playing in the dirt and rocks.
After we left the Dead Sea we drove down to Petra. The route we choose was the scenic route so we got to see the length of the Dead Sea and stopped in a little mountain town to see Karak Castle.
It was a very beautiful site with amazing views. 
It was a little chilly up in the mountains so I happy to have the extra heater on my back. 
After we left the castle we had the most difficult part of the trip - the long drive to Petra. Jaydon hates any car ride longer than about 30 minutes and he screamed for a majority of the drive. It was nerve racking for everyone, especially our poor driver who had quite smoking about 3 weeks earlier and used to smoke almost 2 packs a day. When he dropped us off at the hotel in Petra we were sure that he was off to have a smoke. Hell, after that drive I even needed a smoke :) Oh yeah, and did I mention that Jaydon threw up in the lobby of the Kempenski while we checked out from the Dead Sea and just before getting in the car. He also threw up that night at dinner - the joys of traveling with a baby...
Not much to look at but it was a nice walk to get there and was the first time we were able to use the backpack for Jaydon on the trip. We also went down to the Jordan River which denotes the border between Israel and Jordon. The river is really small, really more of a creek but in the dessert if it has water all year then it's a river. That's Israel in the background there. Grandma also did some water playing of her own in the holy water at the river. Next stop was lunch. Our driver took us to a local restaurant which ended up being catered for the tourists so we got a picture of Jaydon at the tourist table. Next stop was Mount Nebo. The day had turned to cloudy for us to view the 'promise land' but it was a beautiful drive up the mountain (though a little too curvy for those us who get car sick). We also got to see some very old mosaics dating back to the time of the bible. Jaydon was a trooper for all the sights and had the most fun playing in the dirt and rocks.After we left the Dead Sea we drove down to Petra. The route we choose was the scenic route so we got to see the length of the Dead Sea and stopped in a little mountain town to see Karak Castle.
It was a very beautiful site with amazing views. It was a little chilly up in the mountains so I happy to have the extra heater on my back. After we left the castle we had the most difficult part of the trip - the long drive to Petra. Jaydon hates any car ride longer than about 30 minutes and he screamed for a majority of the drive. It was nerve racking for everyone, especially our poor driver who had quite smoking about 3 weeks earlier and used to smoke almost 2 packs a day. When he dropped us off at the hotel in Petra we were sure that he was off to have a smoke. Hell, after that drive I even needed a smoke :) Oh yeah, and did I mention that Jaydon threw up in the lobby of the Kempenski while we checked out from the Dead Sea and just before getting in the car. He also threw up that night at dinner - the joys of traveling with a baby...
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