The Hunt

Because I was not feeling tip top, Easter was not quite as organized as I had hoped, but we were able to celebrate in a small way.  We attended church on Friday, and the Easter Bunny visited that night, so we had our egg hunt on the Saturday.

Discovering Baskets

Leoni hunting for eggs

Burke hunting for eggs

Found!

Less urgency for this guy

More excited to show off his haul

Able to pause for a moment

Found on his own

An easier way to carry the basket

One more

Emptying eggs into bowls

This was a fun part

More fun than real eggs because nothing gets on your hands

I knew these would only last so long.  

After this realization, they lasted another 20 seconds...maybe less.

Chocolate

Enjoying the spoils

Opening wide

Deciding whether to bite

Wider

Stuffing it in

That's it

So proud

Chocolate drool was the next step.

We had fun, and we are glad they are still young enough to willingly share their candy with mom and dad.

C is for Cookie

 I was sitting at my desk typing an email when I heard behind me in a gruff cookie monster voice, "Mmmm, tookie, tookie, Tookie Monster…nom, nom"  This is what I turned around to find.  I guess we won't be needing those cork trivets from IKEA any more.

Easter Friday

My kids are not the easiest subjects, but this is what I got in our Easter Friday attempts.  It was slightly windy, which made for an extra challenge, especially when Burke really needed a haircut.

Here is part of our choir that sang that day.  With no collaboration, we still were on the save wavelength of wearing blue.

Growing Pains

Unless you are living it, it is difficult to explain the rapid growth that Doha is undergoing.  In the 3 1/2 years we have lived here, so much has changed, been built, evolved.  Many of the people we met when we arrived have moved on to different job assignments across the globe.  Among the majority of the people we know, we are often looked at as "old-timers," but I still feel so new in this city.  I have met and talked with people who lived here before there was really a city, and that wasn't too long ago. A few pictures help get the point across.

The top picture is the Sheraton hotel in 1975, near the end of its completion.  Below are two shots (taken from the opposite direction) of the downtown area now (2013), crammed with high-rises.  The lower right shot has the Sheraton circled.

http://dohanews.co/post/45407620299/talk-about-rapid-development

Below is another set of comparison shots taken from about the same location.  You'll notice the Sheraton hotel again in the top shot.  This is taken nearly 20 years after the original shot above, and you'll notice, still not much competing.  So, between 1975 & 1993, there wasn't much change.  Take that same shot 20 years later and a multitude of change. 

I wish I had a picture of the skyline when we arrived in 2009, because even it would show some drastic changes from the 2013 view, and this is only downtown.  The city itself has grown outward.  It seems like streets change daily.  Thankfully, they are starting to try to implement more official street names and mapping for the city.  It will probably take years to catch on, but it will be helpful to be able to tell someone what street to turn on rather than a description, especially when stores are knocked down and relocate so often.  Experience this type of change has truly been fascinating, and comes with its own set of challenges, but it is also exciting.

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Eve

I spent a late Valentine's Eve with these lovely ladies.  It was a celebration of love, complete with The Princess Bride, pizza, chocolate and lots of adult conversation.  What more could you want?

I, I Am A Dancer

A girl in my ward has started a cooking group this year.  We meet once a week to learn about the intricacies of various cooking techniques.  The kids can come too, and since she has four girls, they are stocked with costumes, which Leoni loves.