Thursday, March 27, 2014

A Catch-Up


The weather here is out of control and I am completely over it, it has never been so unstable. One minute it is heating up and we are preparing for the onslaught of summer, and the next it is raining non-stop overnight and the next day. Yes, rain in Dubai again.... it has been such a crazy winter with at least 10 days of rain.
Yesterday with the rain and wind, for the first time EVER in nearly 3 years of living here, I put the heater on in my car!

I am not enjoying this time of year, the threat of summer arriving creates a sense of panic - a rush to fit in all the outdoor activities you can before the intense heat arrives.
Our first summer was novel, it was a challenge to survive and create ways of avoiding the heat. The second year it was a bit of a hassle, we far from welcomed it, but like all expats we planned a trip and escaped for a month during the fiercest of summer and hid out in Europe. This, our third year, is so different. We know what is coming, we hate it, it is not fun or novel, it is bloody hard work and restricting. I am dreading summer and the thought of it makes me want to cry.

I am blaming my father in-law Mike who arrived 2 days ago for bringing the Melbourne rain and weather with him. Grandpa is staying with us for the next 3 weeks and Piper could not be happier. She is ecstatic to have Grandpa here and does not leave him alone. He is exhausted by 8:30pm but I doubt it is the jet lag, I think it is the Piper effect.

Last weekend I finally got back on a paddle board and I couldn't be happier. I finally feel 'normal' after Frankie's birth and my complications. I still have a bit of work to do but it is all easy from here.

We have lots of fun things planned over the next few weeks while Grandpa is here and before the heat, a trip to Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World (minus the roller coaster that broke my Dad's sternum), a road trip to Oman and Naz has a triathlon next weekend on the Palm.



Thursday, March 20, 2014

Frankie - 4 (and a bit) months




Our bub is growing up more and more. She is proving to be more stubborn and strong willed than Piper at the same age, and yet she is also the happiest baby I have ever known.

Stubborn Frankie stopped sleeping through the night several weeks ago, she now likes to wake anywhere between 3am and 6am. Sometimes she will gurgle, take her dummy and go back to sleep, sometimes she will want  feeding, and other times we wake to Frankie laughing and squealing with happiness in her bed..... at 3:30am! But the real issue is that several nights a week she does not settle back to sleep, instead she wants to play and chat and giggle for hours.
Last weekend at 4am poor Naz was out with the pram cutting laps of the lake in the middle of a sand storm!

It is nothing but a phase but OMG the shock and difficulty of going from an 11hr a night sleeping baby, back to broken sleep is horrible (not to mention I have to get up and go to work each day).

In the meantime she continues to crack us up daily, surprise us with her strength (she has rolling over and over down to an art now) and melt our hearts.

We have a special guest arriving in just a few more sleeps to stay for a few weeks. I am going to love sharing our growing Frankie with more family members and Piper could not be more excited - so do NOT miss that flight Grandpa!!!!



Sunday, March 16, 2014

Now this is a desert storm!!

I tried to post a video on Instagram of the storm we experienced on Friday night (you can find my Instagram feed on the far right side of this blog if your not an Instagram user), but my video could not do the ferocity of this storm justice.

Fortunately, some crazy locals were in the right place, at the right time, and captured this amazing video. Be patient and keep watching as first the Burj Khalifa and then the whole city just disappears under the intensity of the storm.

This will amaze even you hardened storm going Melbournites and South Gippslanders!




Summer is upon us so this is probably the last rain for the year!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque









Because I know you visit this blog to catch-up on our family happenings and adventures and not to be bombarded with my photography hobby pics (also known as grandparents want to see Piper and Frankie not your personal indulgences Carly), I have started a separate tumblr website for all of my non-family photography. If you want to follow my new website you can find it here.  

Thursday, March 6, 2014

First Family Photo

Today while visiting the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi we realised we had not taken a family photo since the arrival of Frankie 4 months ago. So here it is, our first photo together as a family of 4!



Yes, I am wearing an Abaya it is not a post pregnancy cover-up. Our trip to the Grand Mosque was amazing, lots more pics and stories to come, I just couldn't resist sharing this one now. 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Market Mornings

Our favourite part of the weekend is by far Friday mornings. During winter there is a large market in the grounds of one of Dubai's largest parks. It is a beautiful market of fresh farm produce, gourmet food and craft all under the shade of large palms.

On Fridays we get-up and head straight to the market, we grab a coffee and some food then find a patch of grass under a palm to spread out our picnic mat. We are usually joined by friends and the kids run crazy while we relax on the grass, stroll through the market stalls and eat some more.

The weather has started to heat up fast over the past week and sadly there will only be a handful of Fridays left to enjoy these beautiful mornings before it is too hot and all outdoor fun ceases.