Meunier/Ball Photo Shoot

First Family Photos Dec 2008

Follow this link to see how we all looked on the last day of our month-long vacation in the USA over the winter holidays. Considering that I was just recovering from the flu, Anastasia was acting like Anastasia, and it was the morning (problem for Randy)-- I'm pretty happy with them :) Anastasia was 5 1/2 months at the time of shooting.

Special thanks to my Aunt Carolyn (photographer), cousin Ashley (photographer's assistant) and Mom (baby-control). If you would like copies of any, it's probably best to talk to Carolyn (if you know her) or me (so that I can direct you to her).

Our next family pictures of the more formal variety will probably be Jeff and Lyndsie's wedding on August 1st. This falls close to Anastasia's first birthday.

A to Z (Anastasia to the Zoo)

Al Ain Zoo

Today we went to the Al Ain Zoo, the largest zoo in the Middle East (with plans to become a whole lot bigger soon). Al Ain is inland about ninety miles; it's an oasis with many date palms, a town we have visited on numerous occasions--but this was our first trip to their zoo (and Anastasia's first zoo trip ever--unless you count in utero in India last Christmas).

The zoo is at the base of Jebel Hafeet, the highest point in the UAE. It was 97*F out, but not a bit humid. It felt more like 80*F! So the weather was perfect. We slathered Anastasia in sunscreen and put her in the stroller...She likes the stroller now. Then we toured the animal attractions: She LOVED the penguins, just like her old man. I was proud. One penguin was swimming in the water right next to her, and they were eyeballing one another.

We also saw oryx, gazelles, emus and flamingoes, the usual monkees and zebras and rhinos, and reptiles and birds...and of course the giraffe. Lots of giraffes there, including some that were running. That was a funny sight. The giraffes were in the African savanna exhibit, an impressive piece of land with plenty of room for them to run around in. I liked the rock mountains in the background. There was a nice breeze around there too--a great location for a picnic (maybe next time!).

Occasionally, Anastasia became the main attraction--as people of all ages wanted to touch her, kiss her, hold her...She handled it well. She really seemed to enjoy herself today--full of smiles and happy faces. We had some good human encounters too, like the Indian family with their babies (Anastasia really seemed into playing with this one little girl) and the Emirati family who gave us juice and potato chips.

There weren't any camels (go figure!). Enjoy the photo album above--be sure to click on the album to see all the pictures!

This weekend, that weekend

This weekend, the sky is gray and the sun is white. Driving home from work leaves your mouth dry. There are no lines at the car wash. You feel dirty just walking outside. That's right- we're in a sandstorm. This weekend it's unhealthy to leave the house, but last weekend was gorgeous. Some friends and I went kayaking for the first time in the mangroves along the city's eastern coast (a mere 10-15 min from our apartment). The guide, an American, said that when we first started going there he saw a dugong (manatee-like animal) and sea turtles at opposite ends of the water system. Now they have blocked one end for some development and the water has become more stagnant. Tides make the water depth vary from almost 2 meters down to a few centimeters. Below is a picture of Leanne, myself, Allana and Joyce.

Hooray for a Hoopoe

Today we went for a walk in one of the string of parks that are stranded between an inlet of the Arabian Gulf and Khaleej Al Arabi Road. We have done this before; once when I was so pregnant that it was more of a waddle and again today with baby on the outside. But today was also special for other reasons: our first hoopoe sighting! This is a bird that I saw in "A Photographic Guide to Birds of the Middle East" soon after arriving and immediately declared, "This one I must see!" Strangely coincidental, not more than 30 seconds before seeing this bird, I had been again expressing my desire to get a look at it. We were under the impression that they were mainly found in the more northern emirates, so we were shocked to find one immediately in front of us. We followed him/her for about 15 minutes, zooming and snapping away. Randy actually took this picture :)

Other photos from our walk:

Randy with Aunt Jemima...errr, we mean, Anastasia!

Oh, and by the way, Anastasia is crawling now--and she has at least two teeth coming in!