Our 'sporting day' star

Today was Sports Day at Angela's nursery. Parents were invited in for an hour in the morning to watch the children dance and do mini-races. We were so excited to be able to watch Angela with all of her little friends.

Ang is part of the Little Mozarts classroom - here they come marching in
Starting to dance - to the tune of Hey Mickey your so fine - Ang seemed to really enjoy this one
The group dancing (the two lines of kids on the left are her classroom)

The real fun began when they brougt out small groups of kids for races. Angela was part of the butterflies and got to flap her way across the courtyard. We have a video of this which is posted online but I can't get it to post to this blog. You should be able to view it here: Video
Post-race, looking very cute with her butterfly wings

Third place, yay!

the last days as an only child

I have reached the last week of this pregnancy and while there is no guarantee that this baby will come early, my doctor thinks it could be any day now and even guessed that she might see me this weekend.

Angela got the ultimate 'only child' day today - there is nothing left to do to get the house ready for baby #2 and I really needed to get out of the house today to keep my mind from jumping at every little twinge in my belly.

We started the morning at Toys R' Us. If you have seen our playroom you know that this stop was not really necessary. But Bonnie is flying back to China on Sunday and we wanted to send her with some new toys for her son. Of course we can't leave that store without more things for Angela too!


After Toys R' Us, it was on to Mini Monsters. This city is full of indoor play areas that come in so handy in the very hot summer months when you just can't go outside to the parks. Mini Monsters has just recently opened and we were very impressed when we checked it out last weekend so we decided to go back there today. I can't provide too much detail because I'm way too large to accompany Ang through the maze of a jungle gym to reach the 'fun' parts - but based on what Rich and Bonnie told me it sounds like heaven for kids. It's only about fifteen minutes from our house and Angela was asleep in the car (with a snack in her hand) before we even got on the highway.

After a great nap at home we decided to head down to a local beach area for dinner and to check out a little carnival. Dinner was at Angela's favorite place - On the Border. I'm not sure why but whenever we eat here she cleans her plate and then devours the little bowl of ice cream they bring her after. At the carnival she got to ride the train and the merry go round, and daddy won her lots of toys.



Unfortunately a stuffed meerkat was not on the list of things won. I'm sure the Muslim Meerkat would make a great addition to the playroom.

Practice!

A friend came over with her 7 month old baby today and Angela was so excited to see the baby. She got to hold the baby, play with her and gave her some very sweet kisses. It was so wonderful to see how well she interacted with her. I have a feeling she is going to be an excellent big sister!!

A special visitor

This is the second time in one week that a random cat has appeared on our patio. I woke up one morning this week to find a cat peering into our bedroom window - that one belonged to the people that live upstairs and it had jumped down to our sofa. They somehow got it back without us noticing (I think they lowered a bucket down for her).

Today, a new cat appeared. This time Angela was awake and was so excited to see the 'meow meow'. Soon the cat disappeared - I have no idea where he went (or where he came from) but Angela had a good five minutes of entertainment through the window.

Catching up

Sorry for the lack of recent posting. Here's a quick recap!

We had a great New Years - our friends Jenn & Justin were visiting from Boston and we decided to have a quiet, low key New Years Eve on our patio. There was a great fireworks show at the Atlantis and one of the neighboring villas was having a beach party so we had great music! Rich even made it home from work before midnight to enjoy a glass of champagne. The next day we did an Abra tour in the Marina (some photo's below).

Angela had another growth spurt - and is now such a big girl. She is going to nursery three mornings a week and loves it. Unfortunately this morning she went in her pajama top because we're still having some issues with getting her dressed. I can't blame her though, I would love to just hang out in my pajama's all day! Fortunately her teacher was able to change her shirt without a meltdown.

The house is all ready for baby number two to arrive. We still don't have an official name for her - its been narrowed down to a few options but we're being indecisive on this one. Its now three weeks until my due date and I'm feeling ready! I think Angela can sense something is about to change because she has been extra clingy lately. She loves to rub my belly and give the baby kisses and we talk all the time about what a great big sister she is going to be. In case you are wondering, baby #2 will be born at the American Hospital. I've been really impressed with the care there so far and have heard wonderful things about others who have given birth there.

I promise to try and get more updates on here, although with a new baby coming you probably shouldn't hold your breath!

loving our new toys!






A dhow cruise in the Marina with Jenn & Justin

haircut - round 2

Angela's hair was getting too long again but I was really dreading a return to the salon for a trim. This time I loaded up on movies, chocolate and lollipops. Forgot the ipad at home but fortunately they had Barney on for her to watch.

She wanted nothing to do with the kids chair at the salon. We finally got her to sit on my lap with a piece of chocolate and she happily watched Barney while the lady trimmed away.

We now have a cute little girl that is all smiles (with a major sugar buzz).