We decided to let the kids try and watch the Closing Ceremonies started. We tried for the Opening Ceremonies, but they fell asleep before the torch was lit. So they were determined to watch it get put out. We tucked Matt into bed since he didn't have the option of sleeping till noon the next day and went down at midnight to start the show. It was very eclectic and British and mostly fun. My personal favorite was the Monty Python tribute sung by Eric Idle himself--there were ladies in flying nun outfits on rollerblades, and Roman soldiers, and angels dancing with him. The kids are now throwing out other images they remember like the giant octopus, super models, spice girls, most of the band Queen, One Direction (which is THE most popular band right now. I have been educated.) George Michael, Beatles songs, local kids singing and signing, Cirque du Soleil-ish act, Richard Brand singing Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka song, Rio having their preview of what's to come in 4 years, presentation of the men's marathon medals, presentation to representatives of the tens of thousands of volunteers. . . . But some time after the 2 1/2 hour mark our TV went all Wonky and we could still hear, but not see and the end story is we all went to bed completely tired and mad that after all that we STILL didn't SEE the torch getting put out, though we heard all the lovely speeches about how great the games had been.
I woke the girls up at noon and they are just finishing breakfast. (it's well past 1pm local time) Isaac had woken up on his own an hour before. What a lazy lot are we.
Matt and I celebrated our 16th anniversary last week. My friend from Sri Lanka recommended a restaurant and called to make reservations for us. We have now been inside the Burj Al Arab--the building that looks like a sailboat. It is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I'll try to put up some iphone shot videos later. Most of the pictures we tried didn't turn out well. We didn't bring our good camera, but opted for the little pocket one and it didn't do well with the dim lighting. It's hollow inside (the building, not the camera) and there is a cool fountain which spits fun patterns all the time and every now and then it shoots up HIGH, like the ones in front of the Bellagio, but this is inside. Dinner was so so good and so so nice. We were jokingly remembering our 3rd anniversary when we treated ourselves to a steak dinner with baby Isaac. That busy baby made for a very hectic meal. One of us would hold the grabbing baby back from the table while trying to eat one-handed while the other would quickly cut a bunch of bites, then pass the baby across the table to switch jobs. This time we were sitting at a quiet, lovely table next to an enormous fish tank (It filled the center of the restaurant from floor to ceiling) and had a lovely slow dinner and chat. We were there almost 3 hours. After we were rather stuffed with dinner AND dessert, we were surprised with a special cake with Congratulations written across the top. Thanks to Jana for arranging that! They boxed it up for us to take much to the delight of three kids at home. 16 years.... It sounds like a lot and not enough at the same time. It's a big number, but at the same time, being married to Matt is just so normal and right. We just belong to each other. That sure is a nice realization.
Other news, Makenna is far too good at making cookies for her mother's good. Baked goods are my down fall, but she loves to bake. They tried a new recipe for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, oh, my!! If only they could travel well, I'd send off boxes to share and remove the temptation from me. I'll put the recipe up on the recipe blog for anyone who needs a sweet treat.
Isaac is having moments of being so completely responsible it leaves me feeling lost and inadequate. I don't know where this child came from. He is a gift from God and has many gifts to share. It's wonderful and sad all at once to see kids growing up.
I did write down a couple of Jessica quotes. One was just funny. One was so quick witted it still makes me laugh to think about it.
#1 We were walking into the Dubai Mall. There is a place to get a ticket to help remind you where you parked. Jess loves to collect the tickets. I teasingly asked why she was getting another and told her that she was wasting paper and killing polar bears. She said, "I'm not killing polar bears. If anything they're eating too much clams."
#2 (the best) Matt had an uncle that died last recently and we were all at the table talking about it. Matt said, "No one gets off this earth alive." Jess immediately piped up, "Astronauts do." She has her daddy's quick wit.
I'm putting some pictures in at the end.
It was completely tricky how the convertible top went up and down. And even faster than the Mini.
Matt or I taking someone for a drive.
This is just inside the entrance of the Burj Al Arab. There are spitting fountain steps between two escalators. The bigger fountain is on the next level.
On our way home. We wanted a picture showing "The Wave" building behind us. You just can't see it well. The Wave and The Sailboat.
The kids LOVED the anniversary cake!
It was decadent.
Yea! I have always wanted to see inside the Burq al Arab. It does look lovely and so does the meal. Your children are growing up so fast. They certainly have wondered the world.
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