If there is one great thing that has come from our move to Dubai, it has to be the awesome adventures our family has had while living here and this past Sunday was no exception. Randy is friends with many locals here in UAE and one of them happens to be best friends with Sheikh Hamdan, who is the Crown Prince of Dubai and son of the Ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Hamdan just so happens to have his own private indoor sky diving wind tunnel. Randy has jumped, flown, floated, had fun in Sheikh Hamdan's wind tunnel in the past and this time he was told to bring the boys up so they could experience the wind tunnel.
Artem has seen Randy in a wind tunnel in the past and has always said he wanted to do it, but we didn't know if he'd really go through with it once he actually had the chance. Andrik isn't afraid of anything but at three years old, he doesn't quite have the coordination to indoor sky dive. He is the boy that falls and busts his lip playing the Wii jousting game, so we were a bit worried about something as wild as indoor sky diving.
The boys loved getting dressed in the cool jump suits. Who knew they made jump suits for three year olds?
Sheikh Hamdan was very kind and welcoming to us. He made us feel right at home and offered us all the food and drinks we wanted. He got down on his knees to talk to our boys, kissed them on their cheeks, rubbed their heads, and high-fived them before and after their jump. He was so good to our boys and it's hard to believe that a young man that has billions of dollars at his disposal can be so unassuming and down-to-earth.
Artem went first and the boy literally shocked everyone in the room, including Sheikh Hamdan, who could not believe it was his first jump. He was a natural!
We didn't know how Andrik would react, but the little bugger didn't even hesitate, he jumped right in there. At first he wanted to kick his legs like he was swimming, but Carlos, the jump instructor who has two small children of his own, was great with him and got him to relax by letting him jump up and down on the bottom wire fencing and get more comfortable with all the wind before getting him flying again. By the end of Andrik's flying time, Carlos was holding him only by the tips of his toes and Andrik was able to keep his position. Carlos asked both boys if they wanted to go high into the tunnel. Artem absolutely refused, but Andrik could not get high enough, he loved it! Three years old and the boy braves a wind tunnel.
Watching the boys in the wind tunnel literally gave me tears in my eyes to think about the humble beginnings these boys came from. Once they were neglected children removed from filthy living conditions to rocking themselves to sleep in a lonely Russian orphanage and now indoor sky diving with the Crown Prince of Dubai, these little guys have come a long way. I am so proud of my boys!
At the end of the evening after thanking everyone at the wind tunnel, the boys went up to Sheikh Hamdan to thank him one last time and Sheikh Hamdan told the boys to have a good night and told them he had to go and Artem asked him, "Do you have to go to bed now?" I love it!
And not to be out done by her brothers, Atalie got to work the next day practicing her moves for the day she can go in the wind tunnel.
