December was a full month for us. Every December, I do an activity advent with the kids. Some activities work better than others and some are more memorable than others, and we do have lots of fun, though some days I wonder why I insist on doing it! So, here are a few photos from our super December, complete with explanatory captions! Yay! (Blogging lite, 101)
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| We started by setting up nativity sets. They boys still love this Fisher Price set from their grandmother and spend hours all month long arranging and rearranging the scene. |
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| Then we put up the antique set collected over the years through judicious Ebay purchases and supplemented with all the animals who may or may not have been at the Savior's birth (like ducks, chimpanzees, and meerkats. It's a family thing!) |
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| Next we went ice skating at our neighbors' annual party (a transplanted tradition from St. Louis where they came from). |
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| The boys actually ended up being pretty good skaters once they got the hang of it (and practiced a bit with these helpful seals), and they certainly loved every minute of it! |
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| Our awesome neighbor--we love her! |
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| We also went to a Christmas concert at a local school. For security reasons, we had to come super early and stand in line, so the iPads were assisting us. And no, there were no pictures of the actual concert--did I mention how long the line was? |
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| Next up was International Day at the boys' school, our next big PTA event that was a HUGE success! Here they are at the Canada table, sporting their American finery (our finery really pales in comparison to the finery from Pakistan, Palestine, Jordan, and India, some of the other countries represented). |
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| Eli blew out one of his teeth that day, attempting to blowing up a balloon, an unexpected surprise! |
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| One day we did crafts, stacked paper Christmas trees. They boys loved them but wouldn't stand still enough to get in focus! |
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| Another day, gingerbread cookies from scratch! |
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| The husband was away the first part of the month at a conference, but he returned from New Orleans with masks that had to be modeled! |
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| Another night, we went to a Christmas tree lighting at the Grand Hyatt, where the lights were festive, the gingerbread house with moving train was impressive, and the boys held it together even when things went past their bedtime! |
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| Somewhere in there, the boys and the husband went to Qatar's National day celebration pavilion, where lots of local government entities showcased themselves. Why J is dressed as a dragon, I have no idea.... |
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| They loved all the interactive games and displays! |
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| Next up: the church Christmas party at the singing sand dunes. Here is J climbing up to the top... |
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| And E sliding down on a sand board! |
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| The theme was Back to Bethlehem and here is J, modeling his Bethlehem best. He made the vest in sewing class at school all by himself! |
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| The husband wore his thobe to fit in with the locals. |
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| Another day, I went to school with E to help him with a school project. He had to draw his dream house and then we had to replicate his "plan." Fortunately, I encouraged him to draw a castle (I had made one of these before, so I knew we could do it with the materials on hand). |
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| Of course, he did continue to draw while we were working, which was less helpful! |
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| One night, we had a sleepover under the tree. The lighting was very bad, hence the less than beautiful photos! The boys tried to spend the whole night down there but only made it about 30 minutes before decamping to their bedrooms, where it was cooler! |
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| Next up were the National Day celebrations at school. J was told to wear his own thobe, and here he is posing with a Falcon. |
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| Can you feel the LOVE?! |
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| The requisite bouncy castle with the boys climbing up. |
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| Eli's National Day finery was less authentic but more practical! |
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| That same night, we checked into a hotel downtown at the souq for our own National Day festivities. We decided to spend two nights at a hotel so we could get up early to see the parade and stay up late to watch the fireworks. It was a bucket list excursion. and we all had lots of fun! |
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| Here the boys are posing with a sculpture of hands holding up the Qatar flag. While posing, they were given backpacks full of swag just for being cute! |
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| Waiting for the parade to start.... |
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| Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and dressed in national colors! |
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| The husband posing with a friendly security guard! |
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| After the parade, by the ocean on the Corniche with the Doha skyline in the background. |
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| Lots and lots of fun with our friends at the souq after the parade! |
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| getting read for fireworks! |
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| It was a little chilly and well past bedtime! |
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| The next morning at the hotel, while we cleaned up and got ready for our departure brunch. |
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| Our next advent activity was to make sandmen (instead of snowmen, of course!). |
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| And then, on Christmas Eve, we had lunch by the pool with some friends... |
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| ...and then attended a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner with some more friends (apparently, it's a Sicilian-American tradition, and yes, there were at least seven fishes, if not more and the boys were in heaven: friends to play with and fish, what more could you ask for?). |
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| That night, we put on our new Christmas jammies, read the Christmas story, and got ready for the big day! (Some of us were more thrilled with our pajamas and hats than others!) |
We made it! Christmas activity advent DONE! Huzzah and hooray! Next up, the rest of December, wherein we managed to squeeze still more fun....We cannot be stopped!
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