Visit to a pre-school...

Here are some pictures of a pre-school we visited last week. We've begun to start looking into schools for the next schoolyear for Enna-Marie. The kids were practising for the Purim festival that took place over the weekend here in Israel.

Cute--ness at 26 months

Here are some cute photos of Enna-Marie, solo ones and also with friends Carmel, Sheehan and Isabela.

Weekend trek with friends...

Lillian joins Rose Garden

Last week we welcomed our friend Lillian in the Rose Garden class as she recently turned 18 months old. My mommy said that she was so well behaved. That day, we learned that we should obey our parents and make them happy. Below are two photos that my mommy took during the class.

The Fast

Its that time of the year again, when Bahá'ís all over the world observe the annual Fast. Because throughout the year we wake up at different times (Maarten is usually up earlier to go to work, and Menchie wakes up a bit later), this is actually a wonderful opportunity for us to have an early breakfast together in the morning. So far it's been going really well, and we're already beginning to approach Naw-Ruz, the beginning of the new year. A few evenings we had the opportunity to eat in the dining room in the International Teaching Centre as well. As every year, the kitchen staff have really done an amazing job cooking and providing that special fasting ambiance. We wish everyone an inspiring remainder of the Fast! Here's a photo taken from our balcony when the sun was just rising over the mountain.

Ayyám-i-Há Festivities

Sorry we neglected to blog as we have been busy this past week due to the Ayyám-i-Há festivities. Starting with Monday, we had a party at our Mother Goose class, then Tuesday was a special day where the children in the Rose Garden and Brilliant Star classes joined together and made cookies for the staff in the Office of Personnel. On Wednesday, we (me and four other moms with our girls) visited our friend Cllyv and daughter Sheehan in Akka. First we visited the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh together, and then headed off to Cllyv's house and had a delicious lunch. We had a good time there and hope to do this again. On Thursday there was no Rose Garden class, but instead brought our kids to Kat Katim indoor play area in the Castra mall. In the evening we had an Ayyám-i-Há party for all the families that was held in the PRC. For the last couple of weeks I have been preparing some materials for the stationery card making that I volunteered to handle during the party. I am glad some children (and even moms and other friends) came to our table and enjoyed making their own cards for different occasions (Ayyám-i-Há, Ridvan, Naw-Ruz, Birthday, etc.). The last party we attended was Friday's party with the Filipino friends where we were only able to participate in the sing-a-long portion and of course another delicious dinner (the friends had exchange of gifts and played some games before we came).

We wish our families and Bahá’í friends a Happy Ayyám-i-Há and a blessed fast!