This time in 2 weeks......

We will be in Dubai!! Hopefully having slept beautifully on the plane we will be well rested and on our way to house hunting.... I think I am dreaming but that is the plan!

I finished up at work in Australia today and the goodbye's have started.
We had our final mothers group play date this morning.... and I shed my first tears. Piper and Paras were having so much fun playing catch and on the slide togther it broke my heart to be taking her away from her little buddies she has known since she was 6 weeks old.

Our storage boxes arrived this afternoon (they are very cool we just pack them and they pick-up, store and deliver back to us when we return)and now we have 3 days to finish packing the house, final farewells in Melbourne and we are off to the country for a week.

For those aware of my extreme paranoia of our shipping container falling off the ship and sinking on its way to Dubai (it happened to somebody we know - honest)I am happy to report that it's little tracker code indicates it is still happily bobbing across the ocean after a brief stop in Hong Kong!

Below are some photo's of Piper playing at her last play date. Note the outfit - aqua tulle 'party' dress with spotted tights and pink converses were all chosen by Piper, she has developed the need to choose her own outfits and this usally results in her looking like a modern day Punky Brewster!

New favourite game is to sit on top of the slide and make mumma think you are not going to come down then as poor mum get to the top of the awkward inflatable slide you push off really fast laughing!

Our week in photo's

Camping out in our house with all of our belongings gone on the ship is proving to be interesting to say the least. We have spent a lot of time out and about to keep Piper entertained given all of her toy's are gone!
Using the laundromat is also an interesting experience.... I didn't quite fit on Saturday morning with the crowd in there, I was not prepared to crack open a can at 9am whilst watching the machines go round and round?!?

Friday night we enjoyed fish and chips on the beach....

You were finished eating those chips weren't you Dad?

Nanny and Poppy slept over Friday night before they caught an early flight to Sydney. It is a case of BYO bed at the moment so they brought their own air bed which was great.... until Piper used it for a trampoline and left them sleeping on the floor with a bit of a leak.

Best part of our week was Father's Day. We surprised Naz with a new T-shirt and tickets to hand feed the Tall Tall's at Werribee Zoo.
We weren't expecting to get anywhere near as up-close and personal with them as we did. It was an amazing experience but being covered in Giraffe slobber is not something I expected either - thank god for baby wipes in the back pack!

No turning back now...

Well we finally finished the packing and all of our furniture, clothes and loved items have left the country!
It was a tiring week but we got there with little drama..... hmmm there was one incident with a black crayon someone left on the floor that 4 removalists managed to walk through the carpet before anybody realised!
Thanks to everybody who helped, offered help or lent us bits to get through the next 4 weeks.

Piper quite liked the packing boxes experience, they make great tunnels and cubby houses as you can see below....

So now the shipping container has left we move on to all the mundane tasks.. changing addresses on everything, chasing bills, insurance, visa forms... more forms and more forms!

Welcome to our first ever blog!

Thank you for taking the time in your day to read our blog! We are looking forward to sharing our adventures with our loved ones.
It is an extremely crazy and busy time for us right now but exciting at the same time and impossible to keep everyone up to speed on our plans and dates etc so let me get the formalities out of the way first!

Timeline and plans until departure:

• Our shipping container is leaving for Dubai on Friday 26th August (Yes, that is this Friday and I am freaking out). We are going to continue to live in our home until 22nd September, not sure if living is the right description I think it will be more like camping!
• I am continuing to work until the 20th September in Melbourne and will then be taking leave until I start in Dubai. Naz is working up until th 24th September (no, just realised we will need to look at that one because I think we have a special nephew's birthday party!)
• We will be staying with my Mum and Dad from the 22nd until we depart on Thursday 29th September!
• We have then allowed ourselves 1 week to find a house and move in before I start work on the 9th October (Yup a Sunday! The United Arab Emirates (UAE) week is Sunday to Thursday)
• Don't worry we haven't forgotten the dog - Lily will be flying over to join us from late October

Whist we would like to think we are going to have time for a nice big farewell party, the reality is we are probably just too busy so hopefully we can organise a dinner in Melbourne and a big family dinner in the country during our last week!

Piper is very excited although she thinks life will be one big holiday and is convinved her days are going to be spent on waterslides, shopping at Dubai Mall and watching the fishes and sharks at the aquarium!

Ok I best get back to the packing..... our home is looking a little like this at the moment

Hoepfully you enjoy our stories and photographs and this blog closes the distance a little over the next 2 years - but this blog is in no way a substitute for not taking a holiday to Dubai to come stay with us. We are moving into an area close to the beach, 5 minutes from the world's largest shopping Mall and close to all the main attractions. We will have spare rooms so our home is open to all!