Christmas with Uncle Jim: Part 1 (home and the Bimah Sinkhole)

My brother James arrived on December 19th and stayed for 10 wonderful days.

He really enjoyed interacting with Margaux as he didn't really anticipate what a proper kid she would be, compared to the almost walking, not talking little girl that he spent time with the previous Christmas.

After taking a little while to warm to him, Margaux enjoyed spending time in his arms and playing with him. He loved her sense of recklessness and she loved his height when it came the throwing her in the air! James also got a tiny taste of parenthood while feeding and bathing her, both of which they seemed to enjoy.

Much to the delight, surprise, and amusement of everyone we came upon - especially the locals - James had a Pakistani outfit tailored and bought an Omani hat, which he wore everywhere.

We spent some quality time at home and explored some of the sights of Muscat (including the Muttrah Souq, where James tried on an Omani dress and turban, pictured above) before Thomas took a couple of days off work and we had a very memorable Christmas exploring some of the Wahabi Sands Desert and Wadi Bani Khalid (a wadi is a valley found in Asia, the Middle East, and some part of Africa that is usually dry except in the wet season) a few hours' drive from our home.

Our first day trip, though, was the stunning Bimah Sinkhole, where the others had a paddle and I was a happy observer. James took the opportunity to dive into the water from a natural ledge half-way up the internal side of the hole, while Thomas and Margaux spotted little fish in the shallows.

We then geared ourselves up for a two-night sojourn in the desert...

Margaux's second birthday!

Oh good grief. How did that tiny bundle of vulnerable-ness and dependency reach TWO years old???

Margaux's second birthday - on the 1st of December - was a lovely, small affair. (If I were to compare myself to the efforts pretty much every other mother I know goes to for their kids' birthdays I would be pretty embarrassed, but that's not the case and, until Margaux starts to remember her birthdays, I think I will continue to refrain from extravagant, themed birthdays complete with professional photographer and a cake that looks more like a wedding cake than a DIY chocolate cake...)

I made cupcakes and took them to school, where they sang happy birthday to Margaux and gave her a crown to wear and a Happy Birthday certificate.

At home we had presents sent from Australia and France, plus we gave her a whiteboard/ chalkboard easel.

One special gift, from Mammy and Pappy, was twin dolls. Margaux cuddled them and played with them a bit, but to be honest they've really come to the fore since the twins have been born because we have a "monkey see, monkey do" mindset here! While I was pregnant though I would hold the babies up to my tummy and try to show Margaux that I had two babies inside me. About as effective as a chocolate teapot, I'm sure.

Anyway, I made a little video of how the days went. (Again, since we're doing this whole birthday thing our way, we spread it over two days. Worked quite well, actually.)

We had a special treat heading our way though, because Uncle Jim was coming to visit!