Potty Training Update

I am happy to report that potty training is going well... For the last week, she's been wearing panties (minus nap and bed time) and has been telling us she has to pee/poop. There haven't been any accidents yet. *fingers crossed* Gabby refuses to use the little potty and the special seat and wants to pee "like a big girl" by holding herself up. So YAY, things are progressing... now we need to tackle the no diaper thing for nap and bed time...

It's Snowing... Again.

It's March 1st and there is snow on the ground. Not enough to close school but enough to feel like spring is never coming... it's hard to imagine that this place can get stinkin' hot. I am SO looking forward to Spring!

Gabby is Translating

Gabby translated something for the first time. Chen told Gabby in Chinese that it was cold outside and then Gabby asked Travis in English if he was cold and that it was cold outside. Pretty cool.

Back from Dubai Back to the Grind

The Beijing Tebos at Jumeira Beach

(5 minutes from where Toby and Deb live)

In the background is the Tower Khalifa,

which is the tallest building in the world.

Travis and I in Arabic dress, looking very oppressed.

The "Arabian Nights Desert Safari."

I'm showing off my henna tattoo on my wrist.

This is an example of what we did on the Desert Safari. FUN!

We drove past a camel farm. Camels are a prized possesion. You pay a $200,000 fine if you kill one.

Camel racing is a popular sport here,

we watched a little on the TV.

Toby, me, and Debbie

You haven't lived until you've played in desert sand...

it brings out the kid in you...

We were all a bit sad to say goodbye to the Tebos and the city of Dubai. It's such  a great place to visit and we made some wonderful memories...

It's hard to pick our favorite part of the trip, but Travis and I both agreed that the Desert Safari was pretty amazing. We were picked-up in a Toyota Landcruiser by our driver (Yousif from Iraq- nice guy) and drove towards Oman to where the desert is. We took lots of pictures and played in the sand... I've never been in a desert and I've never seen sand that felt so silky. It was orange-ish in color and the wind made really neat ripples in the sand. The best part was driving up and down all the and dunes. We were sliding and slipping all over the place. It was awesome! It was like one huge sandy rollercoaster... we drove sideways down hills and zoomed up hills... we loved it! We stopped and saw the sun set and then we were off to our Arabian feast. As I mentioned earlier, we love middle eastern food. We smoked out of the sheesha, dressed up as Arabs, saw some belly dancing, and Debbie and I got a henna tattoo.

It was fun watching the kids play. Wesley calls Gabby "Babby" or "Rabby." He calls out for her when she's not around. He's a happy love bug who likes to dance and smile. Stu is awesome too and is super curious about the world and loves his books. It's fun watching them grow and it makes me miss my other niece (Emerson) and nephew (Langston) back in Washington... Visiting Dubai has really opened up my mind to Arabic culture... considering that my only real reference was the Disney movie "Aladdin" and news stories about terrorists. I really enjoyed  myself and could see us living there someday... Who knows what will happen? But we do know that we will be going back next year!

Now we're back at work and to life in Beijing. Busy-busy.

We Heart Dubai

Family Picture at the Burj Al Arab

Irish Area in Dubai... a Row of Irish Pubs.

Travis and I enjoying a drink just before a Tennis Match.

Gabby and Stuart at Safa Park

(near Toby and Deb's House) 

You can see the Tower Khalifa in the back.

"The Caterpillar"

Stuart and Gabby on a Rollercoaster. This was Gabby's first time riding one and she LOVED it. I got a bit teary-eyed watching how much fun she was having...

Gabby and Stuart at Umm Seikem Beach

with the Burj Al Arab in the back.

The Tebo Family getting ready to take an abra across the canal to the Gold Souks.

Oh man... where to start? Well as the title says, we are really having a great time. This place reminds us Las Vegas but an Arabic version. The whole city should be called Arabian Nights or something cheesy thing like that.  There's so much to do here with kids and I can now see why China is considered a hardship post. Things are really easy here. The public restrooms are clean (even have toilet paper) and for the most part people obey the driving rules. There are a ton of parks and beaches and fun restaurants to try. Travis and I are lovin' the middle eastern food too- shwarma, falafel, humus, pita bread, all that yummy stuff. Last night we went to a Lebanese bakery and picked up some cheese bread- SO GOOD! We went back there today. 

Toby and Deb's house is awesome. It's HUGE! They live near everything, including a pool and park. It's on a busy road but you can walk to different places, including that bakery I just mentioned. So far, our mornings consists of waking up around 7:30, getting the kids breakfast, and going out with Gabby and Stuart. Toby and Deb are working and she gets back around noon, so we've been getting lots of nephew/cousin time with the kids in the morning. For the first couple of days, we went to the pool, which the kids love. Travis has been teaching Stu how to swim and Gabby has been practicing her kicks, blowing bubbles, and holding her breath and putting her head in the water. This morning, we went to the park. It was awesome! There were literally over ten playgrounds and beautiful flowers, a waterfall, and places to walk around and have a picnic. There is also a mini amusement park area, so I think we'll go back again tomorrow. There was also an area just for ladies in children. They have things like that here, which is interesting... Another thing that's different... During the day, you can hear a man's voice on a loudspeaker praying. As you probaby know, this is a muslim country and they pray five times a day. There was even a prayer room in the airport. Just kind of different. We'll be talking or doing whatever and you'll randomly hear the guy praying...

 Yesterday was really busy! Toby and Deb took the day off. All of us hopped in the car and took an abra (boat) across to the old part of Dubai to visit the Souks (markets). They're known for their gold, but I'm not a big gold person so I didn't get anything. I took lots of pictures and we all enjoyed walking around and looking at all the stuff. Around 2-ish, we headed off for some adult fun at the Atlantis Resort. It's located at the tip of "The Palm" (man-made islands) and it's seriously amazing. We had two-for-one tickets to the water park and became little kids in a candy store... going up and down all the slides. It was so much fun. Travis said I haven't laughed like that in awhile... so apparently that was much needed! The first slide we went on was called, "The Leap of Faith." It's famous for being one of the stops on the TV show  "The Amazing Race." It was pretty freaky. The drop was insane and a total adrenaline rush- lots of high fives and hugs after it was over. I think we were all quite proud of ourselves for doing it. I'm a bit annoyed because I didn't put my butt up enough on one of the water slides and scrapped it a bit and got a hole in my $100 bathing suit. That sucked. I also slammed my foot into the side of one of the slides because the pressure turn me around suddenly. I bled a little and bruised it, so that was kind of a bummer. Pretty smooth on my part.

So far, we still love this place. The weather right now is perfect. I haven't seen a cloud in the sky since we've been here.

First Impressions of Dubai

Gabby, Travis, and Stuart at the pool in the Tebo's villa area

Gabby getting "pretty nails" at Kidzania

So far, we're loving Dubai! The weather is awesome. Right now, we have the doors open and there's a nice breeze. Beautiful palm trees everywhere and flowers... love it.

Our plane ride sucked. There were no movies and lots of smelly Chinese men. I swear I smelled a cigarette... We left at 9:30 pm Beijing time and it took about 9 hours to arrive in Dubai. Toby picked us up and it was 3:30 am Dubai time, so 7:30 am our time. We all slept a little on the plane but we were so happy to be at the Dubai Tebo's house! After we got in, Gabby and I slept while Toby drove Travis around the city on about two hours of sleep. Needless to say, they're both sleeping with the kids right now.

I can't explain this place... It is so western but so different at the same time. It's strange. They have every American food chain and lots of Western stores but we're in the middle east... Clearly it's a foreign country that I should feel unsafe in but I don't at all... So far, it doesn't seem that different. Okay, okay, so the people look different. I seriously can't stop staring at the Arabic women... they are dressed in robes (sorry, don't know the proper words, I'm such a jerk American) and some are dressed in robes where you can only see their eyes. Apparently, the women have to cover up in public because they don't want to tempt other men. I have to say, their eyes are gorgeous. The men wear long white robes and look like what you see on TV. Lots of good people watching! I was surprised to see many of the women shop for expensive shoes and clothes to wear underneath their robes, especially since no one ever really sees them. Toby and Deb said there are a lot of really rich people here, so I guess they can afford it. After seeing the mall and their prices- I can believe it.

Today, Toby and Travis took Stuart and Gabby to Kidzmania at the Dubai mall. There's not enough time to explain how cool this place is, although I technically never went inside. Kids can pretend to be certain jobs (doctor, fireman, etc) and get paid. It's like a mini town. There's a toddler area and all I know is that the kids had a blast... Like I said, I wasn't there but Gabby came back with purple nails (she actually was patient and let them dry) and stories about how she built a wall. While they were at Kidzmania, Deb, Wesley, and I walked around the MASSIVE mall. There was a great organic store so I stocked up on some gluten free food for Gabbers. There were lots of sales, but I didn't buy anything... I really don't need anything, I suppose. First time ever.

Anyway, we're having a great time with the family. Look forward to all the fun this week!

Gabby's School Newsletter 2/1-2/5/2010

Letter of the week Pp
Last Tuesday the children had a parade. They marched into the big hall while playing different kind of instruments. The class also played parachute games, read the story “Henry’s Parade” and had popcorn for snacks. It was a perfect day for letter Pp day!

Kung Fu with Zhang Laoshi