Omani Boy (Ethan at 3 1/2)

Ethan never had stranger anxiety as a baby or toddler.  Shortly after we moved to Muscat, our friend said of 3-year-old Ethan, "He treats me like a peer" (meaning that Ethan thinks he's an adult, too).  When we've had Indian workers come over to do repairs, Ethan follows them around, asks what they are doing, and gives suggestions.  At the barbershop, Ethan attempts to speak Urdu with the Pakistani men.  At the souq, Ethan speaks "Arabic" with Omani men wearing white dishdashas.  He is intimidated by no one.

Here is a video of Ethan, singing a song he made up.  He claims to be singing in English, but it sounds a lot like Ethan's "Arabic" to me.  (Be sure to scroll down and see the pics after the video!)

I bought Ethan two types of pajamas at a recent shopping exhibition:  One was a typical two-piece set (like most of his pjs) with an Arab cartoon character on the front.  The other was a traditional Omani-style gown.  He totally rejected the cartoon pjs, but he LOVES wearing his Omani gown.  How cute is this!!!

And here is Claire saying "cheese!"

 And just for fun, here are some pillow cases I saw at the shopping exhibition.  I couldn't decide which picture of Sheik Hamdan Bin Mohammed I liked best (he is the crown prince of Dubai, you know!).