Two became three, and then there were four. On March 24, we added one more. Add one chocolate pom, and you will see, we have been very busy in Abu Dhabi!
Salam wa aleikum
....thanks for coming to read my blog.
I hope that you will enjoy keeping in touch with our lives, and that one day, you might even make the trek out to come and visit with us (**NB - VISA's upon arrival for Canadians once again!!).
Grab yourself a nice cup of tea (Make mine JTG's Blue Mountain, mixed with a hint of French Earl...but get something that suits your fancy), and let's catch up...
When we moved here, 8 years ago, little A and I woke up one morning and my heart filled with joy, to see that Obama had won the presidency of the United States. I didn't realize, until that moment, how certain I was that something would happen to prevent this from taking place.
It is my hope, that tomorrow when we all wake up, we will discover there is a woman president in the White House.
I am not American. However, as a Canadian, I have grown up with Americana--and I know and love some wonderful American people. I love the little ditty about Jack and Diane--and in another life, I would have been a cheerleader. I know all the words to the American national anthem, and I envy the 'patriot love' that defines Americans.
I am feeling anxious about this election. I feel that Donald Trump is the living embodiment of everything that we teach our children is wrong. Things that are bad, shameful and embarrassing--things we should never do or say. What is happening to the world, when someone like Donald Trump (who magoo will tell you cannot even say "China" properly), can be president?
Life continues to be busy--kittens have all moved along to new families and Smokey Moon Face will go on December 1 to live with the Nobili family. I think she will be much loved in their home, and my heart will miss her terribly.
The Parent Team keeps me quite busy--and already I am thinking that I cannot take on this much next year--I need to dial it back.
Peter is back from two weeks in New York, and heading out again on Sunday--the children will be very upset.
Hopefully they will be cheered up because Hillary Clinton the new president of the United States of America.
This morning, after packing lunches, doing hair (not my own) and slipping on my trainers, we were out the door (7:25 AM). Pickles had a 'bad day' yesterday, and today's word is 'CO-OPERATION'. I am expecting a great report from all of the wonderful people involved in his day.
On the drive to school we talked about....hmmm....cannot remember...but Abu Dhabi Classics was playing "The Bear Necessities" and we all tried to sing it in its jazzed up variety.
Pickles ran into Ms. Jan--his first shadow teacher, and a lady who so very obviously still holds a very big place in his heart. She was so very lovely and kind to him, and I am glad that he no longer seems torn when he sees her. He is happy to give her a big hug and head on with his day.
Little A is now content to walk a little distance on her own to her line up. She has a third temporary teacher (the fourth and final teacher should be coming for November 1), who is very competent and with it. I miss seeing my friend Gopa (the "Mumbai Madame") who used to watch Little A go in, and give her the sense of the familiar at school (while I trounced off to drop the other two in their spots on time).
Mugs is quite happy now (I think the princess pencil sealed it) and goes off happily to class, with Ms. Michelle, every day. This really eases my heart, and the fact that we forgot her reader doesn't phase her at all.
Then, off to the gym, where I look very forward to seeing my friends--the morning crew. Tabata was tough~ Gillian and I shared a lovely slice of vanilla cake from Circle (with real buttercream frosting) and we chatted away the negative vibes that stick around after a rough night with one's spouse.
Home again, home again, to shower, and do a little bit more for the volunteer role I have taken on with the Parent Team this year. I managed to have some nostalgia time, watching an episode of the recently resurrected X-files...
April 22 marked the end of my month-(plus-five-days)-long celebration of my birthday (March 17-April 17). A group of friends (some old and some newer) came along for a Bollywood themed dinner, at the Ritz Carlton's Punjab Grill restaurant (located in their Venetian village). HAH!
overexposed
The weather was beautiful (thanks in part to the seeded rain which continues to keep the mercury down), and we had a lovely full moon in the sky, perched above the water dividing Abu Dhabi island, from the rest of the Emirate.
I remember well parties of the past, where we have tried to include friends from all parts of our lives (personal and professional friends), only to discover clumps of people, in different parts of our home, only interacting with people they already know. Something that I really enjoyed at my dinner, is how everyone made an effort to socialize with everyone else. I am not sure whether to attribute this to growing up, or being ex-pats, but it sure made the evening relaxing, hearing everyone talking and laughing, and seeing that nobody was left-out. I like to think that some strategic seating also facilitated this atmosphere (who knows seating plans better than teachers?)
There were many things to celebrate: my birthday, Ricardo's birthday (which was actually on the 22nd) and Ajay and Isha's 2nd wedding anniversary (on the 24th I think).
The Bollywood theme was inspired by my goal to get as much mileage out of my Indian sarees as possible. However, as a side effect of weight loss, not many of my blouses fit anymore (need to go to the tailor!), so I decided to try a saree that I have always loved and treasured: my mom's.
I had to borrow my friend Gopa's plain black blouse though, as I am still not small enough to fit my mom's (I don't remember her every being that tiny). Gopa was also kind enough to come over and help me get ready (Gopa can tie a saree in 5 minutes!).
We had a good laugh about how Gopa had to borrow all her Indian accessories from me (seems like nobody in India wears bindis anymore...as I had to lend one to all the ladies in attendance). I have asked all my friends to send out an email to my mom, to tell her what a very proper Indian daughter she raised.
getting the lighting right
I think my sister-in-law, whom we lovingly refer to as the Bollywood Barbie would have been proud (and had she been here, she would have put us all to shame!).
it's not gulab jamun....but it'll do
Cristina is back, and has recovered from a terrible virus that she caught on her flight back from the Philippines (similar to the one I got on the way back from Phuket). She watched the kids while we celebrated, who were excited for their very own sleep-over with their much-loved friend (she is indeed considered a friend by all three) Anoushka. Pickle slept on his own, but the girls all slumbered together. As the stories go, Magoo kept talking and the double A's worked very hard to tell her stories to put her to bed. Would explain why it was a little past 3 AM when Magoo made her way to my bed.
Sleeping beauties
When we got home around 1 AM, I read the news that Prince had died. I remember making up dances to his songs, when I was 10 years old, in Forestburg, with my friend Lana. My mom used to always make fun of that hair, that always hung over his one eye--she always wanted him to push it back so he could see properly.
In addition to raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...
The week before Spring Break began was quite busy--and made more challenging as we were without Cristina, whom we had sent home for her annual vacation.
We had THREE Sports Days events, a Mother's Day spa, Magoo's FIFTH birthday party and a mini-break to Fujairah. It was both exciting and exhausting!!
Magoo was very enthusiastic about her first Sports Day. She was team YELLOW, along with her bestie Sho. They had some great events--and it was so much fun, full of cheering and laughter. It was well organized and very much designed for maximizing participation and minimizing competition.
the ANCHOR
Litte A had her Sports Day on Monday as well (I lived at school that day). Team Yellow too. She didn't participate much and continues to be extremely stressed out at sports events. It was also very stressful for me, and I actually left the gym when she started crying that she could not do the obstacle course (which I had just seen a gym full of 4 and 5 year olds complete). I have one picture of her to share, from the swimming event, where she is a pro (and should be, considering all the years of training she has done).
A in the middle
I had to leave little A's Sports Day early to attend a Mother's Day Spa (EY1), which made Little A SOOO incredibly jealous! In addition to celebrating two birthdays a year, while living in Abu Dhabi I get THREE Mother's Days--British, UAE and North American. The school celebrated the UAE's Mother's Day, with snacks, massage, make-up and nails. Magoo was a perfect hostess and was adamant that I was to be given all the decision making power, for every activity.
That afternoon we rushed home, to prepare for Magoo's birthday party at Funworks. It was crazy--as we sped home to get ready for the party, and get there before the other guests. Once the kids were settled, I had to zip over to B&R to see if they would store the ice cream cake for us. After that, I zoomed over to Geant to pick up water bottles, which were not part of the package, but were essential for all the kids bouncing and running around in the FunHouse.
Suffice it to say, I burned a lot of calories and turned a lot of heads: crazy lady running through Yas Mall with the grocery cart.
Magoo had a fabulous time though, and really enjoyed herself--which is what always makes it worthwhile.
On Tuesday, was Pickle's Sports Day (team GREEN). He participated as much as he could, and really had a lot of fun. I was sure (and kind of hopeful??) that his event would be rained out--as it had rained a fair amount that morning--but the show went on, and the cloudy day made for some very comfortable weather for the event.
He was also the anchor, and you can see my FAVOURITE of Pic's teachers this year, Mr. Marcus, who hails from Devon, AB. In this picture, he is encouraging Pickle to PULL the rope for the tug of war (which he mostly didn't quite get), by telling him to bring the rope to pass it off to him. I heart Mr. Marcus!
Tuesday was a short day at school, and Ms. Claudia was so sweet to celebrate early for Magoo. She got a birthday crown and a lovely little book from her entire class.
Entrusting our home and pets to Pernille, we drove to Fujairah on Wednesday (I believe I packed Wednesday morning) and continued our celebrations, at the Radisson Blu. I was impressed by how much the landscape of the UAE varies from one Emirate to the next. It was amazing to watch the flat desert change--to see vegetation emerge, followed by foothills which grew into rocky mountains. Although I prefer the view from the Muscat side, our resort was also a beautiful combination of mountains and water.
Birthday cake (missing: Little A--crying on sofa left)
Magoo's birthday wish: Ice cream from Baskin Robbins.
There were many of them in the area, but we found this one in a mall in Fujairah.
Cookies n' cream, Baseball Nut and Mint Chocolate Chip
Peter took the following week off from work (holidays need to be used up). We took the children to Dubai to see one of their favourite musicals, The Sound of Music. It was another wet day, but we all loved watching the musical and comparing how it was different from the movie.
We spent one morning on the Donut Boats at the Eastern Mangroves. It was quite windy, but we all loved it. It was very quiet, and peaceful. Pickles was quite keen on being the Captain and steering (so glad to get some mileage out of our hat purchase from the Netherlands), but did get us stuck on a cement block. Peter saved the day by getting out and pushing us off. We managed to spot a lot of water birds, and a very emaciated desert fox (who I hope someone will remove from that island sometime very soon--the experiment just isn't working...).
I bid a fond farewell to my Ameda breastpump. These two benefitted the most from it--but mostly Pix--who was exclusively bottle fed breast-milk. When I was cleaning out the backpack I found a map of Milan and some new batteries, which we must have had packed from our trip to Italy. It was shortly after that trip that Pix was weaned onto formula, as my breast-milk supply was reduced due to my pregnancy.
I spent countless hours attached to that pump, watching movies to block out the suction noise and occupy my mind. I didn't have to use it even once for Magoo--who was a breast-feeding pro right out of the gates.
I passed it along to my friend Raquel. I don't think it is working like it used to, and so I advised her to get the motor checked (and serviced if needed). That pump was magic!
So many memories--all the way back to the Bonnie Doon Health Centre, where we met Laurie Reid, who helped me build back my milk supply (with this pump) and get Little A back on the breast.
Sho came back from her holiday to Vietnam with a beautiful dress for Magoo. The PEACOCK dress!! I loved that the day after they arrived home from their holiday, I got a call from Roscha, b/c her little girly was missing my little girly. That was a crazy busy day too--but I made some time for the girls to get together--just because.
Guess who is going to Vietnam this summer??
We went to try out some climbing at Adventure HQ. It was great to see how much progress the children made in their climbing skills in 30 minutes! A special thank you to Dennis, who I designated to help Pickle exclusively. As you can see--Pix loved him!
Little A shared her kimono project with us. The grade 3 classes opened up their doors for parents to walk around and listen to all the students share their projects. The mom in me was very proud and I couldn't stop beaming at my daughter the entire time. The teacher in me was quite impressed that little A did not read her presentation directly from her board, but only referred back to it from time to time. I enjoyed how the school chose to share this project; rather than having each child present individually, all the children did it at the same time, to whoever stopped to listen. I think this took a lot of performance anxiety off of most of the children.
As I write, Peter is on a plane back from Hong Kong, and Cristina is back in her room resting. Today was a good day--just the kids and I at home, busy, crazy, with lots of laughs (and tears for balance). I wanted to go to the mall, but the kids were not keen, so I opted to do some cooking--mini-quiches for the week (it is the only way I can get eggs into Pickles as he doesn't quite connect that there are eggs in quiche). Little A got caught up in what's apping her dad (reading their messages made me laugh out loud!). So, these two were my primary assistants. Magoo is quite good at cracking eggs.
Pickles is not.
In this picture I am busy stirring onions, shallots and spinach in a hot pan on the stove. Magoo is screaming at me, and has egg all over her shirt, legs and in her hair--bc Pickles cracked the egg and it squeezed out all over her (by accident of course), all over him, and on the floor and the counter. He is apologizing repeatedly to me, I am trying to just finish my stirring so I can take them both to be cleaned up, and I am talking and trying to convince Magoo to chill out--it was just an accident, and Chewbacca is licking up the floor as fast as he can.
When I turned my head and looked at her, just really took it all in, it made me laugh out loud (though I really tried hard not to). It literally 'cracked me up'.
Which just made Magoo scream louder.
aftermath
The mini-quiches turned out great and we had them for supper with broccoli and homemade mac n' cheese (I found a great oatmeal elbow macaroni from Quaker!!). The kids went to bed relatively early, and I relaxed and ate some dark chocolate with my matcha drink. Since Peter is not here, and I cannot watch the Blacklist without him, I watched Supernatural and an episode of The Mindy Project (I love them both).
My trainer Pernille played this song on a very gray and warm morning last week--March 9. I hadn't heard the song for so very long, and she said the weather just put her in the mood for a little MJ. He gifted us with so much powerful music in his lifetime--and once again, I was struck by how the Europeans continued to enjoy Michael's music, guilt-free, despite all of the controversy surrounding him in the later years of his life. Unlike in North America, where it felt taboo to admit to supporting MJ during his troubles--nevermind playing his music (at least until after he departed this plane), here I have always heard his songs on the radio (quite frequently) and I feel comfortable to tell people that I (like Pernille) am a fan.
Suffice it to say, it was a great class (as usual--and Pernille's voice is constantly in my head yelling "MORE BACK!" to me when I am doing squats). My day continued with a baby shower, Abu Dhabi style--at the golf club, for my friend Raquel. Like my wedding, it was a catered affair complete with white seat covers and table cloths, guests dressed in their fancy whites and the mom-to-be looking gorgeous and FIT (as Brazilian fitness trainers are wont to look at 7 months in).
As one shower wound down, another bigger one picked up and I found myself stuck at the golf club, as one of the most violent storms in Abu Dhabi's history began (they wouldn't let us leave). I found myself getting more stressed and needing to leave, once I had been told by the staff that I could not...fallen trees, flooded roads and electrical wires all over...that's what they claimed (I only encountered the first two on my risky drive home).
We did have warning about the coming storm, and school was cancelled for two days--as we had a sampler of the rain to come the day before, when I picked up three soaking children from school. Since we were already dripping, and have boots needing to see some action, we went out for some much-loved puddle-jumping. As you can see from the photos, Little A is not as enthusiastic as she once was wrt to splashing around. She was much more subdued and just seemed to enjoy gently wading through the water. Unlike Magoo and Pix, who had to have their boots emptied before we went home.
Living in the desert, we don't have a lot of rainfall, and so we are not really equipped for this type of weather (we refer to our umbrellas as "sun-brellas" and use them to block the sun). Windows and doors all tend to leak, drains on the side of the road get overwhelmed and back-up...and because it passes so quickly and comes so infrequently, we usually just suck things up and forget all about it until the next year. I have plans to pay to have a cover placed over my front door, to stop next year's rain from leaking in...but let's see...
Here is some footage from Peter's office window:
It was a crazy storm! The big nor'easter of '16 will go down in history, and I am sure we will talk of it for years to come.
In other news:
Pickles had to find a new hairdresser. Ramila moved on from the Kid's Saloon, but fortunately, we managed to meet Julia. Now Pix will only trust his poof-ball locks to this lovely lady (who did not nick his ears or back of his neck with the razor).
Before the storm, the mozzies were back! My girls are quite sweet (literally) and were bitten all over. Poor Magoo, got about three bites on her face--but she was a real trooper about the eye bite--didn't complain much at all.
The entire time, I was reminded of my aunt, who experienced the same eye mosquito bite when she came to visit us when I was a little girl, and lived in Forestburg. She was my favourite aunt, and I loved her greatly (considering how little I saw her, as she lived in England). I remember feeling so uncomfortable and scared looking at her swollen eye, and bringing her ice and sitting beside her bed, wishing for her quick recovery. I wanted to help her, but felt helpless to do anything to speed things along.
In about three days, Magoo's eye returned to normal. I stayed calm and kept it together, offering her ice and counsel, so that she would not stress about the experience. I am proud of both of us for making it through.
Though he is a bit of a nipper. everyone loves Chewbacca. Lately he has become Pickle's at home speech therapist and helps him with his bite block practise. I guess he also helps him with his O/T as Pix has to move his legs quite fast to ensure that Chewy's little teeth don't give him a little pinch. In the last three weeks Pickles has made great progress with his speech exercises.
We took Chantal to the Ritz to celebrate her birthday (belated from January 3). There was cake, coffee and presents. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and I loved being able to do something nice for this wonderful lady who takes such care and gives so much to my precious son-shine.
Today we are back to Sunday again. Back to Pernille and LBT, and then I had a delicious breakfast at Jones with my friend Gopa (is it good or bad that the waitress asked me if I was ordering my "usual"?). We were joined by Sharee, my newest Canadian friend. Started my blog update this morning, and will conclude it this afternoon, while Little A works on her '15 minutes of daily homework' (which actually is about 2 hours...), and Magoo rolls around and distracts everyone.
Speaking of Magoo, while we were waiting for Pickles at speech, I asked her to check out this spread of fine looking young men and pick the 'most handsome'. I was truly curious to see her perspective on male beauty, and did not steer her in any direction. Keep in mind that she has no idea who any of these people are (and to be honest, some of them I don't know either).
She picked out her favourites in the order indicated. I don't even recognize the name of her first pick (possibly he is a European footballer?). Then she changed her mind and picked Zac Efron (who is still on my radar as a 40 year old woman). Finally she settled on 3--who she said looks like Bon Jovi (so obviously she knows how I define handsome), although I am not sure Jon would approve the likeness. I told her that it was Justin Bieber, and she said "Oh! So that's Justin Beaver!"
And, because I likely won't be updating before St. Patrick's Day, here is one handsome man that they somehow missed in the above spread (a pic that will most definitely feature in my family calendar for 2016).
It is no secret that my daughters are big fans of Maggi--a salty, brown seasoning sauce, with no nutritional value. I had always assumed it was Chinese in origin (which Peter will tell you is because I am a racist--but is actually due to the fact that Peter introduced the concept of Maggi to me like it was his own family's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices (especially when you dip white bread in it)). I think Peter was just as surprised as I to discover that Maggi seasoning has its roots in Switzerland.
Little A's love for Maggi (which we call "Maggi-dip" around here, as our girls love to dip everything in it) is so strong that it was her number one choice to name both of her siblings. Maggi has travelled with us on so many vacations--and Steiner--once again, I am sorry for the very pungent maggi momento we left in your van two years ago and I hope the smell has faded!
A toast...
Yesterday as we were walking back from the Ozzie vet's to Kids First (where kids have to walk in the doors first, hence the name), Magoo told me that she knows how to say 'noodles' in "Indian" (Hindi to be more specific). I asked her to share with me, and as I racked my brains to think how to translate noodles myself, she informs me that it is "Maggi".
Ho-ho-ho!
I told her that she was mistaken, and that was not the correct translation, to which she replied that I didn't know because I was not, in fact, Indian--YOU ARE A CANADIAN! Her friend (the same one who eats wojjy-tables) IS Indian, and so she most certainly knows better than I do.
Though it took the hamster in my head a little while to start spinning and figure out why 'maggi' would translate to 'noodles', I finally managed to impress Magoo (which is kind of like Maggi...so maybe little A indirectly got her wish) with my wisdom. I explained that instant noodles come in many different BRANDS (Lucky Me--like Malou liked, Indo-me--which we bought when we couldn't find Lucky Me, and Ichiban--which is popular where we come from). Maggi also makes a brand of instant noodles, which must be the one her friend's mom serves up in their household.
She eventually believed me, especially when I told her I would confirm with "Aunty Gopa" who is a REAL Indian (unlike me).
When I asked Gopa this morning (after she stopped having a laugh about "maggi' translating to "noodles"), she looked at me with her beautiful, big, maggi-coloured eyes and said "I don't know how we say noodles in India...I think we just call it 'noodles' (with an Indian accent of course)."
As it seems that life just chugs along and nothing ever changes--I will go backwards and see if I can meet myself back at turning 40 (which I believe was sadly, my last update).
Dr. Shalji's Apprentice
On Saturday, all three kids had their dental cleaning appointments at Smilerite. Pickle has had two extra teeth in his mouth (until quite recently). Seems like his two bottoms fully erupted, before the baby teeth had a chance to get out of the way. We made a visit to Dr. Smitha about a month back (when we first noticed this issue--that is the royal 'we' btw...it's actually just me). Dr. Smitha told me to wiggle the teeth as much as I could and extract them myself (as they were already wobbly at that point--unlike little A' s teeth which seem to be cemented in). We also made a back-up appointment (which is for this Saturday--mental note--call to cancel) with Dr. Shalji to have an extraction performed. On February 5, Pickle's first tooth popped out during some very rigorous brushing with mom (I was very nervous when I saw that big smudge of red appear in his mouth--my first thoughts were that I had been a very bad mummy). He was so excited, and hopped around the house.
He managed to pop out the second tooth himself, while sitting in the dentist's chair after Dr. Smitha told him "just pull it out yourself!". She was a little shocked when he followed through, thus pushing back his cleaning, giving his little mouth time to recover. Now, he is no longer like a shark, with multiple rows of teeth, and we will look forward to these teeth moving forward into their rightful place (hopefully).
We enjoyed celebrating Valentine's day. The children handed out cards to their classmates (they were the only ones), and then we had a mid-term break (two extra days off of school). The weekends fly by so quickly, and the two extra days we had were consumed by an Arabic project and a play-date. We had a small Valentine's Day party at home on Sunday (just family and Tina--our new helper). The children also got to decorate valentine's cookies and contribute to a hand-mural heart at Yas Mall. During our lunch, Magoo asked me "Mom--one of my friends at schools says she likes to eat wojjy-tables, but none of us know what wojjy-tables are...Do you know what is wojjy-tables?". It took me a minute to process--wojjy-tables?? And then, my ESL roots kicked in, and I realized Magoo's little friend was a vegetable lover! Cristina and I laughed (on the inside) as I enlightened little Magoo, and discussed how different people from different countries have different accents, which effects how they pronounce different words--and it was a difference we need to enjoy. We talked about how everyone mispronounces words here and there, and we chuckled at her EFL sister who enjoys listening to hits by a blockbuster songstress from the UK--Ada-lay (who the rest of the world refers to as Adele).
We welcomed in the year of the monkey, with our usual Chinese New Year traditions. We dressed up in our traditional clothes and headed over to the Shangrila hotel, to participate in their Dragon Dance. Each year they improve on their presentation, and this year they added a man who distributed fortune cookies to all of the children. Afterwards, we headed over to Peter's office for some hot chocolate (which Pickles spilled all over his pants). Fortunately, it dried quick enough, and we drove to Yas Mall for lunch (NB: healthy lunch options at Yas Mall are severely limited) and additional Chinese New Year activities--the children made paper lanterns.
One of our favorite CNY traditions is making dumplings with my friend Yang. She makes magical dumplings, and makes it appear so effortless. She is a dear friend to me, and I miss her greatly everyday, since she and Juergen moved to Bangkok. We put forward our best effort and made our own dumplings in her honor this year. Cristina was in charge of the fillings--and we all helped with pinching and pressing (my tray of dumplings are on the right...see how neat my little coin-purses turned out Yang!).
Chewbacca is adorable and overweight. On our recent visit to the vet (where we officially transferred all his veterinary records over to me), we discovered he needs to lose about 1 kg of weight and needs his teeth cleaned. While I was speaking with Dr. Rachel (our vet and also my friend from the gym) I mentioned his smelly breath and she noted that it was indeed very bad and she could smell it from where she was standing. I remarked "his breath does smell bad, but that isn't his breath we are smelling...". We all turned our heads to discover an obese hushpuppy behind me. Rachel asked the man holding the leash whether his dog was having bad gas issues, when we noticed the immense pile of poo, sitting by the man's feet. He gave an embarassed and apologetic shrug, as he had literally stepped in it. The children thought it was hilariously 'bisgusting'.
All the way from sunny Alberta, Fiona and Sandy made good on their promise and joined us in the sand-box. We had a whirlwind holiday together, and crammed as much as we could into their visit. It struck me as both strange and wonderful to be walking in a mall in Abu Dhabi with my dear friends from Edmonton. They have promised to return--I only hope they will stay longer, as I seriously cannot keep up with these guys!!
Peter turned 40 this year, and we enjoyed an amazing celebration in Phuket, with some of our family and friends. I think the combination of the location and the company made this one of my favourite holidays we have ever spent. Peter's sister Chris really helped me out by buying me a new Oiler's jersey for Peter (without him even suspecting) and the staff at our villa arranged for a delicious birthday cake (think Sara Lee's vanilla). Peter's celebration ended with us releasing the biggest birthday candles we could find (the Thai sky lanterns) up into the sky. What a memory to treasure!
I love Peter. I still remember him being that guy in high school who used to stop unexpectedly to give me a ride home after my shift at Suzy Shier. He was also that guy who used to throw staples in my hair and yank my chair back when I was working. If someone had ever told me that he would grow to be the man I would love and share my life and children with, I would have shook my head at how crazy that was (HE'S CHINESE!!). That's life, I guess--unpredictable at best. Peter is my best friend, and I cannot imagine sharing my life with anyone else....
Unless it was THIS guy....
Clearly--one of the highlights of my year of turning 40 was sharing my love of Jon Bon Jovi with my children. Magoo asked him why he looked so old (what a charmer she is) and he said "because i AM old sweety'. Jon (are we on a first name basis yet?) was REALLY exhausted, but took a minute to sign our guitars and take a few pictures (man--that guy can turn it on for the camera!), and helped me make a memory to put a smile on my face for YEARS to come!
Magoo has started EY1 this year. Essentially, this is a nursery year, but it is necessary to securing her a place for EY2 (where the REAL WORK begins). I felt quite torn about sending her (she is only four, so this is early by our Alberta standards). However Magoo was really ready for the experience, and though there were many tears (from both of us) on her first day, she settled in quickly. She adores her teacher, Ms. Claudia, and has made a BFF (Sho-sho, who luckily enough lives just a few villas away from us...they are off on a park-playdate as I type). I am proud of how well she has settled into school-life, and it calms any uneasiness I had about her being too young for the experience.
Pickles is in EY2 this year, and despite many disruptions (new shadow teacher, changing teacher's assistants), he loves being at school. His new shadow teacher, Chantal is a gift from heaven! She was little A's TA last year, and is a loving, caring lady from South Africa. I love listening to her accent when she talks, and she and Pix have wonderful days together. We have been very lucky to have such amazing people come into Pickle's life, to help him along on his journey. Though I try to keep a 'professional distance' with Chantal (as her employer)--it is absolutely impossible. She gives so much of her heart to my son, and it is impossible not to feel an enormous amount of affection and gratitude for this woman who looks out for the best interests of my darling boy, when I cannot. All of the kids adore Chantal (not just my own) and feel so safe and comfortable with her.
Little A is 8 years old now, and part of her birthday present was having her ears pierced in Austria this summer (and the Magoo got to share it!). Her heart is full of love and kindness, and I am told she is quite a popular girl at school. She has had some hard days, as there is a bully in her cohort this year. It is quite challenging for me, as little A is so soft-hearted that she is unwilling to protect herself, because in doing so, she will need to go on the offensive and hurt someone else...the bully. I am trying to support her by building her own confidence to deal with this MON(ica)STER, and hopefully one day this will be a memory she laughs about (her own personal Billy Roth--a behaviourally challenged boy I used to have to deal with on the playground when I was little--but I am told I was much more aggressive than my little girl is).
Austria and Germany is where we spent our summer holiday. It was so beautiful, green and HOT there--some days it was tooooooo hot--why does it seem there is always a heat wave in Europe whenever we go there?
First world problems...ugh!
We were joined by my parents, who got to spend a lot of time with their grandchildren (and Pickles still raves about Naniji's dahl and rice). This freed us up to go out on our own for lunches and dinners...something we generally haven't been able to do on our holidays before. We also got to meet up with my cousin Vinod and his wife Anne in Salzburg--whom we have gotten quite close with, since we have come out to the Middle East. Vinod and Peter share a love of golf, beer and Bosna sausage (not in that order), and Anne is like sunshine--the Mary Poppins of the Sharma family--impossible not to love that lady!
In Munich we got to reunite with our Fidelia--whom we love and adore. Her apartment was so close to ours, and we spent as much time as we could find together. She was in a transitional period in her life (the kind that comes when you are in between graduation and your 'adult' job) and we did our best to love and support her, and let her benefit from the wisdom of our years. She is such an intelligent, articulate and well-educated young lady, and we are so pleased that she is now happily settled in Hamburg, and employed doing something that excites her.
And...I think that takes us back to around the time that I turned 40...and we last caught up. I am sure I have hit the highlights (please see I MET JON BON JOVI above, in case you missed it). Phinny and Jonesy are just fine--but I can update you on them in the next blog entry! x
P.S. I won phase one of the fitness challenge I entered back in May. Yay ME!
