Ian the Instagramer ~Part 33

I am Canadian! This is our flag, flying on our house here in KSA.

Guess who is having carrots fresh from garden tonight?

3 cute kids and a butternut squash (from our garden).

 Pretty little flower in our backyard. When Michael and Blair were here they helped to redo our back flower bed and these are the some of the results.

 The globe. This is a piece of public art in Jeddah it is in the middle of a round about. It is my favorite piece in Jeddah

Ian the Instagramer ~Part 24

While the kids back in Canada are making snow angels our kids are making sand angels.

Sunset on our last beach walk.

The view of the beacon from the balcony by my office. 

Kristin and Jeriah in the light of the sunset. I am blessed.

Jurassic Plastic - its a dinosaur eat dinosaur world out there. 

 

 

 

 

Ian the Instagramer~ Part 17

"Lunch in Seattle."

"Picture by Marin - Don't know if you noticed but if you look close you will see that she even added some gray in my hair."

 "The McArabia Chicken - a Middle Eastern Delight"

"Jeriah enjoying some Nutella."

"My gorgeous wife at the beach."

Anniversary Greetings & Birthday Wishes

Happy 11th Anniversary to Ian and I! (April 22nd)

Happy 30th Birthday to me! (April 25th)

Happy 32nd Birthday to Ian! (April 30th)
So when kids have a birthday you often hear the comments like "I can't believe he/she is that old already!" or "He/she is 5 years old, when did that happen!?"
Well I would like to ask the same thing. 30 years old! When did that happen?! And what is 30 years old supposed to feel like anyway?
And 11 years! Wow, we are old married people now. Ha!
We have had a busy, fun year with lots of traveling. We of course could not have done that with out our parents taking care of our 3 cute kiddos. So again THANK YOU to our Moms and Dads! :)
On our super-duper safari in Kenya, in a hot air balloon! Amazing time! PS I still plan to blog about it.

In Mexico at Chitzen Itza. Such a relaxing time!

Home in Salmon Arm in the winter! For Michael and Blair's wedding. :)

So as I said before this was our 11th anniversary, that would make last year our 10th, and because I have yet to blog about what Ian got me last year to mark that occasion I am going to do it now. 

A ring! The one on top with 10 diamonds!

A bit of back story, the ring with the solitaire is my engagement ring, which Ian picked out all by himself, and I love! When we got married we bought two plain (white gold) bands, one for him and one smaller one (about the size of the ring with the 10 diamonds) for me. The plan was to after the wedding have them put together. That never happened, we could have if we really wanted to, I guess it was just a case of major procrastination. Anyway so when we were home this past summer, we went looking for a ring. I was looking at one and trying it on to see how I liked the look, I liked it but then Ian said, "Why don't you get one with bigger diamonds". Okay then! So I did. :) We had the new ring fused to my engagement ring and this is what I see on my finger. I like having the 2 fused together and I love the way the 2 rings look together. :) Thank you wonderful husband! I love you!

Little KAUSTees

Three little KAUSTee as cute as can be.
Little KAUSTee #1 is up to the usual, enjoying school and creative as ever. She has been cutting out a lot of shapes and whatnot lately. Yesterday we did a puzzle together, it was a Disney princess puzzle, and it in Jasmin was applying lipstick using a compact mirror.  After the puzzle was done and put away she went off the the craft corner, she was there for a bit and then came back with her own lipstick and compact that she had cut out. She is getting excited about our summer holidays and is already talking about how in the next school year she will be in K2.

KAUSTee #2 is still running around with a knee injury, and his "big band aid"as he tells anyone who asks about it. Given the location of the cut it is taking extra time to heal because he is always bending it. He has been back to the clinic 3 times now to have it checked out and steri strips replied. He is a regular there now, and always has fun with the nurses, today we all played I spy with my little eye. :) He likes to watch as they clean his knee and put on the new strips.  His cut is healing and looking good though.

He is also still on his digger and garbage truck kick. Here at KAUST we have big recycling trucks that have bins in them for all the different kinds of recycling. He calls them the "fancy garbage trucks".

KAUSTee #3 is now sitting like a pro and adorable as ever. He has his own version of crawling and sure can get around. He uses the "rocket launch method" (like you saw in the video from the previous post) and the army crawl. If/when he figures out a more conventional way to crawl he will be everywhere! I have also seen him eyeball pieces of furniture with a look of a little boy who would like to pull up and stand at them. Oh dear...

Two other quick little notes, a few of you asked for a picture of my new hair cut, so here you go. :)

And we also now have our trip home for the summer booked. We will be arriving back on Canadian soil June 18th. Yahoo!

A Mother's Day

So today was Mother's day, but it was a normal "mothers day". We had good times and we had times that were not so good.

The day started earlier then I would like but that is normal.

Jeriah woke up happy and his wiggly little self is what woke me up, this is normal.

There was the usual breakfast, for the most part the kids ate well without too many "hurry and eat it's time to go", or "stop playing with your food". 

Dropping Marin off at school went the way it normally does, she was happy to see her friends, we read the morning message on the board, I gave her a hug and kiss and said goodbye.

Corban and I went for our usual Sunday morning swim, we had a really fun time together, this is normal.

Jeriah was all smiles when we got home and he nursed and then the boys and I spent the morning playing, this is normal.

Both Corban and Jeriah were showing signs of needing an early lunch and then off to bed for naps. Jeriah was grumpy if I took too long to put the food in his mouth. Corban spilt his milk.

Marin got home, she chatted with me while she ate her pear slices and I put dinner in the slow cooker. She was still eating her pears, she took forever (this is sometimes normal), I ate my lunch, we sat beside each other and continued our chat, and played little rhyming word games, she has a wild imagination. All normal.

Marin played, I did a little task on my "to do list". Corban woke up.

We popped some popcorn, put on a movie, grabbed a couple blankets and had a good snuggle on the couch. Jeriah woke up before the end of the movie, he joined us and nursed.

We went upstairs to play, I organized a few things while the kids played, bury each other in the stuffys and pretend it is mud. Normal, normal, normal.

Ian came home, I put the last few things together for dinner, Marin and Corban ate really well even their veggies, beans. Jeriah was grumpy, teeth! We headed out for an evening walk, we went to the marina, we were all happy to be out enjoying the sights.All bits of normal and not normal.

Five minutes into our walk Corban tripped, he was crying, really crying, this is not normal. Ian rushed to him, his knee was bleeding, there was a deep gash, we knew he needed stitches, this is not normal. We went straight back to the house, Ian carrying Corban (who was no longer crying) using a couple napkins to apply pressure to his knee. I ran ahead pushing Jeriah and Marin with the stroller. We grabbed our keys and wallets with the necessary medical cards and off we went to emergency. Ian held Corban, I drove. We got there and they took us right in (this is normal for KAUST), Corban was interested in all the things going on around him. This is normal. The nurses got him ready, the doctor came. We had to pin him down, I didn't watch I just hugged him, talked to him and held him still. He got two stitches. Not normal, but necessary. My poor boy cried, I cried a little too, it hurt him, he said "All done, all done! All done please!" He even remembered his manners, what a sweet boy. This is normal. Once it was over and he sat back up again, he was friendly with the nurses, giving high fives and accepting their praise for how brave he was.

We headed back home to bath the kids and put them to bed. They were in bed pretty much on time considering.
Jeriah took a little longer then normal to settle. I cuddled him to sleep, this is normal.
I will enjoy all the normal (and not normal) little moments, and try and remember all the moments from when they are so little, it is normal now, but not forever. I am thankful. I love you my kid-lets.

Happy Mothers Day!

Birthday Wishes

Happy 29th Birthday to me!

I feel a little bit like Eeyore, you know his gloomy voice... it's my birthday... I am 29... 

The Eeyore like voice has nothing to do with the fact that I am turning 29, I don't feel 29. What does 29 feel like anyway? I feel great and have no issue with the fact that I am getting older. I like that life goes on and we age, being 19 forever would be no good.

I guess maybe the Eeyore like voice is because I don't really feel like my birthday is a big deal, just another day. When you are a kid it is different, now it is just another day. 

So how was that for a depressing birthday post?

 Ian did get me a birthday gift though, but that is an adventure for another day.

Don't worry I will be sure to share it with you all, you'll just have to wait. :)

________________________________________________

I don't think it is just another day, it is a day for me to celebrate, as I am a lucky man to have her. So I am hijacking this blog to pay tribute in a small way to my wonderful wife on her birthday.

First off Kristin is a wonderful Mom to our kids.  She has plenty on her hands with the three of them.  I have been impressed with the way that she has worked to make this transition to living on the other side of the world smooth adventure rather than scary experience for Marin and Corban. She very in tune with their needs and has worked hard through some rather trying surroundings and situations to give them stability.  She impresses me with her patience and perseverance.

Kristin is also a great wife.  She loves and supports me like no other. I wouldn't have made it through this last year of trying to juggle far more roles and tasks than I am capable of without her.  She has looked after me and helped my absent minded self to stay organized and crossing tasks off my never ending lists.  I have seen a lot of growth in her as a person this year as she has faced the challenges of living is such a different place.  She has always been a practical lady which I love about her, but she has also gained a more even keel in coping with things as they all go wrong at once.  (Which seems to have happened often over the last year.) God has definitely used this experience as a growth time for us.

As if that weren't all enough, she is even hotter now than when I married her ten years ago! I am glad she didn't stay 19. ;)

I am a very happy and blessed man.  Happy birthday my love.

-Ian

Puzzling.

I find it a little puzzling how I seem to have so little time to blog these days. I have many things that I want to write and tell you about, I'll get to it eventually. My time is just taken up by many other things I guess, like my totally cute kids.
Who have been doing some puzzling of their own.

And the tiny cute one, he watches.

One bit of exciting news for us is that in just 6 days we will be getting our first visitor. My brother Mark will be coming to meet Jeriah and hang out with us for a couple weeks. Yippee!

The Belly: Weeks 16, 17 & 18.

Yesterday the lovely Elizabeth (who is also expecting baby #3 and is due 4 weeks before me) asked me how I have been feeling.
In a word pregnant.
In more words tired, and sore, between all the things that normally need to get done, and the things that need to get done in preparation for our big move, and the things that we want to do it doesn't leave a lot of time for rest and relaxing with my feet up.
I know I am probably over doing it and that going on a 6 km hike, spending the entire day at the zoo this past Saturday, cleaning the house today and doing many loads of laundry is not going to make for happy hips and good circulation to my legs but, there is only so much time in a day and only so much time left until we move.
I plan to rest once we move to KSA. HA!
Who am I kidding once we get there I am going to be nesting like a mad pregnant woman getting the house just the way I want it and ready for the baby!
Anyway onto some belly pictures.
Week 16

35 3/4 inches.

Week 17

36 1/2 inches.

Week 18,
my poor stretched out belly, and my belly button is already fully extended.

37 inches.

So today is June 1st, June 1st!
That means, among many other things that our ultrasound is only 17 days from today, exciting!
If you haven't already made a guess as to whether we are having a boy or a girl go on over to the poll on the side bar and make your guess. :)
Marin is still pretty adamant that a baby girl is on the way, although she has said that if we have a baby boy that that will be okay. I have been feeling more lately like a baby girl is coming too, but then again I have been wrong the first 2 times so maybe that means a baby boy is coming.
Either way I think this baby knows that once we move to KSA it will be cut off from all things pork and is thus making me crave ham, hot dogs and bacon, mmm bacon.

Giggely kids.

The second day of our weekend, Sunday, was also a fun day. In the morning we went to church and then came home for some lunch. After that I headed out to get some shopping time, alone. :)
Ian stayed home with the kids while Corban was in theory supposed to take a nap. That didn't happen though, he fell asleep on the way home from church and according to him that was enough sleep. The plan was for Ian and the kids to join me at the mall later in the afternoon, and come on the skytrain. Since moving we are a lot closer to the skytrain and Marin is always excited if we pass it when we are driving. She had never been on it before so Ian told her he would take her on a "skytrain adventure". She loved it and was so super excited while riding it and was talking so loud as a result of her excitement that Ian had to remind her every other sentence to use an inside voice. Ha ha, cute kid. :)
After dinner that evening Ian caught a cute bunch of giggles from the kids as I tickled them. It was a wonderful way to end our "normal" weekend!

Tickling M&C from Kristin Foulds on Vimeo.

Five things I like about being a Mom.

2 days short of a months ago Jen tagged me with a meme, "Five things I like about being a Mom." It has taken me this long to get to it not because I needed that long to come up with five things, but because life over here has not been exactly normal. Which you all know if you've been paying any attention to this here blog. :)
I always knew I wanted to be a mom, and I really do love it! I can think of nothing else I'd rather do, and I mean that.
So onto Five things I like about being about mom:
(I am putting random pictures in this post from the last 3 times we went to the park with the camera.)

1) I love sharing these 3 cute little people with Ian, and knowing that he loves them just as much as I do. That together we will raise them, enjoy them and support them and each other.

2) I love knowing that God chose me to be their mother and Ian to be their father. That He gave us these 3 sweet little ones to us.

3) I love watching Marin and Corban play together, to hear them laugh at each other and to see them working together to do something.

4) I love snuggling in bed with them in the morning, giving them tickles and hearing them giggle.
(Let me just add that I am not as big a fan of this if they wake up before 6:00am.)

5) I love that they each have their own personality, likes, and dislikes, but I also like seeing where they are similar. It will be fun to see how Baby Foulds #3 will fit in.

So now I am done that list and I still have many more pictures left so I will write a "kid list".
1) Marin used such grown up phrases sometimes times and it makes me laugh. Examples: "That's just nonsense" and "If you insist".

2) When we told Marin she was going to be a big sister again she got a big smile on her face, but looked a little confused. We asked her if she knew what that meant. She said "Yes I am going to be big big."

3) They both love to go on outings, to playgroup and on little adventures. When I say okay guys lets go and head to the door they both run over and grab their shoes, and Corban does his little happy dance. Then they stand eagerly by the door waiting for me to open it. As soon as I do they burst out and look for the sticks they left outside the door from our last walk.

4) When I say to Marin "You are the cutest girl I know" she replies with "You are the cutest Mommy I know."
5) Today Marin and I were talking about Baby Foulds #3, she would like a little sister. I asked her if it would be okay if we had a baby brother, she said no a sister. Hmm, so I explained to her that when she was in my tummy we didn't know if she was going to be a boy or a girl and then she was born and God gave us a little girl. Then I told her the same for Corban, but that God gave us a baby boy. I told her that God made the decision and that he always makes good decision. Her response, "God decided on a baby girl."

6) Corban has been really enjoying the Praise Baby DVDs we have, he sits on the couch and points to pretty much everything that comes on the screen asking "Dat? dat?"
7) We have a baby gate downstairs blocking the kids (Corban) from getting to the front entrance, kitchen and bathroom. When Ian comes home they both run over to it. Marin yells "Daddy!!" and Corban yells "Dah!!" As Corban is running over he does his happy dance and then peeks over the edge of the gate. They both stand there waiting for big hugs, it is really cute!

8) Marin has been eating really well for quite a while now, she likes salads, especially Caesar, she loves the croutons. She loves her carrot sticks and cucumber slices too with "dip-it" (ranch dressing). She loves green beans too, actually she really isn't fussy at all and will eat most anything.

9) Corban has taken a liking to helping with the laundry in the past few days. He takes the clothes out of the dryer and puts them into a basket for me. He thinks helping is really neat and gets a big grin on his face after every item he puts in the basket.

10) Corban's current favorite books are "Polar Bear, Polar Bear what do you hear?", "Panda Bear, Panda Bear what do you see?" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?" He will read them to himself too and when he does he flips that pages saying "rah, rah, rah." just like we would say the syllables for the words.

So there are my 2 little lists and a bunch of pictures of our cute kids. :)

Oh yeah I almost forgot I am supposed to tag 5 people to make a "Five things I like about being a Mom." list too. So I tag...
Jay
Belky
Heather
Rachel
Elizabeth

If you've already been tagged with this meme and I have forgotten, sorry. :)

(Belated) Birthday Wishes

So it was my birthday on Saturday, I am 28 now.
It was a day... it had some good parts, but many bad, unpleasant parts. It is a good thing that when you get older birthdays aren't that big a deal, cause if I were 10 it would have been horrible! That being said I am pretty sure it was my worst birthday ever.
I woke up in Washington DC, we were there for the KAUST orientation and relocation meeting. The morning was the good part. We got to meet Belky and her husband Dave, Belky found our blog about 2 months ago when searching for things about KAUST, she sent an email and we have been emailing and blogging together since. We also got to meet many other couples who will all be moving to KSA this summer, many of whom have young kids similar in age to Marin and Corban, as well there are about 3-4 other babies who are either already born or will be born this year as well, so lots of little friends for all our kids. :)
The meeting went well and we got some of our questions answered and found out a bit more on how this whole moving to KSA process will work.
We had lunch with some of the new people we had met, but had to leave earlier than we would have liked to head to the airport to catch our flight.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time and got to where we were supposed to be, we boarded on time, but that is where things went down hill. This flight was supposed to take us to Chicago for a short lay-over, less than 2 hours, and the flight itself was supposed to be less then 2 hours. Also on this flight Ian and I were not able to get seats together and so... Thankfully the lady next to me was totally lovely and we chatted the whole time.
We didn't leave the gate on time, we sat there for a 1/2 hour, then once we got out onto the tarmac we sat there for another 1/2 hour, apparently there was bad weather in Chicago. When we finally took off we got there in the time that was expected, but had circle in the air for another 1/2 hour because we weren't able to land. This was all because of continued bad weather and so there was some turbulence. My tummy does not handle that so well so I got to re-"enjoy" the apple juice I had had during the flight. Nice. Thankfull again for the lovely lady next to me she held my hair and got me tissues to wipe my face with.
When we finally could land we could not get to the gate because of lightening strikes, the glowing wand controller guys were not able to come out and guide us in.
Um wear rubber soled boots and live a little people!
Anyway, we of course missed our connecting flight which had been canceled anyway due to the bad weather. Many other flights were also canceled so there was nothing leaving that night that would get us anywhere close to home. So we stood in line up after line up and finally got to a hotel at 11:30pm Chicago time.
Our flight out the next morning left at 9:49am and we were on stand-by, thankfully enough people didn't show, so we made it, and we even got seats together!
Once we arrived back in Vancouver (which by the way in our opinion has the nicest looking airport, we are on the look out for one better but so far not happening) it took a hour and a half to get through customs, many other flights had arrived around the same time. This was made worse by the fact that some over eager airport line up director guy thought it necessary to send us and others to the slower moving line up. Gerr!
I also must rant about the fact that we will do whatever we can to NEVER fly with United Airlines again! The flight attendants we had left much to be desired in the whole customer service area and their seats are totally more close together than those of Air Canada for example. We were not impressed!
When we finally did walk though the door into our house we were greeted by the 2 cutest kids in the world though, they both came running for hugs, hugs, kisses and more hugs. It was wonderful! We missed out kiddlets.
Speaking of kiddlets, I am in week 13 now! We are finding it difficult to get a weekly belly pictures in this 3rd time round though. To say there is a lot going on would be an understatement. So I don't have a belly picture to share with you yet, but I do have a few of these bright and cheery flowers the Michael and Blair brought us in celebration of Baby Foulds #3. :)

Anyway so that was my disjointed post about my birthday. We did enjoy the very little bit of Washington DC that we did get to see, it seems to be a very nice and architecturally interesting city. I think I'd like to check it out more at some point.

Oh so I just have one more thing to say. We should all start praying for Ian now...
This trip made us aware that I do not fly so well, especially when in economy class, airports are not my favorite place, my patients wear thin very fast and I am sure this is all exaggerated a little by my being pregnant. But the next time we fly I will be even more pregnant, 5 months, and we will have the kids with us, and we will be flying to the other side of the world, that is a long time on airplanes and in airports... I may just flip my lid people, and I am not kidding...
:)