Dhow Cruise and Swiss Brunch

I recently decided to join the American Women's Association in Doha mainly so that I could join all the fun trips and activities that they organize.  My friend Ali is also a member and told me that they take their little girl Tilly along to many of the events which helped make my decision.  The AWA planned a traditional Dhow trip that takes you around the bay by Doha and then anchors out by Banana island.  The workers cooked up a BBQ while we swam and just enjoyed being out on the water.   It was amazing how many boats were out doing the exact (well, almost) same thing.  I will say that most of the other boats were definitely partying it up more than our boat!  Seriously, there were hundreds of boats parked out there with tons of jet-skiers passing by almost riding around like a motorcycle gang.  Apparently this is the place to be!

We had a great day relaxing (we left Jacob with a babysitter), hanging out with friends, and swimming.  I was able to get some great pictures of the Doha skyline day and night plus a pretty awesome sunset picture!

The following weekend, we decided to test out one of the infamous Middle East brunches we have heard about.  The Grand Hyatt hotel was having a Swiss themed brunch Friday so we along with Ali, Mark and Tilly and Dawn and Matt decided to book a table and see what it was all about. They had tons and tons of food with a Swiss theme.  I loved the Spatzle, a cheesy pasta type dish, and had tons of it along with some yummy meats and potatoes.  Micah enjoyed the lobster, sushi, and other assortment of stuff.  They also had chocolate fondue, tons of desert, an ice-cream bar, and cotton candy.  Lets just say we ate at least two days worth of food!  They had Doha's version of Swiss decorations around and for entertainment they had a Swiss band.  I took Jacob over to watch the band for a little break from sitting in the high chair.  He very much enjoyed it!

Dawn, Jacob and Me

Jacob and Tilly

Once again we had a great weekend spending time with friends and experiencing what Doha has to offer.  Our weekends lately have been really busy but I know once summer hits things will slow down so we need to enjoy it while we can.

Back in Doha

Wow, since we have been back in Doha, life has been busy!  Of course it took us about a week to get over jet-lag and even want to leave the house but once we got out of that funk, life was rolling.  We have been busy with swimming, going to the beach, church, and hanging out with friends. Micah and I even had a date night!

Our main event has been swimming. Last summer I hated going to the pool with Jacob.  He wanted to be independent (as in Mommy don't touch me) but wasn't capable of keeping himself from drowning.  Overall, it just wasn't an easy time for Mom at the pool.  I still loved the beach because he could be on his own and he was happy.  This summer (yes, its already summer weather here), we decided to test out the pool again with a floaty body suit and an arm chest float over it.  It is awesome!  Jacob quickly learned how to float and kick his way around the pool without any help.  He loves the independence.

 Jacob and I have also spent some time at the hotel beaches in Doha.  The hotels here allow non-guests to use their facilities for a fee.  Also, because of where Dawn and Matt live, they get to use the St. Regis hotel and pool for free.  So Jacob and I have visited the St. Regis beach with Dawn and the Intercontinental beach.  We've had a blast at both.  Since salt water is buoyant, Jake only wears his arm floaties in the ocean.  This makes me happy because he gets to wear his cute swim suit!

One weekend we along with Matt and Dawn, we decide to head out of town to one of the beaches away from the city.  We decided to make a day trip of it and left early and stayed for lunch.  Dawn and I thought it would be fun to get one of the disposable grills and cook hot dogs for lunch.  For the most part, it was a good idea. But the wind made it a little difficult to keep the sand out of our food. Ohh well, it just added a little "flavor".

We had a great day soaking up the sun, playing with Jacob, and hanging out with friends.

Houston part 2

Jacob and I spent a little over two weeks traveling around north Texas and Oklahoma before heading back to Houston for the end of our time in the USA.  It's nice to have some down time with no long drives before having to get on the airplane.  We spent our time playing with Nana and Papa, relaxing, and getting my last minute shopping done.  Once again, I was pretty bad about taking pictures.

While we were back in Houston, I had my 30th birthday!   I threw around lots of ideas of what to do to celebrate but ended up with a low-key night out with my parents.  We found a babysitter for Jacob and went to Papa's seafood for dinner and then to a movie.  Being pregnant and without Micah made me more into the idea of the evening being more of a relaxing night- kid free.  The next day to celebrate as a family, Mom and I decided to take Jacob to the Houston Zoo.  Since it was Dad's Friday off, he was able to come too!

We left the house sorta early and headed off for the zoo.  This was Jacob's first trip to the zoo.  I knew he was probably still too young to really understand the zoo but I wanted to do it anyway.  One of the first things we did was feed the giraffes.  Jacob thought this was hysterical.  The giraffe would pull the lettuce out of Jacob's hand and he would just laugh and laugh!  I wish we could have fed him even more!

Jacob really wasn't that interested in looking at the animals.  Occasionally, I could get him excited about an animal for a couple of seconds and then he was done.  He mostly just wanted to run and play.

 The weather for our zoo day was perfect and I think we all just enjoyed being outside and enjoying each others company.

Our last couple of days in Houston, I realized how few pictures I had taken and decided to try to get some before we left.  Every night, Jacob like playing upstairs in my Dad's office/game room while we all just sat around and watched.  He had a big tunnel he loved to run around inside of and a table to sit at and play with his trucks.  Jacob also enjoyed his nightly bath time with Nana.

Our last day in the USA was a Sunday but since our flight left so late in the evening, we were able to go to church Sunday morning.  I attempted to get a picture before we left but it was hard to get all 3 of them looking and smiling in the same picture.

Jacob and I had a great time in the USA visiting family and friends but we were ready to get back home to be with Daddy again!  Thanks to everyone for entertaining us, giving us beds, and taking time out of your schedules to visit with us.  We miss you all!