Life In Abu Dhabi

Ice skating at The Dubai Mall.

And the adventure begins...

We have been here a month now- and things are slowly beginning to make some sort of sense. I don't know if it will ever all fall into place- seems like everything here is in constant change. But we are enjoying this adventure- glad to have these experiences. Here is a bit of what's going on.

Audrey and Grace are loving their school. The facilities are amazing, teachers are enthusiastic, the curriculum is great, wide range of after school programs and they seem to be making friends from all over the world.

Sullivan is home with me- swimming a ton, inviting friends over, and is trying out rugby and wrestling.

Hazel is potty trained!!! Yeah! That was quite unexpected- but amazing. She is still attached to bottles, (and her mother), but she is also enjoying the pool and sand.

As for me- I am getting used to wicked cold air conditioning. I would say the heat, but does anyone truly get used to 105 degree weather? With 99 percent humidity? I keep looking at my pile of novels I brought- so far still only on page 87 of Frankenstein.... We have been busy trying to put together a "functioning" house. We have beds up and a kitchen table, a sofa set, two bookcases, and a TV. So really, I feel good about it. We have a few miss matched mattresses leaning against windows for privacy and a few bed sheets taped to other windows. One day I will get to the fabric district for drapes. But for now we are changing in the dark, and ducking:)

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I am missing friends- I am sure all the Nanny's in the neighborhood can tell. There isn't one nanny I haven't stopped to chat with at the park. There are some really great women in the ward. I look forward to getting to know them better. The ward is amazing, has been amazing in helping us get set up and feel comfortable here. I have lived here three weeks and already been VT-ed.

Today we had to do a boarder run. That means that the kids and I entered on a tourist visa. We are allowed to be here for 30 days on that type of visa. So we had to drive to Oman for an exit and re admittance stamp- giving us another 30 days to sort out our residency visa. It was a bit of an ordeal- as the officer in Al Ain(the UAE office) forgot to stamp our visas upon exiting the country. So when we got to the Oman checkpoint we had to return the 20 kilometers back to Al Ain, get the stamp and drive back to the Oman checkpoint for an entry and exit stamp then back to Al Ain. Then drive back home- with all the kids. Lets just say a little stressful. On the bright side- Al Ain is a really pretty city. Loads of trees, beautiful gardens and wide streets. Seems a bit more laid back than Abu Dhabi and less, way less construction. After stopping for dinner, face painting(the kids), and balloon tying we made it home. Ahh. So good to be home. So that makes this place home- happy to be here.

My top 5 things that I really love about living here-

1. The fruit and veggie selection! Everything, did I say everything is delicious?

2. Our pool in our backyard. Always wanted one- and it is the best!!

3. Service- and it is almost always with a smile. Someone is always ready to help you do anything- (you just have to give them a small tip).

4. After school programs- dancing, swim squad and Sailing? What? Makes me want to go back to school.

5. The gospel- because there are more opportunities to talk to my kids about it. They notice the differences. I make sure we are doing FHE, going to church, prayers etc. because we need the Lords help here. Not that we didn't in Utah, but you know what I am talking about.

5 things I really miss about UTAH-

1. Friends and family.

2. Grass- my front yard and everyone else's....(I almost miss mowing).

3. Our piano.

4. Costco.

5. Cold tap water.

So there you have it.