Merry Christmas, 2014!

As we didn't get back from our ski trip until 2 a.m. early the morning of the 24th (we had a car service that was supposed to pick us up in a big Chevy Tahoe at the Dubai airport but someone didn't read the fine print that we had 6 of us plus a lot of luggage and they sent a BMW Series 7 instead.  Argh - so it took us a bit of extra time to sort out how to get from Dubai back to Abu Dhabi.  Not the best way to spend our time at midnight after traveling all day but it eventually got worked out).

Christmas Eve was spent going to the grocery store, unpacking and getting ready for Christmas.  We did manage to make Christmas cookies (but no time to decorate them until the next day).  Santa didn't seem to mind that we left him plain sugar cookies!

Christmas mornings at this age are just a blessing.  The wide eyed excitement.  The *early* morning!  It was a lovely, lovely day and we just stuck around the house for several days afterwards enjoying the downtime.  Plus our biggest surprise at Christmas was that a tiny little kitten "adopted" us on the day after Christmas.  I'm not even a cat person but she's just stolen all of our hearts and we're taking good care of her until we can find her a good forever home (I'm allergic and am suffering through lots of itchy eyes, sneezes and runny noses until that happens).  I can't get over how much I've gotten attached to her and how much we worry about her.  She was just an outside cat at first and we still make her sleep outside at night but she meows outside the door/ windows sometimes and it's hard not to let her in each time.  I've also lost my parking spot inside the carport - she likes to sleep in a safe little spot in my engine so I worry about driving off with her inside.  So I'm just parking outside for now.

After a few quiet days at home, we did a few more things like I took the girls to Dubai for a theatrical production of Alice and Wonderland, we saw the new Annie movie and went to see the sailboats of the Volvo Ocean Race which is a big deal in the sailing world - it's an around-the-world sailing race that has one of the stopovers here in Abu Dhabi.  It's a race that happens only every two years and it stopped in Abu Dhabi two years ago, too, for its first stop-over here.  There was a big piracy problem along the African coast then so they didn't actually *sail* to Abu Dhabi (they put them on a container ship for part of that leg!) but this year they could actually sail into the Abu Dhabi harbor.  They have a big sailing village with lots of activities.  This year was special as there is an all female racing team and one of the sailors is a friend of my good friend Maggie.  We enjoyed getting to see Sally's boat.

The rest of our time was spent with playdates and playdates plus a quiet New Year's Eve working on our family goals.  Lots of friends came over during our downtime and with the ping pong table, new games and a new kitten, there is plenty for everyone to do.  It's nice having a home filled with friends of the girls. 

And the children were *almost* nestled all snug into their bed but too silly in their new jammies to go to bed just yet

I believe that Santa visited last night!

Bursting through the door at 6:30 a.m. (or so)!

Big Olaf from Uncle Dan and Aunt Susan

One Direction concert tickets

Ping pong table that Regan and Jake are putting together

First match.  We had such a good time playing ping pong in our rental house at High Hampton this summer.  So happy that Santa brought us one, too!

New clothes from Gaga and Grandpa Carl

New clothes from Gammy & Poppy and new Calico Critters from Gaga and Grandpa Carl

My favorite gift.  Anna won a coffee mug at the awards ceremony in Austria.  The kids kept it a secret and hid it in their luggage. They wrapped it up and Anna even made a special card for me.

Anna's sweet card on my coffee cup gift

Anna pulled out her old Calico Critter toys to play with the new ones she got from Gaga and Grandpa Carl - this gift was a big hit!

Time to decorate the cookies on Christmas Day

Yum!

Bella the baby kitten showed up the day after Christmas.  She was so scrawny and small that we just *had* to feed her.  She seems to think she had found her home and four little girls are pretty happy about that.

First trip to the vet - healthy but just underweight.  She gained 25% of her bodyweight in the week between her first and second vet appointment.  Mere's visiting friend from Beijing joined us at the vet.

Enjoying the Christmas decorations in Dubai when we went to the theater to see Alice in Wonderland

Beautiful sunset over the new Presidential Palace after we went to the movies to see the new Annie

One of our favorite winter break Abu Dhabi activities - the Mubadala Tennis Championship.  Jake's Christmas present was front row seats on Day 2 where we could see Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and more.  Great day!

Running around enjoying the nice weather in our neighborhood

Getting to check out the sleeping quarters of a mock up of a Volvo Ocean Race sailboat.  Six bunk beds - just right for our family!

Mere driving the sailboat

Pretend surfing!

Regan's got the look but couldn't stay when the "waves" got rough

The kids *loved* getting up in this big 18 wheeler truck.  It was *huge* and had a bed in the back behind the driver's seat.  Uncle John, Meredith wants to go to work with you next summer when she heard that you work for JB Hunt!

Driving the big truck

In front of the Ocean race sailboats

In front of the all female team's boat

Traditional Emirati dancers.  They also had a fun kung fu exhibition from China

Brave Meredith at the top of the mast (well at least it looks like it!)

I won!  I won!  I got close enough that I won two tickets to the HSBC Golf Championship next week.  Not a huge prize but fun to make it onto the island (although my golf coach would *not* be happy with my backswing - knees aren't close enough together, left elbow too high, etc. etc.)

Bella liked the taking down of the Christmas tree