my legacies.....

When we first arrived in Canada it was such a time of uncertainty and change......the kids weren't growing and they really weren't staying the same. We all sort of just "were". It's almost been 2 years now since we've been back in Canada......wow! Let me tell you about the kids.......

My oldest daughter.

When I gave birth to her it was the most exciting moment of my life. A natural childbirth, no painkillers.....and somehow, I still lived! She's always been an independant girl who is more than capable of taking care of herself. As a young adult, she's still like that.

She seems to have an almost photographic memory and remembers almost word for word every book she's ever read. Reading is such a passion with her and she's picky about it at as well.......she only reads hardcovers. When I asked her "why hardcovers?"....she told me that a REAL book is made like that. Paperbacks are flimsy imitations. The last two books that she read are...."The Mermaid Chair"....by Sue Monk Kidd......and...."The Year of the Flood"....Margaret Atwood.


She talks on and on about a book called, "Does my head look too big in this?"....and another title that has slipped my mind. She's working now and has bought her own cell phone...... One of the things that hurt her is the fact that she is only in high school for 2 years here in Canada, graduating this year. She feels like she's missing out on 2 extra important years.

So what else about her? Well, she's got this big heart and can't stand to see someone cry. If you need help, she's the first one to be by your side....but she's not wishy washy....if she thinks you are wrong, she'll tell you to ur face. She's the sort who'll pick you up off the ground then she'll force you to stand on your own.

She has a great fashion sense and wears the most amazing crazy outfits. Unfortunately our shopping choices aren't the greatest....mostly Goodwill and Walmart.....but she uses the money she makes at her new job and gets herself little touches to make her style unique. A couple of her great pieces are....a puce coloured chinest satin vest......matching earrings where one is a spider and the other one is a web.......a brown and turquoise long sleeve shirt.....

All her younger sisters friends think she's the coolest! She's well known for knowing how to dye hair with kool aid and will do it for any of the girls as long as they provide the koolaid and the plastic bag that'll go on your head later!!

She doesn't have a great many close friends but the 2 that she does have are amazing girls. I'd adopt either of them in a heartbeat. She bought herself a guitar....and sometimes you can see her teaching herself to play by watching youtube .... (they've got instructional videos)

She also got a cellphone...and being the dutiful daughter that she is...she texted her father and told him.....something she probably regrets now, because every so often, he texts her and no one can upset her like he can with his strange messages. When he texted her that he was coming to Canada she had an anxiety attack and couldn't calm down. She's the only child that sees her father exactly like he is. She remembers everything down to the small details which makes seeing her Dad difficult. He has his own version of things and she can't stand listening to him tell her again and again how he's the victim. Sigh.

My oldest is a solid girl....tough and yet definitely squishy. In some ways, she's still searching for herself. She has a few great handholds tho. If you ever want to hang out with a cool, exciting girl....she'd be the one....she's not the life of the party, she's the one sitting right next to you.

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My 14 year old

Ya Allah can she talk! And talk! And talk! She's such a loud, exuberant girl. Very popular in her first year of high school....EVERYONE knows her....including all the teachers. She's always been like that. She IS the party! She was always Baba's girl. And as she gets older, she has started putting many things into perspective. And she realizes that her Father isn't always telling her the truth. (about things he shouldn't be talking to her about anyways!) She has a good little group of friends and because of those friends, Bell Canada is probably going up two points this year!

She asks a lot of questions and everyone enjoys talking to her because she is great at conversation. My uncle really enjoyed being with her. Did I tell you this girl can cook??

Ooohhhh....yum! You are lucky if you are invited to her table. I could confidently tell her that there are chicken legs in the fridge and to make a dinner around it.....and just fall in love with the result. Right now she's a fan of stir fries and salads. She does the most amazing combinations with food that I'm blown away. She frequently watches cooking shows to get ideas.....cooking is definitely her thing.

She has all these things I love about her.....but deep down, she's hurt inside. She shows it from time to time by skipping classes, keeping her room messy......and eating. She eats too much. And its something we are trying to get a handle on. She wants to control it.....and needs some help. She's a wash and wear girl.....she wakes up in the morning and has no idea what she'll wear.....she grabs something from here and something from there and says...."yeah this is okay". It makes me laugh how she just doesn't really care.

Oh, but not her shoes....I think she has about 15 pairs of different running shoes that she bought with her Eid money. LOOOL!! Lastly......you'd never want to fight with her. She's got quite the egyptian temper and can be mean when she's in a mood.

More to come later.....