Anastasia's 5th birthday x 3

The early birthday party at AISA

Aunts Amy and Lyndsie play at Brian & Hannah's dinosaur birthday party

Hannah and Lyndsie help open the birthday cupcakes

Godfather Brian and unwilling Godchild

On the actual day (11 July) at Holiday World

That evening surrounded by family (who also happened to be gathered for another birthday, a welcome home and a send off)

These boxes were made for posing...

...and that's just what Anastasia did upon coming home to boxes in every room;
Talula couldn't believe the closets were empty and made use of those.

2013 Dance Recital: Wonderful World of Disney

Anastasia's tap-ballet-jazz class performed "I wanna be like you" from the Jungle Book in some pretty cute outfits.  Her performance was 18th of 22, but the Disney theme kept the girls' attention a bit better than last years' "In the Garden" show.  Talula is taking Baby Ballet but her class was considered too young to perform; Talula definitely disagreed.  She seemed eager to get up on stage and loudly said "good bye" to every group as they finished their performance.

Talula and Randy reading the program

Anastasia stood to see us while all the dancers waited for their awards 

showing us her award at the end

Leaving Abu Dhabi and Noy

We have been discarding unnecessary items since signing the employment contracts for Lahore American School in Pakistan.  Movers will come to pack up our remaining belongings next Sunday, 16 June and then we live out of our summer suitcases until we fly out on Thursday night the same week (after which we live out of them more legitimately for the 6 weeks we're home visiting family in the USA).  We have tried to prepare the girls for the move by talking about Paxitan (as Anastasia calls our next home), promising a bike and kitty cat shortly after arrival and sharing the shocking information that even Talula will get to go to school there.  

We have today off for Israa and Miaraj Night (an Islamic holiday) and I decided to spend it by focusing on Noy, our nanny of three years.  We started by photographing Anastasia, Talula and Noy frolicking at the Khalidiya Park and then after a quick and necessary bath for the girls, Noy videotaped herself reading 3 new books on Zoodles with one of the girls on her lap for each.  I'm very happy to know we have good photos and a couple of videos that the girls will be able to look at when they miss Noy. We may all need those photos and books :(
 link to album to view photos

Favorite photo of the morning

April in Abu Dhabi

Noy took the girls to Sparkey's (play center at mall) to visit a bored friend who worked in a salon.  We got back two very different, older-looking girls.  They both wanted lots of pictures with their "new" hair.

straight-haired girls

Silly straight-haired girls

It's a good thing Talula likes her older sister

Back to being nice

Anastasia's fake, early "Happy Birthday" at AISA

They tend to put on a show of great affection for each other in public:
Talula kissing Anastasia

Anastasia cleaning Talula's mouth

Mrs. Surinder (classroom aid) and Ms. Mairi (KG-1 teacher)
Ms. Mairi is leaving for maternity leave  in a few days' time and we're really not sure who Anastasia is going to tell everything to now.