Fayth Joins Her Cousins Ben & Chloe

Just as common as stilettos & an abaya or young girls starting Botox at age 25 in Dubai... Yes, it is school uniforms for ALL children...even preschool children!!! Actually, I have found out that all over Europe and The Middle East it is "common practice" for all children to wear a school uniform and start school at the early age of two. Today, Fayth joins her cousins, Ben and Chloe, who also wear a school uniform for their private school. At first, I took one look at the uniform and wanted to cry. Then, I put her in it and "goodness she looked cute!" The shorts are harder than cardboard but I assume after washing & wearing they will soften. Now, what do I need...BOWS to match. I am on the hunt for navy blue, white and purple. Or, does anyone have a person that custom makes them?? You know me...she has to have a matching bow or five!!!!

So, every Tuesday & Thursday morning she will head to school for a few hours in her new school uniform.

Ever Wondered This??!!

Ever wondered why parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends spend so much time, effort & money on buying "gifts" when all kids want are empty boxes, to climb on things, fit inside things, and play with useless items in our homes?? Today Fayth spent over an hour with "naked" baby (even though baby has a better wardrobe than me) laying inside of our Ikea piece of furniture. She talked, chuckled, sang, hummed...and I just sat back and thought...all of the hundreds of NEW Christmas gifts and this is what you are doing??

Somebody please explain??!!??

p.s. I did however get a great "head" shot of her as she came out of the furniture!!! Guess from my stand-point it was worth it for the second photo!!

p.s.s. I know what you are thinking...You are starting to see a pattern with the word "naked" in our house. Sure hope this doesn't mean anything for Fayth's future!! Don't need my daughter ending up as "Fancy Fayth" on a stage in Vegas.

Sponge Bob Travels to Dubai...

I am still laughing at this one!!!!! For many of you, you know the LONG story of the ever-returning SPONGE BOB. Let's just say, he was garbage picked by my friend Kristen and me years ago from our former principals house during "Junk-Days" in Cary! It has been a HUGE joke between the three of us for years. He has made an appearance at my baby shower, he has sat in the superintendent's chair in Cary, he has has some social work services, he's been hung upside down with rope above my teacher's desk...and the list goes on and on. We continue to have fun with him and pass him back and forth. It all started cuz two "young gals" were out having some fun at 2:00 am after a Faith Hill concert and now the rest is history!!! We happen to have a problem though...Fayth opened him up and fell in LOVE with him. She sat him on our couch and snuggled with him...He also happens to match our decor!! Therefore; he may need to hunker down in Dubai for a while...but be aware...he'll return back to the USA someday???!!! I may give him a bath or take him for a dip in the Arabian Gulf!

To Brian and Kristen...Thanks for the laugh and remembering the "Good ole' days of Oak Knoll and Briargate!" We have sure had some fun times!! Lots of Laughs!!

A Birthday Celebration!!

Wasn't going to "BLOG" about my own birthday, but it happened to be a really really nice one and I wanted to share a few things. Turning 34 in Dubai was a lot of fun! Jon, with the assistance of his friends at the Al Manzil, set up a really nice "Friday Brunch" reservation along with surprising me with a gorgeous and YUMMY cake!! Fayth was an angel at brunch which never really happens lately, the brunch was outstanding, and the surprise cake with about 20 employees around singing brought HAPPY tears to my eyes. In the afternoon, Fayth and Daddy sang once again and gave me my present and cards. Fayth picked out her own card...and guess what...I turned 10 and I must love Tinkerbell...because that was my card from her. Jon said she insisted that is the one I'd LOVE!! How cute it that!! I received a beautiful ring I designed with a gemstone I already had. I LOVE the gemstone because it looks like Fayth's blue eyes but never really cared for the setting. The perfect evening to a perfect day (My friend Jules agress with this) Pizza and an ice cold beer. Pizzeria Uno...YES FROM CHICAGO...opened last week in the mall by our house. So, we headed over to the mall, ordered a pizza to go, went and saw the "fishies and sharks" picked up our pizza and headed home. Fayth went to bed and Jon and I ate pizza, drank beer, and watched the movie "No Reservations!" All in all...a wonderful birthday celebration.

Thanks for all the well wishes via mail, email, skype calls, phone calls, singing, etc...It was a great birthday!!

Ice-Skating...

Yes, in the middle of the desert, in the middle of a mall. The following is an email my London friend Ann sent to us gals of South Ridge...

"I am thinking of a few things to console myself for the end of the holiday and am planning to go ice-skating at the mall probably on Wednesday evening after dinner. Does anyone fancy joining? I am completely rubbish, but just fancy a bit of a laugh having a spin for the first time in a few years!"

So, how do you pass up that offer? She had no idea that ALL of us would quickly respond with such enthusiasm and the words "ABSOLUTELY!"

I must say, it's the most I've laughed in awhile! We had a blast on the ice! We even taught two ladies how to skate and they made it around without touching the wall by the end!! SO MUCH FUN!! I enjoyed the "house" music and shaking my hips as I skated. Of course, cocktails at the Sportsbar was the way we ended our ice-skating escapade!! I can't wait until I get to take Fayth! Maybe next year??!!

PINKALICIOUS!!!!!!!!

Oh, Lordy...never thought I'd say these next words but..."If I have to read the book "Pinkalicious" one more time I am going to "puke" pink!" That was the email I sent to my friends Robin, Julie and Gramie who bought the book. Well, funny thing...Mia, Robin's daughter, also received the book for Christmas and she replied very quickly and said, "She and Dave had read it one million times already as well and were also quite sick of it." From my dear friend Julie...she replied, "Never thought I'd see the day when YOU would say you've had too much PINK!"

Well, it happens to be a very very cute story, but after one million times it gets a little OLD! Last night Daddy got to read it for the 75th time...he he he...

How do you take a "favorite" away from a child just because the parents need a break?? I mean she is just IN LOVE with this story. For those of you who have young daughters, I highly recommend it, but just get ready to read it over and over again. In the end, I'm just thrilled she sits and loves to be read to. It's my favorite time of day!! So I guess I need to just "suck it up" and "shut up!"

Our Saturday Night Fun!!

Is this something to admit??!! All I know is one minute we were all sitting on the couch enjoying some Handy Manny and the next minute Jon was riding around the apartment on Fayth's bike. OH, my...I ran for the stinkin camera. If he is embarrassed...I am sorry...but these photos are priceless...

"Nakey Monkey Butt"

Nice title I know...however; that is EXACTLY what came out of our "almost" two year old at the zoo yesterday. And yes, she was correct...It was an UGLY monkey's butt...and to her he was "nakey." Jon and I laughed so hard we almost peed our pants. It sums up our life with Fayth right now...she is talking SO much and truly understanding the meaning of SO much...and she has a great sense of humor! So anyway, yesterday, we went to another emirate called Al Ain. It is about an hour and a half away and we decided to check out the zoo. Pictures speak louder than words so I am going to share more than five...(thanks to my Blog friend Cindy Meis who told me how to). The zoo was A_M_A_Z_I_N_G!!! It is right up there with the Milwaukee County Zoo in Brookfield, WI. It was about 80 degrees and a perfect day for the zoo. We stayed for hours. Fayth was in heaven. We will be making many trips back and next time are packing a picnic. She ate her very first "push-up" on the ride home. Yum Yum!!

New Year's Eve...Well...Kinda...???!!

You know you are living in a different country when the "Sheikh" orders Dubai will mark the New Year with a "sombre tone" as a token of solidarity with the Palestinian people in general and Gaza Strip in particular which is currently under the barrage of Israeli's military fire.

So, it was crazy...we waited for updates on who was canceling, what was being canceled and finally the word around 2:00 new year's eve afternoon. The cancellations were as follows...all outdoor events, including fireworks and live outdoor music, any outdoor bar or restaurant may not show any kind of partying, any hotel or event may not do a count down, no blowers or party hats, and the list goes on and on. So, anyone who put a deposit down on any sort of "NYE" party was to receive a full refund. Weird? Yes...that someone has that much power to cancel an event. I do however respect his way of thinking...it just would never happen in the USA.

Well, Jon and I were headed to the stunning Address Hotel to attend a "party" at NEO'S. It was on the 64th floor of the tallest hotel in Dubai with unbelievable views of the city. Not only were we super excited to have an evening out as adults...we were being treated to the over $500.00 event by a gentleman Jon works with on downtown Burj Dubai as a token of his appreciation for all the hard work and effort Jon demonstrates. So it turns out it was NOT cancelled just taken down a few notches. We had a wonderful time. We went to dinner at the near by Sports Bar and then headed to Neo's. The bar is so modern and sleek and it's a brand new hot spot in Dubai. The Address Hotel just got named the NUMBER ONE Hotel in Dubai beating out the "Burj Al Arab" (sailboat hotel). Our evening was relaxed...we sipped on champagne & wine and enjoyed our "foggy" view! We missed Dave and Robin dearly...our NYE buddies...but we chatted with them on NYE. It was nice to be out and (behind closed doors) celebrate the new year!