Donna's favourite part of the zoo-her ice cream!

Al Ain Visit

The UAE has just had National Day and the second Eid a week apart, which left Ryan with lots of needed time off! We had alot of fun having him at home, and took oneday with the Mitchels to visit Al Ain. It was a great day out!

We first took a drive up Jebel Hafeet, which has been voted the "best driving road" by some (visit http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=109278 if anyone's interested-this is for you Con and Angus!), but on which I was not let loose and had to take it easy, as I had my dear husband and child in the car, and another kid in my tummy! But it was good anyway, the rock formations were fascinating, and the views brilliant!

We then took the long windy road back down to the Zoo...

The Zoo was really good, it's been years since I've been to a zoo! I was not expecting to see anything "big", so was very surprised to see lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, gorilla, and uranatangs there, with a whole lot of other "lesser" things like giraffe, zebra, meercats, flamingos, chimps, etc, etc. Donna had such a jol, referring to the animals by their first names, ie Mr Alex, Gloria, Maddy, Melvin, King Louie, Bagheera, etc (for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you need to watch Jungle Book and Madagascar carefully again, you'll also need to catch up on most of the Disney movies if you want a conversation with Donna to make any sense to you!)

Once again, we were amazed at our Lord's creation, from perfectly parallel rock layers, to a wide variety of stunning animals, of which we only saw a few, we were just so thankful!

Dubai Rugby 7s

We went to the Dubai Rugby Sevens, and as always , it was so much fun! Unfortunately we couldn't go on the Saturday, so we didn't see the Boks take the trophy, but we did see them annihilate the Arabian Gulf team! We also witnessed Zimbabwe score (once!) against the All Blacks, but from there it was pretty much a slaughtering for them! The other games were also exciting, as was the entertainment, cheerleaders, atmosphere and a Dancing Donna-after all that's what live rugby is all about!

Our Catamaran Trip

We finally got to go on our Catamaran trip and it was really fantastic!!!

We met at the Marina one fine Saturday morning, when the Catamaran was experiencing no technical difficulties, the weather was perfect and the New Atlantis hotel was not having their $20 000 000.00 opening, prohibiting all boats, catamarans, yachts and other floating devises from going around the Palm (these were all previous reasons for postponing the trip!), but the weather was so good, we were thankful for the delay!

We were taken out around the Palm, past the Atlantis, which was very impressive, and anchored real close to the Burj al Arab for lunch, a swim and a massage (life doesn't get more relaxing than that!!). We then took a lazy trip back-totally relaxed, amazed and thankful!

It was an afternoon that we will remember for a very long time!

Donna Dancing to the Beatles!

Donna Swimming at 2 years 7 months

Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa

On Saturday, we were supposed to go on a Catamaran, but got a call just as we were leaving home to say that the weather was too rough, so it was cancelled. It was so disappointing, but Ryan said we're out and all ready, so we must go somewhere.

Well we landed up at the Jebel Ali Golf Resort, and we had such a wonderful day! In the end I was actually quite happy that the weather was so "rough"!

The weather was actually perfect, there was a breeze that cooled things down so nicely, and there were actually clouds in the sky that we lay on the sea raft and played the "Cloud game", I do believe it was the first time I've played it here in Dubai!! Donna and I built sand castles and then Donna had the great idea of making a dragon to look after our castles-that was Ryan's job!

Lunch time we had a delicious buffet brunch at the hotel, and then went back to the beach for a while, then to the pools to clean up and made our way back home-totally relaxed and so very thankful to our great God that He made the sea!

Cand and Kathleen's Visit

Cand and Kathleen's visit was such a great one! We had so much fun-even though a big part of it was spent making boxes, wrapping, packing, cleaning, moving, unwrapping, unpacking, and attending to many other moving related issues! (To which I say again-I was so thankful for the help! THANK YOU CAND!!)

Donna just loved having her Aunty and cousin around. Cand taught Donna all sorts of good things, like how to eat and enjoy cupcakes, how to brush your hair with a toilet brush, (which was new at the time but...), she reminded Donna how to throw 250 plastic balls downstairs...and many more much more useful and slightly more biblical life lessons!

Donna loved her "baby cousin Kathleen", she was totally overprotective and utterly overwhelming, but just so gorgeous, and so so loving, thankfully it seemed as if Kathleen enjoyed the extra attention-well most of the time anyway! When we went out and someone would come up to Kathleen, Donna would sprint from wherever she was, put her straight, strong arm across Kathleen and proclaim "She's my baby cousin!"!! I told her to be kind to the people and let them say hello to Kathleen, to which she replied "OK, but they're not allowed to take her!" My precious little girl!!!

One thin is for sure: Donna's going to make the best big sister in the world! She is so caring, and just wants to help me/Cand feed, bath, dress and look after the baby, and is so keen to share her stuff, and find things for the baby to do and play with!

I look forward to watching her grow with her baby sister!

I did allow my guests to go out a little bit! We went to Ikea, Ibn Batuta and the Mall of the Emirates, and did a good amount of shopping-mostly for the new house, but also some spoiling for ourselves!

We went to Cafe Ceramique, Donna's favourite Coffee Shop where you paint some ceramic thingy, have it glazed, and get to take it home. Cand and I painted some HUGE coffee cups, which I got to keep (thanx Cand!!), but they are about double the volume of my next biggest cup-which is just great for me, but gave Ryan a heart attack! Well at least I have fewer cups of coffee and tea a day!

Donna painted a plate to go with her cup that she painted last time-which came out just beautifully!

The other very lekker thing we did, was go for a fancy tea at the Courtyard Marriot here where we stay. Cand had a English Breakfast tea and a very rich chocolate cake, both of which Donna shared and helped polish, in record time!

It was a fantasic morning!

When we dropped Cand and Kathleen off at the airport, Donna and I cried so hard in the car-it must have been hilarious to see the two of us! Donna kept on asking, "When will we see them again Mom?"

We had a very special time with them, and we cannot wait to see them again for sure!

The Big Move

We finally moved on the 10th of October!!!! It was a huge thing-and as usual, I was not as organised as I thought or hoped I was!

I started packing so long ago, which was not the right thing because I ended up unpacking stuff, or at least messing up boxes as I frantically dug through a box looking for a paint brush, specific teddy, etc! Donna helped me so nicely too-her best was to clean the fridge-to get in the fridge and scrub it with my old toothbrush, she did a great job!

Candice and Kathleen came to visit at the same time-when the tickets were booked, I thought we'd be moved in and settled already, but that was not the way God had planned it! I felt terrible for Cand that she had to help with all the moving stuff, and for Kathleen for all the disruptions, but I was so very very thankful for their help!!

(I mean it Cand-It would have been very difficult without you-THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!)

Donna's First Hamburger!!

So.... Donna had her first hamburger!!! To be honest, I think the build up was more exciting than than the burger itself, but it was all alot of fun anyway! And for those who were wandering-that is not coke-it is apple juice!! That would be pushing us too far!!

Much to Ryan's delight; this was the only bite Donna had...

PACKING!!

So, it's coming to the end of our stay here in Uptown Mirdiff. We have been so blessed to stay here, it has been a great place to live and grow (in all ways!). For those of you that could come visit us here, thank you-we hope that you had fun and were refreshed. For those that never made it over-sorry for you....!

Packing has gone ok so far-very slow, but getting there anyway! As much as I pack, little Miss Muffit unpacks to check out and look at again! I managed to do one box from her room, but have decided to leave the rest of her room for last-it was impossible!! Donna was so kind though, she gave away 2 full boxes of toys to a charity. She was so excited to give some of her toys to children who don't have any, "Now all children have toys!" was her response when we dropped them off. Bless her!

We got this clip from a friend in the week, Donna just loved it-for those that haven't seen it yet-enjoy! Those that have-enjoy again, it's so cute!!

Night at Al Qsar

We had an amazing opportunity to live it up at the very, very fancy Al Qsar hotel with Mel and Sean last weekend. It was a real treat! Again I had such fun with my camera, taking too many pictures of the Burj al Arab-but then one doesn't get a perfect, uninterrupted sea view of it everyday, so I took full advantage of the time I had! We had a great time with Mel and Sean, Donna is getting to love Mel more and more, which is so heart warming to see. Donna walked hand-in-hand with Mel for about 1 1/2 kms when we went out for supper, chatting away-not stopping for a moment's breath. I was quite impressed with her level of fitness!

Breakfast the next morning was just brilliant, variety like non other-we ate enough for breakfast, lunch and a bit of supper too (well it was the price of about 3 meals!!). It was in this over-the-top breakfast setting that Donna said "I could live in this hotel forever!!"....

After breakfast we went to the pool and had a superbly relaxing time. We also went in for a dip in the sea, which was so hot and had Donna gagging because it is so salty, so that didn't last long! But I got my sea swim in-so it was good!

We were very thankful for the time we had away, a great time with the Emirati Pennies altogether!

Bab al Shams

Bab al Shams, "Gateway to the Sun", has been one of my favourite visits of our time here in Dubai. I so loved the realness of it, it's one of the few places here in Dubai where they are true to the surroundings, and don't try to be something they're not. The desert is beautiful, and it was a privilege to experience it like this!

The falconry was amazing, the falcon is such an agile bird, it's awesome to see God's diversity in creativity on display like that. I took far too many pictures!

That evening we had a fantastic traditional Bedouin style supper, out in the desert. The food was delicious, far too much, but delicious! The entertainment was superb, again local at it's best!

The pool was beautiful. An Infinity pool overlooking nothing but desert. Quite something! We met up with the Dercksens (unplanned!) and Donna's superhero Keagen, aka Spiderman, was enjoying swimming so much, that he enticed Donna to go to depths she never has in the swimming world! Since then, and after watching hours of Olympics, she is swimming like a proper fish! I will be posting a video soon, you cannot believe how this 2 year old can swim! It makes her dad very proud!

Leaving Bab al Shams was really hard, even Donna said, "It's so sad to leave "Bubble Saams", she really had a fantastic time, which made the trip just so much more enjoyable and amazing!

Ice-Skating!!!

So with summer at it's hottest, we've had to resort to indoor entertainment to escape the Desert Sun at it's meanest!



This morning Donna and I went ice-skating, and it will be embarrassing to say who enjoyed it most! At first is was shaky, to say the least! Handling a two year old and a pregnant belly on ice is a balancing act requiring skill I don't really have! But we survived-all except my back! But when Donna looked up at me and said "I weally like ice-skating", all pain vanished from my side, and all confidence abounded in my little girl! She started lifting her legs waist high saying, "I'm getting so good!" It's in the little video clip-just so cute!

Rest. An encouraging poem by Paul Tripp

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"
Psalm 27 v.14

Rest:

a faint dream for many
a treasured commodity
in a fallen world,
a thing so needed,
yet so easily interrupted.
The Garden was a place of
rest,
no violence in creation
no weed or thorn
no cleft between God and man
no reason to hide
no cause for fear
no need unmet
no grief to face.
Bright sun
pure love
unfettered peace
unstained beauty
man and God
worship and love.
But a voice
interrupted the rest:
strategies of death
words of deceit
actions of rebellion
fingers of blame
expulsion from the Garden
judgment and death
rest interrupted
rest shattered.
So we wait for the Lord.
His grace strengthen
His presence comforts
His promises assure
His power activates
His rule guarantees
that someday rest,
real rest
pure rest
eternal rest
will reign once more.
No violence in creation
no weed or thorn
no cleft between God and man
no reason to hide
no cause for fear
no need unmet
no grief to face
between God and man.
Yes, rest, true rest
will live again
and last forever.
So we wait for the Lord
to restore us to that place.
Bright Son
pure love
unfettered peace
unstained beauty
God and man
together forever.
Until that day,
with hearts
that are strong
and hope
that is undimmed
and joy
that embraces the future,
We wait for the Lord.

by Paul Tripp, Paul Tripp Ministries
http://www.paultrippministries.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Ouma's Visit

After our visit in SA, we had the privilege of Granny (aka "Ouma") coming to stay with us for 10 days. It was such a good visit. We actually did very little, partly due to the weather, partly due to our health (I brought some gogo back with me from SA!), but mostly because we just relaxed and just visited. For the first few days Granny run my home for me, washing and ironing-I felt terrible that she was working so hard, but it was such a help, and I was very grateful that it was being done!!

We did go shopping a little bit, but it is dangerous to shop with a South African Rand mindset, in a UAE Dirham currency setting, using United States Dollars!!

The other times we managed to get out, we went eating, as you do! Everything from good old Mugg 'n Bean, (here in Dubai!), to a beautiful quaint tea shop, to the Noodle House at Madinat. They and the others were all great!! And of course, we went to Naomi's 4th Birthday party, with a whole bunch of 2 to 4 year old girls. Donna was voted the prettiest girl there by her biggest fan-Ouma!

We had a great time with you here Granny. I really hope we could get your mind off things a bit, and share our lives with you. We are really happy that you got to laugh so much!

Please come again!!

Our Niece and Cousin Kathleen

It was such a privledge to meet and get to know John and Candice's baby-Kathleen.

She is so beautiful and so precious, an absolute joy! John was holding Kathleen the first time I saw her, at first I didn't even see her, but when I realised it was her he was holding - I couldn't believe...anything! She was so small! She was real! She was my sister's baby! She was my niece! As I took her, a new type of love filled my heart in places I didn't know even existed!

To see Donna with her was just so heartwarming. Donna loves her baby cousin and I know that will be a love that will just continue to grow. She just loved to sit on a couch and hold Kathleen, she was so proud, and they just looked so comfortable together. Now that we're home she doesn't stop talking about her; "When Kathleen gets bigger, we can play in my tent, we can draw, we can eat Jelley Tots, we can swim together....." she can (and does!) carry on for a while!

We just can't wait to see them again!

Donna's second birthday

Our baby has now really seized to be one-she is now a beautiful "grown-up" little girl.

The Lord has blessed her so much with great health, a huge vocab, physical and mental growth, and the beginnings of the most precious understanding of our great Lord. She often asks us to pray for people, just in the midst of the day. She knows that "God made everything", the other day she asked me where one of her CDs came from and I said it was gift that a friend had made, to which she quickly added "AND God made it...". And she loves the bible, she asks to read it more than other books-and then she reads it to us, "Let me tell you..." and proceeds to tell us all sorts of things about what Jesus has done and where He has been-it's awesome to listen to!

But the Lord has blessed Ryan and I so much more! Donna is a joy beyond what I thought possible, and an occasional "perfecter of our faith" and we learn vital lessons from being a sweet sinner's parent!

A mere 2 years ago, I had only just seen her for the first time, but over this short time she has turned my life around, to a point where I hurt when I think of life without her. I am so thankful for these past 2 years that we have had the pleasure of sharing with Donna Lucia Penny!!

Happy Birthday Big Girl!!

SOCCER!

Some will be very chuffed to see and read this: Ryan played soccer the other day! It was against little kids, but the point is-he played anyway!

We were at the park, as a family, playing in the sand, when I saw Ryan's gaze shift from his beautiful daughter to the ugly, sweaty boys in the distance. Without even looking back he said, "It looks like those guys need help!" and passed me his watch and was off!

Ryan and another dad (I presume!) took on about 10 little okes!!! The poor lighties had no chance! Ryan was running circles around them-until he couldn't run anymore!!!! I only saw the kids score 1 goal, the cheeky boy got down on his hands and knees and pushed the ball over with his nose! But I know what was going on in my husband, the grandson of Don Wilson's head: "It's alright..." and proceeded to cabelt (SP?!) the boys!!

Fun, fun, fun!!

Desert Safari with Mama Amna

We had the most incredible experience this weekend. Sean has this elderly local patient, Mama Amna, who invited us all to the desert for supper.

Note: You need to look carfully for her in the photo: She's next to Donna sitting in front of her daughter, they're both wearing black, so you can just bearly make out her slit for her eyes. But that is Mama Amna!

We drove out about 65km towards Hatta (for those who know which direction Hatta is!) and at a tiny turn-off we turned off (!!) and drove a little bit into the desert and then just stopped in the middle of absolutely nothing, and started setting up "camp". We parked our big 4x4s lager style around the chosen spot, threw their carpets on the sand, put a screen up around which would become the "kitchen" (I think some thought it would be the "bathroom", but that was deeper into the desert!) and unpacked the food...and more food! Next thing mama Amna is down on her hands and knees, digging in the sand to make her fireplace, refusing help because she is a "Jungle Woman" (her words exactly!)! She made the most amazing meal, a traditional rice and meat dish, and some delicious chicken kebabs. That was AFTER the raisin bread, Patchi chocolates, fruit, Lebanese/Turkish sweets and chips...!

Donna so enjoyed herself. Mama Amna's granddaughter, Miriam, was also there and they both got a little stool, a really cute teddy bear, and a car (!!). I took her little tea set with and she was making tea and coffee for everyone (and juice for Sean!). She asked to go "back to desert another day". I hope we do!

It was such a unique experience and privileged. Having a desert meal with a local family. It was one of those things that I had hoped to experience before we even came-a piece of their culture-their way, not in a museum or "staged" set-up, but enjoying it as part of their family. Well that's how they made us feel anyway.

The Grants

We had such a great time with the Grant family. After their very fancy family wedding in the UK, they came to stay with us for 4 days. The Grant kids arrived with fever, and my sweet Donna was simply miserable, I think from the 4 eye teeth she's been struggling with! We didn't do any of the things we set out to do: ie Wild Wadi, Mall of the Emirates, Ski Dubai, etc, but each day was an adventure and unfolded into wonderful times! I think they at least got their fill of shopping though, well Angus did, I think Sharon and Emily could have handled a bit more! But then Angus did manage to go on a Desert Safari with Ryan and Sean that I'm sure made up for it!

Poor Emily was smothered by Donna, Donna so loved having a "real" friend around for a while. I don't think she could believe it when she woke up in the mornings and Em was still there! Don would literally latch herself to Em, not letting go...shame man, I feel so bad for her!! It's amazing how true fellowships just are tight and special, no matter what age or distance. We are blessed to have friends in Christ!

For the Grants: The time of fellowship and catching up is what I valued most and miss most now-it was such a pleasure to have you guys over-but now you've just made me sad and long Pretoria all the more. But it is worth it-THANK YOU FOR COMING!