Some Random Stories

We've been at the Red Sea for the past few days. We actually got back early Thursday evening; while coming into Cairo we caught a glimpse of the Great Pyramids through the smog and the radio announced that President Obama was heading toward the pyramids at that very minute. I think Andrew's heart may have broken.

"This is the closest we've ever been to President Obama," he remarked.

"We had to come all the way to Egypt to get close to the President?" I quipped, "That's backwards."

Unfortunately for Andrew, several young women that we know were at the pyramids at that moment, waiting to meet President Obama. A few of them didn't even care about/want to be there. Andrew would have loved to go, but you had to have a diplomatic passport to get on the buses to get into the pyramids on Thursday. We don't have diplomatic passports; we're just regular, old citizens. Being something "more" would be convenient sometimes.

Later that night Andrew taught Rachel how to say Barak Obama. Obama was easy. Barak? Not so much. She also thinks that Obama is two words.

"Oh, Bama!"

Her intonation perfectly matches her "Swiper" voice when she says,

"Oh, man!"

Of course, she can't say Swiper's name right, either, and calls him Diaper. I'm sure Obama would be happy that Rachel calls him O-Bama and not Diaper. Just guessing.

And speaking of guessing....A few days before we left for the Red Sea, we were at the Lewises for dinner/to babysit while Jessie went to her jr. high graduation. Rachel ran out of milk and instead of asking for more stood up in her chair and reached across the table for my cup, almost knocking it over. (I guess she was thirsty).

"Rachel!" I scolded, "You don't grab my cup if you want more to drink. You have to ask! What do you say?"

"Ummmmm....Sorry?" she paused to think about her answer, "Nooo!"

"No," I agreed, "If you want more, what do you say?"

And then I prompted her through, "Please may I have more ________?" which apparently she can say by herself because later that week she was screaming, "MORE! MORE! MORE!" and I asked her what she was supposed to say and she blurted out the answer nearly 100% correctly--her conjugation was just a little off.

"Pease may I has more?"

Sometimes she just blurts out her answers without thinking and apparently that works part of the time. It is better to think about answers fully before thinking, which Rachel also does sometimes. Sometimes she even does a double-take before she says something, just to be sure.

My friend Lindsey stayed at our house last week with her boyfriend, Mike. He came out to visit and to help move her home. Because they aren't married we made use of both the spare bedroom and the living room couch. We weren't too worried about having any "sneaking around" going on because a) I trust Lindsey and b) I'm pregnant and get up to use the bathroom many times sporatically sprinkled throughout the night. The couch was always full.

Rachel also makes a wonderful chaperon; little children usually do.

On the last day Lindsey and Mike were staying with us, I heard Rachel open her bedroom door. Then I heard the pitter-patter of her cheerful morning feet skittering across the floor to our bedroom. She walked in, looking very confused. She walked backwards until she was back in the living room. Then she walked forward again and ran over to the bed.

"Mama!" she whispered, worryingly, "Mite! Sweep! Touwch!"

"I know," I assured her, "Mike's supposed to be sleeping there."

This was the first morning that Rachel woke up before Mike and Lindsey (who were off busy being tourists all day, everyday) and I think it shocked her a little bit to find someone sleeping on the couch.

Someone besides her pregnant mother in the heat of the early afternoon, that is.