time flies

I cannot believe it is a month since I last updated the blog. I don't know where the weeks go.....baby Harris number 2 will be here before we know it. We had a scan yesterday and they showed us the baby in 3D which is quite amazing - its like looking at an actual baby! I think he/she looked like Emily - Andi can't confirm this as he was busy chasing Em around and trying to stop her unplugging expensive equipment. We have told Emily that she can speak to the baby if she wants via my belly button and its very sweet when she says hello to him/her.

Emily has come on massively since I last updated the blog, its like she woke up one morning and decided she would string sentences together and learn lots of new words. She speaks much more when its just me and Andi as I think its when she's comfortable and confident. She copies everything you say which is very amusing. I picked her up from nursery the other day and asked her if she liked her lunch I made her - she told me it was yukey, she has also told me I am big and fat (remembering from earlier in the day that I told her I couldn't go on the slide in the park (speech has its downsides!).

She is still really enjoying swimming and we spend lots of time at the weekend by the pool - Emily has obviously been watching mummy and is becoming quite skilled and lying back on her float and bobbing around the pool lazily! We recently took her to the local aqua park and she loved floating around the lazy river and generally splashing about.

We have been to a family day at the local museum and Emily enjoyed the bouncy castle and getting her face painted. She also seems to really enjoy live entertainment and sat and watched the bands at the family day and clapped along. The weather is slowly getting cooler (mid thirties not forties) and we can go to the parks and the beach for longer in the day which is nice. Picnic and BBQ season is just around the corner. Andi has 5 days off next week for the Eid celebrations and we're going to scope out some new beaches and take a BBQ.

I've recently been to a chocolate cooking class at one of the 5 star hotels out here and it was a great evening. I had dinner with the class and then learnt to cook some tasty chocolate treats. Even I was amazed at how good they looked! Move over cupcakes.......

I must update the blog more often and will try and do it weekly. I've added lots of photos below and two videos. Emily was desperate for the local cat to get 'up' and play and I've also added a video of Emily at the park desperately wanting to play in the water fountain but being a bit of a scaredy cat!

Expanding mummy at the beach

Building sandcastles

Busy busy at the beach

Emily enjoying her first communal late night hot tub at a BBQ

Reading stories with daddy after work

I scream for ice-cream!

A picnic at the museum park

After the picnic we walked in the grounds of the museum -
this is a picture of the Museum of Islamic Arts

Mummy's chocolates that she made!

Teddy bear's picnic - everyone invited

After the picnic time to take teddies for a drive

Enjoying mummy's pancakes at the weekend

Fountain fun with daddy

Not more ice-cream!.....

Enjoying arts and crafts with mummy - glitter gets everywhere!

Ice-cream.....AGAIN....bubblegum flavour - yuk!

Bouncing about at the local family day

Having my face painted

Sat in the shade with mummy and daddy listening to a live band

Cheese

Daddy and Emily's idea of shopping for chest of drawers isn't productive!

Stickers everywhere but the picture!

More stickers!

Birthdays, poorly people and poorly cars : (

Firstly Emily sends a big thank you to everyone who sent her birthday gifts and cards. Can't believe my little girl is 2! Sadly she wasn't well on her birthday and most of the plans got shelved but she managed to have fun opening her presents and blowing out her candles. She had a sickness bug the day before her birthday and slept and vomited all day - given the amount of sleep she'd had she therefore decided that 1.30am was an appropriate time to wake on her birthday and mummy had the pleasure of watching 2 hours of peppa pig at 2am! She wasn't well enough to go out and do anything on her birthday and needless to say by the end of the day everyone was shattered. Birthday photos attached. She obviously enjoyed her birthday and can't seems to cope with anyone else having one!! Its Andi's birthday today and I've been telling her its daddy's birthday and she keeps saying 'no me' and actually gets quite cross. She refused to give Andi any of his cards this morning as she wanted them!

After Emily's illness Andi was sick and then last weekend it was mummy's turn and I spent about 3 days in bed. Emily kept telling everyone that 'mummy not well.' The car also decided to stage a protest and amongst other hideously expensive problems the air-conditioning broke. We had to drive it for a few days without any air-con and I got stuck in a huge traffic jam taking it to the garage in the heat. I swear it must have been 50 degrees in the car and my water that had come out of the fridge could have been used to make tea by the time I arrived! You just couldn't live here without air-conditioning.

Apart from birthdays, nothing exciting has happened to report and we haven't left the house much. Its slowly getting slightly cooler and we're looking forward to BBQ's and more time outdoors. We're also hoping to get away for the weekend to Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the coming weeks and so no doubt more news and pictures to follow........

Its MY birthday!

Yummy cake and candles to blow out!

Playing with some new pots and pans

Very pleased with my new garage - beep beep

Fun times with playdoh!

The birthday fairy flew in....

Building sandcastles in the garden

Back to normal life in Doha

Normal life has resumed. Baby Harris number 2 is growing, the sun is still shining and its nice to be home to new friends, swimming pools, days at the beach and everyday Qatari life. When we returned to Doha Andi had 3 days off work for Eid (equivalent of a bank holiday) and we spent 3 very lazy days swimming, eating nice food and playing. Emily adjusted to being home really well and was very pleased to be back with her daddy. She is now is a big girl's bed and bar a few nights of tiny feet pitter pattering into our room all has gone well. Since we've been back our friend Will has visited for the week, we've been to the beach as often as the heat allows. Emily has been swimming most days and she has started back at nursery. She wasn't at all sure about being left at nursery to begin with and it took some adjusting (too much fun with mummy over the summer!). It's Emily's birthday on Saturday and I keep telling her that Birthday's mean balloons, presents and cake - she is getting very excited. We're going to go to the beach before the weather gets too hot and then take her out for a nice lunch. I can't believe my little girl is 2! 

It's tiring in all this heat! Two peas in a pod

This potty training is great - I get 5 minutes of peace with a good book

I'm excited about going to the beach but I think mummy's hat looks silly

Back to building sandcastles with daddy

I think I'm ready for swimming - bucket check, watering can check, noodle check, ball check. 

Slides and swings - yay its like being back in England

I've discovered that building towers is great fun!

Drowning in fun at the soft play

Lunch with a view at the museum

Getting higher with my towers - I needed help from daddy with this one

Getting bigger and better.......

I made cakes with mummy and they were yummy!

Must be the weekend - swimming with daddy

If I help mummy in the supermarket I get chocolate - great!

Chocolate makes a mess! I think I'll save this for later

Summer in the UK

I didn't get to update the blog whilst in the UK-obviously having too much fun. I have attached some pictures below of our escapades. We had a great flight over with Emily occupied throughout with DVD's and oodles of chocolate. We spent two weeks in Norfolk when it did nothing but rain but we did manage a few hours on the beach. The rain provided a great excuse to spend lots of time in tea shops eating cake and drinking tea. We then spent a week in Melton, a few days in Leeds and the rest of our holiday with family in Basingstoke. Emily had lots of fun catching up with friends and relatives and spending time outdoors. The flight home wasn't quite so successful and a night flight will not be repeated. Emily didn't sleep, was sick several times and I had to resort to a large glass of red wine at 4am in the morning to see me through the rest of the flight. It was a shame it rained (and rained and rained) but we had a great time being back in England although it was very nice to return home to some routine and hot (hot!) sunshine. Hopefully the attached photos will provide a summary of our adventures. 

A spot of cake at the farm park in Norfolk with Nanny and Peppa

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

I'm going to try this tea and cake malarky - mummy seems to like it

Oh yes I see why - delicious!

Chu Chu - all abroad the steam train

At the beach with Nanny

A second beach day and no rain!
Not used to wearing a coat though!

At the zoo with Lily and Auntie Natalie - a great day (it rained again!)

Fun times with Lily

A lovely few days with the James clan

Feeding the quacks quacks at Granny's

Bike riding with cousin Josh - clink clunk daddy's up front

Fun times at Peppa Pig world with Josh

Peppa Pig world was great!

And the ice-cream was pretty good as well!

Reading stories with Granny

A spot of light holiday reading 

More ice-cream - this time with Mr. Duck.