Abu Dhabi...Part 2

Alright, Abu Dhabi post #2. It’s time to lean heavily on the ability of children to be entertaining to fill a post. I’m going to warn you that the post is going to reference Hyrum more than Evelyn and Rosemary. That has nothing to do with my love for the three of them. It’s just that Evelyn spends all day in school, and while Rosemary is cute, she doesn’t yet supply many stories you can write about (just lots of laughing and smiles). Hyrum, on the other hand, is very good (as his sister was at his age) of requiring your monopolized attention, which is fine because he’s so entertaining!

Evelyn is the epitome of a little lady. It’s crazy to see how quickly she’s growing up. I remember her being so much like Hyrum, and she has definitely moved on to the next stage. She’s really bright and clever. When we used to play the matching game, she wouldn’t find matches unless you hinted strongly at them. This time, she was finding ones even if it had been several turns since the card had been turned over. I was very impressed (especially since I some of her matches were ones I had forgotten). Congratulations Evelyn! At five, your raw mental power has surpassed your Uncle Charles’.

Here's Evelyn entering the prison where she spends her days...actually, having been inside, I have to admit it's a really nice school...but the entry gate does make it look a little like a prison (though not as much as the school Careen and I went to in Houston). Lest you think I've confused my niece with a brunette boy in a Toy Story backpack, I'll point out that Evelyn's the one in the far background in the pink backpack. Clearly, Uncle Charles is not very fast at getting the camera out. 

Hyrum is clearly still obsessed with Toy Story. Buzz and Woody are his companions of choice for playtime, car trips, going out and about, and even nap/quiet time in bed. The other characters are slightly less loved and are more supporting characters in play time. I knew my animal gifts were a hit when they also reached supporting character status. Buzz, Woody, and the African Animals – potential Toy Story 4 subtitle?

Hyrum with Woody, Buzz, and the supporting cast:

Hyrum sitting at the table in the background. New supporting cast members giraffe and lion are in the foreground.

Hyrum’s Toy Story adulation has changed a bit though in that he will no longer watch Toy Story 2 or Toy Story 3 because Zorg and the bear (respectively) are too scary. Sorry Sid (Toy Story 1 villain), you didn’t make the cut…how embarrassing.

Hyrum has definitely reached the stage of toddlerhood (is that a word?) where he asks a million questions. My favorite is that anytime anyone laughs, Hyrum will come up to you and shout, “What was funny about?” He’s definitely got some lungs on him, which I imagine reminds my parents of my childhood (okay, maybe he’s not THAT loud).

My favorite Hyrum experience of the trip might have been getting him ready for church. I put a polo shirt on him, and after buttoning the bottom of the two buttons, I thought we were done. How could I have been so foolish?

Hyrum (very loudly): “Other button! Other button!”

Me: “Hyrum you don’t need to scream. Come over here and ask quietly for what you want.”

Hyrum (somewhat softer): “Other button…please.”

Me: “Hyrum, what do you want with your other button?”

Hyrum: “Button it.”

Me: “Hyrum, you can’t button the top button of your shirt. People don’t do that.”

Hyrum (very loudly and panicked): “Mom! Mom!”

Me: “Hyrum, your Mom is taking a bath; you can’t bug her. What do you want?”

Hyrum: “I want her to do my other button.”

Me: “Fine, if you really want it, I’ll do it. Come here…but you’ll look weird.”

Hyrum (as the button is buttoned): “No, I don’t want to look weird.”

Me: “Do you want me to undo it then?”

Hyrum: “I can do it myself” (as he yanks the two sides of the shirt apart from each other).

Me: “Hyrum, you’re going to rip your shirt; let me do it.”

Hyrum: “Okay.”

Mission accomplished! Who knew watching children was so similar to consulting – you just have to get the child/client to come to the same conclusion you already did.

Here's Hyrum in the aforementioned polo with his Buzz Lightyear wings (aka hangers). Before you say anything, of course it's blurry...he's flying!

Also seemed like a good spot to insert the picture of the matching girls dressed for Church.

Rosie is adorable…I really don’t know what else to say. I’m glad I waited until her sleep schedule adjusted to the time change before visiting ;) She smiles and laughs all the time and doesn’t cry very much. Seriously, check it out (you'll also notice that she likes to stick her tongue out pretty much all the time, whether smiling or not).

Clearly, she is well loved (even though Hyrum's "loving moment" looks a little like an attack):

Let's finish up strong with a picture of everyone (except John who was working) at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. That's a sneak peek of what the next post contains. That's right, we're making it a three-parter! If I visit often enough, I won't ever have to do anything interesting in Ethiopia for the blog ;)