Today Grae got up – all the way up – on all fours for the first time!

In comparison, it’s been a cool year in Kuwait… That is, up until this weekend. The heat seems to have suddenly turned on and we’re back to the point where home air conditioning units break down, car air conditioning can’t tackle the temperatures, and you step foot outside and you have a stream of sweat dripping down your back. Eew. Gross. I know. Today we decided to beat the heat by heading to the Hilton for an afternoon swim. We were happy we did. It seems that they’ve recently turned on the pool cooling units and it was lovely to cool off for a while.

Our usual way to start a weekend morning. :)

This afternoon Grae Grae and I headed down to the pool area for some outdoor fun.

‘Hmmm… What do we have here?’

‘How did I get myself into this situation again?’

‘Okay guys, you ready for a little musical performance?’

Overcast days are the best Hilton days… Today, the clouds allowed us to have the whole place to ourselves – and we were at the busy pool.

‘Hmmm…. I think I just discovered something new…’

Gracen being beautiful, as usual. Papa being silly, as usual.

Today Grae and I attended our first event hosted by the online Expat Mums in Kuwait group that we’re a part of. It was an outdoor coffee morning down in Fahaheel in front of the fountains. It was hot, but it was nice to meet up with a few other moms and munchkins living in Kuwait. Afterwards, we headed inside for a few minutes to cool off.

Today was Amita’s (our wonderful housekeeper/nanny) birthday. To celebrate, we had Josephina, one of Amita’s friends who also works in our building, and Kate over for some Chocolate Bar cupcakes.

Gracen’s had a little cough and a runny nose for the past few days, so in an effort to not pass the sickness along, we skipped our usual Sunday Kindermusik class and went to Starbucks this morning instead. (I love Starbucks in Kuwait because it is the only smoke-free establishment in the country.)

Today Gracen and I went to the annual Workers’ Appreciation Luncheon at our school. Ms. Theresa has been the Grade One maid (I’ll never get used to that word) since I arrived here in Kuwait, and I’ll always have a special place in my heart for her. “Workers” around Kuwait are often treated and paid very poorly, and somehow many remain extremely kind and generous… Theresa was so excited to see Gracen and I that she ran up behind us and basically tackled us with a giant group hug. It scared the living daylights out of Grae to say the least, so that explains her less than cheery face in this photo. Ms. Theresa, you will be missed! :(

Today during breakfast our feisty little monkey began staring me down while doing her power sniffing. I gotta say, she’s got some serious staring contest potential! :)