Hi Daddy! We're missing you!!

We promise, we're not having too much fun! Here are photos from our first week in Perth, getting spoilt rotten by all the family.

Fun day in Kings Park... wow, this is a new experience for me - Matilda.

My first babycino!! Yum yum!!

Isabelle & cousin Alec enjoying cafe lunch in winter sunshine in Kings Park.Sisters horsing around at home. (6.30am, mind you.)
Isabelle, Kevin, Alec, Martina & Matilda (and Sessan!).

Picking oranges with Kong Kong in the Swan Valley.

Matilda's Birthday Party (Doha)

Matilda had a fun second birthday party! There was lots of yummy food, great friends, stickers & crayons, pink balloons... what more could you ask for?


I just have to mention an eerie coincidence... Isabelle's 2nd birthday party was held on 4/4/04, and Matilda's 2nd birthday party was today, 7/7/07. How weird is that??


Opening the presents...

Anyway, we're now winding everything Doha-related down, and getting packed & ready to hop on the plane tomorrow! Very exciting.


The blog may be a bit quiet over the next couple of months, but I will report again in September. Brendan may add some travel updates from his epic cycling "Tour de France". Hope to see a lot of you in Perth over winter!

Summer holiday sleepover party!

Our girls invited their "sisters" Elsie & Ruby from across the road for a sleepover. The results were fun, fabulous, frou frou, fantastic... see for yourself.

We made yummy pizzas, built our own ice cream sundaes (I say "built" because some were skyhigh!), did makeovers (gee, I didn't know I looked so good in purple eyeshadow), danced forever, and then settled in front of a movie until bedtime (which was a reasonable 9pm!).

Phew. Good fun.

Beware Pirate!

It is Pirate Day at school today! Ohoy!

Isabelle is a winner!

Isabelle took home the prize for best science model today! The pimary school held a science day last week, and every grade was competing. She had been learning about our five senses in class, and decided to make a tongue to show the different taste sensations. Well, needless to say, Brendan and I are super proud of our little girl! A budding scientist!! Here she is with her certificate and book prize presented today at the school assembly.

New member of our family

A fortnight ago, Brendan and I started talking about possibly bringing a puppy back with us from Perth. We decided on a pale cocker spaniel, and I started enquiring about this. Once we found out about the specifics of exporting a dog, we decided against it.

Well, as luck would have it, yesterday I saw a notice about a pale cocker spaniel who needed a new home. Her name is Bonita, and her owners' youngest son had turned out to be allergic to dogs. So, acting quickly, I went and saw the dog, and half an hour later she came home with us. The girls are ecstatic! She is 6 years old, so housetrained and extremely good with kids. We adore her. Here's a photo... (she has been shaved to minimise the allergic effect... but we'll let her hair grow again)

Isabelle in School Assembly

Isabelle and her Reception Red classmates lead the school assembly today, by performing Eric Carle's "Very Hungry Caterpillar". It was awesome! The girls were butterflies and the boys caterpillars. They told us everything they had learned about "minibeasts" - insects with less than 8 legs. Here are some photos...

School Holidays continue... days 3 & 4

The next 2 days were just as eventful. Fingerpainting (which quickly turned feral once Daddy walked in after his bike ride), baking Mars bar muffins, ice skating for Isabelle & Mummy (boy, my calf muscles are sore), eating out at new Thai restaurant, and plenty more. Here are a few photos...

Kids' Paradise

Isabelle is on school holidays (mid-term break), so we're checking out all the indoor facilities in Doha since the thermometer has hit 47 degrees C.

Yesterday, Caroline and I took our kids to Cafe Ceramique, a new place where you get to paint a piece of pottery and have lunch. Isabelle and her best friends, Ruby, Elsie & Felix (well, Felix is the younger brother, and they have a love-hate relationship going on, very competitive) created amazing pieces (I'll post photos next week once I've picked them up). Caroline and I tried our best to match the creativeness of the kids with our platters... we'll see how they turn out (may not put photos of those on the blog!).

Today, Isabelle, Matilda and I went to FunCity - in other words, kids' paradise. Climbing, jumping, sliding, balancing, rolling, throwing balls at their mother... fun fun fun. Here are some photos...

Let's see what we do tomorrow... I think Brendan is on duty then!

PS. Nice of Isabelle to show her appreciation with this drawing she just did for me... she knows how to guarantee ice cream for dessert!

WELL DONE GIRLS!!

After only a few weeks at her new school, Doha College Primary, Isabelle was awarded with a merit certificate at assembly today! She had earned 25 house points already. When she talked about it, she mentioned that she thought it was fun to shake the principal's hand.

Not to be outdone, Matilda came home with this lovely box that she made at nursery.

We're so proud of our girls!

kisses, Mummy & Daddy

Well, that was traumatic...

As Brendan and I marked our 6 year wedding anniversary on the calendar, I was caring for Matilda in hospital. She had such bad sores in her mouth and throat from hand, foot & mouth disease, that she hadn't eaten or drunk ANYTHING for 48 hours... so was badly dehydrated. The doctor put her on an IV drip for a day and a half, but she was still averse to putting anything in her mouth fearing that it would hurt. Great friends of mine, Caroline and Kelcey, came to the rescue on our second day in hospital... with mini porcelain tea cups and a McDonalds chocolate thickshake, we tempted her to start eating again!

Now, there is no stopping her! There has been a huge improvement, and we're finally back home!

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I was woken up with a card from the girls, written so beautifully... thanking me for all that I do! It brightened my whole day!

Our month continues with more illness in this family. After recovering from her bout of Giardiasis, Matilda has hand, foot & mouth disease - the worst case the hospital has ever seen! Poor thing, she is suffering a lot with a painful mouth, and is not willing to eat or drink anything but sips of water and scoops of vanilla ice cream! We all hope she gets back to the cheerful little kid soon! (I need some sleep!!)

Summer is on our doorstep... the thermometer has reached 45 degrees Celcius, and we're spending more and more time indoors. Still cooling down a little in the late evening, so it is possible to sit out then. Brendan is cycling earlier and earlier on the weekends to stay cool... getting out at 4am! He's preparing to meet up with good friends from Perth in Alpe D'Huez to cycle the Tour de France mountains in July.

The girls and I have booked our tickets to Perth... we'll be home on the 12th July! The next two months are going to fly by for me, with final assignments and exams around the corner. There's nothing like high stress levels to remind you that you're alive!!

Until next month...
Love, Samantha

And finally, here are the WILD WADI, Dubai, photos!

Matilda

This last week has been a bit traumatic for poor little Tilly. She has a mouth full of ulcers caused by a virus, and at the other end, she has contracted Giardiasis! Poor love has been out of sorts, but we're hopefully over the worst of it and heading towards recovery (I only had to change bedsheets twice today). Needless to say she can now say "doctor"!

As you can see, she is still a happy little kid.

Singing Sand Dunes

Isabelle & Brendan took Grandma to the Singing Sand Dunes (they hum as you walk along them making vabrations). It was 42 degrees out, and the sand was HOT!

Al Khor beach picnic

We picked Brendan up from work and headed north to Al Khor beach. We saw lots of camels, goats/sheep (not sure!) and crazy crabs.

Showing Grandma Isabelle & Matilda's schools

Grandma visits Doha College Primary School with Isabelle. She is in Reception Red, and starts year one in September.

Matilda goes to Tots Corner Nursery three mornings a week.

Grandma is here!

Here are photos from Grandma's first couple of days in Doha... more to follow! Boat trip out to Zaflia Island...

Dubai

We had a fun trip to Dubai. Quick, but definitely fun. We stayed with friends from Perth, Duane & Lisa, who are expecting their own bundle of joy in just a few weeks. It was wonderful to be in their home, and hang out with them.

Isabelle took the big boys to Wild Wadi, where they spent the day slipping and sliding up and down the rides. Apparently there is no need to walk up stairs to start the ride, instead water jets propel you up and then down. Lisa, Matilda & I went shopping at instead.

Brendan and I explored Mall of the Emirates, with indoor ski slope attached. 6000 tonnes of snow and a 400m ski run, it looked impressive, and I was itching to have a go! However, I decided to spend my time shopping some more... just as good exercise, I reckon!

Jumeirah beach was a sight for sore eyes coming from Doha. If you put blinkers on and squinted to blur your vision, you could almost imagine you were standing on North Cottesloe beach! Somehow though, the Surf Club does not really compare to the Burj Al Arab! Everyone took the opportunity for a quick dip & body surf.

Photos will follow shortly (once we found the camera that Matilda seems to have misplaced; it's only been 24 hours, I'm not panicking yet!!).

So, now we're back in Doha, and so looking forward to Grandma arriving next week.

Easter Sunday was a huge day of parties and endless chocolate! Alert: hyperactive kids!!

Easter Egg Hunt at Tots Corner Nursery

Matilda and her nursery friends had an Easter Egg Hunt today. Sparkly eggs were hidden throughout the garden - how egg-citing!

Here she is with her friend Silje (whose mum works with Brendan), and then mucking around in the softplay area.

Matilda's New Words

Matilda is really talking so much now... today her new words were "apple", "love you", "me", "pippi" (as in Longstocking), "shoes", which sounds very similar to her "cheese". It is so fun!