New York Nomads

Drew's End of Year Celebration

2011-06-20T18:27:00.001+04:00

Drew loved going to preschool this year. He's sad it's over for the summer and will miss his friends.

Drew and Christian

Drew and Robert

Jeep

2011-06-20T18:23:00.003+04:00

Drew and Laci love to ride in the Jeep. They look like a little old couple riding around our circle.

Baby Turtle

2011-06-20T17:56:00.002+04:00

Drew and Laci found a baby turtle in our backyard this spring. It was our pet for a few hours. All of the kids loved it. We let it go in the pond behind our house that night.

Korea

2011-06-20T17:15:00.009+04:00

We went to Korea for 9 days in April. Nick had to go for work, so I tagged along. We flew Grandma Sally out to stay with the kiddos. It was a nice kid-free vacation for us. Nick served his mission in Seoul, so it was fun to see him back in his old stomping ground. My favorite part of the trip was watching peoples' reactions to Nick speaking Korean. He still remembers some of the language and a white dude speaking Korean isn't very common.

A really old palace

A fun market

When we were walking around one night, Nick heard a familiar ping...the sound of a ball being hit off a bat. We had come across some batting cages and he HAD to give it a shot. FYI - He struck out his first 10 tries. Bret and Cole loved that dad strikes out too!

We found the church on our last day. It was in the same location, but Nick says it's a totally new building.

We took a tour up to the border between North and South Korea, aka the de-militarized zone (DMZ). It was the most interesting part of the trip. We got to go down into a tunnel that the North had dug to trying to invade the South. They've discovered around 20 of these tunnels, all of which have been unsuccessful.

Me, with the North Korean flag in the distance. We could use the binoculars to look over into North Korea. There was a huge statue of Kim Jong Il, their leader. I guess there are lots of these statues all over the country.
A sign posted in one of the restroom stalls...instructions on how to use (and not use) a toilet.

Winter

2011-06-20T17:11:00.004+04:00

This is the sledding hill we made with all of the snow we got. It was a long, cold, snowy winter.

Braces

2011-06-20T17:07:00.004+04:00

Bret got braces in March!! He's more like a teenager everyday...SCARY!

Cole's 8th

2011-06-20T16:55:00.003+04:00

Cole turned 8 on February 26. He had a laser tag party with about 10 of his closest buddies. A couple of weeks later, Grandma, Grandpa and cousins Kate and Emily came to visit for Cole's baptism.

Disney World

2010-11-29T19:37:00.010+04:00

We went to Disney World the week before Thanksgiving. We met Tony, Allie, AJ and Adeline there and everyone had a great time. The parks were empty the first three days and we were able to walk onto all the rides. Nick felt jipped not being able to use all the fast passes he ran around collecting. It was definitely more crowded on the weekend and we put the fast passes to use. It was so fun to see Laci's reaction to the characters and princesses. The boys couldn't care less for this kind of stuff but Laci loved it. She also loved Tony's family. She pretty much dropped Nick and I like hot rocks and wanted to spend every waking minute with "my Tony" and "Adeline's mommy." She couldn't quite get the name Allie down. They held her, pushed her in her stroller (by request, of course) and she would break out into tears when we went our separate ways to sleep. Nick got a bit jealous of "the other man" in her life. Drew reached a milestone in his life that week. He was tall enough to ride Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain for the first time. He was freaked out. It was so funny. Tower is a scary ride for a 4 year old. Here are a lot pictures in totally random order: Lunch at Cinderella's Castle

Look at Drew's cute, terrified face on Splash Mtn. Bret and AJ took a little nap

The boys

Drew cuddling with his new gun

Laci hugging Daisy

Laci and Marie, this was the stuffed animal she picked as a souvenir...a smaller version, of course

The tallest onion volcano I've ever seen

Epcot

Laci and Minnie

Laci and Belle

Laci (with Snow White's kiss print on her cheek) and Ariel

Laci and Snow White

Bret getting a little love from Ariel

Castle

Magic Kingdom

Mount Everest, Bret and Cole's favorite ride, in the background

Laci and AJ

Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom

Laci doing her Dori lips

Kids after the African Safari

Chocolate Outhouses

2010-10-30T02:55:00.004+04:00

Grandma was here for a few days and when Grandma is here, the kiddos always have fun. One thing she did with the kids was make gross, spooky chocolate outhouses. She's done this with the other cousins for a few years, but this is the first time my kids have made them. They loved it.

Laci

2010-10-30T01:16:00.006+04:00

Little Laci turned two. Oh, how those two years have flown! It seems like yesterday that we finally had our little girl and now we can't imagine life without her. We love this spunky little thing. And, she is little. When I took her for her check up, she weighed in at 24 1/2 pounds, the 21st percentile for her age...so different than her brothers, who have always been in the 90th percentile. On the big day, we went to a pumpkin patch that had lots of fun stuff for the kids. They all loved the pillow bounce. Even Bret, who is usually too cool, liked it.

She loved the slide, especially head first.

The corn box

Tractor ride

Pillow Bounce

Bret taking Laci on the big slide.

Her new favorite doll. She loves to feed it and change diapers.

Laci got a Rapunzel costume from Grandma. She loves it and says, "Let down my hair" when she puts it on.

Bret

2010-10-30T00:24:00.006+04:00

Bret is a decade old now...I can't believe it! He had a birthday party at the Outer Zone, a laser tag place. There were about 10 boys that came and they all had a good time. The highlight of the night for Bret was winning a cell phone from one of the arcade games. It was one of those games that seems impossible to win, but with a little skill and a lot of luck he got the phone. He couldn't stop talking about it. So, whether I like it or not, my 10 year old has his own phone.

Bret played tackle football for the first time this fall and looked so grown up and man-like in his helmet and pads. He enjoyed the games, but didn't like having to do sprints during practice. It was good for him, though.

I did it!

2010-10-11T23:08:00.008+04:00

I've always wanted to do a marathon and I finally did it. I ran the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon on 10-10-10. I thought that would be a good date to remember. The race began in Schenectady, right by Nick's office, and went along the Mohawk River over to the Hudson River and ended in downtown Albany. My goal was to finish under 4 hours and my official time was 3:58:56. The last 2 miles were really difficult but I fought through it.

I was #1191. The Hudson River in the background.

The New York State Capital (and the beautiful port-o-potties, thanks photographer Nick) in the background.

Drew's 4th

2010-10-11T22:45:00.008+04:00

I can't believe my little Drewster is 4! We love this stubborn, independent, fiesty little man. He had a fun enough 4th birthday. No big party, but we did have some friends over to help us celebrate. Our friends, the Oscarson's, that we met in Dubai, moved to New Jersey about a month ago. It has been fun to meet up with them a couple of times in the last few weeks. Their oldest and youngest are the same exact ages as Bret and Drew. They're all born in October of the same years, so they all play well together. Drew got some good presents, his favorite being the aircraft carrier.

Funny things kids say....

2010-09-17T18:35:00.003+04:00

I've been meaning to jot down a few funny things the kids have said in the last few months.

1. We pull up somewhere (I don't remember where) and the kids get out of the car. Drew points at a truck and says, "What the Hell!" We all try not to laugh and then Bret says, "I think he gets that from Dad." I think he's right.

2. We are out in the backyard and Laci hears the ice cream truck driving through our neighborhood. She turns to me all excited and says, "ice teem tut, ice teem tut!" She then immediately follows that up with, "money, money!" She has obviously been around her brothers way too much. Nick is in trouble...she's already asking for money.

3. Back in May, Cole was at a friend's birthday party. About five other kids and Cole are sitting around a table, eating their cake. They begin asking each other how old they are. One says, "I'm six." Another says, "I'm seven." And, as kids are, they keep trying to out do each other about being older because being older is somehow so much better than being younger (if only that still held true as adults). Cole says, "My cousin is 13." Someone else says, "My cousin is in College." Another says, "I have a cousin who is 30!" Cole, quickly ended the converstation by adding, in his serious, raspy voice, "Oh yeah, well my great-grandpa is DEAD!" It was pretty funny. I don't think any other adults heard this conversation. I just sat there and chuckled to myself.

Intrepid Museum

2010-09-17T18:14:00.006+04:00

In August we went to NYC for the day to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The Intrepid is an old aircraft carrier that has been stationed on the Hudson and transformed into a museum. The kids loved it, especially Bret and Cole, who are obsessed with anything military. There is also an old submarine, the Growler, which we toured.

Football

2010-09-17T17:42:00.004+04:00

Bret and Cole have both started football. Bret is playing tackle and Cole is playing flag. Practices take up a lot of time, but I think they are having fun. It is a good change from baseball. I don't have a picture of Bret yet, but he looks like a man in his full pads and helmet.

Laci

2010-09-17T17:23:00.007+04:00

Laci is getting big way too fast. We tried pig-tails last week and they lasted about an hour.

Drew's 1st Day of School

2010-09-17T17:08:00.004+04:00

Drew started school this week. He is going to the preschool at St. George's Episcopal church. He has a couple of good friends in his class and has enjoyed it so far.

Baseball

2010-06-18T22:09:00.004+04:00

What have we been up to the last 4 months?? One word...Baseball. Between Cole's team and Bret's 2 teams, we have been living at the many baseball fields around the area. With all the practices and games, life has been busy. I had heard that the man who invented baseball, Abner Doubleday, was from Ballston Spa, 10 minutes away from us. Tony and AJ were here for a baseball tournament in Cooperstown (the baseball hall of fame place) so we went to find his birthplace.

Cole, Bret, Drew & AJ

House by the historical plaque. I'm not sure if this is the house he lived in.

Laci at 15 Months

2010-01-25T06:36:00.006+04:00

We can't believe our little girl is 15 months! She's super busy, into everything and also very sweet. We love her tons!

She's finally able to wear the dress from aunt Allie...thank you!!

Wearing dad's shoes. Nick was a very proud father tonight. We were in the basement and Laci, all on her own, put a wiffle ball on the tee, picked up a little wooden bat and hit the ball off as best she could. She did this for about 5 minutes. I think I might have seen a couple of tears, from Nick, of course.

Max Hall hates Laci

2010-01-05T06:46:00.002+04:00

Go Utes!

What a difference a year makes

2009-12-14T23:11:00.004+04:00

Bret came home on Friday with a dreidel. This would have been banned in Dubai. (Remember the book order??) Anyway, he taught us all how to play. I love all the things my kids are learning, because I'm learning too.

Bret with his dreidel

Christmastime in the city...

2009-12-14T22:41:00.010+04:00

...is crazy!!! We took the train down the city on Saturday. It is a 2 1/2 hour journey from our house, not a bad day trip. We had Korean food for lunch then went to Times Square and to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. The Toys R Us at Times Square was complete chaos. It was the most crowded store I've ever been in. It freaked me out to be in there and I had to get out quick. And, I could hardly move around the tree at Rockefeller Center. As I was trying to leave, I couldn't push Laci's stroller at all, so this nice guy cleared a path for me to get through. Nick and I got separated, so this was very helpful. The next time we visit the city during the Christmas season, we will take the kids out of school and go on a weekday, although it was kind of fun to be part of the insanity.

Bret & Cole on the train

Drew & Laci on the train

Grand Central Station

Korean food - Bret and Cole both love kimchee

Times Square

Rockefeller Center

A new post....6 months later

2009-12-10T18:52:00.007+04:00

After a 6 month hiatus, I'm finally updating my blog. An overseas move, a crazy summer, a new house, unpacking and settling in will do this to ya. Such is life. We're finally settled and life is getting back to normal as normal gets. The boys are enjoying their new school and they take the bus. (Yay for me!!) Drew is talking up a storm and likes to play with his brothers, he's even getting in on the wrestling. Laci is walking all over the place and into everything, like a good toddler should be. Here are a few pics of the new house:

The room of constant chaos...can you find Laci?

So fun to decorate a girl room

Drew & Cole's room

Bret's room

Help!!!

2009-12-10T18:33:00.002+04:00

This is what I wake up to every morning:

And, she won't let me put anything in her hair without pulling it out. Oh well, at least she's cute.

First snow

2009-12-10T18:15:00.003+04:00

The kids were all excited about the first snow. This was the first snow that Drew and Laci have ever experienced and the first "real" snow that Bret and Cole have seen in 5 years. There was about a foot of snow on the ground after the storm. School was canceled and the kids had fun playing in it all day. After living in warm climates the last 5 years, we've had to get all 4 kids winter wardrobes. Bret and Cole have to bring boots and snowpants to school if they want to go to recess, so we spent a lot of $ at Target a few days ago...tis the season.

Time to leave???

2009-06-02T15:39:00.004+04:00

I'm at the kids' school playground yesterday waiting for traffic to clear out after pick up. I'm sitting on a swing watching Bret and Cole play. There is a boy, maybe 9 or 10, with his friend sitting on the swings next to me. The one boy says to his friend "I'm going to kill my f*****g driver. He's late! He was supposed to be here at 2:30. I'm going to kill my f******g driver." I couldn't believe my ears. I looked at him and was speechless. I didn't say anything. He then got up and walked away. Luckily, there weren't any other kids around to hear that kind of language, although I'm sure it happens a lot. This place never ceases to amaze me with the sense of entitlement that people have, even at such a young age. It's as if the world revolves around them. I think it's almost time that I get my kids out of here.

6 Month Appointment

2009-05-30T20:45:00.007+04:00

I've never been too picky about the doctors I take the kids to. Throughout all of our moves, I've taken the kids to so many I can't even remember them all and figure they're all about the same. All I really care about is getting the immunizations, anyway. Well, that has changed. I took Laci in for her 6 month check up to the pediatric clinic at the American hospital here in Dubai, the same hospital where I had her. There are about 5 or 6 doctors and when I make the appointments I say that I don't care which doctor Laci sees. So, this appointment is with the same guy whom she saw for her 2 month check up. Red flag...if I can get an appointment the next day with this guy, no one else wants to see him.

We wait and wait, and he finally comes in the room. The first thing he says is "Oh, this is the tongue tied baby." (At 2 months he said she was tongue tied, which I doubted because she's had no trouble nursing and at 4 months, another doctor, a lady which I liked, checked Laci and said she was fine). I told him this and he said "How do you know? Is she talking?" He said this in a very condescending way. He goes on for about 5 minutes about how he has to give me his opinion and checks her again and says it's a very MILD case. Yeah, whatever.

So, next he asks me what she's been eating. I say that I started giving her some fruits and cereals about 10 days before she turned 6 months. He said "That's too early." So I say to him, "Oh, so the day she turns 6 months is the magical day that she can start solids?" He said, "Yes, and you should never start with fruits. Now she will never eat vegetables." Again - yeah, whatever. Then I say to him how my 6 and 8 year olds had vegetables first and now they won't hardly touch them. He says "I bet that's because your refrigerator is full of processed foods." Again - yeah, whatever.

I'm sitting there, really irritated, so I try to lighten things up a bit. I ask him where he's from and he tells me "I'm Syrian born, but I'm Albanian. Now I'm an American, though." He goes on to tell me where he has lived in the states, mostly Pennsylvania and Ohio, for about 15 years. He asks me where I'm from and I say that I'm originally from Utah. He then asks "Are you a second wife?" What??? Did he really just say that!!?? I say "Nope, first and only, thank you very much." What I wanted to say was "How many wives do you have?" Muslims can have up to 4, as long as they are treated equally. But, I just bit my tongue and just sat there politely until he left the room.

Needless to say, I will NEVER go to him again.

Laci at 6 months

Laci at 7 months

Musandam, Oman

2009-04-27T10:42:00.006+04:00

With Joe & Annie here last week, we decided to be a bit adventurous and head over to the neighboring country of Oman. We went to the northern most part called Musandam, about a 3 hour drive from Dubai. It is right near the straight of Hormuz, only 30 miles from Iran across the Persian Gulf. This area is commonly called the "fjords of the Middle East" because of the beautiful tall mountains that jet up out of the sea. We took a dhow (an old wooden boat) cruise of the whole area. We all went snorkeling and even saw some dolphins.

Bret, Drew and Cole sitting on the dhow. There were rugs and pillows to sit on, the traditional Arabic seating.

This is what the dhow looked like.

Drew, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

If you look real close, you can see the dolphins. There was one swimming right up next to the boat for a bit, but by the time I grabbed my camera, it was gone.

This is a little fishing village.

Bret & Cole ready for some snorkeling.

Snorkeling

Laci resting on Dad.

Drew hanging out with Abdullah and Waleed.

We've caved

2009-04-12T15:20:00.005+04:00

So, after nearly 2 years of living here, we finally gave in and are living like most of Dubai - with a live in maid. We resisted for so long because we didn't want someone living with us, but after nearly all of our friends saying how nice it is, we thought we'd give it a try for our last year here. And after about a week, I can say it is soooooooo nice. The dishes are always done. The house is always picked up (well, almost - Drew goes around and pretty much destroys things right behind her). The clothes hampers are always empty. The best part is not having to clean up the kitchen after dinner, which she cooks. Tonight we had a Filipino dish called chicken adobo...very good.

Her name is Marjory and she is from the Philippines. She is very quiet and polite. She has been in Dubai for about 3 weeks now. She has a cousin and an aunt here, so it is nice for her to have some family here. Marjory was a maid in the Philippines for 2 years before coming to Dubai. This the first time she ever left the Philippines and her first time on a plane.

How am I ever going to go back to doing things myself?! I'm so spoiled.

A day at the zoo & Laci's new do

2009-04-12T14:56:00.006+04:00

Last week was spring break and one of the days we went to the zoo. We went to the Al Ain zoo. Al Ain is a city in the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi. It was about a 90 minute drive. There is a zoo here in Dubai, but we haven't been and heard it's not very good. The Al Ain zoo was a good size and there was no one there, except for the group of friends we went with. It was great. The kids had a good time and thank goodness it wasn't too hot that day. Here are a few pictures. I'm a terrible photographer and only got one animal in a picture....oh well.

Bret and the ostrich

Cole - note the mountains in the background - we haven't seen mountains in months

Drew pointing at a bird

There was even a train painted with zebra stripes

In one of my previous posts, I wrote how Laci has lost most of her hair - well, all but the top. I know it's just wishful thinking, but I've been pulling that little tuft of hair up with an elastic and curling it. When it's up, you can really see how bald she is everywhere else. We call it her "Pebbles" do.

How scary is this...

2009-03-26T11:55:00.004+04:00

http://7days.ae/storydetails.php?id=75541&title=No%20way%20to%20avoid%20him

The fear now is that many of the labourers will run out into traffic to try to get themselves killed for the blood money. Blood money is money paid to the victim's family from the person who committed the "crime." They can work and work for their meager pay or do this and leave their families well off. Scary stuff.

Bumbo and Sword Fights

2009-03-10T13:13:00.003+04:00

Laci is getting too big, too quick. She loves her Bumbo. She is also losing almost all of her hair. It is gone on the sides and back. She just has a little tuft on the top and some right above her neck. I'm sure it will come in blond, but maybe not until she's 4, if she's like I was.

While I was taking Laci's pictures, Drew came and brought me a sword. He said, "here mom, fight." This was our first official sword fight. After having many a sword fight with Bret and Cole when they were little, it was nice to get back at it again. I haven't lost my skills in the last couple of years. He's just starting to get his little imagination and I love it. Here's my handsome little knight:

Cole's 6th Birthday!

2009-03-01T13:11:00.004+04:00

Last Thursday (Feb. 26) was Cole's much anticipated 6th birthday. He had a fun day at school. I brought in brownies for the class to share. Later that afternoon, he had a party at Chuck E Cheese. It opened last Fall - this place is becoming more and more like the US everyday. Cole invited all the boys in his class, about 10. He and his friends had a great time running around playing all the games and eating pizza. There was even a little ice skating rink that a few were brave enough to try out. He had a great day!

Not Yet!!!

2009-03-01T13:07:00.004+04:00

This is what our car temperature guage read yesterday on the way to Bret's baseball game:

Triple digits in February - I'm not ready for the heat yet!

Summer treat in Winter

2009-02-06T22:22:00.002+04:00

We were out in the backyard today when we thought we heard what sounded like an ice cream truck. The kids and I ran out front and sure enough, there it was - the ice cream truck! We quickly grabbed a few dirhams and they each picked out a treat.

Laci at 3 months

2009-01-29T13:32:00.004+04:00

Here are some pictures of Laci at 1, 2 and 3 months. I always take my babies' pictures on their month birthdays their first year in the same spot to see how much they change and grow. It's amazing how much babies wake up the first few months of life.

A couple of things

2009-01-12T09:14:00.010+04:00

Last weekend, I went to this place called global village. Nick calls it a big county fair, but it's more than that. At global village, many countries from around the world have areas where people from that country sell stuff (Nick calls it junk). It is only open November through February and we never made it last year so I had to be sure to go this year. It was fun to walk around and see all the different things from around the world. There are so many things I want to go back and get - rugs from Pakistan, leather jackets from Afghanistan, a neat nativity scene from Palestine, pictures from Egypt, just to name a few. Here are the purchases I did make:

These are camel leather purses from Senegal. They were about $15 each. There were also snake, iguana and crocodile skin bags.

These are crocheted dresses from Kenya. They are really cute and cost about $8 each. The African ladies were crocheting them right there at the stalls. They are so talented. Also, there were pictures of Barack Obama taped up all over the Kenya section. It was kind of funny.

Nick and I also managed to make it to Dubai mall again this weekend. What can I say? This is Dubai and there is nothing else to do. We're total mall rats. Anyway, the mall has a new feature open - a 4 story tall water fall/fountain thing with divers flying down. Here it is, look close.

Couldn't the people who made this thought of a better place to attach these guys to the wall? We just had to laugh.

Pictures of Laci

2009-01-04T15:33:00.002+04:00

Christmas

2009-01-03T14:37:00.004+04:00

We all had a good Christmas. Bret got way too many video games, Cole got lots of Ben 10 stuff, Drew got a kitchen and Laci got a barbie doll with an abaya (the black dress the Muslim women wear). The kids spent the day playing with their new toys and we had dinner with some friends.

Bret and Cole on Christmas morning waiting patiently to open their loot.

Drew playing with his new kitchen. He loves it.

Drew with his new Batcave.

Christmas morning chaos

The boys in front of the Christmas tree at Dubai mall.

Laci learning how to use her cute little voice.

Christmas in Dubai

2009-01-03T13:51:00.005+04:00

Here are some pictures of the kiddos. It is beautiful in Dubai this time of year, which is why most of the pictures are outside. The weather right now makes us forget how hot and muggy it is in the summer.

Laci's hair looks a little goofy. Sally gave me these little velcro rollers and I tried one out. I don't really know what I'm doing with this whole girl thing yet. I love her dress, though. I found it at this store here called Monsoon. They have the cutest girl clothes.

Baptism & Blessing Day

2008-12-22T12:17:00.007+04:00

Earlier this month Bret was baptized and Laci was blessed. It was a busy day. Nick's parents were able to be here for the events, which was nice. Bret was baptized in our pool. We had a couple of friends from church over and it was a nice, peaceful morning. Bret said the pool was a little cold, though.

The fam

Nick & Bret looking good in white

Bret about to get dunked

Laci with one of her first smiles

Laci in her beautiful blessing gown. The dress was made by Nick's grandmother (who was nearly blind) before she passed away. The picture does not do it justice.

Dress Up

2008-11-18T12:23:00.003+04:00

Laci has a couple of dresses now, so I thought I would dress her up and take a few pictures.

Dubai Mall

2008-11-18T11:56:00.005+04:00

The kids had a day off from school last week so we headed out to see Dubai's newest attraction - a new mall! Dubai needs another mall as much as it needs more sand. But, this mall is supposedly the biggest in the world. Inside the mall is the largest aquarium in the world. And, this all sits right next to the tallest building in the world. You get the idea - this place is insane. Only about half of the 1200 stores are open and these are all the same stores that are in every other mall here in Dubai. I just don't get it. There is one plus for us, Dubai's first Taco Bell! We had our Nachos Bell Grande and soft tacos for lunch. It tasted just like any other Taco Bell. We walked through the shark tunnel at the aquarium and the kids loved it.

Tacos and nachos for lunch - note the Taco Bell logo in Arabic

Halloween

2008-11-02T11:42:00.004+04:00

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. Bret, Cole and Drew all wore costumes that Nick brought back from his most recent trip to the US. He made special trips to Target (oh how I miss Target!) to get them. Bret was a bleeding skeleton, Cole was the Hulk and Drew was Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story 2 is his favorite movie). Bret and Cole had a parade and class parties at school on Thursday and then Nick took the boys trick-or-treating around our neighborhood on Friday. Laci wore a little outfit that some friends gave us. It is newborn size (5-8 lbs) and it actually fits her. None of the boys ever fit the newborn size. They were too big.

It's a.....GIRL!!!!!

2008-10-29T14:04:00.011+04:00

There's finally some pink at the Wiseman house. We can't believe it. We're still in shock. Little Laci (yep, we finally decided on a name, no middle name, fyi) was born Thursday, October 23 at 2:45 p.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs 14 oz (or 3.576 kgs) and was 51 cm long. Everything is done in the metric system here, so Nick did the kilogram to pound conversion on his blackberry in the delivery room and we still haven't figured out her length in inches yet. She's the smallest of the kids yet she was my most painful labor and delivery. The nurses couldn't find the guy to give me my epidural. They finally found him and the medication kicked in when I was at 9 cm, better late than never though. My nurses were great. I had 3 nurses, one from Portugal, one from India and one from the Philippines. My main nurse, Bella from Portugal, had to kick my butt a few times because I was freaking out from the pain. I'm such a wimp.

Nick is loving his little girl and has turned into quite the protective dad. When he was in the nursery with Laci as she was having her first bath, he was making the nurses laugh. The nurse came back and told me that Nick said Laci couldn't date until she was 30 and told the baby boy in the little cart next to her to "stay away from my daughter." He also went to Baby Gap the day after she was born and bought practically the whole newborn girl section. Laci's big brothers are also very fond of her. For the first few days, they kept referring to the baby as he or his or him. They couldn't get used to the fact that there was a girl in the family now. Bret and Cole race in from school and fight over who gets to hold her first. Drew has done well so far. He says "baby" and "soft " as he pats her on the head. I'm sure the jealousy will start soon. The only issue I've had is when I would check her diapers for pee, I was concerned because they seemed dry. But, duh, girls don't pee in front like boys do.

One more thing - our maid, Anusha, has been such a help this past week. She helped a lot with the kids while I was in the hospital. Nick would bring the kids once a day and then come back by himself once a day. It was so nice to come home to a clean house and empty laundry hampers. Anusha has been doing my house cleaning and all my laundry for the past few months and it is soooooo nice, especially now with a newborn. I have more time to just sit and hold Laci.

Me at the American Hospital Dubai.

Little Laci - she has the most hair of all the kids

Bret and Laci

Cole and Laci

Drew and Laci

Bret's #8, 3 times over

2008-10-15T13:05:00.009+04:00

So, Bret was a lucky boy this year. He had 3 birthdays. First, he got this before Nick left for his 2 week trip:

A brand new bike!

On Bret's real birthday (October 9th), we had a little swimming party with a few friends.

The kids loved the "magic" candles, but Bret said he was annoyed that everyone was spitting on his cake trying to blow out the candles. A little extra spit never hurt anything, right? He got a few lego sets from his friends, that he has enjoyed putting together.

The morning after Nick got back (yes, we survived, with no baby yet), Bret opened his presents from us.

The highlight of the birthday for Bret was getting the new Lego Batman video game. He's been begging for this for months. Nick and I tricked him and wrapped another video game up. When he opened it, we said that Nick couldn't find the Batman game in the US, but Nick said they could play this new game. Bret was visibly disappointed but went to the player to put in the other new game. We had placed the unwrapped Lego Batman video game on top of the player. He found it and was super excited. He has been playing it non-stop since. When he gets home from school, he doesn't even stop for a snack.

Drew's 2nd birthday, a few days early

2008-09-29T21:20:00.007+04:00

We celebrated Drew's birthday five days early because Nick left us for 2 weeks. Nick is sad he is going to miss Drew's and Bret's birthdays. We just hope he won't miss #4's birthday. Yeah, I'm crazy sending my husband halfway around the world when I'm 36 1/2 weeks pregnant. He's just a short 13 hour plane ride away. We're just crossing our fingers this baby doesn't arrive early. Anyway, we gave Drew his presents, sang to him and had cake on Saturday - really exciting, I know. He didn't care that it wasn't his real birthday. We'll celebrate Bret's #8 when Nick gets back. Now, Bret, on the other hand, is a little upset that he will have to wait a couple of days to open his presents.

Drew waiting patiently to open presents.

Wow, a new book! He doesn't care that it's upside-down.

Unwrapping presents, with Bret's help.

Drew loving the candles. The cake is sooooo boring. Finding decent, or any, decorations here isn't an easy task.

Drew blowing out the candles.

Drew enjoying the boring cake.

He enjoyed it so much, that the next day, I caught him sneaking more cake and cupcakes. Don't worry about that large knife within his reach. I've got it all under control here without Nick.

And, last, but definitely not least............................a much anticipated belly shot. Drew and Cole wanted in on the action, too.

Summer

2008-09-25T23:50:00.004+04:00

I'm finally getting around to the Summer recap. It seems as though I'm on the quarterly report schedule, oh well. Warning: A lot of pictures ahead. There would have been more, but I was too lazy to find an adapter to charge the battery in my camera and I put it off until the last minute when I realized I hadn't taken many pictures. Anyway, here are the pictures, in no particular order:

Bret and Cole getting a taste of real snow - none of the fake stuff like there is here

Cole getting a shave at Pioneer Village (I think that is what it is called)

Cousins on the train at Pioneer Village

Boys at the zoo - no cougar fans here

Drew and Jenna or "Nenna" as he calls her. When I was putting these pictures on my computer last week, he walked by and saw this picture. He started yelling Nenna and dancing around because that is what she would do with him. He loved it and very much remembered it.

Drew and Emme playing with the water

Slip and Slide day at the cousins' house

Drew enjoying the slip and slide

Bella and messy faced Drew with his faux-hawk

Relaxing on the hammock

The highlight of our vacation was the trip to Disney Land. It was the boys first trip and they loved it. They still talk about it almost every day. It was referenced today as we were riding an elevator and how it compared to the Tower of Terror. They are already planning next years trip.

Bret and cousins on California Screamin

Cole at the little petting zoo

Drew hangin' out with mom because we weren't allowed on very many rides

Bret and Cole in front of Tower of Terror, their favorite ride. I don't know how many times they rode this, but it was A LOT.

Censored K

2008-09-25T23:26:00.003+04:00

It's Ramadan right now and it is the one time of year where expats are expected to respect the local culture more than normal. People are to refrain from eating or drinking in public during daylight hours. Most restaurants are closed until sunset and those that are open, only offer delivery or take-away. Smoking is also a no-no while the sun is up. It is also thought that people should dress more modestly. We're not sure if the pictures below have anything to do with Ramadan or not, but it's still pretty funny. This is how our box of Special K looked when we brought it home from the grocery store:

This is how the box looked after I peeled the cute little sticker off:

This sums it all up

2008-06-17T21:38:00.002+04:00

Nick and I are out to dinner a few nights ago and a beggar comes up to us. You really don't see beggars here, this was the first one we've come across. He tells us his story and then asks if we can help him. Nick reaches int0 his pocket and gives the guy 10 dirhams (about $3). The beggar takes it, and then looks at us and says "No, I need 200 (dirhams)." Instead of saying thank you and being gratetful that we even gave him anything, he asks for more. We had to laugh. That just says everything about this place.

Reason #2 Why You Should Never Check Your Bag

2008-05-25T21:55:00.002+04:00

Nick is on his way to Saudi today and he calls me from the airport. He says he feels like everyone is staring at him and to remind him never to wear shorts when flying to Saudi. About half an hour later he calls back and says that they made him put on pants. Luckily, he had his carry-on and was able to pull out a pair of pants. He felt pretty silly in his golf shirt and dress slacks.

For reason #1, ask Nick about his first trip to India.

Rock You Like a Hurricane!!!

2008-05-25T21:35:00.003+04:00

Yeah, that's right, we went to the Scorpions concert the other night. It was awesome. I know everyone is jealous. It was actually very interesting. I saw a crowd like I've never seen in Dubai. I'm used to laborors, locals or snotty expats. At the concert I saw a crowd like you would expect at a "hair" band concert. And, the alcohol was flowing, which is usually a no-no in Muslim countries. The only places you see alcohol are the hotels. I don't know how the concert venue got permission. If people want to buy alcohol here, they have to get a special "alcoholics" license through the government. The legal blood alcohol level is 0. If you are caught driving drunk it is immediate prison time, which I totally agree with. By the way, I'm ashamed to admit that I have 3 Scorpions songs on my ipod - pathetic, I know. Anyway, here a couple of lame pictures:

As good of a picture as we could take from our seats.

A lovely picture of Nick and me. Not quite a sell-out crowd, as you can see.

10 Recommendations

2008-05-25T21:13:00.002+04:00

We get this local newspaper once a week that has some interesting and funny articles and my sudoku puzzle that I look forward to. This week, there was an article discussing divorce in the UAE and how it is on the rise. At the end of the article was this list:

10 Recommendations Family Guidance and Reformation Department at the Dubai Courts gives to newly married couples:

Recommendations to wives
1. Men are different from women
2. Men are not talkative, so don’t nag
3. Men like to be the focus of a woman’s attention so don’t ignore them or make them feel unwanted
4. Men like to talk about their work, so don’t expect them to talk about everything you like
5. Men may have a hard time expressing their feelings, so don’t force them to say something they don’t want to say
6. Men by nature hate failure, so try not to criticise them
7. Men like to be alone when they get angry, so don’t intrude on their solitude
8. Men are capable of solving problems, so don’t impose your thoughts on them
9. Men don’t shop that much and they like a contented woman, so don’t be too demanding
10. Men like a woman who can satisfy their desires, so shower them with love and care as well as appreciation

Recommendations to husbands
1. Women are different from men
2. Women are more sensitive and emotional and expect your support all the time
3. Women like a man who flirts with them and satisfies them sexually
4. Women like to talk about themselves, so don’t criticise them
5. Women like shopping and spending money, so don’t be a miser. Try to offer her gifts and invite her to go out frequently
6. Women like to feel loved and cared for
7. Don’t think of committing adultery because it is very harsh on a woman’s feelings
8. Women like to be heard or listened to, so don’t stay away from your wife
9. Women’s moods and attitudes change during pregnancy and menstruation so take this into consideration
10. Women need a man to trust and rely on, so don’t disappoint her

Pretty sweet, huh? I told Nick he needs to stop being such a miser.

Nick's Dinner at the Burj Al Arab

2008-05-20T21:37:00.004+04:00

Nick had dinner last night with 3 colleauges at the Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest and only 7-star hotel. Sadly, I was not invited. The bill came to $1700 for 4 people, not bad. There was a cocktail listed on the menu called the 27,324. The name is the price in Dirhams, roughly $7,500 for one drink. But you do get to keep the cup, which is made of gold. Sounds like a good deal. Also, a man came walking around with an open bottle of scotch dated 1847 with a handwritten label. Nick took a whiff and said it smelled like crap. For only 7,000 Dirhams ($1900) who wouldn't want a glass? Nick's sniff must have been at least $100. To get out to the Burj, which is on it's own man made island, Nick had to give a special passcode that was emailed to him. He felt pretty cool pulling up in his Mitsubishi Galant and parking next to the Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, just to name a few. It's a rough life he leads.

I know this is kind of a crappy picture, but it does show the Burj out on it's island and 2 of the kids, Drew of course and Bret making a sand mountain back to the right. This was about a month ago.

Gas Prices

2008-05-20T21:00:00.005+04:00

I go to fill up my SUV (well, actually I don't do it myself - everything is full service) today and I can't help but think that I am lucky to be living in the Middle East right now. It seems that all I hear when I get a chance to watch American news, besides the whole Obama vs. Clinton thing that I am entirely sick of, is about how oil and gas reach record prices nearly every day. I filled up my Ford Explorer tank, which was on empty, for about $25. I don't know how that equates to dollars per gallon because here they use imperial gallons and I don't know how those compare to a US gallon, but I do know it would cost a whole lot more than $25 to fill up my tank. I also thought that the price hasn't changed since we got here. Nearly a year ago when we arrived, we were paying the same amount to fill the tank. Even with oil prices rising so rapidly the past few months, the price of gas still hasn't changed here. It just begs the question, where are all those record profits going??? Nick should have gone to work for Chevron after all.

Oh yeah, we have a blog...

2008-04-30T21:13:00.006+04:00

I almost forgot we had a blog until I received several emails asking about our whereabouts. Those 5 people that actually read our blog really do care. There just isn't much going on around here these days. I drive the kids to school and chase Drew around while Nick goes to work. That's about it. I'll do a quick one month recap of a few things.

Secret Dubai

So, I guess the reason that blogspot was blocked a while back was one certain offender. That offender is secretdubai.blogspot.com. It was easier for the local ISP to block all blogspots at first until they figured out exactly who the perpetrator was. I have no idea what was on this blog, all I know is that if I go to that site now, a page from the local utility pops up and says that "the page you are trying to access may contain content that is not consistent with the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE." So, I better be careful about what I write from now on.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was on my way to pick up Cole from school, I noticed a car coming up behind me at a very fast speed. This happens all too often and since I'm in the middle lane, I'm not worried about getting brighted or honked at to get out of the way. I just roll along at my relatively slow pace of about 80mph. I glance in my rear view mirror to see if I can catch a glimpse of the license plate#, because I'm weird like that. I think I see #1. I wait for him to pass me, and yep, it's #1. If you've been reading our blog you should be familiar with how crazy people are about the license plate #s here. I think to myself that I have to catch up and try to take a picture so I can prove to Nick that I saw #1. We have this joke about who can find the lowest plate. There is no one else on the road and I see a red light coming up so I think great, I'll just pull up next to him and somehow take a picture without being noticed too much. I get my camera ready as I come up to the light. But, duh, I forgot one thing - like this guy was going to stop for a red light! He drove right through it. I'm not going to say that I couldn't believe it because I can SO believe it. What was I thinking. In case you are wondering what kind of car he was driving it was a Mercedes G500, I think. The really boxy SUV. This actually surprised me, because with the quantity of luxury cars around here, I would've expected something a little more showy to be driving around sporting the #1.

Messy House

This is just kind of funny and shows what people, and kids, are like here. Bret had a friend come over last week, and the first thing out of this kid's mouth when he walked in my house was "Whoa, this house is messy!" I just had to laugh because my house really wasn't too bad that day. This kid has 2 maids at home. There are 2 kids in his family, so I guess that's one maid per child. I'll just have to get 3 maids.

Ski Lessons

With baseball over, we thought we would sign the kids up for ski lessons. This seems a bit backwards, doesn't it - baseball in winter and skiing in the summer? Well, this is Dubai after all and we thought we would take advantage of the man made ski slope. They go every Saturday for a couple of hours and are liking it so far.

Bret and Cole all geared up for ski lessons.

Drew in the gondola...obvioiusly not a functioning one.

Middle Eastern Easter

2008-03-30T10:56:00.012+04:00

So, it's been a while and I'd like to blame that on the fact that for about 2 weeks we were unable to access our blog or anyone else's blog for that matter. I still don't know why, but no one could access blogger here for those 2 weeks. I thought maybe that the powers that be here were upset with my last post and decided to block blogspot, but who knows.

Anyway, our Easter was much different than usual and low key here as most Christian holidays are in the Middle East. The kids woke up and found their few eggs that Nick, I mean the Easter Bunny, brought back from his last trip to the US. There were no plastic eggs to be found anywhere around here. They each had about 12 to find. That was all the bunny could fit in his carry-on. After that we bid farewell to Nick as he headed off to work, for after all, Sunday is the beginning of the work week. I suppose we could've held our celebrations on Friday, when we go to church, but with early church and baseball games to follow, it just didn't work out. Plus, the kids had already been counting down to the real Easter day and how could I explain that the bunny came early?

So, after Nick went to work, the kids and I loaded up in the car in search of our Easter ham. In case you didn't know, pork products of any kind are forbidden to Muslims. Pigs are unclean to them. Only a handful of stores carry pork products and only in special sections, usually hidden away in the back corner of the store. The store I went to refers to that section as "Pork section - for non-muslims only." We call it "the dirty porky section." The kids and I go back to the forbidden corner and purchase our ham, for a definite premium. Pork products are very expensive. It is always interesting to see what other dirty items there are. Pop Tarts, many varieties of Campell's soup and marshmallows were some of the things we saw that somehow contain pork. Who knew that Pop Tarts have pig in them - so appetizing, I know. The kids don't care though. They ate them up. It is always an adventure at the grocery stores here.

The kids went swimming in the afternoon and we had our ham for dinner when Nick got home from work. Here are a few pictures:

Bret, Drew and Cole

The boys with their loot.

Drew with his sacred blanky that goes everywhere with him.

Cole on the new "Shamu" toy from the Easter bunny.

Driving in Dubai

2008-03-05T21:13:00.005+04:00

After spending a mere 31/2 hours in the car today shuttling kids between school and playdates, I just have to get this off my mind. Driving here really sucks! I was literally in a traffic JAM today at one roundabout with buses, cars and trucks going every which direction. If there is one thing I'm going to leave with after living here it is being a much more impatient and aggressive driver. I was thinking today, on one of my many drives, that I have NEVER seen a police officer stop anyone for anything. The only time you ever see the cops is when they are responding to an accident. Drivers just do whatever they want, which is nice on one hand because I can go as fast as I want (and I do sometimes). But on the other hand, everyone else does whatever they want, like making their own lanes through the desert just to cut me off at the last second. You always have to check that rear view mirror to see who is going to be speeding up behind you, flashing their brights. Oh, and one more thing, the second the light turns green, if everyone isn't moving, you get cars 10 or 20 back honking. It's so annoying. I found this on my friend's blog today and I'm including it because it is appropriate after my day:

What is the worst traffic violation possible in the most progressive Middle Eastern city? Speeding excessively? Apparently not, and that’s a birthright anyway. Are you ready for the top violation possible under the new traffic system in Dubai? Drum roll… Driving without license plates on your vehicle. It turns out that running a person down, or causing a fatal accident is exactly half as bad as a operating an unlicensed car. Previous to this week, Dubai had a more lax legal code for vehicular offenders; now they have changed to laws that include a point system. 24 points in 12 months time will result in a three month driving suspension, that is unless you opt for driving school. But a lot of people might be perplexed when reading the new rules. The newspaper also listed a few of the changes. Some represent in writing what one observes after a couple days on the road here in the UAE. For example, there is no risk of losing one’s driving privilege for traveling 50 kilometers over the posted limit. Meaning that although the posted limit is 120 on the fastest section of the highway you don’t risk getting any points until you exceed 170. A fine can still be issued below 170 but likely wouldn’t from what we see/hear. Exiting from the left door of a taxi = 3 points; driving against traffic = 4 points; failure to stop after causing an accident = 6; reversing dangerously = 0; “Causing death of others” is 12 points. And the aforementioned sans license plate is 24 points. I once saw a man in a Ferrari stop just short of driving down a gaggle of Indian workers, he looked like would have cared less if he had. Because points last for a 12 month period, drivers are now only able to run two people down in a thirteen month time frame. Someone we met in Dubai recently said that after a bumper car session their five-year old son exclaimed gleefully, “I was driving like an Emirati Mom!” Kids say the darndest things.

Note: blood money might be required in addition to black points if the person run down wasn't at fault. And there are speed cameras that go off at about 140-150kms/hr but some people don't seem to care, probably because they have connections.

Happy Birthday Cole!

2008-03-01T22:17:00.006+04:00

Cole's 5th birthday was a few days ago. Wow, those five years have gone fast! Nick and I took him to lunch at the Mall of the Emirates, which is right next to the kids' school. We went to Johnny Rockets and then to Magic Planet, the indoor amusement park. We spent a couple of hours there until it was time to pick up Bret. We finished the day off with cake and presents. Here are a few pictures:

Cole celebrating his birthday at school. He's in the middle of the circle wearing the birthday crown. Tazim, a boy in his class, and Cole have the same birthday.

Lunch at Johnny Rockets.

Cole driving a bumper car. That's a blurry Nick in the background.

Cole on another ride all by himself. We were literally the only people there at 1 pm on a weekday. It was quite nice - no lines.

On a side note, the day after his birthday, Cole went to Ski Dubai (the crazy indoor ski slope at the Mall of the Emirates) for a field trip. The kids had fun sledding, tubing and having snowball fights. Cole has never spent much time in the snow so it was fun to watch.

I'm trying to get a couple videos added, but it's not working right now. When my IT guy (Nick) gets back from the US (and yes, I am jealous - he called me from Target yesterday and I told him to kiss the ground) we'll figure it out.

Passover has been passed over

2008-02-20T20:46:00.004+04:00

Bret came home with a book order today and on the 2nd page there was a little piece of paper taped over one of the books. Naturally, I lifted the paper to see what was underneath. What was it you ask - a Jewish Passover book called the Matzah Man, of course. On the printed order form, it reads that this book is not available in the UAE. FYI, Israeli goods are prohibited from being sold anywhere in the Gulf Coast Countries and no one will make it past passport control with a stamp from Israel in their passport. If we wanted to visit Israel, we would have to get a special passport from the US Embassy, like a disposable passport. This just in: Israel doesn't have any friends in the Middle East.

2 Mad Madams

2008-02-10T19:01:00.000+04:00

As the title says, there have been two mad madams around here. Unfortunately, one of them is me. I use the term "madam" because that is how many of the women here are referred to as, especially by the maids and everyone in the service sector.

Madam #1 - Last week, I'm making my every other day trip to our neighborhood market (to buy milk of course, see previous post). I'm putting my items up on the belt at the check out stand, when I see this madam holding a couple of items in her hands following her maid who is pushing a shopping cart. She yells at her maid to stop and then proceeds to chew her out for not staying put where the madam had left her. One grown women was literally yelling at another. I couldn't believe it. This would be OK if it was a five year old or something, but not an adult. Everyone in the store was watching. So, I say to the checker, who was a cute little Filipina gal, "Wow!" She looks at me, and without hesitation, says "Maybe she's Arabic." I said to her "What?" I mean she really didn't just say that, did she? The checker says again "Maybe she's Arabic." (Implication being that if she is Arabic, then she can do whatever she wants to whomever she wants). I said "I don't care who she is. That doesn't give her the right to talk to her or anyone else that way." Even if the maid did deserve it, the madam could've handled it more gracefully than that. Meanwhile, the maid had a big smile on her face the whole time, probably not understanding a word that was being shouted at her.

Madam #2 - Today, the kids, their friend Hugo and I walked to our neighborhood park. There is a playground and a tennis court at this park. The kids play at the playground and run through the bushes claiming their forts. After a while, they decide to move the party over to the tennis court to practice their Heelys. When we enter the court, there are tennis balls scattered around the court, an empty ball cage and a racket. Naturally, the kids start tossing the balls around and begin hitting them with the racket. No harm is being done, so I figure I can let the kids play. Well, about 5 minutes later, a man (probably from Eastern Europe) pulls up in his car, gets out and walks into the court. He tells me that my children have scattered his tennis balls and need to pick them all up. I said to him "My kids did not scatter the balls." He says "Oh, did the town ghost do it?? They had to have done it. No one else was here. I was only gone 5 minutes." He was wrong. Not only did my kids NOT do it, but we had been there about 20 minutes and this was the first I'd seen him. When we arrived at the park, there were other 3 other kids (accompanied by their maids of course) in the court that probably did it. He went on to say "You need to teach your children to respect and not touch other peoples' property." OK, I probably shouldn't have let them play with the racket, but at a park where kids play, this guy shouldn't leave things lying around that he doesn't want kids touching. I said "You need to take your stuff with you or lock the gate to the court if you are going to leave it sitting around and don't want kids playing with it - this is a playground after all." After this he says "You've obviously never been involved with team sports." I was SOOOO mad. I told the kids to pick up the balls, but only because they had been playing with them, not because they scattered them. Nick was mad that I made them pick the balls up. I got home and just lost it.

Six months of having to deal with people like this really wears on you. Some people here are so arrogant and have such an sense of entitlement. I long for the days back in Texas, where almost everyone was so friendly and nice. After the tennis incident, I look back and think that I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just said "My children did not do what you are accusing them of" and walked away. My biggest fear is that I will turn into one of them. If that happens, someone please come over here and shoot me.

6 Quirky Things About Me

2008-02-09T21:34:00.000+04:00

Alright, my friend Marti tagged me and I'm going to buckle down and get it over with. Jenny (Larsen)- I know you tagged me a couple months ago and I just blew it off - sorry. This will just have to count for both tags because I hate writing about myself. So, here are 6 quirky (I guess) things about me:

1. I have a weird obsession with license plates, which is why the last post intrigues me so much. I memorize them. I do this with phone numbers, too.

2. I'm always cold.

3. I bite my fingernails. I hate it so bad and have tried to stop many times but can't. If I could just make it past that first week to catch a glimpse of how lovely my hands would look with fingernails I might be able to, but I just can't do it.

4. I blast the music in the car when I'm by myself, which isn't very often.

5. I have to be the first one into bed after I have washed the sheets. I love it the way they are all nice and smooth. Nick knows this and tries to beat me, but I usually win.

6. I'm a little (ok, a lot) psycho when it comes to food expiration dates. I toss any food right before the date. With milk, I'm really bad because I can't stand it to begin with let alone any where near the expiration date. Here in Dubai, it's nice because not only is the expiration date required on every item, so is the production date. I know how long things have been sitting on the shelves. And, the milk here always expires 5 days after the production date. None of that 10 day business like in the States, which I don't trust anyway. Wow, I really am weird.

Well, there you go. I can't think of anyone else to tag. Everyone in the blog world that I know of has already been tagged, so if you read this and want to tag yourself, go for it!

Crazy plates

2008-02-04T20:47:00.000+04:00

An article on CNN today:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/04/uae.plates/index.html

We saw a 10 last weekend, the lowest we've seen yet. It was on a Mercedes SUV. We saw 22 earlier that night on a red Rolls Royce, kind of like in the article. We were at dinner in a ritzy part of town where many of the locals hang out. It was crazy watching all of the luxury cars pulling in. Our plates are numbers 59255 and 61490, just in case anyone out there is wondering.

Opening Day

2008-01-26T20:30:00.001+04:00

Pitchers and catchers may report in 19 days but here in Dubai baseball season is already in full swing. Last Friday we had our opening day ceremonies complete with the boy scouts presenting the flags (both the UAE and the USA...sorry Canada) and the singing of both national anthems. The UAE anthem was more instrumental than vocal but it was a nice effort all around.

This year in Dubai Little League there are over 400 players in 6 divisions and the players come from 29 countries so our league is good example of the global reach of America's game.

Bret is in the pitching machine league for 7 &8 year olds and plays on the Orioles while Cole plays T-ball with the 5&6 year olds and is on the Phillies. Nick is Bret's coach and helps out with Cole's team on game day. So far both kids are having fun, making new friends and improving their baseball skills. We are thrilled that the boys have an opportunity to play ball while abroad. Now if we can get Cole to make it from third to home without doing a face plant about ten feet shy of the plate (true story).

Bret's first at bat of the season...singled and scored!

Bret's first run of the season. His team ended up winning the game 13 -7. They followed that up with a 29-10 victory over the Diamond Backs, which was particularly fulfilling since the coach of the other team used a megaphone to communicate with her players.

Cole's first game. He did very well...caught a few ground balls and even threw them in the right direction. He also was responsible for about three dog piles while fighting over the ball.

Cole's first at bat. He hit a single and later scored...well, they all score in T-ball but I was proud nonetheless. Overall, much better than Bret's first T-ball at bat in Texas where he hit the ball and ran directly to second base. We were certain that the baseball crazy Texans were going to run us out of the league.

Rain Day???

2008-01-18T21:23:00.001+04:00

This week, much to our surprise, has been very rainy. We never thought we would see this much rain here, especially after the first 5 months we saw hardly a drop, with constant blue skies. The local newspaper said "The deluge that has waterlogged Dubai is the largest amount of rainfall ever recorded in the city - 108.8mm of rainfall was recorded since last Friday beating the old monthly total record rainfall of 89.5mm." Well, needless to say in a city that is pretty much one big slab of concrete with a poorly planned drainage system (c'mon, it's the desert, right?) major flooding occurred. The city shut down, the second time in one week after our unexpected president's day. The roads and parking lots turned into ponds. It was so bad, that schools in Dubai and the northern emirates were shut down for 2 days. When I picked up the kids from school on Tuesday, we had to trek through about 8 inches of water in the parking lot to and from our car. The kids were excited about their day and a half school week, while I feel like the kids haven't been to school in ages. Last week they only had a 4 day week due to the Islamic new year, and that was their first week back after the long winter break. Can't a mom get a break around here?

The kids and our next door neighbor Hugo using umbrellas for the first time here

The road outside our neighborhood. I took this while I was driving (unsafe) which explains the glare off my windshield.

The water on this road was about 2 1/2 ft deep and cars were stalled all over the place. We drive an Explorer, like the one in the picture, and the water came up to it's tail pipe. The day before this, I was driving under an overpass and came to some water and my car stalled for a split second. You know the rule about how if you don't know how deep the water is you shouldn't drive through it, well I kind of ignored it - not smart.

The kids and some friends at the park on one of the rain days.

Beach - not bad for January.

Kids and neighbors enjoying the day off fighting as Jedis.

Drew's 2nd major milestone...finally

2008-01-16T14:26:00.000+04:00

George W. Bush Day!!

2008-01-13T21:22:00.000+04:00

President Bush will be in Dubai tomorrow. This is the first time any sitting US President has visited Dubai, and boy is everyone making a big deal about it. The government has closed everything and the day is now a National Holiday, we found out at the last minute. I got a text on my phone from the school superintendent at 5:00 pm informing us that tomorrow is now a holiday and that there will be no school. The kids are stoked for the unexpected break. Tons of roads are closed in preparation for his visit and traffic was horrible today, worse than the normal horrible. All of the main roads, bridges and tunnels will be closed, except for the one that runs right near us, so I don't think we'll be going anywhere tomorrow. Nick even got an email from the GE security team telling him not to go anywhere near the president's planned stops. Here is an excerpt from an article in our local newspaper about his visit.

"A slice of the famous Emirati hospitality awaits US president George Walker Bush, due to arrive in Dubai on January 14, the day after his visit to Abu Dhabi.

The US President will be staying at the luxurious Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, on January 13, where he is expected to deliver a speech in the evening and meet UAE-US business group leaders.

The hotel, which promises to offer "a majestic experience fit for a king and deserving of an emperor", boasts 302 grand rooms, 40 splendid Khaleej and Khaleej Deluxe suites, Four Royal Khaleej suites, 16 three-bedroom Palace Suites, divisible into a total of 48 one-bedroom individual suites, each combining the ultimate in luxury.

As per an official in the hotel's room reservation department, the "Palace Suites" have been booked for the US President and "for security reasons, they booked all of them". The hotels most expensive suite is the 680 square-metre three-bedroom, Dh42,000 ($10,900) a night Palace Suite. Special security arrangements are in place for the President's visit, confirmed the hotel's security manager, Benny Paulose. "The hotel will be closed to the public from January 10 to 15."

Wow!?! Look at those tax dollars hard at work! Crazy stuff. As I'm sure you can guess, many people in this region don't think very highly of President Bush, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. My hope for the next President in this election year is for he or she to turn the view of the US around in the Middle East, and I guess most of the world for that matter, so that I don't have to hide away all of the kids' flag shirts (which I did when we got here, you know the Old Navy ones and the cute ones with baseballs and bats). Last week at Cole's T-ball practice, one of the kids was wearing a shirt that said "It's cool to be Canadian." I thought to myself, would I let my kids walk around here with a shirt saying "It's awesome to be American?" Probably not in this day and age and that's pretty sad. Hopefully one day, the kids can wear their flag shirts and be proud of them, wherever they are. Anyway, we'll be enjoying the day off. Thanks President Bush.

"Winter"

2008-01-13T20:27:00.000+04:00

So, it's January and I guess "Winter" has arrived here in Dubai. I use the term winter loosely because the high was still 77 degrees today but it has actually been raining (more like sprinkling) for the past few days. I was driving today and I had to stop for a minute and figure out how to use my windshield wipers. I have never used them in the five months that we have been here. Also, there were a couple of days last week where I needed to wear a light jacket. Now, I know, I am kind of a wimp when it comes to being cold, so anything below 75 is cold to me. It has been a welcome change, though. I am pretty darn sick of my summer wardrobe. I've been pulling out sweaters, pants, long-sleeved tees - anything that isn't part of my usual attire. I see lots of people in their winter dress. I see coats, hats, gloves and scarves and I don't think the daytime high has dipped below 65, with lows in the mid 50s. It reminds me of when we lived in Albany, New York, and Bret was playing soccer. It was the beginning of June and the temperature had just reached around 80 degrees. The coaches decided to call the game halfway through because it was too hot. I guess everything is relative.

30 spankings in Sri Lanka

2007-12-27T21:49:00.000+04:00

Yeah, yeah, I'm 30. Big deal. I still feel about, oh, maybe 22. Anyway, we decided to do something a little crazy to celebrate and take the family to Sri Lanka (the island just off the southern tip of India). The trip started out a little shaky, with a flight that left at 3 am (not fun with 3 small kids) and Nick getting sick the first night (he had flashbacks of his first trip to India...if you don't know that story be sure to ask him) but it turned out to be a great little getaway. Here are some pictures:

The first thing we realized when we got there is that seat belts are a luxury. We had to send our first driver away because there were NO seat belts anywhere in the van. Our second van had 3, all lap belts and since Nick is worth more dead than alive we gladly jumped in. Plus, it didn't really matter because of the traffic there. And by traffic I mean, pedestrians, wild dogs, bikes, tuk-tuks (keep reading) and cows, like the ones above waiting at a bus stop. See, they're sacred to Hindus and always have the right of way. Our 60 mile trip took just over 4 hours.

Our first stop was the city of Kandy up in the mountains. It was a beautiful, tropical paradise. Many Christians believe Sri Lanka to be the Garden of Eden and Kandy is the jewel of the country. Our hotel was located up a one lane, windy mountain road. We enjoyed nature walks in the jungle and Nick even managed to catch a couple of leeches...the hard way.

The 2 main tourist attractions in Kandy are the botanical gardens and the Temple of the Tooth. The gardens are a collection of trees and plants from around the world, many of which were brought to the island by aristocrats during British occupation. The boys are looking at a scorpion on a banana leaf.

The Temple of the Tooth is a temple dedicated to an actual tooth of Lord Buddha. The tooth was smuggled out of India in the hair of an Indian princess shortly after Buddha's death. Each year there is a festival commemorating this event and it includes a parade of decorated elephants.

One of the highlights of Kandy was walking through the streets checking out some of the little shops. I managed to pick up a little Polo shirt for Drew for about $ 3 US. Check the tags on your clothes. Many are made in Sri Lanka. Notice the Buddha statue on top of the mountain above.

Next, we went to an elephant orphanage in the city of Pinnawella. There are over 70 elephants that have been rescued. There are over 15,000 wild elephants on the island. One elephant was blind and another only had 3 legs. We got to see the trainers feed the baby elephants their bottles of milk. It was neat to be that close to so many elephants.

We even got to ride them. Don't worry, the chains are for us passengers and do not hurt the elephants at all.

Nick was a little nervous with Drew on such a large animal.

On the actual day of the big 3-0 we parked it here, at the beach in the city of Bentota.

The kids had fun looking for crabs, fish and sea anemones. The big boys and Nick took a boatride out to a small rocky island for some snorkling.

On the way to Colombo, our final stop, we visited a turtle hatchery. These baby turtles were 2 days old. We could touch them and pick them up.

These turtles are about 3 months old. Bret and Cole really loved this.

This is a tank that was destroyed by the tsunami of 2004. Between 30,000 and 50,000 people were killed by the tsunami in Sri Lanka. About 5 miles down the road from where we stayed, there was a train that was washed away by a 60 foot surge. The water was so strong, that it moved the 80 ton locomotive over 200 meters from the track, killing all 2,000 passengers. We heard this story from many of the locals while we were there. Also, 50,000 turtle eggs were washed away. Pretty crazy.

This is a tuk-tuk and when going out in Colombo, this is how we got around. At first we were cautious, and took 2 - the big boys and me in one and Nick, Drew and the stroller in the other. Then we figured, when in Rome (or Colombo) and crammed everyone into one - totally unsafe! No windows or doors but the kids had a blast. Our maid that cleans and babysits for us is from Sri Lanka and her husband, who is still there, drives a yellow tuk-tuk. There were many different colors and the kids had fun pointing them all out.

On our shopping excursion, we went to this store called House of Fashion. And let me tell you, I have done my fair share of shopping in my short 30 years and have never been in a store as crowded as this. It was worth it, though. I got a skirt, blouse and pants for me and got the boys each a shirt for about $15 US. They were all either Gap or Old Navy.

We arrived home safe and sound, even after our tuk-tuk rides. One thing that we took home from this adventure is how nice the Sri Lankan people are. They all loved the kids and ended EVERYTHING they said with a smile. Bret said many times, "everyone loves me here."

Three Wisemen

2007-12-24T21:03:00.000+04:00

Merry Chirstmas! So here are the much anticipated pictures of our three wisemen on the camel:

We could only get three heads to cooperate...that darn camel just wouldn't turn his head. That's okay though, because he's just following that star so he knows where to go :-)

This is another picture we used for our Christmas cards.

We're hoping that next year we can get the boys each on their own camel with one holding some gold, one holding some frankincense and one holding some myrrh. I know I'm getting a little carried away over here, but c'mon that would be awesome, right??? Anyway, we miss everyone and hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Drew's first haircut

2007-12-15T17:05:00.000+04:00

With Grandma Sally here, we decided she'd better give our scraggly little Drew a little trim.

Before

After

His face is all red because we had to bribe him with Red Vines, that thankfully we can find here.

Visitors!

2007-12-15T15:38:00.000+04:00

Don't worry, Nick made it back safe and sound from Saudi Arabia, without even a lash. We've just been busy because we had our first visitors. Nick's parents came halfway around the world from Utah. They were here for ten days and we did lots with them, after they got over the 11 hour time difference. The kids were happy to have Grandma and Grandpa around, especially because they brought with them many Christmas presents. We did lots of eating, shopping, exploring and even went on a desert safari, which, for all those of you out there who are planning to visit us (I know there are tons!), this is a must do. A guy named Sunil (who was an awesome driver) came to our house and picked us all up. We drove about half an hour into the desert. We drove up, over and down all the sand dunes. They call it a roller coster through the sand and it really was. It was amazing the car didn't roll. It felt like it was going to about 20 times. After the safari, they took us to a little camp where they had camel rides (yes, I finally got my 3 wisemen on a camel picture! We'll post it on Christmas day - be waiting), sand boarding, henna tattoos, pictures in traditional dress, an Arabic barbeque and to top it all off, a belly dancer. Then, we got back in the car and Sunil (who, fyi, happened to double as the bartender at the dinner) took us home. Here are some pictures:

Our drive in the desert.

The car in front of us got stuck. You could tell this has happend before - they towed it out in about 30 seconds.

Bret and Cole playing in the sand.

Drew in the sand.

The camp

Bret sandboarding.

Cole getting a henna tattoo - don't worry Mom, they're not permanent.

And finally, Nick and I in the traditional Emirati dress. I'm wearing an abaya (the dress) and a hijab (the head scarf). Nick is wearing a dishdasha (the robe) and we can't remember the name of the head piece, it's something very "throaty."

My upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia

2007-11-28T16:05:00.000+04:00

For an American, travel to Saudi Arabia requires a visa. Part of the visa process includes signing a code of conduct. Below is a copy of the statement:

I hereby certify that, during my stay in Saudi Arabia, I shall abide by all the laws and regulations of the Kingdom and I shall respect the morals, customs, values and feelings of Saudi society. I also should not smuggle in any prohibited items. I am aware that alcohol, drugs, narcotics, pornographic materials and all types of religious, political or cultural leaflets, pamphlets, magazines, books, audio tapes, video tapes, films, or other references of all sorts, contradictory to Islam are prohibited from entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whether for personal use or otherwise. I should not participate in or call for gatherings, whether for sectarian, religious or political purposes. Any types of illegal drugs and narcotics smuggling in and distribution inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is punishable by DEATH.I agree that if I am convicted because of violation of the laws and regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I shall be subject to penalty.

I guess I'll have to take my other suitcase this trip.

Thanksgiving in RAK

2007-11-27T20:41:00.000+04:00

Last weekend, we went to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) to celebrate Thanksgiving. RAK is another one of the seven emirates in the UAE, about an hour away from Dubai. No one really celebrates Thanksgiving here and Nick didn't even get the day off, although he used a vacation day so we could go on our weekend getaway. The kids did get the day off of school, but only because they go to an American school. We pretty much just sat on the beach and ate. It was relaxing, especially with no turkey to cook. We were hoping that the Hilton would have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but no such luck. Here are some pictures:

Cole holding a starfish that he found under a rock - just like Patrick!

Cole on the waterslide. Naturally, both boys prefered the waterslide over the beach.

Bret and Cole in the Persian, or Arabian (as they call it here), Gulf.

Bret trying to catch crabs on the rocks.

Drew didn't like the beach that much. It's not a good place for thumb suckers who crawl. He would suck his thumb, crawl around in the sand with a wet thumb and then try to suck his thumb again. You get the idea.

Drew finally taking a rest - pooped from spitting out all that sand.

Big boys in the pool.

One highlight of the weekend was when Cole locked himself in the bathroom. The door knob was broken so we had to call maintenance to come fix it. Two Indian men showed up and worked a couple minutes to try and open the door. I don't think they realized that someone was in the bathroom (Cole was surprisingly calm through the ordeal) because when I asked Cole if he was OK both guys turned to me, with a little panic in their eyes and said in unison "No problem, Ma'am." It was so funny because that is their (all Indian workers) response to EVERYTHING, and they said it in perfect unison. Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny. Anyway, after about five minutes, they knocked down the door and Cole was free.

Overall it was a nice weekend - didn't feel like Thanksgiving though.

"Winter" Ball

2007-11-18T20:38:00.000+04:00

The Dubai Little League season begins in November and ends in March. This is the first year that both Bret and Cole will be playing. Bret is in his first year of pitching machine while Cole is in his first year of T-ball. In true Wiseman style, Nick volunteered to coach and will be coaching Bret's team.

At this age the draft does not include try outs so the coaches have access to family name only when choosing players. Since we are new to the league he had no idea which kids to avoid (read: which parents to avoid). Because of that, Nick decided to employ a similar strategy to the one that was so successful in Sugar Land: choose based on ethnic origin of name. In Sugar Land, he drafted as many Hispanic kids as possible surmising that their parents would be more committed to baseball than their neighbors. Here in Dubai, he drafted as many Asians as possible. The end result is 3 Japanese boys, 1 Korean boy, a British boy, a British girl, 2 Arabs, and 4 Americans. So far so good, no soccer players on the team!

The complex is made up of four main fields and 2 small tee ball fields. The fields are very nice and have a great view of the Burj Dubai (a.k.a. the world's tallest building).

Texas or Dubai

2007-11-15T11:00:00.000+04:00

Here is a conversation I had with Bret yesterday after looking at some pictures of Texas.

Me: What do you like better, Texas or Dubai?
Bret: Texas.
Me: Why?
Bret: Because Texas isn't as hot as Dubai.

Who would have ever thought that we could live somewhere that would make Houston seem cool.

Fall in Dubai

2007-11-05T08:23:00.001+04:00

According to the calendar, it's Fall. To us, it feels like a never ending summer. Although, this last weekend, we got a taste of some "wintry" weather (according to a local radio announcer). The skies were cloudy and there was a trace of rain. This was the first time we had something other than sun and blue skies. We were all excited. And, the temperature stayed just below 90 degrees, which was quite lovely. We know nobody really cares, but we just had to include our cloud and rain pictures.

So, along with Fall, comes the typical Halloween stuff. The kids carved (very expensive and hard to find) pumpkins. They dressed up for the school parade and trick or treating, which, they did do here in our neighborhood. Someone was thoughtful enough to pass out papers with info on trick or treating, which we have learned, is mostly an American and British thing. If people were going to participate in trick or treating, they would leave their porch light on and hang this piece of paper on their door. Surprisingly, we had a lot of traffic, maybe a little less than what we had in Sugar Land. Our three bags of candy lasted about an hour and a half. Our Pakistani neighbor across the street, was outside walking around passing out chocolate bars to the kids. She came over and asked more about Halloween and if kids in the US ask for money. I told her to just give them candy and that they shouldn't ask for money, unless this is a British thing I don't know about.

Bret dressed up as the Emperor from Star Wars and Cole was a skeleton. And poor little Drew, we looked hard to find any baby costumes here, with no luck. Costumes are hard enough to find, especially baby costumes. We have plenty of boy costumes from about age 3 and up, but our baby costumes we put into storage because they were all for cold weather. Nick had a great idea of dressing him up like a future Dubai American Academy student, tie and all. We had all of the supplies on hand and since I was at the school for most of the day helping with Halloween parties, everyone there would know what he was. It was a hit. Lots of people were taking pictures of the future student.

A couple of days after Halloween, the school held it's annual Fall costume carnival. The crowds were out of control, but the kids had fun doing the games and big bouncy slides. At one point, I waited in line for 45 minutes for some cotton candy. Once I finally got it, I had to search through the masses to find Nick and the kids. By the time I found them, the cotton candy was a sticky, drippy, melty mess because (surprise!) it was hot. The kids enjoyed it anyways.

Mischievous Little Drew

2007-10-25T21:59:00.000+04:00

My little Drewster (as I call him) has some favorite pastimes these days, some of which are a little bit mischievous. Here they are:

1. Clearing all of the books off of the shelves. This is a fun game. He does this many times a day, only because I am crazy enough to put the books back on.

2. Climbing the stairs. This is the first time I have had a climber in a house with stairs. Not very fun (for me). I've tried to find a gate, but I haven't found one that will work. At the bottom of the stairs we have a round metal pole on one side and our lovely concrete wall (all of the houses here are solid concrete) on the other. Drilling into the wall to install one of those swinging gates is kind of out of the question. We've tried our putting our kitchen chairs in the way, but he just shoves them aside. Any ideas out there? Let me know.

3. This is Drew's favorite. When Cole is at school, he steals his sacred blanket (or what is left of it) and grabs one of it's "tentacles" to hold while he sucks his thumb. Drew has to have something in his hand while he sucks his thumb. He's not too picky though. I've seen him use toilet paper, paper towels and plastic shopping bags (I know, suffocation hazard), just to name a few.

Even with all of this naughtiness, we still love him tons.

Eid Mubarak

2007-10-18T21:26:00.000+04:00

Eid is the celebratory period immediately following Ramadan. The kids got 11 days off school and Nick got a nice 4 day weekend. The holiday is comparable to Thanksgiving in that people generally spend a lot of time with their families and even more time at the malls shopping. Many of the expats use the weekend to explore the coastal resorts or Oman but we were too late in the game to get a reservation anywhere decent so we ended up exploring Al Ain - a small town about 90 minutes from Dubai. Al Ain is a relatively modern town with plenty of western influence but it is more Arab than Dubai. It was much more like the Middle East that we envisioned when we first considered moving over here. There are even a few restaurants in town that serve only Emiratis.

We started off by visiting the Palace Museum...basically an old Arab ranch that has been kept relatively intact. The grounds were really pretty and there was a nice display of paintings of all of the local rulers...or as I call them "Rosy's boyfriends."

The boys had a great time exploring all of the different rooms and trying out the couches on the floor. They were also particularly fond of the gun and sword displays.

Many of the rooms had bars in the windows so the boys had fun pretending to be in jail.

After the museum we drove to the top Jebel Hafeet, at 4,300 ft. it is of one of the UAE's tallest peaks. There were a lot of people at the top and we were lucky enough to park next to a bus full of locals who were proudly dancing to some really bad music. It was quite entertaining. Although it was nothing like the mountains back home it was nice to be at elevation again.

Bret's 7th Birthday

2007-10-18T21:13:00.000+04:00

How can we have a 7 year old??? Sadly, the day was very uneventful. Bret took pumpkin shaped sugar cookies to school to share with all of his friends. That night we celebrated as a family with the obligatory cake and presents. He got nearly everything he asked for: an RC helicopter, a game for his Wii, a game for his PS2, a game for his game boy (notice a trend?), and a board game. He really wanted Guitar Hero (thanks Joe) but unfortunately the format of the games here is completely different from those in the States and it is difficult to find the newer ones. So, if anyone is planning a trip to Dubai I'll pay top dollar for a NTSC version of Guitar Hero.

Drew's First Birthday

2007-10-04T10:45:00.000+04:00

Drew is 1! We can't believe it. Our celebration was small. We had cake and presents a couple days early because Nick had to go out of town. That was pretty much it. Here are some pictures.

Drew looking very excited about his presents.

Bret and Cole "help" with opening the presents.

Drew playing with a new toy.

Drew on his new Nemo ride-on toy.

He likes it.

Everyone but Drew blowing out his candle.

Drew is not so sure about this cake thing.

He's still not sure about it.

Drew finally decides that cake really isn't too bad.

Cole and Bret eating their cake.

Bret's first spelling test...in Arabic

2007-09-30T16:04:00.000+04:00

Bret has Arabic class every third day. This is the paper he came home with after his last class. We thought is was pretty cool. One word is rabbit and the other is duck. When we ask him to say them, he just blurts the words right out. We really should study along with him.

The BK Incident

2007-09-24T20:46:00.000+04:00

Nick, well, he's a bit of a Coke-a-holic. The "Sweet Nectar of the Gods" as he calls it, is pretty much his only source of hydration. So, the other day, we all went over to our local Burger King. Nick ordered his usual double cheeseburger meal, king sized, with a Coke, of course. Two minutes later the Coke is gone. Nick goes for a refill and the cute little lady behind the counter looks at him in disbelief and says, "what happened?" See, she's thinking that there's no way that a normal person could down a soda that fast and that he must have spilled it or something. She even looked over the counter expecting to see a puddle of coke. But, nope - he drank it. Once she finally figured out what was going on she laughed loudly, said something to her Fillipino coworkers in Tagalog and then said to Nick "oh, you too much thirsty." I honestly don't think she'd ever seen such an accomplishment. Just so you know, he didn't have the guts to go back for a third.

10 years!

2007-09-18T21:50:00.000+04:00

Today is our 10th anniversary. We celebrated by, what else, going to Chilis for dinner. The original plan was to spend a week in Mexico by ourselves but Dubai put those plans on hold. Here is a picture from our wedding for those of you that want to see what you looked like 10 years ago. Hard to believe that Bret is now the same age Trey was when we got married.

If you are wondering, Nick got Rosy a maid for a gift. She wanted to take a picture for the blog but the maid is fresh off the boat from Sri Lanka and Rosy was afraid it would freak her out.

Comfort Foods (and products)

2007-09-14T16:29:00.000+04:00

Last week Rosy met the mother of Cole's buddy Caleb while eating lunch at the Mall of the Emirates. They came to Dubai from Louisiana and as it turns out they enjoy many of the same things we do: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Lucky Charms, Dr. Pepper, etc. As they talked Rosy told her how she missed having a freezer full of Kid Cuisines for the boys to eat. Rebeca looked at Rosy with great excitement and told her about a store that has "everything." The store is called Safest Way and obviously tries to market itself like Safeway in the states. The funny thing about this story is that we had driven by the store several times and loved to make fun of the store's cheesy attempt to look and sound like an American supermarket. Lesson learned, if something tries that hard to catch the eye of an American then we should check it out.

Below is a picture of our treasures. I'm sure you can all imagine just how pleased Cole was to have his microwavable chicken nuggets again. And just so you know, not having that little bottle of McCormick chopped onions nearly drove Rosy to tears on several occasions.

The Holy Month

2007-09-13T15:57:00.000+04:00

Today officially marks the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan. I've always heard of Ramadan being mentioned in the news, but have never really given more than a seconds thought to it. Living here, I've had to learn a little about it. Bret got these sheets at school. So, for those of you who want to know a little bit about Ramadan on a first grade level, here you go. (Isn't the artwork awesome?)

Ramadan doesn't affect us too much. The kids start school an hour later and they get out an hour earlier. We also cannot eat or drink in public during the day. I saw a lady at the school today eating or drinking something and she held a napkin over her mouth - I don't know if that counts. The school newsletter says, "Students who are fasting will be provided with an area to read and socialize separate from those who lunch in the cafeteria. Remember, it is not permissible to eat food or drink out in public during daylight hours of Ramadan. All food must be eaten only in the cafeteria." Restaurants are also closed during the daylight hours. I guess Nick will be eating his peanut butter sandwich under his desk for lunch during the next month.

Ramadan Kareem!

Back to school

2007-09-05T08:27:00.000+04:00

The boys officially started school this week and as you can see from these photos they have to wear uniforms...tie and all. The ties are affixed to an elastic band so they are not too uncomfortable. So far they don't seem to mind too much. On the days they have gym they wear navy blue athletic shorts and a light blue polo. They also have swim class every 6th day.

This picture is taken from the back door of the elementary school. The building in the background is the Middle School/High School. The campus is separated by a soccer field (we will never give in to calling it the football pitch) and a track.

Outside of every classroom is a set of lockers for the kids to put their stuff in. The boys think that is pretty cool.

There are about 20 kids in each class. Bret's teacher is Ms. Dansinghani. She was raised in Manhatten and attended NYU. Cole's teacher is Ms. Lakin from England. He also has a TA named JoJo from the Phillipines. Only about 30% of the school is from North America. It's fun to walk down the halls in the morning and count how many different languages you hear. Bret studies Arabic every third day so hopefully he will soon be able to tell us what is really being said on Al Jazeera.

Nick drops the kids off on his way to work every morning and Rosy picks them up. No small challenge when you consider that Cole's day ends at 12:00 while Bret finishes at 2:45. She and Drew spend a lot of time on the roads.

Drew's first major milestone

2007-08-28T20:02:00.000+04:00

Drew finally learned to crawl on Sunday, August 26. It only took him just shy of 11 months. Why crawl when you can be carried? I guess the Wiseman lazy genes are stronger than the example of Rosy's neurotic need for constant motion. The nature vs. nurture argument can now be laid to rest.

Yes Mom

2007-08-24T16:04:00.001+04:00

Here is physical evidence that we went to church today. That's all I've got to say about that.

Brand Recognition

2007-08-19T21:55:00.000+04:00

Here's a little game called brand recognition. We saw a similar post on a blog we came across when we first began learning about Dubai.

1)
2)
3)

4)
5)
6)
7)

1) Ikea - we've spent way too much time and money here. No worries Zach, they have your wok here too.

2) Tide with Bleach

3) Aquafina - just for my water snob parents

4) Chili's - still our favorite eats...same menu, same taste, same price. Yes Shayla, they have "salt-za"

5) Crest

6) Capri Sun, Coke and Sprite

7) Florida Natural Orange Juice

Rosy's first week observations

2007-08-17T16:17:00.000+04:00

So we’ve been in Dubai for a week now and so far, so good. Here are a few observations about this crazy place that we thought you might like to know:

1) Did we arrive in Mumbai or Dubai? There are so many Indians in this place. When we drive around all we see is busload after busload (and sometimes 10 of them crammed into a little sedan, seriously!) returning home to their labor camps after a full days work of building this city.

Which leads #2). This whole area is under construction. We’ve never seen anything like it.

3)The malls here are out of control. There are sooooo many. And the scariest part is that Nick knows his way around all of them. It was a long six weeks.

4) What is more sad, the fact that Bret left his “gigi” on the airplane and will probably never get it back, or the fact that he doesn’t miss it :-(

5) There are these switches in every bathroom where you can turn the water heater off or on. This is because some people use the cold for hot and the hot for cold water in the summer. The water heaters are indoors and can cool the water when off better than the pipes for the cold water which run underground out in the hot desert summer. In fact, when I bathe the kids, I only use the “cold” water. This is a good thing, also, because my washer only uses the “cold” water. Crazy, huh.

6) My house is great, except for the fact that it has six toilets and nine sinks that I have to clean. Not to mention the WHITE tile that runs throughout the house. Nick will just have to get me a maid ;-)

7)Milk, which by the way I can’t stand, has only about a 3 day period from when you buy it until it expires. So we have gone to boxed milk, which many people buy as opposed to “fresh” milk.

The kids love it, especially with spoonfuls of the great chocolate milk mix that is made in Europe, so you know it’s good.

8) No matter how hot it is, the kids love to go swimming. No matter how hot it is, I still find some way to get cold.

9) Driving here scares me. I hope I get used to 4 lane roundabouts. Also, many drivers ( I won’t mention which nationality) view lane markers as mere suggestions. I can’t drive here in Dubai until I have a UAE driver license. This is because if you get in an accident and it’s your fault, you have to pay for the whole thing. If you kill someone in the accident, you have to pay 2,000,000 dirhams (about $550,000) in blood money. Once you have your license, you can get insured. There have been cases of poor laborers throwing themselves in front of cars so their families can collect the blood money. Whoa!

10) I am so lucky just because of where I was born.

Welcome Home

2007-08-13T12:04:00.001+04:00

After months of planning and several days of travel we finally made it to our new home in Dubai. The boys were outstanding. Drew was only cranky at take off, Cole slept 90% of the time and Bret was a big help pushing all of our crap through the airport. Yes, I said crap. The only fight Rosy and I have had throughout this experience is over the amount of crap we have accumulated...particularly the amount of crap accumulated in a 6 week period in Utah. Rosy wants everyone to know that she did not accumulate crap and that the crap to which I refer was already in our posession and was merely spread throughout our car/temporary living space at my parents house. This argument will continue in all likelihood for the duration our marriage.

Jet Blue really does suck

2007-08-11T10:04:00.000+04:00

Leno wasn't kidding...Jet Blue really does suck. We boarded our plane at 11:45 PM in SLC en route to JFK. Shortly AFTER boarding the plane the pilot announced a slight mechanical issue that would take about 15 minutes to resolve. One hour later we in the air and we all had no trouble drifting off to sleep. Roughly four hours later I awoke to the sound of the captain announcing thunderstorms in NYC that would delay our arrival about 15 minutes. One hour later the pilot informed us that we were running short on fuel and we would need to land at a small airport not far from Albany, NY. He estimated that the refueling would take 15 minutes and we would be back in the air in 30 minutes for a short flight into JFK. One hour later we had fuel and took off…again. After a short flight down to NYC we finally landed, only to hear from the captain that there would be a short delay until our gate opened up. In an apparent lack of creativity he estimated that the delay would take approximately 15 minutes. Again, one hour later we were at the gate. By this time our planned 6 hour layover had been diminished to a mere 45 minutes. I knew the chances of us catching our Emirates Air flight to Dubai were slim and none but I figured the thunderstorms had delayed all flights so I was cautiously optimistic. We gathered up all three kids, the car seats, and all of our crap (a recurring theme, I know) and ran off to baggage claim/customs. My optimism faded, however, when I reached the carousel only to see on the monitor that our bags would arrive in “15 minutes.” You guessed it, one hour later I had all but one of my bags (incidentally, that bag was later found at the oversized bag counter in spite of it being regulation size). As you most likely have already predicted, we ended up missing our original flight to Dubai and had to catch the next one 12 hours later. Praise be to Allah that Emirates Air has a sweet business class lounge and a true understanding of the term “customer service.” Isn’t it ironic that we opted not to fly Delta because of a 9-hour layover in Atlanta? It’s like rain…