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. 

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.

Frankie - 3 1/2 Months

Our little Frankie is growing up fast, I would do anything to slow this down.

Her biggest smiles and laughs are reserved for her big sister. Her love for Piper is beyond anything I could of imagined could exist for a 3 month old baby. Her eyes follow her every move and in the heat of a hissy it is Piper that can calm her best.

Frankie loves to play on the floor with toys, talk to the lights on the roof and watch Lily. She can roll onto her side and on the rare occasion, all the way over, but mostly her arm gets stuck underneath and prevents her - she is yet to work this one out.

She is sleeping through the night from 7pm and like most babies, she is at her best in the mornings and some afternoons are harder than others.

While the weather is cool enough we are spending lots of time outdoors and Frankie loves being in her pram. Soon the weather will be hot and a water baby like her sister she will become.

A New Kind of Normal

Well here we are mid way through February already! After an amazing 6 weeks home in Australia we are back in Dubai.

Goodbyes are never easy and this time it was harder than ever to depart. In fact where possible, I just totally skipped the goodbyes this time.

This week is a big one for us - the beginning of our new 'normal' life and routines. I returned to work on Sunday and so far we are surviving. There were a few tears, mostly mine and surprisingly, a couple from Piper. It turns out our Daddy's girl has enjoyed having me around these last few months more than we had realised.

Frankie seems to be doing what she does best - cruising along and taking it all in her stride. She is as chilled out as ever, and thankfully still sleeping 10 - 12 hours straight at night.

All in all we are happy, healthy and looking forward to some adventures and a fun year!

Below are some more pics from our time at home with family and friends x

Four generations

Shelly Beach, Phillip Island

Beautiful day for paddleboarding..... if only my body was up for it!

Cousins

Fire fighter for a day

Last week Naz organised a day for Piper and her cousins to visit his fire station in Melbourne and play fire fighters for the morning.
I have to say I was blown away by the effort Naz and his colleagues put in to the morning. It was an awesome insight into their jobs and life at the station.
There are no words to describe how much the kids loved their adventure at the fire station.

A catch-up in pictures

We watched Uncle Simon jumped from a plane

Just a speck in the sky

Cousins

Friends

Happy New Year

We are still home in Australia enjoying some downtime as a family of four before I head back to work in the not too distant future. Although not all of us are relaxing in the sun (on the rare occasions it shows up... bloody Victorian weather), Naz is still working this month at the fire brigade and is spending a lot of time travelling between the beach house and work.

We enjoyed a fabulous Christmas and New Year with family - lots of kids, food, drinks, laughs and the usual interesting moments.

Our Internet access has been very intermittent but I will try and put up a few more posts this week of our time in Australia.

Cousins