Dubai: Traveling, the Atlantis & Everything that goes with the Atlantis

A few weeks ago, Brooks and I were talking about how it's really sad that come next August, we will have lived in the Middle East for 2 years, and will have yet to take a real vacation (because of having babies).  Don't get me wrong, we've been going on "vacations", but they've always been to the USA.  We were fortunate last Fall to make 2 trips to Bahrain before not being allowed to travel to that country, so at least we've been having SOME fun!

For some reason, Brooks' boss was willing to let him take a 3 day weekend so we jumped on it!  Within 5 days, we booked a hotel, plane tickets, and a few attractions (more on that in the next post) and were on our way.  Thankfully, flights to Dubai were NO BIG DEAL so we left KSA around 7pm and arrived in Dubai around 11pm!  Easy Peasy!  The kids did AWESOME--- okay so we DID get a glimpse of what to expect with Miles being a lap baby when we fly home in November, but he wasn't THAT bad.  We heard from a lot of people that you could find taxi's that held car seats in them, so we opted to NOT bring ours, and rely on what's provided in Dubai.  It worked out leaving the airport.  Miles got to sit facing forward for the first time, but poor baby, he was asleep within 5 minutes of the car ride to our hotel so I'm not too sure what he actually enjoyed seeing.  Gavin lasted 10 minutes.  They were both exhausted.  I'm thinking by now it was almost midnight in our taxi.  Brooks and I were mesmerized with all the sights and lights and how big everything was!  We got a lady taxi (which are the ones with car seats) and we had the sweetest driver.  She told us about every single place we passed and explained what everything was, gave suggestions on places to eat at, places to see, etc.  

We stayed here.  At the Atlantis.  It was breathe taking.  Brooks and I were so glad we booked our stay at this hotel.  It was VERY kid friendly, with water parks, indoor aquariums, shopping stores, restaurants and more.  We basically could have stayed at the Atlantis the entire trip and would have been enjoyed every moment.

Although, by the time we made it to our hotel room, it was almost 1am and everyone felt like this... except for Miles (can you see his head peaking over the bed?)  Gavin was passed out in the stroller- you know he's tired if he slept in the stroller.  Pretty sure he hasn't done that since he was Miles age.  

This was in the entry way, lobby area of our hotel.  AMAZING.  GORGEOUS. BEAUTIFUL.

Our first day in Dubai, we decided to stay at our hotel and enjoy all it had to offer.  We wanted to relax,  not be rushed, and do whatever we wanted without the pressure of having to be somewhere at a specific time.  We slept late, ordered room service for breakfast, put on our bathing suits and went out to the water park.  Before we made it to the water park, we got to pass the HUGE walls of the aquarium that's in our hotel and see all the creatures-- sharks, stingrays, and lots of fish.    Gavin was in awe!!!











At the water park, we found the kiddie area and Gavin went to town.  He and Brooks ran up and down this huge tower playing with every piece of equipment, gadget, and toy.  If it was there, they did it.

After a while, we went and checked out the rest of the park and had some fun as a family rafting in the lazy river and even went down several rapids-- with Miles, which we later found out we weren't allowed on them with an infant.  Brooks got to have some fun and did grown up rides.  One of his rides actually went through a tunnel through the aquarium.  The boys and I waited outside this area to watch for Brooks.  When he finally came through Gavin could not understand what his Daddy was doing and was VERY worried that the sharks were going to get him.  Can you see Brooks on the tube in the background?  

Here's Brooks going down the BIG slide they had.  He's just as big of a kid himself!

We went back to the kiddie zone and let the boys play some more.  It was HOT outside.  We had to stay in the water a majority of the time.  Gavin was such a big boy playing with everything and going down the slides by himself!  Miles had fun crawling in the water.

We grabbed lunch at one of the water park's restaurants so we wouldn't have to get out of our bathing suits.  As soon as we finished eating, we went right back to playing in the water!  

After a long nap and showers, we got dinner at one of the restaurants inside the Atlantis.  It was really cool.  It was buffet style, but every section was a different nationality of food.  You could choose ANYTHING.  It made our dinner very easy and everyone was pleased!  Gavin even found gummy bears on the dessert table.    Brooks got to get a massage after our dinner, which he was ecstatic about.  Too bad they didn't have anyone to do prenatal massages.  Oh well.

The Atlantis had an aquarium called the Lost Chambers inside and we had unlimited, free access to it, anytime we wanted.  We visited it several times and it was really neat watching ALL the different animals, even at different parts of the day.  One time, there were divers cleaning the aquariums, so that fascinated Gavin to see people inside with the sharks.  The aquarium had some cool architecture pieces throughout the exhibit and Gavin had to sit on them all.    One of Gavin's favorite parts of the aquarium was seeing the jelly fish.  He was so intrigued by them.

 We had a blast at our hotel and were so thankful that we stayed at the Atlantis and took in the water park, aquarium, and restaurants.  The next time we go, which, yes, we want to go back-- we're planning on doing the dolphin cove and the beach area.

So, I'm just putting these pictures in here to give you an idea of what our traveling was like day to day.  Okay, so don't judge us, but when we couldn't find lady taxi's, which, sadly, was quite often, we had to let Gavin sit between us buckled in a seat belt, while Brooks always wore Miles strapped to him with the baby carrier.  We simply said a prayer every time for the Lord to protect us and HE did!
    
                          

And.... I'm Done. I think. Maybe.

When I came back from our summer vacation, I made a decision to only make 1 cake a week.  I figured that would help alleviate how busy I am making cakes.  Well, it did sort of.  Actually, my first week back, I was booked for 6 weeks straight.  Crazy.   Last spring, I was making up to 3 cakes in one week, which was nuts!  Now, I make a cake. Finish a cake. Start on another cake.  Week after week.  

I'm loving getting to enjoy this hobby, however, it has quickly turned into a job and I thought having a break from it over the summer, would have helped me in feeling burned out, but I don't think it did.  

So, for now, I'm hanging up my apron, closing my cake closet doors and am going to enjoy being a mom and wife, doing whatever I want to do, not feeling pressure for going out and about, or taking a nap, or feeling guilty for hanging out at the dinner table when our meal is finished, or having to stay up until 2am-- because I won't have the idea of making, baking, decorating, and completing a cake order lingering over my head!  Who knows.. maybe after a long break, which will probably be pretty long considering I've taken on a new project (more on that later) which will keep me occupied through the end of October.  Then we're going to the states mid November through mid December, then half our compound will be away on vacation.  I'll make Miles 1st Birthday cake, then I'll spend January expecting, waiting, and anticipating Brooklyn's arrival.  Then, once she's here, I WON'T be taking cake orders for a good while (Mom & Steph, hold me to that!!)  So, who knows.. maybe by the end of April (or at least for Brooks' birthday in March) I'll be ready and willing to take on a cake!  

Until then, enjoy my latest creations.  

Please don't judge me on one particular cake.  I literally did it in a matter of 4 hours.  It was NOT my best cake and one I cringed at when Brooks walked it down to our neighbors (I'm confident you will know which one I'm talking about). 

cupcake cake for 1 year old little girls birthday

Cookie Cake #1

Cookie Cake #2- yes, I planned for there not to be a border all the way down the right side

Cookie Cake #3- there were a LOT of people invited to this party

Tinkerbell Cake for 8 year old girl's birthday

Cake for a lady who received her PhD

Spiderman Cake for an 8 Year Old

Star Wars with a Light Saber for 2 young, French boys

It's been fun!  

Since I can Breathe....we had a family fun night

Now that some days, I can actually breathe and don't feel like I have a million things to do, since Delia's around to help, I'm finding myself having time to plan fun things for my family.  

Last night, we moved the furniture, laid out a blanket, ate pizza on the floor and fixed smores (in the microwave).  My friend, Che, found graham crackers at her compounds' store and picked me up a box; I found "Fluff" at one of the local grocery stores (since marshmallows sold here disintegrate when you microwave them)-- by the way, have you ever used "fluff"?  That stuff is great!  I found a chocolate bar that was similar to a Hershey bar and we went to town.  There was a football game on so we just sat around chit chatting, goofing off, and listened to Gavin yell touchdown or run, run guy, go fast.  

It was a great evening and one that was relaxing for all of us without any distractions.  I promise Miles was there with us.  But, sadly, I have no idea where he was during these pictures.  

Gavin totally took this picture of me while Brooks was making our 2nd round of Smore's

Okay, so the above picture shows you just how little my brain works when I'm pregnant.  The plate on the left was the batch of smores I made.  I totally forgot to microwave the graham crackers with just marshmallows/fluff and put the chocolate bars in with them.  It was a huge mess. So, for round two, Brooks took care of the smore's making business and they turned out perfect- hence the plate on the right!  Either way, I enjoyed the smores and so did Brooklyn-- she was bouncing off the walls for two hours after that meal!  w  

Family Beach Night

It's no secret that Brooks has been having to work a lot lately and we've all been adjusting to not having him home as much as he wants to or that we'd like, but we're making it work.  When he is home, he's ours and we take full advantage of him and the time we get to spend together.  It's amazing how much we took for granted when he use to be home for the weekends or get home after work around 5:30pm.  One day, he'll be back to a normal schedule and we'll get to have weekends with him again.  

Until then, when he does get a day off, we always try to do something fun!  Two weeks ago, we spent the evening out on the beach.  Gavin got to play in the sand and water and looked for fish with his net.  Brooks and him played and played searching for "dragons" that were flying and swimming around.  Miles loved the sand, actually, wait, he didn't mind sitting in it and eating it, but once he would move and it would itch him, he was done.  He would try crawling in it, but couldn't figure out how to hold himself up while eating a handful of sand at the same time.  After the first 20 minutes of sitting, he spent the rest of the time standing up holding on to the beach chair.  Last year, we rarely went out to the beach, like, maybe 5 or 6 times, so hopefully this year, we'll do a better job of taking advantage of the fact that the beach is our back yard. 

 

I'm in LOVE!

A new face around.. and a new Mama!

Get ready for some honesty....

Okay friends (and family) I've been going through a very emotional time the past month of being back in Saudi.  I've really been faced with the feeling of being inadequate, a constant failure, never being good enough, never finishing what needs to get taken care of.  I've been an emotional wreck and have had a hard time adjusting to things.  For one, Gavin's now in school... new routine, new days.  Miles is ALL.OVER.THE.PLACE.  He's learning, expanding his boundaries, and just growing up.  I feel like there is NEVER enough time in the day, nothing ever gets done (or so I feel), and days are always piling up with more events, get togethers, responsibilities, etc.  Not to mention, being pregnant, I'm just tired ALL.THE.TIME and exhausted.  

Brooks and I noticed there were lots of days the past month where I just wasn't myself.  I wasn't depressed by any means, just overwhelmed.  I'd cry at the drop of a hat.  I'd be a basketcase if something little occurred, or I'd be unable to start something, because I already felt like there was no way to finish it-- therefore, more things weren't getting done.   I know if I'd cut out my extra curricular activities (cake decorating, friend lunches, etc) that would alleviate some time, but everyone needs a life and a hobby, or some kind of outlet, right?!?  

Well, after some time, then I started really getting anxious about bringing a 3rd child into this world.  How in the world do I take Gavin to school in the mornings, have 2 other babies awake, dressed, fed, and out the door every morning?  How do I go to the grocery store with one in the carseat taking up the entire basket and the other sitting upright in the front of a grocery cart wanting everything that's in my hands or around me?  How do I be back from running all my errands in time to get Gavin from school at 11:30am?  I'm already bringing one pack and play to bible study on Tuesdays for Miles to take a nap, do I buy a 2nd one so two kids can nap at the same time? or do I host bible study every week in order to have a place for my little one's to sleep?  Dinner time... yikes... I already am burning meals left and right, or leaving out ingredients because I'm doing laundry, folding laundry, loading & unloading the dishwasher, or yelling at Gavin to get off the beach because he walked out the back door and I never saw him, all at the same time, and then forgetting to kiss my husband when he walks in the door.  

UGH! I realize that all moms go through this and all moms handle it and things can be done!  I've learned to be okay with laundry staying in the dryer for a day or two until I can get to it, and I can't tell you how many nights we've gone to bed with toys EVERYWHERE!  I've really struggled with why things aren't getting done when I don't work, I'm home most of the time, and there are very few places for me to actually be.  Yet, the feeling of failing and being inadequate was really, really getting to me.  Not to mention the heaviness of what's to come when Brooklyn gets here.  If I can't take care of my kids and house now, how am I going to do it later?  

Brooks and I have always talked about me getting some help while we're living here due to the availability there is to hire help and in a VERY economic way, however, we (or him) always decided against it because we ultimately felt like it just wasn't necessary.  Which, I will say, when I wanted help after Miles, things ended up working out and it really would have been silly.  But something has changed.  I can't pin point it, but things just seem different.  So... we started discussing the option of bringing in some help part time and we wanted to have someone here before Brooklyn comes to ensure we like our help, we're comfortable with them, they know us, our routines, the way our house runs, our personalities, and that we know them!  

Enter Delia!   

this was Delia's first day-- her and Miles clicked right off the bat!

NOPE!  You're not seeing things!

That's a picture of a God sent woman who is amazing!  She's only been in our lives a little over a week and I'm blessed beyond words!  I'm humbled by this woman who has taken care of my children as if they were hers, she has made my house a home in a way that I've only dreamed of doing (she even asked if she could reorganize Mr. Brooks' closet before she put in his folded clothes... um-- sure!).  She has ironed more clothes in a week then I've ironed in 5 years of marriage!  Okay, or maybe my life, but who's counting.  She has learned, successfully, how to operate a dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer-- 3 things she has never had that were electric, rather manual-- literally.  (Think getting buckets of water from the sink and pouring into a small washing machine, only to spin a dial yourself once it's soaked to rinse your clothes, and then hand dry them all outside).   She fixes and prepares Miles bottles, breakfast, and lunch.  She allows me the opportunity to take Gavin to school without having to wake Miles up early everyday.  She cleans and picks up while Miles is sleeping.  She plays with Miles while I go to Bible Study every Tuesday, and she even entertained Miles while I took a nap the other day.  I've learned that all I have to do is tell her or show her something once and that's it.  She gets it!  She is AMAZING!!

Don't get me wrong, this has taken some time getting use to, but I'm much more relaxed now.  She knows that if I'm home and she's here and I want Miles, I get him.  I've had to teach her that it's okay for Miles to crawl, sit by himself, and sleep in his room, ALONE.  She had a hard time with that one-- she's from the Philippines and they don't have big homes, so there kids always sleep in the same room as them, thus, allowing her the chance to watch them when they sleep.  I taught her how our monitors work and showed her how you use them to listen for when your baby is awake. That took some time getting use to, but now she's okay with closing the door to his room while he naps.  It's amazing the things we take for granted!

I'm so appreciative for her and having her in our lives. I'm praying this works out and am doing my best to treat her with the utmost respect and let her know every time she's here how grateful I am for her.  Do you know how tough it is to sit on your computer blogging, while telling someone to wash, dry, and fold your laundry?  All the while, you are sitting right there!  Not as easy as it looks!  But, after a week-- you do get over it!

I'm also so grateful and appreciative to Brooks for being willing to let me hire some help and give me a peace of mind that I have needed for a while, now.  I promise you this- Brooks is not complaining. The days Delia is here (she's only part time, right now) everything is picked up, organized, taken care of, in place, etc, which makes my man HAPPY!  After her first day here and he saw his closet completely  organized, everything was folded, in it's place, he yelled down to me that he found his Philippino wife!  He thought he was in heaven!

I'm enjoying getting to have free time where I'm not juggling 100's of responsibilities and am loving the extra time I get with my boys to just sit and play and relax.  I'm hopeful that I can continue to be at ease with not feeling guilty for having someone do things for me that I probably should be doing and I'm looking at it as this is a perk to living overseas and having an expat life.  

Houston Friends

We've been blessed with the opportunity to have some of our dear friends from Houston move over here to our side of the world and live about an hour away.  We've known the Acord Family since 2009 when they became our small group leaders at our church, CCCC, and we've been friends ever since.  Things have worked out where we've been able to get together with them at least once a month maybe more to have dinner, play at one another's houses, go to birthday parties, and just hang out.  We're glad to see familiar faces outside our compound and love how close in age our kids are and to know they get to have a familiar friend on this side of the world, too.  

Last week, after spending the day together at their house, they drove me and the boys back to Jubail, where we live, we met Brooks for dinner at a local Indian Restaurant and had some good times!  

They've already bonded! 

These two are pretty goofy!

A few weeks ago we also went to the Acord's house and spent the day celebrating Peyton's 3rd Birthday!  It was a blast eating ice cream sundaes, cake, and spending time together!

Looks like Gavin was trying to be in their family picture

these two were inseparable

After Peyton's party, the Acord's compound had an Eid Celebration which marks the end of Ramadan, a Muslim holiday, so we went and checked things out.  There is a HUGE camel behind us and of course someone walked in front of it right as we were taking a picture.  You could literally take camel rides-- see the basket in the top left corner.. but after watching it take one walk Che and I immediately said, um. NO!  That thing wobbled like I don't know what.  The kids still liked getting to see a camel up close!  Gavin is still talking about the camels at Peyton's house.  It was a neat experience, though.

Baby #2's just chillin!  They are THE most relaxed, laid back kids ever.

Looking for another Victory

Meet Brandon.

This is Brooks' little younger brother.  As long as I've been a part of Brooks' life, there is one thing I know....  Brandon means the world to him.  These two brothers have a relationship like no other.  I've learned over the years that when Brandon is around, my husband is another man and I love watching him get to play and goof off.  These two guys have a special, special bond that no one can come between and it's amazing to watch and experience the depth of their friendship together!  

In January 2004, Brandon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia .  He was 3 days shy of his 15th birthday.  He experienced 3 years of chemo therapy treatment, several strokes, kidney stones, infections, and more, but ultimately, he triumphed through it and on the day he graduated from high school (May 2007), he took his last chemo pill.  He was cancer free and had been after only 34 days of treatment, but still under went 3 years of maintenance.  During that time, Brooks and Brandon's relationship got even closer as Brooks watched from the sidelines as his brother fought the battle to live.  

Brooks and Bran October 2004

Bran has spent the past 4 years living to the fullest and really embracing life.  

This summer Brandon was sick off and on and was having headaches that he contributed to working camp, long hours, little sleep, etc.  However the headaches then turned into pain in the neck, occasional blurred vision, and other side effects that didn't seem to go together.  After a week of being sick continuously, it was time for Brandon to get things checked out.   Bran had multiple tests run on various areas of his body and on August 20, Bran was told his Leukemia was back and this time it was in his central nervous system.  

Brandon has been going through treatment for the past month and responding very well to the medicines.  After 27 days; weekly spinal taps, chemo treatment, and more, Bran was told his body was in remission. Praise God!  He was given a "road map" for his treatment that will last for 2 years.  Bran will undergo intense treatment that will cause him to be hospitalized for days at a time each month as he receives his chemotherapy.  The idea/goal is to attack his cells in an aggressive manner to help keep another relapse from occurring as well as he is older this go around, his brain is fully developed among other things, and his body can handle a little more.  (At least, that's my understanding of his treatment).  

Please keep Brandon in your prayers over the next 2 years.  We're believing that his body will respond to all necessary treatments, he will feel good (as much as he can), and that this will be an "easy" road for him.  He's beat this once, we know he can do it again.  We're looking for another victory!

A lot has changed for Bran in the past few months.  He had to withdraw from Baylor, where he was a junior this year.  He was told it would be a while before he could return to a normal school class schedule.  He has moved from Waco to Arkadelphia, AR where he is living with his mom, Mrs. Missie, and she is able to take care of him during his treatments.  Mr. Geary, Brooks' and Brandon's dad, flew to Arkansas during Brandon's first week of treatment and was able to spend some time with him.  Brandon's girlfriend, Kate, actually goes to school in Arkadelphia so she's around, too!  I'm sure they are loving not having to do a long distance relationship anymore!  Just a little perk in this whole situation.  Brooks has adjusted to not being there with Brandon, but they talk multiple times during the week and Brooks' is still looking out for his little brother.  We're grateful and thankful that Brandon has a lot of support from family nearby in Hot Springs as well as Kate's family in Conway.  Brooks was given permission that if he needed to rush back to the US for Brandon he can, so we're appreciative for that opportunity.  

We will keep you updated on what's going on with Brandon's treatment and recovery, but please just be praying for him and the family!  You can keep up with things that are going on through a website Mrs. Missie is updating regularly to keep everyone informed of what's going on... check it out....

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brandonnileperry