Playing by THE PALACE :)

One of the prettiest buildings in Kuwait is located along the highway and so we get to see it twice a day as we drive to and from work.  We're not sure if it is a house or a chalet or what, but our three year old is an expert in the "princess" field, so we trust her judgement when she tells us it's a palace.  It sure is beautiful and on last night's pre-dinner mission, we learned that it is EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR when the sun begins to set.

Isn't it fabulous?!!! 

The girls had a great time running around "outside the palace walls" and climbing the piles of sand in the area nearby.  We decided that we really were on a "Princess Sofia Adventure" (#DisneyJunior) and we weren't going to let the humidity stop us from exploring some more.

We got back in the car and drove down the road to a place where we could play by the water.  It seemed impossible at first, with most of the waterfront areas being private, but eventually we found a GEM OF A BEACH that seemed undiscovered.  The girls collected seashells, drew in the sand, and watched a kayaker come in and clean away all the ink inside of a squid!  It was SO COOL!

It wasn't until Juliet wanted "uppy" and Nory was drenched (in her own sweat!) that we returned to the car to head home.  We will definitely be going back to one of our new favourite spots in Kuwait - right by the palace! - so we can play at the park that we didn't have time for :)

Who knew we'd discover so much AWESOMENESS this Eid holiday?  #StaycationDoneRight ;)

Playing in the "BACKYARD"

Yesterday afternoon, we packed up the car with toys and snacks and drove out to the desert so that the girls could run for miles before bedtime sunset.  It only took about 20 minutes in the car (with a Free Willy Theme Song/Wheels on the Bus mash-up on repeat in the background) before we arrived in the PERFECT SPOT.

IT. WAS. AWESOME.  

Some pictures pour vous....

We're hoping to recruit some friends to come play with us the next time we drive out.  It really is the prettiest hour to enjoy the desert :)

SoMu(ch) To Do in Kuwait ;)

You know, we always joke that there isn't a whole lot to do in Kuwait, but we wouldn't still be here 7 years later if that was the honest truth.  The REAL TRUTH is that, with a sense of fun and a willingness to explore (with PATIENCE!), you can find yourself with a long list of places to visit during the Eid holiday :)

Yesterday we took the girls to Kuwait City to run around in the SoMu district.  It reminds me of a mini Covent Garden (Phil's favourite place in London!), with trendy boutiques and cafes scattered around a central square.  Juliet and Eleanor embraced the role of "street performer" during our outing, grabbing the attention of those walking by and earning high-fives and kisses for running around in the insane desert heat.

After winning over the crowd (ha!) and admiring some street art, we headed to a cafe called "CAFFEINE" for some A/C, snacks and drinks.  I held strong to my COFFEE IS A HOT DRINK ONLY belief, ordering a spiced latte that was delicious and gosh-darn BEAUTIFUL.  Everyone else stuck to their "40 degrees is too freaking hot for hot drinks" belief and ordered iced tea or cold coffee.  There were also brownies involved - rumoured to be super yummy :)

We would have stayed at the cutest cafe on Earth for much longer, but there are certain cues you need to take with two little ones in tow.  Juliet yelling "poopy coming!!!" under the table is one of them....

On the way back to the car, we ran into some dancing water fountains that really tested our parenting skills.  It was hot, you guys.  And there was water, you guys.  And the girls are 3.5 and 1.5, you guys.  So you'll be SUPER IMPRESSED to know that both kids returned to the car DRY and neither parent had to freak-out to get these satisfying results.  What can I say?  Sometimes you just get lucky ;)  

We can't wait for the weather to get increasingly MORE PLEASANT as the days go on.  Kuwait might be unbearably hot for parts of the year, but it sure does have an exceptionally long season of PERFECT WEATHER.  All of you back home will be jealous soon enough :)

Before I sign off here, below is a video of our neighbourhood in Mahboula, Kuwait.  Sydney's Daddy has a drone (gasp!!!!!) and is a top-notch technology man.  Check out his MAD SKILLS (understatement) and the buildings where we live.......

Mahboula Block 1 from KO Productions on Vimeo.

Hopefully your Monday is a lot more colourful than our surroundings ;)

XOXO

Remember our Bunny Brunch? Well, after that we DOG-WALKED.

In what seems to be the middle of nowhere in Kuwait, there is an animal shelter that hosts open days for families.  On these days, visitors can pay a small fee to watch, feed, cuddle, or walk the animals.  We hadn't been to one before, so Spring Break seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the plunge.  (Or rather, the long drive to the desert, while Juliet is napping back home and Nory is having quiet time in the car.)  

TO K'S PATH WE WENT!!!!!!!

After walking around and seeing some of the other animals, Nory was thrilled to learn that she could walk a dog on her own and was matched up with a sweet puppy that had as much energy as she did (GASP!!!!!).  We had to keep telling the two of them to take breaks, since we had to keep a certain distance between our group and the next group of dog-walkers.  "Sandy" and Nory were TEAM SUPER-SPEEDY :) 

Here's Nory at one of the resting points we had to enforce:

Notice her big smile, rosy red cheeks and the scary dinosaur shirt that she NEEDED TO WEAR to the animal shelter.  Alas, this is actually the last smile we saw this day because, after what had been the most perfect Easter outing, Nory took a tumble, skinned both knees, and was in full-blown hysterics for an amount of time that even the most patient of parents would struggle with....

Luckily, our crew took two vehicles to the shelter and everyone who wasn't a Parkinson kindly offered to take the other vehicle back home.  HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!  Also LUCKILY, wounds heal and you only have to hear the story about the epic ANIMAL SHELTER FALL OF 2016 until the scabs are totally gone and there's not a single mark left as a reminder ;)

Outings with CHILDREN.  There aren't too many I can think of that go off without a hitch :)

It's time we talk about ALEXANDRA.

She's been discussed on the blog before, but only in passing and I want to make sure I do this a little more intentionally...

From Nory's Birthday Party on Friday :)

Alex is a 23 year old BEAUTY whom we met at the start of the school year.  We connected through a former colleague from Egypt who was lucky enough to have Alex complete her practicum in his classroom back home.  Not only did we have that connection, but Alex is also Canadian (#automaticattraction) and her Dad happens to live a three minute walk from our house in Lakefield (#smallworld)!  To take it a step further, we discovered early on that Em, Alex and myself have matching agendas with the same ego-boosting pages on the inside AND that she is as embarrassingly (I think) obsessed with Survivor as Phil happens to be.  It comes as no surprise, then, that she nailed her "audition" process in record-breaking time and was adopted as our Kuwait "Little Sister" as soon as the paperwork was ready to go ;) 

Some things that we really, really adore about our Little Sis:

1)  It's like we've known her for years.  Sometimes, I forget that she doesn't know some of the people or memories that we do.

2)  You'll never meet a more open-minded, non-judgemental person ever.  Everything is just "COOL" to her, no matter how BIZARRE and MIND-BOGGLING it seems to the rest of us.

3)  She gives everyone the benefit of the doubt.  It doesn't matter the situation, she assumes positive intentions.  (Even when you're in a really bad mood and you need someone to simply AGREE WITH YOU on the behaviour of another person.) 

4)  She has a KIND SOUL.  Case in point:  While I was at the hospital with Jettie, Alex went to visit Nory and ended up watching her in the tubby for a GAZILLION HOURS.   

5)  She loves our girls.  And she doesn't even have to say it.  You can tell in the way her eyes light up every time she's around them.  She genuinely cares for and adores them :) 

6)  The girl is ALIVE.  SHE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She DOES STUFF!!!!!  She GOES PLACES!!!!!!  And, in doing so, she reminds us that having fun is not just important, but NECESSARY. 

7)  She laughs it off.  Everything and anything.  The rest of us need to adopt a piece of that coping strategy...

At Christmas dinner! :)

We love you, Little Sis!  Thank you for teaching us to see the world through your eyes, mind, and heart.  We are so lucky to have you!!!

XOXO  

The "REAL" Thanksgiving, as we refer to it over here....

On Monday morning last week, as I was doing my daily newsfeed scroll on Facebook, I got REALLY, REALLY homesick.  All those pictures of fall colours and jumping in leaves and holding hands and family selfies?  GAHHHHH.  You guys!  SO ADORABLE! (A SERIOUS SHOUT-OUT to the ORSER CLAN for making my heart burst with each and every click!)

Sadly, adorable-ness is not all fun and games.  Sometimes, it issues side effects.  Like homesickness.  And this time, I fell victim!

And so.  After sharing my not-in-Canada blues with Phil, we decided TURKEY SCHMURKEY.  If we can't find a turkey, we can still celebrate the holiday with some people we love.  A courtyard potluck was born and Emily, Phil, Barb, Steve, Dana and I put on our superhero capes and moved furniture about to arrange a cozy gathering for friends we are grateful for :)  #maybeIdidnotliftanything  #extragrateful

A beautiful day for some courtyard camaraderie :)

Emily and I worked hard on that "GIVE THANKS" centerpiece.  The wind was a little too high to put it at the dining table, so it scored a place on the food table instead (where it was semi-shielded from the breeze!).

Thank you for taking this picture, Barb! xo

These people are AWESOME!  The kids had a fun time running/biking around throughout the event :)

Naturally, we had a photobooth.  Ha!  So thankful for these three turkeys :) xo

Although it wasn't the same as being at HOME-HOME, it was just what I needed to boost my spirits!  Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate "the real Thanksgiving" with our family.  We are so lucky to be apart of this loving community in Kuwait!

The Redneck Hilton! (In approximately 5 minutes, you'll be so proud to KNOW US!)

Several of our colleagues have memberships at the nearby Hilton Resort.  You might remember that we purchased a one week membership to this place last spring break and had a wonderful time playing on the beach.  There's a beautiful playground, too, and an outdoor swimming pool fit for little ones.  Throw in the Starbucks, Pizza Express, and luxurious spa and the members truly do have it made!

HOWEVER.

We just aren't into being year-round members of this club.  Here's why:  

1)  Phil and I are not "beach" people.  We can do the beach for an hour (or less...), but then we kinda look at each other and think, "now what?!"  It gets boring and neither of our minds can stop for long enough to embrace that much time doing "nothing".  HA!

2)  Who has the energy to pack up the car with two little kids after a full day's work?  (If you're one of the people that does, I'm really, really impressed!) 

3)  We'd rather spend our money on traveling :)  (Our Finland trip is coming up soon!)

And so........in accordance with our declaration of courtyard season, THE REDNECK HILTON was born.  We turned our water table into a mobile one, inspiring Emily to purchase a blow-up pool for the girls (#earlychristmasgift).  With all of the facilities a family of four could possibly desire, we set up our very first "REDNECK" camp right by the courtyard's water faucet - in a place where snacks, extra towels, new toys, and diaper changes are convenient and accessible!  IT IS IDEAL, my friends.  And the only traffic we encounter is in the lobby of the building - waiting for the elevator!

Obviously, the Redneck Hilton still has its challenges.  But the challenges that exist in this place travel with us everywhere we go ;)

You can tell that the R.H. is a huge hit with Nory and, although we've got some interesting looks from those walking by, we've also welcomed many other families to join in the fun!  It really is a COURTYARD EXTRAVAGANZA!!!! 

Jettie is also a fan of the pool and that last picture of her and her Daddy JUST KILLS ME.  Check out her face!  :)

This upcoming weekend we have FOUR DAYS OFF (hip, hip!) and I'm sure we'll be embracing our inner Redneck at least a couple of times.  It's good stuff, you guys.  EASY STUFF.  SIMPLE STUFF.  PRACTICALLY, FREE STUFF!!!!!

Wish you could come over and play with us too!  At our Hilton, guests are ALWAYS FREE :)

We hope all of you had a fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend.  Missing you and sending our love,

Your (embarrassing?) REDNECK FAMILY  :)