A few winter photos and memories

Red-eyed, teary-eyed girls saying good-bye as Sophia gets ready to move back to the States.

Regan's cross-country team (she's on the far right).  At their last meet in Dubai.

Getting ready for the final U-14 girls' run of the season (we are in Dubai)

On your mark...

Go!

The course made a figure 8 and Regan is finishing one loop and about to start the 2nd one.

Finished!  

Happy birthday, Jake.  Meredith and I attempted to make "ice cream pie" for the second time.  It's some kind of mythical dessert his mom used to make for him when he was little.  Ours have been pretty good, but not quite what his mom used to make.  We'll try again next year!

Gammy and Poppy sent a barking birthday card which was a huge hit with the family.  Jane particularly likes it and is dancing along to the barking "Happy Birthday"

Dropping Regan off to fly to Myanmar with the Girls Asian Honors Choir.  Myanmar!  Without us!!

Anna's last soccer game. She was very happy when the season ended, but Jake and I had a lot of fun coaching her team.  

Jane's last soccer game.  She had so much fun.

Foggy day view from my office (35th floor)

Adventure HQ outing - Jane, Meredith, Anna and two friends getting ready for cable climbs and climbing walls

Sweet 3rd grade friends

5th grade friends

Jane balancing on wobbly logs

Anna on her lower cable climb

Brave Anna tackling a tall climbing wall

Anna, her friend and Mere's friend

The view from my hotel villa at a work offsite.  Not a bad place to do a bit of work at sunrise!  The birds were so loud that I made a recording of their tweets and warbles and sent them to the girls to say hi since I was gone for a couple of nights. 

Sunset on my drive home through rural UAE.  It was a lovely drive through a part of the country I had never seen

Anna's *hysterical* 'how-to' essay at school.  To translate: "How to make a friend: 1) Buy them a present.  Be 'nices.' 2) Go to girl scouts or boy scouts.  Maybe you make a friend, maybe not 3) Have fun with your friend.  Enjoy today.

The phrase, "maybe you make a friend, maybe not" has entered our family's lexicon (and is so indicative of our introvert kids and how they view new situations with trepidation).  

Party we had at our house for all the families at Jake's work that also go to our school.  We dress up our carport a bit with fairy lights and turn it into not such a bad place for a party.  We also did a bit of fundraising for our great school.

The girls off to our school's truly amazing International Day.  The students show off their home country's pride so ours go decked out in red, white and blue.  Regan was in Myanmar on her choir trip so she missed it this year.  Jake also went to the event and took photos - I'll try to add some of his photos later.