Burj Khalifa & British Food

Mornin' y'all.  I hear it's hot in Texas this week and we feel your pain. It has been about 105-108 every day since we got here but this week...this week it's been 112-113 every single day.  Yesterday at 7:30pm it was 113.  Can you believe that?  The sun was already down, too! And it is SO humid.  I have tried my best to get the kids out of this hotel apartment to do at least some little something every day just to get out of the house - they are so STIR CRAZY.  This week, however, it has been way too hot.

Friday we went to the Dubai Marina Mall and went to Pier 7 and ate at one of the restaurants there called, The Scene.  It's a British place serving burgers, fish & proper chips and such.  It was so good! Pier 7 is a seven story building where each floor has a different themed restaurant.  My little foodie heart just jumped for joy when I heard about it.  It is accessible from the Dubai Marina Mall (you'll come to find that there are one million malls here) and overlooks the Dubai Marina, which is lovely!  The kids were digging this place.  It was breathtaking!  After that we took the kiddos to a play place and then went and bought Kohen a hat.  Look how cute he is!

Saturday night all five of us hopped on the train to the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa station and took the one kilometer walk from the station to the mall, down into the basement food court area to go see the fountains at the Burj Khalifa.  These fountains are a site to see - the same dudes that created the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas did this one.  We actually had no idea how to get to the fountains and accidentally stumbled upon them. We had all showered and fixed our hair and within 5 minutes of going outside we were completely drenched in sweat from the humidity.  Yuck!  People were everywhere - we should've gone on a week night.  (Fun fact:  the weekend here is Friday and Saturday, not Saturday and Sunday)  It was difficult to take photos with all of the junk we had with us for the kids...but here they are anyway!

Y'all stay cool in Texas!

All about Kambry

Hey y'all.  We finally have Internet and are in our new place.   I won't dare say we are moved-in.  I'll fill you in on the house and newest shenanigans later this week.

THIS WEEK has been all about Kambry.  She turned SEVEN on Friday. SEVEN!  I still can't believe that...

When we first arrived she was looking up thinks on YouTube that we could do in Dubai and she found iFly Dubai and thought it looked so cool.  Then, one night we met Sunny & Co at Mirdif City Center (its another mall) and the kids played at this really cool play place while the adults had PF Chang! YuM!  As we were walking up to drop off the kids - there it was - iFly Dubai right there in the mall! Kambry was stoked and then started telling me all about how it works and what all she saw on YouTube and asked me if she could go sign up!  I told her that we would do it for her birthday.  I honestly never thought in a million years she would actually go through with it...but she didn't forget!

Thursday we went to her school to "Meet the Teacher".  Miss Ruth is her teacher's name.  She is sweet and is from the UK.  We met two British families and a Scottish family.  I found myself feeling like I was gawking at the little British kids...their cute little accents are even more endearing in person. Her school is really small and has quite a bit of resources.  I think we are really going to love it!

Friday after a very overwhelming grocery shopping adventure to prepare for school lunches we quickly unloaded everything that required a refrigerator and drove to Mirdif.  We walked right up to the counter and there wasn't a waiting list (which apparently NEVER happens).  We told them it was her birthday and they said they had a special treat for her.  I signed up with her and Michael stayed with the boys while we went to flight school and suited up. {Insert baby diaper blowout here}

We entered the chamber with our instructor.  You get to fly twice for 60 seconds each and you take turns down the bench with other people.  Kambry wanted me to go before her.  It.  Was.  Awesome.  When I exited I thought oh man, I hope she doesn't freak out!  She was beaming and couldn't wait for her turn.  Just before she walked out she double checked the hand signals to make sure she remembered them and then off she went!  AND WOW!  Like everything else with her, she was a natural.  It was amazing watching her!

After that we met up with Mr. Madden and we ate at Johnny Rockets and then the kids played games and rode rides at Magic Planet and then Madden's dad treated Kambry to the suspended obstacle course which was just above iFly Dubai and the arcade/ride area.  It was incredible to see her go around that thing and in a little harness hanging from a rope! haha.  She got stuck one time and the helper came around and showed her how to get across and she got through no problem after that.  It is so neat that we have an abundance of entertainment every few miles.

Saturday we just hung out around the house and watched paint dry.  Literally.  [side note:  I absolutely hated the paint colors in our villa, so our landlord agreed to have contractors paint for us.  Which by the way, paint dries extremely fast on concrete walls.]  Kambry and I prepared her backpack for school.  Shortly after she went to bed I packed her lunch and ironed her uniform.

She woke up all on her own at 6AM this morning [Sunday] for school.  She was so excited!!! I had planned on both Michael and I dropping her off but both of the boys were still asleep and he will be transporting her to school every day anyway so I helped her get dressed and fed her breakfast and stayed home with the boys and told Michael to send me a picture of her when they arrived to the school.  She is in school from 7:30AM - 2:30PM.  I cannot wait to hear about her day!

Beach Bums

We got out today and went and had lunch at this place called Chickenow, which we thought was some Middle Eastern spin on ChickFilA but turns out it was another American fast food chain we've just never seen before.  It's SO good! Almost like Raisin' Canes if I had to compare it to something else.  Super yummy!  We also went grocery shopping again today.  One of my favorite things so far about Dubai is that the food is so fresh.  I'm fully aware all of the junk we eat at home is filled with preservatives and processed garbage - but I just have never realized how much that delays the molding process.  It makes me super happy!  I was wondering why the loaves of bread were so small - but I guess it's because there's no sense in having a giant loaf of bread that would likely not be consumed entirely before it spoiled.  I'll talk more about food later on!  For now, just know that I am stoked about this super duper fresh produce and baked goods thing.  I'll love it even more once I get myself in gear for another round of Shaun T!

After we went to the grocery store we came back to the hotel to chill out for a bit before packing back up and heading to the beach!  We went about 45 minutes before sunset so it wasn't as hot... Mack LOVES the beach!  LOVES it!  It still completely baffles my brain that the first Ocean he's been to is across the world.  He is going to be crawling so soon and to prove it, he was practicing his baby push ups to impress the babes on the beach.  Check him out!

Kambry wants to collect seashells.  She found one with a crab in it.  I missed the photo-op because I was actually in the water with them for a change.  I told her once we get moved in I'll buy some really big vases to put her treasures in she finds on the beach.  Can't wait to do that!

 Kohen loves the beach, too, even though you probably can't tell - because well, he's still Kohen ;)

 He works out.

 Making sure someone sees him!

 Mmmm, that's good sand!  He was smacking his lips and mouth all the way home.  Yummy salt!

 The forced photo.

 Guess what he was doing?  Whining! Imagine that.

 Some coral.

 Writing her name...and then Kohen immediately ruined it.

 ...then proceeded to walk around like a grump. lol.

You can barely see the Burj Al Arab in the background...but we are actually closer to it here than we were in our first visit...but you can't see it for all of the dust and sand in the air.  At least I think that's the reason.  We haven't seen a clear skyline yet that's why I haven't been able to take a good shot of the Burj Khalifa yet!

Friendly faces

Hey y'all.  Exciting things are happening this week.  An offer we placed on a villa was accepted yesterday! Yay! We're excited to start the process of moving into a more home-like environment.  I'll let you all know when it's official!

This week we finally met up with Corsicana-gal Sunny.  Michael and I are friends with Sunny's brother and so that automatically means Sunny and her husband are our new best friends!  I can't tell you how grateful and lucky we feel to have not only someone from Texas to show us the ropes<--- but a Corsicana girl!  A little bit of home right here in this giant city!  So, Sunny and I met at the Dubai Marina Mall [coolest mall ever!] and she immediately spotted me since I was wearing my Texas flag hat {courtesy of Feed Shack & Tack}.  It was so nice to see a face we knew!  Kambry and her youngest son were instafriends and even had their first sleepover!  They'll be attending the same school and eerrr'thang! How awesome is that?!  SIDE NOTE:  When I went to pick Kambry up from their house I peeked into the window to see if I was in the right place and there was a cute sign hanging on her wall that says "Hey y'all!"...she hasn't lost her Texas roots ;). We cannot thank you guys enough for your warm welcome and hospitality!  

So back to our mall visit.  Everywhere we've gone we've noticed these things people just refer to as "playplaces".  I've seen versions of these things in malls in Texas but they aren't near as prevalent nor extravagant - or maybe I just never hang out in fancy enough places.  They are in malls, shopping centers, and even grocery stores here.  The one we went to with the kiddos had little scooters to drive on a road-path (the kind at Gimme & Dude's house), soft mats and toddler toys for the little ones, a sand pit and slide, an arts & crafts section the size of a classroom with every art & craft you can imagine, a closet of what I imagine comparable to a Kardashian's filled with dress up clothes, hats, shoes, wigs, etc, a jungle gym with ball pit, a place to get your face painted and a birthday party room!  And I'm not even to the coolest part yet - It is completely blocked off with one entry/exit with a plexy-glass window/wall and just on the opposite side of that were big, fat, purple cozy couches with coffee tables next to a changing table/nursing room! Guess who that's for?! MOMS! Inside of the room with the kids are the sweetest workers that play with and watch after the kiddos while Mommies can take a breather or care for infants!  Can you say Stay at Home Mom WONDERLAND?!  This gig just got better!  Especially since it's too hot to take Mack outside most of the day!  It was super cool!  If only they made the equipment large enough for adults!  I want to play!

I cannot express to you how family oriented this place is.  People take their children everywhere.  Family comes first with no guilt.  In fact, Michael hasn't even worked since we've been here because they feel it's more important for him to help me and the kids adjust and take care of errands and get set up.  It's wonderful! Also, when we went to the mall the other day, we took the train which had special cars just for women and kids complete with more seating and enough room to fit our gigantic stroller.  It was just me with the three kiddos and the women aboard were so sweet to Kambry and Kohen offering them window seats so they could see out.  It was super fun!  Kambry had already ridden the train with Michael a few days before so she navigated us through the train station like a pro!  She's really adventurous.  Kohen just goes right along with whatever it is that she wants.  

Tonight we're going to do a bit of good ole BBQing with our new buddies and swim and pretend we're in Texas tonight!  Woo hoo!  Everyone is adjusting to the 9 hour time change much better the last couple of days. Mack still has a bit to adjust sleep-wise but otherwise he is just as chill as ever.

Miss y'all!  

The First 48

Hey y'all.  From Sunday to today (which I think is Wednesday) feels just like one enormous day.  Sunday we spent the entire day packing and visiting with close family and friends one last time.  After our notably dramatic departure (really, the chauffeur said he'd never seen anything quite like it lol!) we made it to the airport, got our bags checked and made it through security with plenty of time to hang out in the Emirates Club to have some refreshments and breakfast before we boarded the plane.  Emirates Airlines is known for their fancy A380 aircraft which is fancier than any hotel in Corsicana.  It has two levels with First Class and Business Class on the upper deck and Coach in the lower deck.  I lost count of how many staff members there were on our deck.  The flight couldn't have gone any more smooth! As we were getting things situated we were given champagne, hot towels with lemongrass, a refreshment kit complete with toiletries and BVLGARI perfume and cologne, socks, eye covers, noise cancellation headphones.  You could view cameras from three vantage points of the aircraft which was super cool for takeoff and landing.  (and landing was all desert!) The kids were perfect.  Kambry slept all but about 2 hours of the entire flight.  Kohen ate lots of Godiva and Mack had to take a few passes around the deck to refresh his scenery.  The only tiny piece of inconvenience that my tray table wouldn't come out.  4 staff members tried to fix it to no avail.  It was fine, as each seat has basically a night stand and I just used that. However, due to my "inconvenience" I was given a $78 bottle of champagne for my troubles.  (As if the complementary beef fillet and booze wasn't enough!)

We arrived in Dubai on time and easily got through customs and made a quick stop at the duty free shop.  While Michael was in the shop I stood with the kids and our luggage.   While we were waiting I noticed three Indian women (one with the most beautiful henna tattoos) making googl-y eyes at Mack.  He was just cooing and kicking and flailing his arms being totally cute!  They slowly crept closer until the next thing I knew they were touching him and talking to him and even snapped a PHOTO OF HIM! I smiled politely as they did it and I was completely caught off-guard, but they were very sweet.  Then, off we went to the car service outside to head to the hotel.

Once we got to the hotel we were beyond exhausted running on minimal sleep...but all the while the kids were still well-behaved and just extra sleepy.  Michael got inside of the hotel to make sure everything was good with our reservation.  Well, long story short - the room wasn't going to be ready for at least another hour and a half...at that point I was drained.  I was tired and delirious and my mental and emotional capacity was non-existent.  The kids were hungry and sleepy.  The hotel was packed full of people trying to check-out at the same time we arrived.  We went upstairs to a restaurant in the hotel, which was Lebanese...luckily they had a kids menu with chicken nuggets for the kids.  The air conditioner wasn't on yet because we were the first ones there for their evening service so it was HOT and I was dressed for a cold plane.  I went to the bathroom twice and had a meltdown.  Once all of that was over we finally got into our room which was thankfully EXACTLY what we expected.  2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living area, dining area, and full kitchen.  We all passed out around 3:30 and didn't wake up until 9PM! Michael went and picked up dinner and then we put the kids back to sleep.  They slept until 7AM local time this morning.  It was easy to transition into our day today.

This morning we got up and got dressed and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  Every single time we go somewhere in the hotel someone is going berserk over the kids - especially Mack.  I mean he's pretty cute and all but one man took photos of Kohen and Mack and then kissed Kohen on his CHEEK! lol  We didn't know what to do!  While we were at breakfast I caught some people at the table behind us trying to discreetly take pics of us...then one lady even asked to hold Mack.  I don't get any uneasy vibes from people but it seems like they're genuinely infatuated with children, especially my blonde headed babies that they aren't used to seeing often.  Every one is really nice and helpful here.  The kids aren't digging the Middle Eastern twists on American food - Kambry has opted for salads and such instead of their versions of chicken nuggets! Score!!! lol.  (However, she is insistent to find pho somewhere nearby.)

The next several days will consist of paperwork and hopefully a grocery store trip! So far we feel very welcomed and other than the touching and extreme interest in playing with our kids - the culture shock has been minimal.  Hoping to venture out more tomorrow once we have a vehicle.

I'll keep y'all posted!  Thank you for the many texts, posts, messages and prayers!  We really appreciate it!  This is going to be an interesting adventure.  Can't wait to share it with those of you that promised you'll come visit!

PS - One of the coolest things about the food here is that it seems to all be made from scratch! Even the sour cream! One of the things I'm bummed about so far is that they serve Pepsi products.  Boo!!!

Stay tuned!

By popular demand...

A few years ago I started this blog while we were living in the Dallas metroplex. I didn't keep up with it very well and then when we moved back to Corsicana I didn't feel it had a purpose since I ran into most of my audience on a weekly basis and there were really no "miles" to the Morris'.  Several people have said to me "please post a lot of pictures!" Or "you should start a blog!" 

Here we are again on the move and I think "miles" to Morris is a total understatement - although still fitting. So, I'm going to pick back up with this blog. 

I plan on blogging our new adventure as much as possible and taking lots of pictures of the sites we see. I won't be working while we are there so this blog will feel like a job (I've never NOT had a job!) and hopefully will occupy some of my time. 

We have just SIX weeks left before we travel across the world with over a dozen suitcases, 4 kids, a ton of paperwork, some Benadryl and a whole lot of excitement, nerves and determination to make this the most rewarding experience for everyone. 

Kambry is excited to fly in the plane. Kohen is excited to have a [free] steak on the plane. Rikki is worried about making it to safe ground and Jeff, well this will be his first ever flight! I am just worried about my threenager making it through TSA security without causing a scene and getting us thrown in jail! [refer to items we are taking with us]

If you'd like to keep up with us, here is the place to do it. I'll still be able to Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat so don't worry! I've been getting lots of funny questions like that! But here is where I'll share the details of our adjustment. Life in Dubai. The fun stuff. The different stuff. 

Looking forward to sharing our journey with y'all. 

Xoxo,

Amber