Grandparents are one of the best inventions.

Though living abroad has had its difficult moments.... It's times like this but I can't help but smile.
Alhamdulilah for having amazing grandparents for my kids.

Fireflies

When Naani and Pops were here we went to a place where we took a boat on a river at night time to see thousands of fireflies.  It was amazing! Subhanallah! It felt like a dream.

Simple Machines Cont'd

The boys continued their simple machines unit with Pops yesterday.  MashaAllah they're really enjoying it and learning alhamdulillah.  

For the print out, click here. 

Lego

I had some homework planned for the boys before we go out today... but they got caught up in some serious Lego building, which I totally don't mind. I LOVE when they play with Lego.  Love love love Lego = )

Teacher Pops and Simple Machines

Today Pops started doing some science lessons on simple machines with the boys.  MashaAllah they're learning things that I don't even know. And alhamdulilalh they have the extra advantage of having some bonding time with their Pops.

Right now they are making a workbook. Click here for the print out.

They are also going to do this one.  Click here.

Once they're done, and if they haven't tired Pops out too much, Ill let them play this game.

Langkawi - Mangroves

Ibby's journal entry for Mangrove trip 

Naani and Pops <3

Fam Pic

Shells!  They were amazing mashallah

Checkin out the monkies

Our tour guide.  He was awesome.  Taught us so many interesting things like:
-If you're ever lost in the jungle, do what monkeys do.  What makes them sick will make us sick and what they can eat, we can eat.  Follow them and drink the water they drink as well.
-Horn bill birds are monogamous.  If one partner dies, the other partner will stay beside them and basically just wait there for death.
-When female eagles are looking for mates, they look for smaller males since they will be more agile and able to defend them from predators.
-The mangroves are trees that grow in the water, they have a filter system to take the salt out of the water.  When you open the stem it looks like a cigarette filter and serves the same purpose.  For any salt that does enter the plant, it shifts the salt to one selected leaf and then that leaf eventually falls off.
-Vipers are very venomous, however they are blind and deaf and move quite slowly.
-There were jelly fish in the water.

Cant think of anything else. But subhanallah it was really an amazing experience.  We were out on the water for about three hours (with two breaks). Alhamdulilah kids were very well behaved and really enjoyed it as well.
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Pops enjoying the ride

Baba taking a picture of the viper.  I didn't get a very good picture. 

Naani n Pops

The cave we were going to drive through, but the tide was too high so we weren't able to

At the bat cave

The tour guide talking about bats

Bats

More bats!

Inside the cave

Baby monkey

The guys about to walk through the bat cave and through water.  My mom, Summaiya and I went the other way so we wouldn't have to walk through water

Going through

Fam pic

Back at the beach

Watching the sunset at the beach

Yusuf's journal entry for our Mangrove tip

Langkawi - Snorkeling

Alhamdulillah we had a really nice family vacation with the grandparents to an island in Malaysia called Langkwawi.  MashaAllah it was awesome :)

Boarding the plane for the one hour flight

On the plane with Naani

Playing chess in the hotel room

Yusuf coming down the waterslide

Ibby and Pops coming down the slide

Monkeys outside our hotel room in the morning

On the boat off to a smaller island

My three snorkeling babies

Pops n Yusuf

Naani Summaiya and Momma... and Yusufs head

Looking at the fish.  There were TONS!  Including some baby sharks.

Pops feeding the fish

Naani, Pops, the boys and the fish

The beach we were at 

The water was crystal clear mashaAllah!

Baba n the boys on the way back 

Coming off the boat

Yusuf's journal entry for our snorkeling trip.

Ibby's journal entry for our snorkeling tip