First Field Trips

The oldest muppets first field trip was to the fire department in Sylvan Lake, he was three and super excited to be going to see the fire trucks and the pole the firemen slid down. I could not be there since I just had the youngest muppet and the middle guy was in get in to everything he could and then cry as loud as possible mode so we were not really welcome at school outings. The past few years when the muppets have had field trips the timing has never worked out. I was always so disappointed that I could never go!

On Thursday the middle muppet had his first field trip with his kindergarden class. They have been learning about the country that we are living in so the trip was to the beautiful cultural village that they have built here called Katara. We left the school with seven Kindergarden classes all completely over excited for the mornings events. As we walked through the cultural village the teacher talked about the architecture and how these buildings were made to look like old castles and forts from long ago. The children to my surprise listened intently and each of them pointed out windows and archways that had old Arab flare to them. We discovered beautiful Mosques and visited the newly build amphitheatre, the kids danced around on the stage and imagined how many people would fit in the seats around them. We walked along the beach and counted the Dow Boats that we saw in the water then explored the art and statues that were on display.

This was not what I was expecting from a Kindergarden field trip, I was prepared for this large group of children to be running around like crazy people in all directions. But instead they were these sophisticated 5 and 6 year olds talking about the history and things they had learned about Qatar. We finished our exploration of the cultural village and made our way to the playground to have a snack. After they had finished the snack my original idea of what this trip was going to be like came to life. 130 children ran around like crazy people, screaming, laughing and playing. It was a good way to end the field trip, they had behaved so well where they needed to and now had to blow off steam!

The middle muppet thanked me about 100 times for joining him on his field trip and he proudly shared his day with his brothers and dad at the dinner table that night. I am so glad that I am able to share these neat experiences with them.

On two wheels

When we returned to Canada the first summer after moving to Doha the muppets were excited to ride their bikes again. We were unable to fit them in with our shipment and we figured we would get around to buying bikes when we got settled. It never happened.

The oldest and the middle muppet had their bikes with training wheels and we decided to get the smallest muppet a tricycle. To say that he was unhappy about having a trike is an understatement. He was so mad that his bike was different than the other boys and that it was so much slower. He was 2 and a half and wanted to be 5 so badly. We struggled to find a bike his size since we had missed out on Canadian bike season in the spring and most places were sold out. Then while at the lake we watched another little boy Rowans age riding a wooden bike balancing and moving with his feet. Both Dave and I were amazed and immediately knew that this is what the youngest needed.

We found the bike in the town near by and with in a day of having it the youngest muppet was speeding after his older brothers. He was so happy! The following spring he was ready for a big boy bike and took off like a shot on two wheels peddling like a mad man. He looked so funny, this little three year old on a two wheeler. When we arrived in Canada this past summer Nana and Papa had bikes waiting for the boys. On our first ride to the playground the youngest muppet had a big crash down a hill and in to the fence. In true Wilson fashion he lost his mind at the bike and told me that he did not want to ride it ever again!

I figured he would forget about the crash and try again the next day but he was not getting back on that bike. So I put the training wheels on, and he slowly started to ride again. He was not the speed demon he was before and did not venture far from my side. When we came back to Doha it was too hot to ride bikes anywhere, when the weather cooled off the boys started to ride to the park and around the compound. The smallest muppet still would not take the training wheels off and was frustrated that he was unable to keep up with his brothers on two wheels.

The other day he decided he was ready to ride a two wheeler as long as I ran behind and held on to his seat. I got my running shoes on and everything but I didn’t need them, it took one push and he was off flying down the street as if he had been riding like that for weeks.

Now he can keep up to his brothers and I am the one left in the dust.

Jedi vs Princess

Today I took my regular spot on the bench at the compound play ground, one of the other mothers was there watching me enter the park with my three muppets and another three that had joined us along the way. The Six boys all whipped out their light sabers and started to dual with each other seconds after entering the park. She laughed when I told her that this was my life and that from the moment they wake up until they fall asleep all they seem to think about is Star Wars! She is the mother of two girls.

We watched as her daughter and her two friends (all three in tiaras) climbed on the monkey bars and flitted around the playground talking about castles and tea parties. Now there is a huge lack of girls on our compound,and they are always our numbered at the park by the huge troop of boys. Today it was no different. The princesses played while the Jedi fight took place all around them.

After a while the little girls became distracted by the fighting Jedi’s and then one of them picked up a fallen light saber and asked to play. The youngest muppet told her she could be Princess Leia or Queen Amedala. She was not happy with that, she wanted to be a Jedi! I watched her and the youngest muppet argue about how princesses can not be Jedi, I was about to intervene when the middle muppet pointed out that there were girl Jedi’s. Another one of the boys piped up that Princess Leia was Luke’s sister and Darth Vader was her dad so she probably had the force as well. It made sense to me! The youngest muppet handed over the light saber to the princess and they all joined in to the fight.

Just goes to show that you don’t have to choose between being a princess or a Jedi… you can be both!

Oh Christmas tree

Christmas has finally been taken down in the Wilson household… except for the stockings on the front step which I have promised myself will be taken down today!! When we returned from Sri Lanka I took down many of the household decorations but the middle muppet wanted the tree to stay up. I told him that we could keep it up for another week… 3 weeks later it was still sitting there.

Every time I mentioned taking the tree down the middle muppet would get upset and ask for one more day, I think that he was hoping to keep it up until my Mom comes in March. After procrastinating all week and wanting to avoid tears I finally started taking the decorations off the tree, the middle muppet helped. He was sad his head hanging low as he told me the stories of all the decorations that he was taking off, the stories that I had told him as we were putting the tree up.

I needed to make him feel better about putting the tree in a box for the next 11 months so I told him that the Christmas tree needed to rest or else it wouldn’t have any magic left for next Christmas. As soon as I told him this his expression changed. “He needs a nice long vacation mummy, then he will be ready for next Christmas!”

He happily helped me put everything away, we said good night to Mr. Tree and placed him under the stairs where he will recharge his magic until next Christmas.