Mom visits Dubai!

We had a great two weeks with Mom! She spent most of the days in class with us and introduced the kids to Sorry! A game, I might add, they are now obsessed with!





We took a day trip into Hatta for a little change of scenery. Instead of being surrounded by skyscrapers we spent the day amongst the mountains=).

Some lovely red sand in the distance. We passed a giant dune called "Big Red" that is supposed to be a lot of fun to take the 4x4 up.... something we'll have to try soon!





There are some beautiful little pools to explore



Look! Grass in the desert!!! We found a nice little resort to have lunch at in the afternoon.




We also took several outings to Sharjah to shop at the expansive Blue Souk. So much to experience! Two long shopping trips and we still haven't seen half of the souk! The bottom floors of the souk house jewelry stores, and the windows absolutely glow from all the gold. Upstairs you can find carpets, tapestries, antiques, and trinkets galore! We got some great Christmas shopping done, and I can't wait to go back and do some more=). The Blue Souk is also a place to sample delicious Arabic vendor treats... you haven't lived until you've tried a Special Fry Sandwich with chilis... mmmmm! Not sure when in the last 20 years it happened, but french fries have found their way into the emirates and they are a big hit. They are even putting them in shwaramas!

This is a picture of about 1/8 of the Blue Souk. There are two of these long buildings (only about 1/4 of one is pictured) and they are connected by shop-lined breezeways.


We are absolutely in love with the gorgeous tapestries that are imported from India. They are stunning to say the least, and I'm sure we'll have quite a collection before long! Mom bought us our first tapestry as a housewarming gift, and it will soon have a new home on one of our "dining room" walls=).



Hehe... Isaac modeling a kleenex box cover=). It was a silly night!


Isaac is modeling again! He is wearing an Iraqi helmet and holding an Omani dagger. The helmet is a replica of those worn by past Iraqi leaders. Supposedly, they couldn't tell a lie while they were wearing these headdresses. This particular piece now lives at our house and is a great conversation starter=).