Here are some highlights since our last post:
Thanksgiving
This was the first Thanksgiving Day that I actually got to spend not working thanks to Dubai winning the bid to host the World Expo in 2020. We know the UAE folks REALLY like their days off and were so happy they announced a day off of school in celebration of winning the bid. The actual Thanksgiving day was spent resting and preparing for our visitors on Friday. We are so fortunate to have some friends from Idaho who moved to Dubai this summer! So, on Black Friday, Dalila, Capri and I enjoyed a fantastic trip to the zoo with them while Jeremy stayed home to make our scrumptious dinner. Lucky me, I know.
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| Making turkey centerpieces |
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| Feeding the giraffes at Al Ain Zoo |
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| Lila enjoying a swing with her buddy, Jackson |
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| Capri is happy to chew on some sunglasses. |
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| Our delicious turkey |
Dubai Christmas Festival
Two weeks after Thanksgiving, Dubai held the annual Christmas Festival. We had never attended before, so we decided to give it a try this year. It was PACKED! Not the easiest place to navigate with three adults and five kids, but we made it out alive, and with only a few minor eye injuries thanks to multiple "snow" balls in the kids' "snow" area nailing Dalila's little friend Kennedy right in the eye. Fortunately, the mulled wine was delicious and I hardly even noticed the crowd or the plasticy snow particles after downing a few of those. Perfect way to encourage the Christmas spirit ;)
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| Kennedy, Dalila, and Jackson |
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| Little cuties dancing to Christmas tunes |
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| Nailed in the eyes with "snow" balls - OUCH! |
A Visit to Santa at Wafi Mall
Last year, we discovered the amazing
Santa experience at Wafi Mall, so we were really looking forward to taking Capri there for her first Santa visit. We were mildly disappointed to find that the ginormous Santa grotto of last year had been relegated to a much smaller, far less grand section of the upper floor this year, but we remained steadfast in our mission to give Capri the best possible first Santa experience. While the location was not as awe-inspiring, we were still very pleased with Wafi Mall's Santa. Capri stared at him doubtfully for a few seconds, but warmed up as soon as she saw older sister Dalila climb on the big man's lap like he was a long lost friend. She even gave some of her best squeals and two-toothed grins to Santa, who was no doubt pleased to see an infant smiling rather than screaming in fear.
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| Doing some Christmas crafts outside Santa's Grotto |
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Jeremy's cousin Josh, a very close friend of his since they were little babies, just moved to Abu Dhabi, effectively ending any excuse we've ever had to not pay a visit to the biggest tourist attraction in the city. So, off we went for a photo-filled visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Honestly, I have no idea how we hadn't visited the mosque yet. When we first arrived in Abu Dhabi - over two years ago - the mosque was the first amazing structure we saw just minutes from the airport on our 2 am shuttle to our hotel. Even in a state of extreme exhaustion, the building struck a chord in us, and we knew we had to explore it. Thus, I was happy to stop making excuses and finally pay this beautiful building a visit. Of course, it's not the greatest place for a wiggly 7 month old or a rambunctious almost-4-year-old, so we didn't spend too long taking in the sights. But our brief visit seemed to be enough to experience the amazing architecture and appreciate the deep devotion it must take to construct such a place of worship.
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| The family in front of the beautiful mosque |
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| Dalila posing with her Uncle Josh |
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| How a 4-year-old has fun at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque |
Aside from all of these activities, we've done our best to enjoy as many Christmas-y things as possible in Dubai and all across the UAE. We're always so pleasantly surprised to find a random Christmas display at a local store or a scheduled Christmas activity at a place where we would least expect to see one. Our goal is to give our girls the best Christmas experience possible, and I think we're doing just fine.
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| MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE ALLENS!! |
