Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Our first big adventure as a family was to spend the weekend in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE. None of us had visited before, so we planned several days to hit some of the hotspots.

Our first stop was a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It was indeed a sight to behold, truly magnificent and beautiful. Everyone in the car was exclaiming, "Wow!" as we drove up to the entrance.

It's a shame that I only have my iPhone photos, which do nothing to display the grandeur and beauty of the Grand Mosque. I have never had much patience for museums or historical sightseeing, but the Grand Mosque is one of the most beautiful and memorable sites I have ever experienced.

The Grand Mosque is open for all visitors as long as they are respectfully dressed, which includes covered shoulders/knees/ankles and head coverings for the women. At the entrance, women are given abayas with head coverings and men are given pants to cover their knees.

Walking up to the mosque entrance was quite the sight. Photos (especially from my phone) just don't do any justice to the magnificence and beauty of the Grand Mosque.

We removed our shoes to enter the mosque. Inside, the views were even more stunning. The architecture and design elements were breathtaking at every turn.

Visitors are offered an interactive audio tour of the Grand Mosque that describes in detail all of the features and design elements from room to room. Jeff and the kids really enjoyed the interesting facts they learned.

The Grand Mosque was one of my favorite experiences here in the UAE, which really surprised me. It was such a neat opportunity to enjoy as a family, and the perfect way to kick off our weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai Miracle Garden

After we walked around the Dubai Marina and JBR, we stumbled upon another attraction that I had heard about and thought the kids might enjoy. We visited Dubai Miracle Garden, which is known as the world's largest natural flower garden with over 100 million flowers. Wow! I had heard that it was a great spot to experience some greenery in the midst of the Dubai desert sand, and we decided to check it out on a whim.

Walking into the main gates, we saw flowers and plants galore. It was a beautiful sight with flowering patterns and sculptures everywhere. We visited in the heat of the afternoon so we didn't visit each area, but I could see how Dubai Miracle Garden would provide great respite from the monotony of the brown sand covering the rest of the city.

The coolest sight at Dubai Miracle Garden was the Emirates A380 airplane completely covered and decorated in flowers. It was huge!

The other favorite spot is the newly installed Mickey Mouse sculpture. It was hard to believe that the entire thing was made of flowers!

I later learned that Dubai Miracle Garden is closed from May through September due to the hot temperatures outdoors, so I'm glad we were able to see the gardens before they closed for the season. It was a unique experience and fun for the kids to share together.

Together Again

Our entire family was beyond excited for the second week of Spring Break, when Collin and Kevin would finally be able to join us here in Dubai for a visit. After their long flight here, we all stayed the night in a hotel in Dubai Marina. It was so nice to finally all be together again!

For their first morning here, I assumed the boys would be tired and wanting to rest. But they were excited to get out and do some sight-seeing around the city. While Jeff went to the office, the kids and I walked around the Marina and then later stopped to show them our favorite spots in JBR.

It was a bit surreal to have them here but we all quickly settled back in as a family. Collin and Kevin don't see much of each other these days, either, so it was just really nice to see all four kids together and bonding again.

We had a lot of fun adventures planned for the two weeks that the boys were visiting. So much fun ahead!

Easter on the Beach

Easter Sunday was the start of our second week of Spring Break. Our church here, Fellowship of the Emirates, hosts a sunrise service on the beach each year and we were so happy to attend. We got up early and to the beach by 6:30 a.m. It was a beautiful morning to celebrate our risen Savior!

The worship team had shovels and built up a hill of sand for the leaders and pastor to stand on during the service. The weather was so nice and there was a huge crowd for the service. It was such a blessing to be surrounded with fellow believers worshipping and celebrating Easter Sunday in such a beautiful setting.

Wild Wadi

To cap off the first week of Spring Break, Jeff took the day off to join us for a day of adventure at a local waterpark here in Dubai called Wild Wadi. We didn't know much about it, but we were hopeful for a fun day in the sun. The location is super cool because it's right next to the Burj Al Arab. It was exciting to pull up to the entrance and be so close to the iconic hotel.

We quickly discovered our favorite rides and slides, and we made sure to ride them over and over before the crowds became too overwhelming. Then it was off to the pools, lazy river, and kids' area where there are no lines. We ended up staying at Wild Wadi ALL DAY and just had the best time. We are definitely a water park family and never get tired of the fun in the sun and water.

KidZania

One of the activities we planned for Spring Break was something the kids had been looking forward to for weeks. In the Dubai Mall is a place called KidZania, and it is a huge indoor miniature city where kids can perform jobs, earn and spend money, and participate in a make-believe society just for them. It reminds me of BizTown, the 5th grade field trip in Texas schools sponsored by Junior Achievement, where kids are assigned jobs and run the city for a day. KidZania is quite a bit larger with a huge variety of storefronts and jobs that kids can experience. Connor and Kaitlynn couldn't wait to check it out.

When we first arrived, we walked into the town center and watched the KidZania team perform a town opening ceremony. Then we started exploring the town to see which jobs the kids wanted to begin.

The first thing they had to do was open their respective bank accounts at the KidZania bank. Each business and storefront is sponsored by real-world companies and designed to look as similar as possible to the actual business in real life. The kids are given a starting amount of KidZania bucks to begin their day.

It was no surprise to me that the kids picked the local chocolate factory and cookie company as their first jobs of the day, because they'd heard that you get free samples, ha! Some jobs at KidZania will pay the workers a wage, while others will actually cost the kids some of their KidZania bucks. The cookie company, for example, charged a fee because you get to take a nice dessert home with you.

We had been told that some of the popular jobs were airplane pilot and firefighter, so the kids did those early before the crowds came. As it turns out, these jobs were designed more for the younger kids so they weren't as fun. But throughout the day, the kids became more familiar with the types of jobs they enjoyed and they began earning lots of bucks to spend. One of the activities they enjoyed spending their money on was the rock-climbing, and then they were back to earning with all of the various jobs they found.

We learned later in the day that some jobs and tasks are linked. For example, you can go to the University to earn a science degree. Once you earn the degree, your wage at certain jobs will increase. The kids can also build a resume and use that to earn extra wages too.

I was worried that Connor might be a bit old for the experience, but he and Kaitlynn both ended up having the best time at KidZania. There was a food court with several meal options so we grabbed some lunch and the kids went right back to work. I was able to hang out and relax in a super nice parent lounge while the kids continued playing, I mean, working. :-)

We stayed at KidZania for 5 hours and both kids still weren't ready to leave. At the end of their KidZania adventure, they had fistfuls of cash and were begging to return another time. Definitely a fun way to spend a day during Spring Break!