Holidays are never quite the same overseas, but we were very pleased to find a turkey at our local grocery store "From Pristine High Mountain Valley" in UTAH!!!
Matt was very disappointed that his turkey fryer didn't make the shipment cut, so we went to the souq near the port to make do... worked like a charm.
I love that we get to live by the beach, and the city, and Matt's work and the kids' school, and that we get amazing Arabic, Indian and many other types of Ethnic music on our radio.
Eventhough it doesn't look like Christmas or feel too much like Christmas here in Abu Dhabi, it will SMELL like Christmas. Grateful for little reminders of home!!
We were unprepared for the cool desert night air at our bonfire this evening. We haven't had goosebumps for maybe 9 or so months!! Mostly it is hot and humid but there are signs that cooler weather just might be around the corner.
Lots of loose and missing teeth in our household. Lots of cavities too. Eldon just had 9 filled and Benny 6. Ugh. Maybe we should just let them all fall out.
Oliver at 18 months is about 26 lbs. He still is a man of few words. He mostly grunts and screams when he wants something. I have started teaching him a few baby signs like "more" when he wants something to eat, because he just gets so frustrated when he can't get his message across. What he does say:
Uh-oh
Mmmmm...
Mm-mm (as in "no")
No
Ba-ba for a sippy of milk. He gets very upset when he is given water instead of milk.
Cheese
Babble (Apple)
OW!!!! (OUT!!!)
Beebee (Baby) (said with much adoration)
Ma (mom)
Da (dad)
Cee (Lucy)
Shooo (shoes)
ba (ball)
And that pretty much sums it up.
He is quite good at sound effects. He growls from the gut when he sees and animal with big teeth. He also makes punching and shooting noises. We have finally trimmed his fuzzy, wild hair. Still seems pretty curly. We'll see how long that lasts... He has turned into a bit of a mama's boy. Nursery is a struggle. He hasn't had a binky for quite some time but found one under his bed and just loves it. If he sees one, he goes a little crazy, but he sleeps fine without one. Sleeping fine is a relative term. I should say he sleeps the same with one as he does without one. After two months in a hotel room when we first moved here, he got used to sleeping in our room. After we moved into our villa and put him in his own room, he climbed out of his crib one day and smacked his face on the tile. It was time to put the toddler bed rail on his crib. In this house, all the doors have handles instead of door knobs, so he can come right out of his room whenever he pleases. He will wake up and wander all the way into our room, climb over my back and sleep between me and Matt. I have stopped waking up for this, so I guess it doesn't bother me so much.
A week ago when he got his first haircut and his toddler rail put on.
Sleeping in our bed. His mom should consider buying pajamas that actually fit him.
He is very good at recruiting his brothers to help him in his times of need (and want).
He likes to do things himself...
He likes to just dip his feet at the splash park... not much splashing happening for him. Everyone comments on his giant, round tummy.
He has major "tude" and when you tell him no, he will go up to someone that wasn't even involoved and smack them or throw the nearest object. We're trying to help him manage his emotions, but to be honest, his parents don't do a great job of it either. Wonder where he got it?? He has quite the stink face as well...
Despite the tude, he is very easy to win over with a hug. He is such a love and gives the best hugs, snuggles and kisses. We just love him and it's been really fun to see the boys love on him and laugh at and with him and be thrilled when he does new things. He has definitely been "our" baby, not just mine.
We pass Caribou Coffee on the way to and from school. This sign struck me as funny. Haven't worn pants since our arrival... wonder when those cold days will come. All the malls are carrying fall wear, but I need a new swim suit and shorts!! Ugh.
It's that time of year again... getting more wrinkles and grey hairs. To distract myself, we hit the Hiltonia Beach Club yesterday. We had a BLAST!! Amazing all you can eat BBQ on the beach!
Look at those crows feet!!! I've earned them, though. Full life, and lots of smiling.
It is tradition for many people from our ward to do a bonfire out in the dessert Friday nights. They discovered a fun place they call "Dead Camel", named for the literal dead camel near by. We experienced the fun for the first time this Friday. The boys were in HEAVEN!! Bennett kept telling me over and over again, "Mom, I'm having fun!!". Anyway, here are some pictures from our excursion.
Some of the youth were at the top of the dune playing Bocce Ball.
The dead camel. It has been out in the hot desert sun for quite some time, so it didn't stink.
Eldon thought it was a good idea to put his hand in the camel's mouth. GROSS!!
Climbing up the dunes is HARD work. The sand is so deep it comes up to your lower calf. Oliver loved sliding down on his belly. It is hard to tell from this photo but this dune was probably 20 ft tall or so, and very steep.
King of the Dune. The evening was a perfect temperature, with a very slight breeze. The sand muffles the sound like freshly fallen powder does. It is very quiet and "cozy" feeling. The sand is SO fine and soft. Some parts were still warm from the day's sun, and other parts were cool to the touch.
Eldon and his preschool buds, Sophi and Ollie ready to toboggan down the dune. There is definitely more friction the snow. I was pulling the kids down the hill. Eldon fell out this round and got a face full of sand. He was not pleased, but Sophi said, "That was AWESOME!!".
Following scorpion tracks. Didn't find any scorpions (thank goodness).
I left my wallet in Matt's car so I decided to bike to Matt's office to retrieve it, and as a result, had a fantastic show for UAE Flag Day. These are the type of ships they'd use in the past for pearl diving, but I imagine they weren't motorized before.
Matt's office is near the pointy top ones that I pause (very briefly) on at 0:44
Oliver looks thrilled.
I also biked to the Mariana Mall (to get Eldon a new bike) which is on an Island on the WAY other end of Abu Dhabi. On the bridge to the Island, you get a very good view of the "Corniche" (i.e. the coast line). I labeled some key places on this photo.
