Thanksgiving and Family

Well, it's almost Christmas, so how about I blog about Thanksgiving? 

Any other time, I would've shrugged that off and forgiven myself for failing to get something up, but this time, I can't, since my family came for their last visit to Oman.  It was a whirlwind, packed house, but wonderful visit, and we are so thankful they could all come to celebrate Thanksgiving with us (at a Turkish restaurant!) and to get out and explore.

First up, Andrew arrived.  He was super excited to see the girls and to play!  My parents didn't know he was coming.

 They were super stunned.  Operation surprise complete!

They were jetlagged, of course, but rallied hard to celebrate Aberly's 5th birthday the next day.  Aberly loved waking them up that morning and getting some good cuddle time.

A few days later, we headed out on our friends boat down the coast to a little cove, complete with turquoise water, sun, and gentle winds.  We relaxed, had lunch, swam, and sunned.  It was a really lovely day, with lovely company! 

 

 

Our next adventure was at Wadi Shab.  We'd heard how great it was, but didn't realize how great until venturing in ourselves.  If you don't know, a wadi is a valley between two hills that can be dry or full of water, depending on the weather and natural surroundings.  Wadi Shab always has water and so there is a lot of wildlife (mainly birds, insects, and such) and greenery.  The water is crystal clear and the perfect temp for swimming!   We left Em at home with Eunice since it was a pretty big hike, but Aberly came along and did fantastic.  She loved it!  Poor grandma was nervous a lot of the time watching Aberly with all the rocks and ledges, but we just told her to look away and concentrate on her own feet :-)  And congrats to my mom for making the trek in!  Her old self would've been too nervous and worried, but she overcame her nerves, and made it in!  It was also a pretty physical feat and thanks to her continued diet and exercise, she was able to do it, unlike years ago, when weight would've held her back.

 Andrew and Colin both took the plunge and jumped from the cliffs.  No way for me, but they loved it!  And of course, Nana Elaine watched with a racing heart.

We did have down time between our adventures.  It usually involved games, books, cartoons, and  just being goofy.

After my parents left, Aberly and I took Andrew to the Grand Mosque for one last hurrah.  All visitors have to respect local expectations for dress, so legs and arms had to be covered, and of course for women, head and neck.  I'm not actually in an abaya; it's a black shirt and black long sleeved top I have, but with the black head scarf, it definitely looks that way.  I was actually quite comfortable.

 Thanks again, my family, for the happy visit!