Where have all the children gone?

Only 70 boys and 350 girls were at school on Sunday. The party's over. When I first arrived at school there was a father outside of the school with 4 boys. He asked me if we were still having school sessions. I told him we were expecting students until June 25th, but I did tell him there were very few students in school. The oldest boy there said he would call his mama. The boys ended up leaving. 

Stuart messaged me on Sunday morning to let me know they had lost and now would be playing for 'the trophy'. Sunday afternoon he let me know they won the trophy! So exciting for them. He said he played a lot, even though he is still recovering from hernia surgery. He said he was tired but felt fine, physically. 

This was at the end of their last game. He looks hot and sweaty. He said it was very hot and humid. 

Sunday after school I took the kids to the grocery store and we ended up eating at McDonalds. Having Stuart away for 5 days makes me know that he is definitely the one who makes sure the kids get a balanced diet. We saw my old principal at the store and the kids were entertained by her husband, Dale. 

Monday we went to Scott and Clare's for dinner. The kids swam before dinner, then had showers and ate. When we left for home my job was done. Both kids fell asleep on the way home so all I needed to do was lug them both upstairs, which wasn't an easy task, but I managed. 

At about 3 am I woke up to Stuart unpacking and Millie on his side of the bed. She was up for over an hour. I finally just put her back in our bed and went to sleep. 

Tuesday morning came too early, especially for Stuart. Millie wasn't a fan of the morning either. Both Monday and Tuesday our driver, Andrew, couldn't take the kids to school. His daughters were really sick. He hasn't had to do this to us at all this year. Taking and picking the kids up has given me a further appreciation of what he does for us each day. 

Tuesday when Stuart got home he fell asleep on the sofa. The kids played at friends' houses, and I insisted Stuart go upstairs to sleep. I told him I would wake him up at 5:30 pm. Well, I tried to do so and it was no use. I went up at 6:30 pm, still no luck. I decided I would just let him sleep. Around 9 pm he came down to grab something to eat then went back to sleep. His Thailand trip was obviously exhausting. He seemed back to normal by Wednesday afternoon, thank goodness. 

Wednesday I went to the hospital to see our Arabic Head of Faculty only to find out she had been discharged.  She was in for some kind of infection. I'm really glad she was released, but it would have been nice to know before I went.  At least I made the effort. 

Thursday Stuart and I had a curriculum meeting in Abu Dhabi. We drove three other people to the meeting as well. We were given information about our new books we would be getting. Since there is so much money in the educational system here, materials are plentiful. It seems every year they are making changes as to how they package the materials. Oh well, it was a day out of school, which is always nice. 

When we got home from the meeting Millie and I went to one of her little friend's birthday party. It was a Frozen party, which thrilled Millie to death. 

Nothing wrong with a pink frosted cupcake. Guess how much of the cupcake was eaten?

This was one of the activities at the party, our Olaf left a bit to be desired. 

After the party we arrived home to a houseful of people. The Turners and Richardsons had come over and we ordered curry. The kids played and the adults visited. We tried to discuss our plans for the weekend but those discussions kind of got lost as the evening progressed. 

Friday morning we were up and ready to go to Atlantis by just after 8 am. We headed out and arrived in Dubai just after 10 am, checked in, and hit the water park. We decided to rent a cabana for the day, which turned out to be a good decision. It gave us a place to go back to and seek shelter from the intense heat. 

We stayed all day and the kids rode every ride, well at least Jack did. He did the straight drop slide that he refused to ride last year. He was super proud of himself. 

Clare and I doing better a 'selfie' in the foyer of Atlantis. 

Here was the bed in our cabana. 

We had more space in the cabana than we knew what to do with. It was the greatest part of the day. 

After we left the water park we headed to the pool. The kids got milk shakes and fruity drinks then went for a swim. 

We then went to our room to get ready for our 8 pm dinner reservation. The kids were wiped, but stayed strong through dinner. It was a successful day. 

Silly faces in the reception area of Atlantis. Day 2 of our stay was a success as well. We didn't stay as long at the park, but got their early enough to get to the good rides before the crowds. 

We hit the pool at noon and then had an ice cream before heading to have a late lunch at the outlet mall. 

Here was the view from our hotel room. It was a wonderful staycation. 

The kids had a blast, but now we need a vacation from our staycation. 

Another successful week in the UAE. Just 5 more weeks until we head out for the summer holidays. We are on the countdown now.