Christmas Eve service @ Valley Presbyterian.

Bradley and I waiting to play/sing while

Bible verses were being read.

Sunday School kids ( that were there, there are

more,) singing The First Noel with us.

Casey is the keyboard player in the back.

Our Christmas Eve service @ Valley Presbyterian, was awesome! Since around the end of August, during Sunday School music time, Bradley and I were teaching the kids you see above, The First Noel. They learned quick. Except for brunches ( Thanksgiving brunch and Christmas brunch), we learned really well. VJ wasn't learning it all too well, so after Advent, we would sing ( at first without, then with guitar) that song. Believe me, it wasn't all too easy to get that song out of my head.

Bradley and I did it last year, but this was the first year with Casey at the keyboard. Our songs were: Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful and ( this one with the kiddos) The First Noel. I loved doing it...it couldn't have been any better!

Speaking of music, I finally taught myself to play a few chords while playing the notes( on the keyboard that I got from Nana for a birthday/Christmas gift) for What Child Is This?

Katy

Present time @ T-Bone and Stephanie's.

Me...
VJ couldn't have been happier..
now , including two small ones and another big one,
he has 4 garbage trucks.


T-Bone..and his new kitchen
equipment


Mimi and Papa with one of their gifts
a photo album with printed
pictures of Tytus.




Parents couldn't have been happier...
a gift card for P.F. Changs, and two Monaco
Pictures gift cards will complete a date....





Tytus' first Christmas..

Noah, also, couldn't have

been happier.


Aunt Chris, and Tytus ( with Mimi in the
background).

This was Tytus' first Christmas. We opened our own presents the next morning, and then Nana's presents when she came up for Christmas Day dinner.

Katy

"..Walkin in a Winter Wonderland..."

Totally uncommon to do this

Noah

This is VJ's first big snow
probably all of ours, too.

We've never seen the house have
this much snow on it....

..nor the van....

nor have we had enough to make a
very small snowman...with carrots....

If you noticed at all the in some of the background that the picture of VJ has, there is the bottom part of our garbage can. Of course he had to check that thing out!!

Katy

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all us Ahmeds!
Raf, Chris, Katy ( 12), Noah ( 10), & VJ ( 4 and very mischievous)

More helicopter pictures

This is the picture that I told you about yesterday.

You can see the whole helicopter in the photo.

If I remember correctly, this is a Black Hawk, ( & VJ...
who could forget him?)

This helicopter is pretty cool....the front opens up
and a jeep can be stored and rolled out.

This is the big helicopter that VJ and Dad were in
in one of the other pictures.

Katy

Helicopter Museum outside of Dothan, AL.

Entering into

The Army Avation Museum.



Some helicopter

Dad inside a big, long, helicopter

VJ. You can tell this is big, just by looking!

They had some pretty nice pictures upstairs

all painted, too!



In a little cut-off cockpit

One helicopter that looked like the 'copters that brought wounded soldiers.

Do you see that side piece that has the red-white-& blue star

on it? Underneath, that is where the would lay you when they found and brought you home.
Imagine laying in that during the trip home...and being in pain, sore, tired too!

VJ was very impressed with this, and asked to be held

to see it multiple times. The mud isn't real.

If you thought the other picture of laying on the side

during the trip home, this is worse! You might have

been the target for the enemy! Only your head was covered,

you were strapped in, and your body was visible, covered in

a blanket!

We do have a full picture of the whole scene for that picture right above, but I will post that later.

Katy

Holy Land Experience

We went to a place called Holy Land Experience while in Orlando. Here are some pictures from it:

VJ on a camel

Noah's Ark


a mistake ( don't know how to delete it...yet)

Zacchaeus was a wee little man....

"David, Goliath, and a Hebrew woman" ( more on that later)

Herod's big model temple

VJ on a model lion

a mistake ( I'm not sure how to delete it...yet)

thrones

The bigger model of Herod's temple

a small model of Herod's temple

A model of Jerusalem

Roman soldiers

There were plays, like David and Goliath. The Roman soldiers were probably part of a play. Above, you saw a picture of Dad with another man and a woman. The woman ( we'll call her Lily) was supposed to be a Hebrew woman, on David's side. The man ( we'll call him Johnny) was Goliath. They got Dad to be David. If you've read that story, you probably know that Saul had David put on his armor, to be safe when he went against Goliath. Well, they didn't have any armor to put on Dad, so that's the cloths they put on him. I can tell you that Goliath would have been doubled over in laughter if David was dressed like that! No, David ( in the real story) refused the armor,and set out with the Lord on his side. Still that was kinda funny, but Mom said that she wished they would be more realistic. David DID NOT dress like that, and Goliath didn't either.

The only one I really liked was The Wilderness Tabernacle; Mom really liked it too. They didn't allow cameras in there, or else I would have taken many pictures. It was bascially what the High Priest did in the Holy Place ( place where people could come) and the Holy of Holies. It was AWESOME. I loved that one more than anything, probably. It wasn't really suited for VJ. Since Noah had to stary with grandparents because of his school, VJ was there, and I kinda wish ( not to be mean, but really) Noah was there instead of VJ. I mean, there were many more people there who looked like grandparents than there were 0- 50 year olds. No offence to anyone who is a grandparent. But really, it really was more for adults than children. Plus, it was a lot of walking around, and more advanced things for adults, than getting to ride around with a horse and buggy, and have granola bars. ;) And, of course, ICarly or A-Team in front of you. ;) Anyone could guess that for me ;> But it was interesting, at first till I started getting tired and hungry.

I'll post more pictures of a helicopter museum we went to on our way back from Dothan later....

Katy

Orlando

Turtles and alligators


Reporter VJ




VJ as.... I don't know who....

Dad and VJ driving a race car



Me, doing my horrible job ( driving a race car)

Race cars at the Orlando Science Museum

Resting on a bench in our hotel room

Sleepy VJ

In case you are wondering where the first six of these eight pictures take place, they take place at the Orlando Science Museum. The last two take place in our hotel room ( Hampton Inn if you're interested. Very good hotel, and of course, free breakfast..one of the reasons Dad likes it).

So yes, we went to Orlando about three weeks ago. I didn't feel like posting anything till now, and believe me, there are PLENTY more. From the helicopter museum outside of Dothan, to the beach ( if Dad got them from his laptop to this computer), and to this science center, it's a lot. Many from the helicopter museum...different helicopters, and some airplanes. Anyways, that's a different post. ;)

As above it says, " Me, doing a horrible job ( driving a race car)". I will explain. At the museum, there was this simulated race car thing. I now see why they do not allow 12 year olds to drive ( or in that case, almost 12 year olds). How ever you say it, I now understand why they do not allow 14 and under to drive. I did HORRIBLE. Dad said I could fly a P-40 on his flight simulator here at home better than I drove that thing! The car looked unbeatable, for it never showed a sign of damage. The whole thing was on a beach, which thankfully no one was on. A race car is supposed to go fast, and there was this other car I was supposed to beat. Even though it was on the beginner level, I drove it off the roads and onto the beach, in the water, hit the sides constantly, and turned my car upside down. I know that the wheel in real cars are firmer, and have that certain texture, but that was smooth. It was too easy to turn, and the pedals were easy to push. Dad said I needed real training, but that will come all too soon for him ( after all, he will be the one teaching my in Discovery Middle's parking lot).

More pictures soon,

Katy