Grandpa helped Charlie learn to peddle his bike.

Grandma and Grandpa Cook with the kids

Flying Sammy

We all felt like we were on vacation today! The weather was so perfect. The pool was beautiful. And we had the company of Grandma and Grandpa Cook who arrived late last night. We love to have them here!

Grandma and Grandpa Cook Arrive

Trying out my new camera.

Aaaaaargh! Maties...

I love this pirate face that Charlie came up with!
When Charlie asked of the watch made sounds, Jack said, "We need to read the destructions...."


Bobbi and Grandpa John sent gifts with our Cook Grandparents. Jack and Charlie got "Dead-Man's Chest" watches and eye-patches.

Desert Fun and Fresh Camel Milk????

Today we went to the desert to play in the great big sandbox! What I would give to have the energy of the kids! They ran up and down the dunes without any trouble at all. We built a campfire and took Pizza Hut for dinner. While we were sitting there we looked over and saw a caravan of camels walking by. There had to be 50 of them. Babies, Mommas, black ones, white ones, some with blankets over them, every kind of camel you ever could wish for. After watching them cross below us, Brad, Cairo, Jack and I hopped in the Jeep to get a closer look. When we got really close we saw the owners there. They called Brad over and they spoke. Before long, the guy moved a baby camel away from it's mother (where it was having a nice drink of milk). The guy started milking the camel into a bowl and the mother camel was so mad! She started kicking him like crazy. The man persisted and as I watched, amused, from the car, I thought Brad is going to have to drink that now after all that trouble..Sure enough. The man offered it to Brad and then to Cairo who had joined Brad out of curiosity. They both took a nice sip of fresh warm camel milk! Jack and I had a great laugh.. I am so proud of them, especially Cairo for her sense of adventure and willingness to try ANYTHING! That may likely be a characteristic I grow to hate. Of course by the time all of this happened I had sand in my camera and could capture NO PHOTOS of the whole thing so you just have to take my word for it...Now I may need that new Canon Rebel I've been wanting....

Spinning my Wheels....

Spinning is my latest fitness craze. I am officially addicted...It started with two of my closest friends here being regulars. Liz 3-4 times a week and Molly, a personal trainer and the instructor. It's not just great cardio, it's a great time to catch up with these two fun ladies and the others who spin with us. Often, after class we spend time in the steam room where we continue to solve the world's (or just each other's) problems...

Not necessarily "looking my best" but feeling great! (Class hadn't started yet)


Liz McGuffee...My go-to person for everything AbuDhabi..As well as one of those people you feel you've known forever..She is also mother to the "other Jack", known at our house as "McGuffee" one of the twin's good pals.


Molly..An incredible cook, personal trainer and mother to cute little Nico, one of the twin's favorite playmates. It's always a treat to talk to Molly. She is upbeat, creative, and positive about life.

Photos from the playground last week at school. It is great weather to stay after school and play. They sell snowcones on Thursdays so we always want to stay that day!

Are they 3 or 13?

These two guys just get cuter and cuter all the time. The cutest thing about them is their true love and devotion to each other. Just yesterday they had a mutual friend over to play. They all got along great until the friend started singing, "Charlie is a baby, Charlie is a baby..." Jack went through the roof! He got right in that kid's face and said.."Don't say that! He's my brudder!"

Poor Charlie LOVES watermelon but HATES the "nuts".

Classic Quotes

Today on the ride home from school Sam decided to explain DNA. He simply explained it as "A genetic code". I'm not sure I would have been able to come up with that.
In response to my asking Charlie to quit picking his nose he said, "There's bugs living in there, it's like a treehouse."
Frustrated, as he picked the seeds from his watermelon Charlie said, "There are just too many nuts in here."

Charlie's sea creature bag. He is never far from his creatures. They don't get much fresh air but they seem to be doing fine.

Charlie's latest obsession

Charlie has taken to the 3 minute timer that came with our Boggle game. He times everything. It is a great way to get him to eat..I just say, "Have those Cheerios gone before the timer runs out.." He starts eating like crazy. Today he brought it in the car on our way to school. He said.."Try to get us to school before the timer runs out." He had to turn in over 4 times but he didn't care. I love the little things that he attaches himself to. Since Christmas he has carried a shaving bag around. Inside are his favorite sea creatures. They rarely see the light of day. They are always sleeping. He carries that bag everywhere. Never letting his creatures out..just occassionally looking in the bag to make certain they are there.

Back to Reality

After a long Christmas break we returned to our routine today. The kids slept in for the first time since school let out in December. So I had to drag all four of them out of bed. Cairo was the only one really excited to go back to school. Jack announced right off that he "wouldn't be going to school today." Charlie didn't say much at all as he slept while I dressed him. Sam burst into tears even though he had been happy the night before to get back and tell Ms. Schneider he had finished Eragon. Brad helped with some great parenting by going through Pokemon shields and helping him decide what he would use to block out his mean arabic teacher who yells at the class.
I was all excited about getting back to spin class this morning but I woke with the aches and finally the cold/flu that I felt coming on last Thursday had finally settled in. So I came home, took a long hot bath and finished some computer work I needed to do.
It's so great to have the holidays behind us. I loved having the kids home and spending time with them but a routine is a healthy thing for all of us.
I'm looking forward to seeing Tiger Woods play in Dubai at the end of January. What a thrill that will be. I bought tickets today!

Happy New Year from the Global Village in Dubai

Fun at the Global Village

For New Years Eve we ventured out to the much talked about Global Village in Dubai. It is the Emirati version of Epcot. My description would be more like county fair meets international mass of humanity. It was a bad night to go since it was New Year's and Eid, a national religious holiday. We stopped first thing to "visit" Kenya. Lots of things to buy...wood carved anything you can dream of. Cairo got a strand of her hair done and Sam got his face painted like a saber-tooth tiger. We then spent the next hour looking for the "Holy Grail" of hot dogs, standing lines for giant ferris wheels and restrooms and on the way out visited the Amazon where 3 of the 4 kids held a snake aroung their necks. Jack opted out of that experience. He is a bit squimmish about animals and odors..(He threw up in the fish market here in Abu Dhabi due to the fish smell.)
It was a fun way to kill the night. By the time we got home, in spite of good intentions, the kids were sound asleep. It was 11pm and once again they weren't quite able to see in a New Year. Maybe next year. Brad and I weren't complaining. We ushered in the New Year as we climbed into bed and said good-night. We are real pary animals. We talked about how our lives have changed in the past year and wondered what 2007 might bring. Hopefully just as much fun, good health, family and time together as 2006. We have a great life!