Monday, February 20, 2012

A Good Day ..

It's 8:00, I just got the kids in bed and now I'm listening to the Call to Prayer via the mosque that's about a block away.  It doesn't bother me so much .. if anything, it's a good reminder to spend some time praying.  I'm grateful for this international experience .. it really gives perspective to the things that matter.

Speaking of things that matter, today after Paige got home from school (our neighbor has been bringing her home on Sundays and Mondays .. she's an angel) we loaded up on the bikes (we got new bikes last week) and went for a bike ride.  The weather here right now is PERFECT .. it gets warm during the day .. starting to need sunscreen .. and then cools off in the evenings.  It's perfect weather for late afternoon bike rides. 

The "family bike ride" thing is brand new for us.  Paige got going on her 2 wheeler on her 6th birthday (September) and Brooke was quick to follow soon after .. we were just starting to go for bike rides before the winter came in Colorado, so it's such a treat to REALLY get moving.  Max LOVES sitting in the carrier behind me .. and speaking of "behind" he likes to pull my pants down while I ride so I'm mooning the world .. he thinks it's hilarious to expose me .. can you see it?  He laughs so hard that I can't get mad at him .. but I can't (ESPECIALLY HERE!) ride showin' "what I got" to the world, so he has to get in trouble  .. is this TMI??  I think it's so funny .. and so naughty .. and I just shake my head.  What would our lives be like without Max to keep us on our toes?!?

Okay, back to the topic:  On our ride, we saw a couple of the neighborhood pools that we can go to any time .. we played at the park and got WAY too much sand in our shoes .. swinging, sliding, riding, playing .. it was just SO FUN to be with the kids in our new neighborhood .. I've been missing the PLAY part of our life here .. it's been all about getting settled, which we're still not quite, but it'll come .. 

Anyways .. Paige was done riding after a while and wanted to go play with her friend next door, butt (hee hee) Brooke wasn't ready to quit yet.  We decided to let Paige go next door to play and then Brooke, Max and I took off for another round around the neighborhood.  (Brooke is such a stud muffin on her bike .. you should see her go .. she goes as fast as she can, she challenges herself to go up and down grassy hills, she goes up and down the curb just to see if she can .. and at one point on our ride, she took a turn a little fast, her wheel slipped and she crashed .. cried for about a minute, and then hopped back on without looking back .. she's FOUR .. it's fun to watch). 

As we were riding, I just took it all in .. it was so refreshing to just BE with the kids, enjoying them, enjoying life, and focusing on what's important, instead of what's temporary.  Today was a good day.






A few random details to get you caught up:

-6 of the 9 rooms have curtains hanging.  I love most of them, but am living with the others .. I've never done curtains before, this was a brand new experience .. I told Mark today that I'm so glad that we get to "practice" these things in this temporary house in Dubai vs. our "forever" house elsewhere. I can deal with what we have, but I definitely learned some things this time around!  I'll get around to posting pictures soon .. 
-we have furniture in every room except for one (and that room is like a formal living room, so no rush to get it furnished for now, plus its where the sliding glass door is, so it's kind of like a big huge mud room for now. 
-still need rugs
-still need lots of accessories (baskets and things to make life more functional)
-I'm hoping to hire a LIVE IN MAID soon .. can we say "Twilight Zone"???  I can't wait.
-Mark went to China a few weeks ago, Australia after that trip .. his travel is frequent, which we were expecting, and not horrible -- so far, so good, but we miss him a LOT while he's away!
-Brooke starts gymnastics tomorrow
-We're going to take Paige to the Polo Club on Thursday night to inquire about horseback riding.  She is so excited!! 
-I put Max on a waiting list for a nursery (mother's day out) at a great place called Seashells right by the girls' school.  Great location and great facility .. we'll see what happens!
-I went to the Dubai Mall last week and shopped at Pottery Barn!!  WOO HOOO!!  love me some Pottery Barn!!
-I'm starting to be able to feel my way around places while driving to/from school.  I still have no sense of direction, but I'm getting there -- it feels exactly like calculus felt to me .. I'd work on a problem until I finally felt it sink in and truly "get" the process.  I'm still waiting for things to "sink in" .. but I can feel it getting closer. 

till next time ..

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