Thank You Technology!

It's hard to imagine that we are back in Dubai for the 8th year, and so much has changed since our first time here in Dec 2008.  Mason was only 2.5, and Rod came two weeks before us to make sure this was going to work out.  That year we stayed in a villa, unlike the serviced apartments where we stay now with the other Godolphin folks.  We had very limited TV and this is when Mason found his love for Tom & Jerry.  We could enjoy that in any language!  We also had a DVD player, and the movie Cars was on repeat!  I had a Nokia flip phone and email was the best way to communicate with people, and I don't believe we texted internationally back then.   That was a rough year for us for multiple reasons, but we decided after that year it was better for us to stay in the serviced apartments.

The pictures on my home page were taken back in 2011.  The twins were only 5 months, and Mason was 5 years old!  I used an outside company to set up my blog, and they have since gone out of business.  I was hoping to update the boys' pictures every year, but now those baby faces make me smile and remind me how far we've come!  That was by far the hardest transition period for us.  The twins were barely sleeping through the night back home, and then we decided to rock their world and move half way across the world!  I didn't think we would ever get them sleeping through the night again, but after one month, they finally got back on schedule!

Fast forward to 2015 and our 8th year in Dubai!  Now the twins are 4.5 and Mason is 9.5 years old!  We are back in the same apartment from last year, and it's as if we never left!  The gap between Dubai and home just gets smaller and with every year the transition gets easier. I realize I have technology to thank for a lot of that!!

Thank you Emirates airlines for having a touch screen TV on your flight!  My kids are able to operate their own TV and ICE remote now, and can pick and choose their movies and TV shows.  This makes the 14 hour flight manageable and now actually enjoyable since I'm able to watch a few movies myself.  I'm not a big movie watcher back home, but I figure I have this flight to look forward to and can catch up on a years worth of movies!

Thank you iPads!  You came in very handy on the flight, because if the twins were not able to find something from the 1000 ICE shows, they could always rely on their own programs and apps on their iPads.

Thank you iPhone!  Over the last few years, I've managed to upgrade from the Nokia flip phone, to a Blackberry and last year I was able to get an iPhone!  Yeah!  I'm able to have access to all my apps, the camera feature and most importantly Google Maps!  This comes in very handy here in Dubai, as roads and directions are changing all the time!

Thank you WhatsApp, FB messenger, iMessage, iBooks!  It's so easy to communicate with friends and family, which makes leaving home a little bit easier :)  I've done a lot of reading during my days (and currently nights) while in Dubai.  I've read some of my favorite books like the Divergent series, Still Alice, Girl on the Train, The Husband's Secret, Gone Girl and Big Little Lies!  I'm currently reading Jen Hatmaker's For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards.  It is a hilarious must-read for every woman trying to juggle it all!!

Thank you Apple TV for allowing us to watch our favorite programs and discover new ones.  The boys have access to their cartoons (the kids programming in our hotel package leaves little to be desired.  It's either the Cartoon Network with inappropriate shows for any child, or the Disney channel in Arabic!)  I'm excited to see what shows Rod and I will watch this year.  We've been able to watch full seasons of Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Sons of Anarchy, Homeland and Outlander.  It also allows the kids to watch some of their favorite Christmas shows like Home Alone, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf on the Shelf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  This especially comes in handy when we are up at 3:00 am, but our bodies are telling us it's 5:00 pm!

All of this technology is great, but at the end of the day, nothing replaces some good ol' toys!  We just opened up our last trunk and it was an early Christmas for the boys!  They discovered their balls, guns, dinosaurs, tractors, cranes, building blocks and books!  This is just day 5 of our fun journey, and I think it's going to be another great one!

Mason and Cash are taking in their last College Game Day before we depart

 Rod and Jake are ready for take-off!

Mason is ready with his headphones and glass of apple juice!

 Headphones...check!  Champagne...check!  Let's go!

Boys take a break from watching movies to go play in the lounge.  Who knew toothpicks and seatbelt clips could be so much fun!

 Getting ready to land after 14 hours of flying and Jake is still awake!

 Mason managed to get a few hours of sleep!

Cash also slept for a few hours and stayed asleep during the landing

 This is on our ride to our hotel and nearly 20 hours into our journey.  Nerves are shot!

Thank goodness for Apple TV.  It's Day 4 and boys are up at 3:00 am and watching some Christmas classics. 

The Elf on the Shelf movie is keeping them entertained for now!

 It's like Christmas when the boys open up the last trunk filled with toys, scooters, guns, balls, etc!

 Playtime with our toys!

Just a Different Backdrop!

Our day to day life in Dubai is not a lot different than life back home...We just have a different backdrop here!  Even though school days are Sunday through Thursday, the timings are the same as back home: 7:50 - 3:00.  Most schools back home have a drop-off and pick-up curbside policy, but the ASD campus is open to all students and parents before and after school.  We try to leave by 7:15, because traffic on Sheik Zayed Road can get very congested.  SZR is a toll road that is home to most of Dubai's skyscrapers and has the Dubai Metro running along side it.  This is view is quite different than our drive to our school in Fairfield!

Mason likes to get to school early and play with his friends beforehand.  Kids also stay on campus after school for school activities and to play.  Mason loves to stay after school and watch the JV and Varsity baseball practice!  He's become their unofficial ball-boy and chases down balls hit over the fence!!  The American School of Dubai has grades PreK - 12th grade, but the class sizes are close to the same as back home (approximately 120 kids per grade).  One of the best things, according to Mason, is that Subway is offered for lunch to kids starting in 3rd grade!  We place the order online in the morning, and he picks up his sandwich at lunch time!!

 Elementary on the left, high school on the right, auditorium and office straight ahead

 Playtime after school

 The "big kid" covered playground 

Subway is also available after school!!

 View of buildings along SZR

Drive home along side the Dubai Metro

Sandstorm while driving in Dubai

The twins attend preschool on Monday - Thursday from 8:30 - 1:00.  This school is located in the middle of downtown Dubai, and we park in a parking garage, take the elevator up to the ground floor and walk the path to their school.  Even though the school is surrounded by buildings and apartments, it's nestled in a park-like setting with trees, chirping birds and playgrounds. The boys are loving their new school, friends, teachers, snack and lunch time, which is provided by the school!  We have been able to take advantage of the heated pool here at our hotel, and they take swim lessons twice a week!  The boys are also starting to phase out their afternoon nap, so they have been going with me to pick-up Mason after school.  They love the big-kid playground, tire swing, playing kickball with Mason and friends and going to Subway for a chocolate chip cookie!

Cash and Jake with their friend, Liam

 The boys running to their school!

View of Burj Khalifa 

The doors to the parking garage

Teeter-totter time on covered playground

 Swim time with Erin and Emily

 Haircut time at the mall 

The boys have been sporting their new Dubai "spiky" hairdo!

Just like our days back home, we spend A LOT of time at the baseball fields!  Mason practices 2-3 times a week and has games on Saturday.  There are four baseball diamonds at the complex, and a set of batting cages.  The twins love going just as much as Mason does!  

Baseball fields with Dubai skyline

 Batting practice

 Jake's turn with Coach Aaron (he's right handed but tries to bat left)

Cash smacks the ball!

Official picture of the Dubai Little League fields under the lights!

In our spare time we are able to catch up with some of our American TV shows via Apple TV.  Our hotel TV package also includes Fox News Live, BBC News, Cartoon Network and E! Entertainment, so we don't feel too far out of the loop!

TV Time :)

Park play date with our pals Shyla, Emily and Erin

Opportunities!

If I've said it once, I've said it 1,000 times, "Dubai is an such an awesome opportunity for our family!"   While the timing is not the most ideal as far as school is concerned, we've been able to take advantage of this place and all it has to offer for 7 years now.   It's nice to stay together as a family and enjoy this adventure together.   I'm not sure how much longer our journey will carry on, but we will continue to make the best of it for as long as we can!!

Rod truly loves what he does for work!  Godolphin is an incredible opportunity for him, as they are one of the largest owners of racehorses in training in the world!  They currently have horses racing in England, France, Dubai, Australia and America, and it is owned by Sheik Mohammed, the Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE.

Just another night at the races.  Rod is waiting for the horses to go onto the track. 

We've had the opportunity to make friends from all over the world!  Some of our best friends are from Ireland, England, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Jourdan, Lebanon and even New York (ha!)

My two favorite Irish girls: Aisling & Caroline!

Mason is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play baseball while we are here.  It just so happens that the little league season is from December through March!  How convenient! He's been able to have private pitching lessons with professional pitchers, attended a winter camp put on by the Washington Nationals and gets to play the game that he loves!  Mason was recently selected to play on an All-Star team, which will play in a tournament in Kuwait one weekend in March!  What an opportunity!

Mason with Washington National pitchers Pat Lehman and Danny Rosenbaum

While Mason attends the American School of Dubai, there are over 60 passports represented at his school.  The twins attend an International preschool, where their teacher is from England, the teacher's aid is from the Philippines and kids in their class are from various countries such as Columbia, Africa, Brazil, Japan and the UK.

Truly a masterpiece created by Jake and Cash! ha!

Mason playing a game of football with his buddies after school

We have all had an opportunity to try new foods.  The kids have especially become more adventurous with their tastings.  They also eat lunch at school; check out their school's menu:

Not your traditional PB&J or Lunchable!  

Rod and I love to go out to dinner with friends and enjoy all the wonderful restaurants within walking distance of our hotel.

This is an insane dessert display from our favorite sushi restaurant, Zuma!

Since the temperatures range from the 70's to 80's here during the "winter" months, the kids have had the opportunity to take weekly swim lessons in one of the hotels heated pools!  Ms Rita is from Hungary and sings songs like "Ring-a, Ring-a Rosey!"  They absolutely love it!!

 "Ring-a, Ring-a, Rosey…And Cash falls down!"

Jake is practicing his dive!  When we arrived in Dubai, he did not want to get his face wet!

Obviously, a lot of these opportunities are available to us because we live in a big city.  We get to enjoy access to shopping, world-class restaurants, organic markets and accessibility to good doctors!  We even have a chance to become the Dubai Mall Millionaire!  For every 300 dirhams you spend, you can enter a drawing to win 1,000,000 dirhams ($270,000)!

I think we can truly appreciate these opportunities because of the lifestyle we have back home and living in a small and quaint town.  We really do get to enjoy the best of both worlds!  What an opportunity!

"Winter" Break

I always wonder how we are going to spend our free time during a winter, summer or spring break. But without fail, we end up staying super busy and by the end of it all I have no idea where the time went.  This so-called winter break was no different!  The first part of our time was occupied by baseball!  Mason was fortunate enough to have private pitching lessons with two Washington National pitchers.  Then he attended a 3-day baseball camp put on by current and former professional players.  What an opportunity!

 Pitching lessons

 Coaches' pep talk

 Camp photo

Mason with National pitchers Pat Lehman and Danny Rosenbaum

It's hard to believe that we spent most of our "winter break" at the pool, but we've been taking full advantage of the heated pool and temperatures in the 70's and 80's!  Cash loves "diving" into the deep end, which starts off like a swan dive but ends up more like a belly flop! ha!  He's a descent swimmer, and I'm sure the fearless kid will be doing backflips off the high-dive before too long ;)  Jake likes to play and splash in the water, and he loves to wear his swim goggles.  He does not necessarily like to put his face under water!  Reminds me of a saying my Papa Nelson used to say, "You can go swimming, but you can't get wet!"

 Swim games with Mason, Jake & Cash

Smiley Jake

Swan Dive by Cash

 Mason playing "monster" with the kids

The Dubai Mall is right across the street from us, so it's a quick walk and has lots to offer!  We can get a bite to eat, watch the water fountain, go to the toy store, grocery store, movies, etc.  There is also a dinosaur skeleton on display that is over 155 million years old!  It's pretty impressive and was discovered in 2008 at the Dana Quarry in Wyoming!  Almost all the bones were found intact at the excavation site and is over 80 feet long!

 Cash, Shyla and Jake on the camel statue

 Jake & Cash are mesmerized by the Dubai Water Fountain

 Just another Rolls Royce parked outside the mall

 A gold plated Ferrari on display

 Main entrance to the mall

 View of our apartment on our walk home from the mall

 Burj Khalifa

A stroll through the mall with Cash, Erin, Jake & Emily 

We managed to fill our other days with outings to the park, an indoor play gym and even the beach!

 Silly boys at the park

 View of the Burj Khalifa with Liam, Marina & Eva

 A day at Kite Beach

 Cash & Erin practicing their back-dive into the ball pit

View of sunrise

Now we are back in full swing with Mason back in school and the twins just finished their first week of preschool!  Baseball games have resumed and the horse racing started up last night!  These next few months are going to fly by!

First day of preschool in Dubai for Liam, Cash & Jake