Last Day of 2012

For our final day of 2012, we went to a beach near Purple Island.  We had been in this area last year, but this time we wanted to try a different spot.  It was a warm day (around 74 degrees) with a bit of wind.  The tide was way out and even when we got to the water, it was only about 4 inches deep.

 Flamingos in the background.. I tried to walk out to them, but as soon as I got too close they flew off.

These are snails that covered the sand.  They were slowly moving along leaving a long trail in the sand.

 The mangroves

Santa brought little remote controlled boats.  This waterway was a great place to try them out.

Little crabs dig out these holes in the sand.  The hole is surrounded by perfectly formed balls of sand.

Christmas Eve

It's been a few days of hustle and bustle as we prepare for Christmas.  We've been to the Christmas pageant.  We've been listening to Christmas carols.  Today there were just a few more things to take care of (including some last minute shopping, taking the car in to the car shop for a 2 day repair, pedicure treatment for the girls, and a party at our friends).

 

You're never too old to make a gingerbread house.  This is one of my first attempts to make gingerbread from scratch.

 

Then it was time to make the pumpkin pie and minced pies.

 

And set the table for Christmas Day.

We've just finished listening to A Festival of Nine Carols and Lessons put on by King's College and we're having a family reading of The Night Before Christmas...

Let Christmas begin

Winter Break

Rob and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at the Four Seasons Hotel.  What a treat.  What I love about this hotel is that they do the little extras to make your stay special.  We had told them it was our anniversary and they had a cake waiting for us in our room.

Our room had a lovely view of the beach below.

The best part about this hotel is the pool/spa.  Outside they have numerous pools and hot tubs.  Indoors they have hydrotherapy pools.  We spent the day relaxing and soaking.  The next day we had late check-out and the children came and joined us for the afternoon. 

After shopping one day we stopped by the souk to look for a trinket. 

There was a little shop with a line, so I knew there must be something worthwhile going on.  This man was making flat bread.
We ordered 10 pieces to take home for a total of 54 cents.  What a deal.

 

 

A Weekend in December

With Christmas just around the corner, we are doing what we can to prepare.  Here is a little touch we have added to our pergola.

 My sunflowers are in full bloom.

 Yesterday we went to see some festival grounds that have been set up for National Day.  Loved seeing the group of men gathered in the background.

 Having some fun with a mock up of a dhow boat.

A Weekend Getaway

We had the fortunate opportunity to spend a few days in Dubai.  We had gone there for a conference, but also had some time in the evenings to explore.  The children spent time at a mall and then spent a day at Wild Wadi waterpark.  It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving as a family.

Although I have never been to Vegas, I sort of imagine Dubai as the Vegas of the Middle East.  It's big, flashy, modern and over-the-top.  For our first evening there, we headed out to find a place to have dinner.  It was suggested that go to Dubai Mall, and eat at the Outback Steakhouse.  We arrived at the mall, found the restaurant and headed to the outdoor seating.  

What a magnificent place to have a meal.  Every 30 minutes, we were privy to a huge fountain display synchronized to music.  The water shot up higher than the two story mall itself, and when it came crashing down, it sounded like fireworks.

We enjoyed our evening so much, we decided to go back again for a second night.

The Emirates Mall is known for having a ski slope inside of the mall.  There was a rental shop where you could rent the ski equipment as well as warm clothes.  Quite something!

On another evening we went to eat at the Jumeirah Beach... a canal with a pedestrian walkway and alleys tucked away with shops.

On Saturday afternoon we explored the 'creek.' This is a busy water canal full of dhows like the picture below that taxied people across.

Volleyball

Our school hosted a volleyball tournament against other international schools in our region.  Connor was a starting player.  It was such an exciting time to go and watch the games and cheer on these boys. They ended up coming in second place, but the entertainment was priceless.

A Week Off

We have just enjoyed a week off for Eid.  For us, this was a 'staycation.'  Most of our days were spent going to the pool for a swim, doing a bit of gardening, a few meals out and late mornings.  We did get out to the beach however.

We went to Fuwairit Beach and the kids did some kite flying.  It was really windy, so this was a perfect thing to do.

The water was warm and we went swimming out to the sandbar a couple of times.

 (video) Rob grilled some hotdogs for lunch.

Stuart took his RC car for a spin.

On another day, we went to a government run nursery.  This place apparently supplies all of the plants for the city.  Rob and I enjoyed doing some shopping here because the prices were so much better than in town.  We also loaded up on peat moss and potting soil.

Greenhouse after greenhouse of plants, flowers and vegetable starters

Beginning to enjoy the patio

The weather is slowly beginning to break (meaning upper 80's lower 90's) and we are starting to spend a little bit more time outdoors.

The flowers are beginning to bloom.

We get to listen to the constant trickle of water from our fountain.

My corn is taking off.

The patio area is really coming along and a space we will enjoy using.

There is even a perfect wall to practice a bit of tennis.

Progressive Dinner

Last night we participated in a progressive dinner.  It is set up so you don't know who is coming over.  We were responsible for doing appetizers which meant that I wanted to try something new.  I'm not usually one to take time to make appetizers, but enjoyed testing these out.

 Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, filled with lettuce, carrots, cucumber, mint and cilantro.

 Cucumber and avocado rolls

 Chicken spring rolls

Ready for our guests

Middle School Field Day

Middle School had a field day even though it was around 100 degrees.  The students are divided into 'houses' and wear their matching shirts.  Then they compete against each other.  Fortunately a lot of the activities involved water.  Lots of fun for Maddie.