Grandma Looney's Great Idea

Sawyer's desire to stand-up in the bath tub has made bath time rather challenging. So, Grandma Looney suggested we try bathing him in the sink....

Sawyer on the couch before bath time.

The sink was really a bad idea!!!

He wanted to kneel to see what was on the other side...


He continually grabbed at the faucet....


And then the icing was when he turned the water on - had no idea he knew how to do that.


If you note in the picture above, I had moved the faucet out of his reach, so when he turned the water on the water went all over the counter tops and then ran down on to the floor.

Sawyer will no longer be taking baths in the sink.

Good laughs with Grandma Looney!!

Mamamamama

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The holiday season has officially kicked off!!

We have had a wonderful Thanksgiving here in Islamorada. We had a fantastic meal -- way too much food -- with 12 of our friends. It was a beautiful day!!

The setting...

Sawyer was dressed in a super cute outfit from Auntie Dawn




And he had so much fun cruising around in his walker in the beach house -- lots of open space and dogs to chase!



Krissy took her dog, Ballyhoo, down to the beach and came across this hermit crab that had found a new home in the broken end of a fishing rod.

Looks a bit like a chef's hat.


After Sawyer's nap he shared some play time with George


And then it was time for the feast...


Sawyer LOVED thanksgiving dinner. He ate turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, bread, white potato, sweet potato and his favorites -- corn casserole, canned cranberries, and pumpkin pie!! We couldn't get over our little piggy!!

Part of our group at the dining room table.


And then Georgie got us all in the mood for dessert - HA!


We have settled in for good sleep following the big meal!

As we reflect on the last year we are most thankful for our little boy, but also thankful for the many wonderful friends and family members that have given us love and support throughout the past year.

We are on the move...

Today marks a milestone... Sawyer is on the move!

Check out his version of the crawl.

The Monster

Sawyer becomes more and more active each day... he is turning into our little boy, our little monster!!

He continues to insist this is how he should sit in the tub - not conducive to actual washing!!


Today he bumped his head and we have our first (of many) bruises... forehead on his right side.

The WILD MAN after his bath!

The hair, the teeth, too much!!

Sawyer's First Artwork

We are so proud of Sawyer's first art projects!!!

Nanny Kim brought Sawyer to "Story Time" at the Islamorada Library last Friday and they did these fun holiday pieces.

Two Thanksgiving Masterpieces - Turkey Hands if you cannot tell

And my personal favorite the Green Feet Christmas Wreath


Sawyer was the youngest artist in the group, but had lots of fun - apparently he really loved the red paint!!

Enjoy!!

Dubai - Evening in the Desert

This evening we had the unique opportunity to experience Dubai's desert.

The cast of characters included my client and friend, Mary Ann

And business associates Rick and Mark


Once we had arrived in the desert, our driver had to deflate the tires to insure safe travel over the sand.


And then we hit the dunes for an exciting 4x4 adventure. This is the course we were on...

We took a small break and I had the opportunity to walk barefoot in the velvet sand.


We rounded a corner and their sat camels, are driver pulled over so we could enjoy the desert sunset from the hump of a camel.

The sunset...

And as we came over the last dune a gorgeous dinner setting was waiting.

The sky was amazing after the sun had set.

I love that those pictures look like paintings!

Our dinner table -- food was incredible!! We also had more food than we could possibly eat... Lamb (2 ways), Chicken (2 ways), Lobster, Prawns, White Fish -- and that was only the main course!!

So happy at the dinner table.

As we were preparing for desert an Arabian dancer performed.

There was also a Henna Artist on hand so I had my feet decorated.

Such a memorable evening!!

Dubai - Tour by Air

I have had the incredible opportunity through work to visit Dubai, a state within the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is a fascinating country and you truly have to see it with your own eyes to believe it!! The past decade has been about growth for Dubai -- they have put themselves on the map. As a country they are working to become the best and the biggest and only their imaginations seem to be the boundaries.

Dubai has a population of 2M people of which 82% are expatriates (or there on visa's). This creates an incredibly diverse community of people!! And as a result it is a very safe place to visit -- you break a law and you are sent back to where you came from.

Dubai is a desert, a desert that has been transformed into a coastal paradise with man-made islands, lush golf courses, and architecture that will blow your mind.

This afternoon I toured Dubai from the air, a seaplane to be exact. I apologize that some of the pictures appear grainy, but I was shooting through a window and did my best.

Dubai has taken the floor of the ocean and with large quantity created what they call the Palm Islands. There are three palms in total (construction on the 3rd has been halted due to the economy). There is a center tree with fronds and then a crescent that surrounds the tree to protect it from the ocean.

Below is Palm Jebel Ali. Creation is just about complete and then construction will begin.


This is the picture of the Jebel Ali port - largest in the world. There is a container ship docked, but hard to see - 56 container ships can be parked here at one time.

A container ship making its way in.

The world largest building - Burj Dubai

And the very famous "7 star" hotel - Burj Al Arab

A picture of Sheik Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Palace. The Royal Family has been in place for nearly 200 years. The Sheik is very popular in Dubai as it is his vision that has put them on the map. I think the accommodations look OK.

Several picture of the city line from various angles... The construction seems constant, cranes are in motion everywhere you look! And each building seems to have out done the one next to it.

Dubai Creek

Another little man-made project... The Islands of the World. There are 300 in total and represent the different countries on planet earth. They start at $12-13M. The Sheik's personal island is the only one that has been fully developed at this time, but we do know that Rod Stewart owns one! =)

Palm Jumeirah - and this is where I stayed, at the Atlantis Resort. Atlantis is located on the crescent that surrounds the palm and you arrive via an underwater tunnel.

A view looking up Palm Jumeirah - Atlantis is the castle looking structure at the top of the picture.

This part of Dubai is considered "New Dubai" as it contains the newest Marina and Marina Village as well as some of the newer construction.

And the worlds largest Desalination Plant - they use ocean water for everything in Dubai, including keeping the grass green!!

I hope that helps give an overview of Dubai.

**I just realized I sound like a tour guide - perhaps a job opportunity?!?! =)