One of the greatest Weekends ever!

 

We spent last weekend at West Bekaa Country Club, and i may say, it was an amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing trip!

Autumn season was present, with all its manifestations... Those we miss in the big city...

red leaves... soft wind moving trees... Ghadi didn't stop repeating autumn songs he learned at school:

Asfar asfar war2et el khariff (yellow, yellow are autumn leaves)

Asfar asfar war2et el khariif

3a mahlak 3a mahlak yaaa hawaaaaa (slow down oh wind)

...

Promnons nous dans les bois!

During The Eid Holiday (which was one full week, spent with my family, at home, relaxing and just enjoying the amazing autumn weather), I decided we should do a trip to "Baabda Reserve".

I found about this place on internet, I read that it's the nearest forest to Beirut (in fact it's less then 15 min away from home) and it's a green valley with a healthy path as they call it, leading through the forest...

I was eager to show Ghadi the real nature, since we are reading lots of stories now about forests and animals... And I was sick of those small parks/gardens we keep going to.

So I just packed some snacks and we headed there on Friday morning...

Adha Eid - 2010

This Eid was somehow special

Ghadi is more aware than ever

three years old is just awesome!

We woke up early, he went with his father to the prayer,

then we wore the new clothes and enjoyed opening all those gifts!!!

So You Think You Can Dance?

I, personally love this TV program, 

but really

nothing compares,

to my favorite 

hip hop dancer!!!!!

He turns on his favorite children songs, 

and starts dancing (well, not exactly dancing...but let's call it this way!)

every evening...

this is absolutely my favorite show!

Playing Football...

While playing football with Ghadi in our mini Corridor at home, he suddenly stopped and started pulling up his pants, I was confused... and he was trying hard, and it just didn't hold above his knees!

Then he came to me frustrated, saying: "mummy, baddi a3mil mitl 3ammo yalli byil3ab football!!!"

(I wanna look like football players!!!!)

I laughed so much..It was hilarious and I helped him, and then we had to stop every couple minutes to fix the pants!!!

I think he needs REAL football clothes, desperately!

G's sleeping mates!

Jamil took this photo of Ghadi sleeping peacefully with his two best mates:
Doudou
and the milk bottle!
(I think milk bottle should be stated first!)

The teddy is a gift from Linda, a very dear friend who lives in Germany
the first two years Ghadi wasn't that attached to him
but since he started preschool, Doudou had to sleep with him every night
he comes early morning to my room holding him
and when he feels frustrated he punish him putting him in the room all alone!
I love when he creates situations and play with this cutie bear
and I'm starting to hate the fact that he's so attached to the bottle! (it's not that he holds it every night, it happened only once) but he should really start drinking milk from the cup
And this is my next milestone!
not an easy one at all!!!

Amazing weekend at Batroun!

We spent the last weekend at Batroun Village Club

weather was great,

and we enjoyed the promenades, activities, swimming, feeding horses

and above all, we enjoyed watching our little boy going wild with nature and sports!

Unique Performance!

I just love it when my little boy sings the song I used to adore when I was at his age!!!!

Yes the Rahbani Brothers kids’ songs

And lately we were listening to those songs every evening, singing and dancing (and releasing energy so we can –he can- fall asleep early!)

His favorite song is “ 3ammi bou massoud”

he likes to sing it

and I love to hear him singing it...

what a nice formula!

 3ammi bou massoud “my uncle bou massoud”

3younou kbar w soud “his eyes are wide black”

Byakol ma byishba3 “he eats and never gets enough”

  3ammi bou massoud

 "- shou trawa2t lyawm ya 3ammi bou massoud????

  - akalet khamsin bayda, we shrebet barmil 7alib, w 16 sa7n mrabba...

w ba3edni jou3aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! "

Journey to the Teleferique!

Last Sunday we made a nice trip to the Teleferique at Jounieh bay north of Beirut

The weather was so nice and the company was great!

A vos marques, prêt, partez !

Achievements!

Some people learn

And keep on learning

And simply never stop

And jump from one wave to another, from one coast to another

Some people are simply satisfied with what they have learned…

And they stop

And they get stuck in a tornado

In the same tornado

I cannot be like this

And I cannot even explain my nonstop thirst to learn

Anything, and everything

And my new well of knowledge is something I have never expected!

The little boy

Who is just about to start discovering the real world around him

A three-year-old boy

Who was extremely happy today because he knew how to unbutton his shirt!

I was amazed

How such an evident action meant to him

And I have learned

That we should never take anything for granted

Even the smallest happenings

Could bring us immense happiness

And I started my day much better then yesterday

Having decided to enjoy it

To enjoy evident daily things

Like this new song of Feiruz

And the warm sunlight cooled by October morning breeze

and the simple fact that my son is able to unbutton his shirt!

 trying

 trying really hard  

determination

 and...

Victory!

when dads try to help!

Ghadi: mommy come play with me

Me (laying on the sofa in the living room after a really-long-day- and –just- preparing myself for a mini-nap): go ask daddy to play with you honey

Ghadi: No, I want You to play with me

Daddy (in an attempt to rescue me): leave mommy alone, she has pain in her back and has to lay down

Ghadi’s ears caught the word pain, his eyes are filled with tears in milli-seconds, now tears falling on his cheeks, tending his arms to me, shaking his head in denial and saying with the most sweet begging tone: “ no mommy, you don’t have pain in your back, do you??????”

And as if the whole universe will be reduced to the words I’m gonna say, as if his whole world depends on my reply, I  smile, get up, hold him in my arms saying: not anymore baby! Not anymore!!!!!

That’s what happens when dads try to help!

It ends up by mommy playing football in the corridor while daddy is watching football in the living room (with a wild smile and a spark of light on the upper  tooth----does it sound evil enough????)

"Ghazl el Banet" in the Mall morphed into "Tasteless Cotton Candy"!

After his first experience with Ice Cream, I was so happy to see him tasting another delight: the first Cotton Candy! or "Ghazl el Banet" as we call it!

In fact, it was also MY first "fresh" cotton candy at a mall...Yes, when I was young we used to buy it from pass by vendors at Manara Corniche, and to be honest, that had a much better taste!!! this one has almost no taste at all!

Along with what we called "karabij", "grilled corn" , " ka3ket 3assriyyeh" & "Foul w 7amod", we Always bought them from street vendors and it used to be SO good!

But the weird thing is that I can not imagine my boy eating those things... from that street!

Though it was normal for us, now all this seems "Unhealthy, harmful or even risky!!!" when it comes to my boy!

Am I being unfair? should he go through same experiences I enjoyed when I was little, am I being too protective? over- protective?

I'm not sure, but what I am certain of is one thing: I still remember the taste of those yummy grilled corns!!!!