20 September 2013 family letter

The Girls Made Peach Cobbler on Their Own Today I LOVED getting a few family emails this past week.  I figure if I want to continue to hear news, I can't slack off.  I should have already written by now since our piano teacher canceled and we had more free time than usual post church, but here it is after 9 pm and I'm trying to squeeze it in before Matt gets home and bedtime routine commences. It's too bad we didn't have piano because after our rough start last week (not the greatest practicing), all three players put their time in and were excited to show their progress to Sister Balbert, but she wasn't feeling well--maybe a sacrament talk and teaching RS had something to do with it? Mostly, we don't have much to report.  It was a seriously full week, but mostly school, school, school with the sprinkling of after school activities.  The girls and I are still loving our new curriculum and they enjoy (mostly) working together on a few subjects.  Isaac is staying on top of his workload. I'm impressed and happy with his work ethics--good genes? thanks Matt!  Matt and I took the girls to see the new Percy Jackson movie (Jess has devoured the books).  Isaac opted to stay home and work despite enjoying the books himself back in the day.  He made the right choice.  The movie was rubbish. The girls were okay with it even though they "changed so much!"; Matt and I rolled our eyes a LOT.   The girls started gymnastics and were sore for the next couple of days.  I tried a class at the gym that is supposedly modeled after cross fit and was sore for the rest of the week.   I took Isaac and his old suit to the tailor place where it was made.  I was thrilled to find out that they can take it all apart add room in the shoulders and pants and arm/leg lengths so it will fit for several more months for a fraction of the price of a new one.  And they will fix the hole he ripped in the butt while exuberantly dancing at the Colorado Springs Tri-stake dance.  It will be visible, but not when wearing his jacket and they will do a FAR better job than I could do.  That's a win/win.  He has a stake youth activity tomorrow in Abu Dhabi, but no dress clothes are required.   The weather is trending cooler, but it's still hitting 100 most days.  I took the trash out just before sitting down at the computer and the air feels sticky and thick.  There was a morning a few days ago though that felt like it was trying to remember how to be cooler.  Hooray for the pool.  Matt is keeping up his mile swims on his days off.  I have joined in.  Isaac usually does too and Makenna swims 15-20 laps herself.  Jess loves to come too, but doesn't bother with laps.  The pool jets are stilling pumping in cool water.  And we still have all the water heaters off and use our faucets backwards hot=cooler, cold=hot outside water.  Here's a fun story I heard from Matt told by one of the older guys at work who has been here for over a decade.  There wan't a road going from Abu Dhabi to the base.  You would have to wait for low tide and race across a section of wet sand and then pick up a dirt road further inland.  I wonder if they timed the shifts according to tide?  Last Saturday I spent 6 hours at a first aid training with scouts.  Tomorrow we have 6 girls coming over for a Harry Potter 7 party--at long last.   That's is for now.  Three cheers for Jen's 15th marathon!!!, healthy twin girls--hopefully homeward bound, PG Martin sports kids, new sheep (didn't hear that from the source though), and leftover Thai food for German teachers.   love to you all. Dubai