Harris life in Doha

Friday, April 18, 2014

Holidays - Yippee

We've just come back from a lovely week in Sri Lanka, which was very relaxing. Having said that, Dylan has at 15 months started early with the terrible twos! I am blaming teething as all parents do. He is like a little rocket - I don't think he sits still for more than 2 minutes (except for Barney his favourite TV show). Thank goodness for that lovely big purple dinosaur. Emily enjoyed her holiday, swimming, eating ice-cream and surviving on donuts for breakfast and chicken nuggets and chips at all other times (washed down with far too much orange pop). There is going to be a serious sugar detox next week in this house! We went on a river safari, to a turtle conservation sanctuary and spent lots of time by the pool. When number 3 arrives I think holidays will be distant memory so its a good job it was a good one!

Enjoying the beach in Qatar

Rocking my new haircut

Baking a cake for daddy

Which I was very proud of!

Anyone for swimming?

Meeting the baby turtles in Sri Lanka

and I am terrorising them!

Enjoying my holiday

I look sweet and innocent but I'm plotting my next move!

Straight to the beach please daddy

Checking out the turtle eggs

Many hours spent in the pool on holiday

Friday, April 4, 2014

Sept, Oct, Nov Dec......etc etc

We have not disappeared, the hours in my day have to find time to sit down and write anything for the blog have! I need to keep it up though (not that anyone will read it by now) but because in years to come Emily and Dylan will wonder what became of us and why mummy stopped. I can't possibly remember half of what has happened since I last updated this in August but here are the highlights:

1. Mummy is working, just as an admin assistant but keeps me out of trouble between the hours of 7 and 2 : )

2. Dylan has turned 1 and Emily has turned 3!

3. Baby number 3 is in on the way! Crazy times ahead.

4. Emily has got a place at big school and starts in September

Life in Qatar is still suiting us well and we'll be here for a while yet I think. We'll be moving house soon (again!!) to be nearer Em's school and hopefully will have more space (any and all visitors still welcome!). I hope the photos attached provide the best snapshot of the last 6 months. Sending lots of love to anyone who happens across this blog to check we are still here! x

A rare puddle in Qatar

Strawberry milk post ballet lesson - yum!

My big boy Dylan

Best friends (most of the time!)

Cooking up a good BBQ with daddy

Ikea ice-cream, one of life's pleasures

Storytime from Emily

A girls trip to the theatre

Bedtime cuddles

Fashion Princess

Happy 1st Birthday Dill

Brrr its cold in England in December

Happy Christmas 2013!

Cheeky boy in his first PJ's!

Emily loves dressing up as a princess

Red bull flugtag Oct 2013 - first time Dylan walked!

Lots of outdoor fun

Milkshake Queen

I'll not forgive you for this mum!

Happy 3rd Birthday Emily Jude- best princess cake ever!!

Ho ho ho Santa

Happy Christmas Dylan Woody

1st Birthday pirate party with my cousins and big sister

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Nearing the end of an enjoyable summer

Its nearly mid-August and the end of Ramadan and Eid and so things are starting to return to normal here. During the holy month of Ramadan (people fast during daylight hours) there are limited things open and its so hot outside that's it a challenge to find things to do. Having said that though its funny how I think we have acclimatised and now think nothing of going to the swimming pool when its 40 degrees outside. We went to the beach yesterday but had to get there at 7am and leave at 9. Summer has been really great here because a lot of people leave to go home to their home countries and so its been quiet on the roads and the pace of life seems to slow down. Andi has been able to finish work slightly earlier over Ramadan and so we've spent some lovely family time together. Emily has been going to a summer camp in the morning as her nursery closes for a few months over the summer and she has done lots of painting, sticking, singing and dancing and seems to have great fun. Since I last posted we've had a visit from Nanny which Emily and Dylan loved, had a few beach days at the hotels and enjoyed the swimming pools and yummy food, been to our first Brunch (which basically consists of spending hours at one of the hotels eating and drinking), been to Disney on ice, seen the Barney show and tonight Emily is at the circus with daddy! We live on a lovely friendly compound and all the neighbours regularly get together for BBQ's and nights out and we're meeting some really lovely people. Dylan started crawling at 6 1/2 months and so keeps me very much on my toes! He spends lots of time chasing after Emily who isn't so convinced having a brother is so great now he can take her things off her! Having said that she is still really lovely with him. She loves going to wake him up in a morning and quite often you hear her say to him 'good morning lovely little boy.' He's enjoying trying lots of new food and I think his highlight so far has been his ikea hotdog at the weekend ; ). Emily seems to be 2 going on 12 and loves painting her nails, singing and dancing and generally being the centre of attention. She starts dancing lessons in September and so will have lots of new moves! She's enjoying swimming and Andi is doing a really good job teaching her. She has almost swim a couple of metres now. Her summer has really been spent at the indoor soft plays, summer camp and going out for tea and cake (her favourite thing to eat) - not a bad life really. I'll try and attach lots of photos.