November Notes

 November was a pretty jam-packed month for us, but with lots of fun things. We hosted the girls small {make-up} Frozen 2 party for the girls' summer birthdays, celebrated my birthday, and also co-hosted Thanksgiving with a few families. We also did some more exploring inside Doha and lots of outdoor fun!

1. Madi's dress up day at school!
2. The twins' dress up day at school and of course they picked Elsa and Anna. 😊
3. For the first time since March, all three girls went to school together. Jason and I celebrated with a breakfast date at Marsakatara!
4. The delicious spread of food and drinks. 😋
5. My forever date. ❤️
6. Cece having a rough day. 
7. The twins tackling the Frozen 2 castle we got them for their birthday.
8. Our neighbors were moving and gave us this trampoline - score!
9. My first adult coffee date with a friends since probably February, haha.

One Saturday morning we had free we decided to visit the Museum of Illusions. We took the metro downtown and got to the museum right when it opened. They allowed you to take off masks for pictures and the staff walked us through all of the exhibits taking pictures for us and explaining to the girls what each display was showing. The girls had an absolute ball and were amazed at the illusions! I would highly recommend visiting if you are in Doha. 

1. Evelyn enjoying a playdate with her school buddies (most of whom also live in our compound!).
2. Sisters make the best friends. 🦄
3. We headed up north to visit the Al Khor Park, a small zoo and outdoor park. The girls enjoyed seeing the animals. 
4. The girls with their Daddy. 😍
5. Hanging upside down during a break on the bicycle track that goes around one of the malls here.
6. New cup with handmade resin coaster. No drama llama.
7. Jason built a fire pit this summer and we have loved using it as the weather has started cooling down. 
8. S'more time!
9. They are basically pros at this point and we were fortunate that one of our pilot friends gifted us some American graham crackers and marshmallows. 

The day after Thanksgiving we loaded up the car and headed to the Inland Sea for a night of camping. We had a good flat spot on a dune, but it was a bit crowded and ended up being quite windy during the evening. We didn't sleep super great and were woken just before sunrise when some other campers walked by our tent playing music, but we got a beautiful sunrise viewing afterwards before packing up to head home. 

It's been a November full of some wonderful things and lots to be thankful for in our lives. We are looking forward to December and more time outdoors together as a family. 

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Thanksgiving!

We were very fortunate to have a group of five families get together {safely} this Thanksgiving. We did a potluck outdoors in order to be compliant with Qatar's regulations and we wore masks when inside getting food by family. It was amazing to be able to celebrate the holiday with some of o ur American friends and share what we are thankful about in our lives. It's definitely been a different year this 2020, but there is a lot of good in our lives and we are focusing on those. 😊

I designed and made the shirts for the girls using our vinyl cutting and HTV. So happy with how they turned out!

We surprised the kids with s'mores in the backyard fire pit after dinner. 😋

So much amazingly delicious food! Turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. So dang good. 

The kids played outside on their bikes, colored turkeys, and played roll-a-turkey game with dice. 

Happy Thanksgiving 2020! 🦃

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Happy 35th Birthday!

I joked that I am still 34 because I didn't use this year so it doesn't count. 😂 However, I suppose I will have to accept that I am now 35 years old eventually, haha. 

We celebrated my birthday with a fancy family dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Morimoto. The girls were thrilled to pick out their fancy dresses and shoes. They got a special drink from the waiter and enjoyed watching them make sushi. 

After dinner we came home to beautiful cards, some amazing presents, and a delicious white chocolate cake Jason made for me!

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Frozen 2 Birthday Party

 This summer we celebrated the girls' birthday just our family and one other that we kept in our small bubble during quarantine. However, we had all of the supplies for their originally-planned Frozen 2 party so once restrictions eased up we decided to have an outdoor gathering with a couple each of their closest school friends. 

They had such a fantastic time with their pajama party and movie on the projector! We would not have been able to do this in the heat of the summer so we are thankful for the opportunity and for all the friends who came to support the girls. 💖

Piñata time! It was a huge hit with everyone and we found a really affordable person in Doha to make it. 

Happy {belated} birthday celebration sweet girls!

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October Happenings

The month of October started off with me getting a chance to sneak away to a hotel with some girlfriends for a fun and relaxing staycation. It was a refreshing time of laughing and listening and reading while laying by the pool. I am incredibly thankful for the chance to re charge and Jason's support. 

We also snuck in a couple camping trips during the girls' break and had a lot of fun around the city the rest of the month. 

1. We have joined with a group of friends to have a monthly in person church for the kids so that they can have community and worship together.
2. Zoey in a basket.
3. CeCe in a basket.
4. Checking out the track with friends.
5. A splashing playdate at the Pearl.
6. Engagement photos. 😂
7. Movies in the backyard with friends
8. Followed by jello shots.
9. Family breakfast in the backyard

1. Enjoying the backyard and a few moments to myself.
2. Attending one of Madi's bestie's birthday party.
3. Slime time!
4. Casting our votes overseas. 🇺🇸
5. A morning treat of donuts and coffee on their first day of school break.
6. We finally took the girls to the mall for dinner (first time since March!) - Liv and her lo men
7. Madi and her lo mein
8. Evy and her tempura chicken. 
9. Jason's new 3D printer / engraver finally arrived! Not sure we will see him again for the next couple months 😂

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