Wrapping Up our 2018

During our winter break, we managed to catch up on some much needed down time around Dubai. Jeff was working most days, but we enjoyed having lunch with him a time or two.

Kaitlynn and I love our days away from school to do some occasional shopping and of course enjoy a special treat. Interesting fact...although there are Wendy's restaurants all over Dubai, they do not sell their famous chocolate Frosty here. They do sell soft serve vanilla ice cream, which Kaitlynn was happy to enjoy.

When New Year's Eve rolled around, we didn't have any special plans. We decided to have another low-key celebration, which is just the way I like it! We enjoyed seeing the cartoon Spiderman movie and then I went to bed while Jeff and the kids enjoyed the New Year's fireworks from our 3rd floor roof. It was hard to believe we were wrapping up yet another year. Goodbye, 2018!

Our Christmas in Dubai

Our Christmas in Dubai felt a lot more "Christmas-y" this year than last year! We were able to carry on some of our usual traditions, including the opening of gifts and stockings on Christmas morning. It was a "light" Christmas for us this year because we had just returned from Bangkok. And of course, it's never the same family holiday when Collin and Kevin aren't with us.

This year took on a different feeling for another reason as well. After months of hinting and asking questions, Kaitlynn told us she was ready for the truth about Santa Clause. We spilled the beans and her world is forever changed! It was upsetting to her at first but she slowly became adjusted to the idea, especially when she was able to take a more active role in the Christmas traditions like Jexan the Elf and Christmas stockings. But it felt like an entirely new chapter in the Courtright family, one that I wasn't all that disappointed about, to be honest!

As the hour grew late on Christmas Eve, it was time to say goodnight and let the anticipation build for Christmas morning.

There was no shortage of excitement in our house on Christmas morning. The kids had been staring at those gifts for a while and they were ready to see what surprises were in store. There were smiles all around for Connor, with his favorite gifts being new AirPods, books, candy, and Fortnite socks (ha!). And Kaitlynn hit the jackpot with her LOL! dolls and zebra themed gifts. I'm not joking when I say that my December trip to Houston completed saved our Christmas. It's shocking how much more expensive some of these items were priced here versus back home. Thank goodness for my last-minute trip and a generous baggage allowance on my flight!

We had a blast opening gifts and enjoying some Christmas breakfast snacks, but soon it was time to get ready and head out for our Christmas adventure. Just like last year, we were celebrating the special day by visiting a local theme park. This time we went to Motiongate, which is a Hollywood-inspired theme park with tons of rides and attractions. It was our first visit and we couldn't wait to explore.

We enjoyed checking out the various sections of the park and seeing what rides we wanted to enjoy before the lines started building. I've mentioned before that my family can be split into 2 groups: those that love roller coasters and those that ARE SCARED FOR THEIR LIVES and won't consider riding them unless they are the tame ones. We very quickly found a couple of tame coaster rides and loved hopping right on over and over while there were no lines in the morning.

But it wasn't long before Connor seemed to toughen up a bit and actually suggested that we ride one of the bigger, scarier roller coasters. I did not pressure him at all; it was completely his choice. Before we knew it, we had ridden the scariest rides in the park, and we were LOVING them! I think Connor even surprised himself when he rode with me on the Hunger Games themed coaster that actually does a 360-degree loop. I would NOT have believed this if I hadn't been sitting right next to him! I had the best time with my new roller coaster buddy!

We rode the rides over and over until early afternoon. Then we walked over to a different section of the park for some lunch, and I was really excited to finally visit Dubai's version of Olive Garden. I may have had my hopes up too high...it was good (yummy breadsticks and salad) but not as good as the ones back in the States. But it was a great way to cap off our Christmas Day visit to Motiongate.

Back home, we enjoyed the downtime and the kids were excited to bust out their Christmas loot. Although we certainly missed our family and Christmas traditions from back home, we ended up having a wonderful holiday with our little family and with our new friends and traditions here in Dubai.

Christmas Eve

Almost as soon as we returned from Bangkok, it was time to start planning for our upcoming Christmas in Dubai. We did some minimal decorating and preparations this year, just enough to make it feel somewhat festive at home (unlike last Christmas when we were living with temporary furniture and few personal belongings).

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas Eve with our small group at church. The Whitnell family hosted all of us for a traditional Christmas Eve dinner with turkey, ham, dressing, and all the delicious sides we enjoy back home. We stuffed ourselves with the wonderful food, and then the kids participated in building gingerbread houses with an unending supply of candy. Thank goodness for great friends who host craft activities like these or my kids would never be exposed to them, ha!

Our small group has become extra special to us and we so enjoyed the special time together on Christmas Eve. Afterwards, we all headed to the Trade Center area of Dubai for the special Christmas Eve service with our church, Fellowship of the Emirates. We enjoyed the beautiful service and worship, the perfect way to celebrate Christmas Eve with our family and friends here in Dubai.

I couldn't resist throwing in 2 more photos from our Christmas season. First, Kaitlynn will take any opportunity she gets to wear her precious Christmas/winter outfits like the one below taken at church in December. Love it!

Lastly, I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I was shopping for some discounted hams around Christmas time. I came upon this "Frozen Suckling Pig" in the freezer section at one of my favorite grocery stores. It was truly an entire baby pig, frozen in the standing position and ready to be cooked/smoked (who knows??) for someone's Christmas dinner. I can honestly say I had never seen anything like it before! Oh, and it was around $200 or so, in case you were wondering? Ha!

Kaitlynn in 4th Grade

This post is a little out of order, but I had to sneak it in as I'm getting closer to finishing my updates from 2018. As Kaitlynn was wrapping up the fall semester of 4th grade at American School of Dubai (ASD), she was having such fun adventures both inside and outside of the classroom. Her teacher, Mrs. Wiltgen, does a fabulous job of taking and sharing photos of the kids throughout the school year, which really gives me a much better glimpse into Kaitlynn's time at school. Here were some of her 4th grade fall adventures.

UAE National Day falls in November to commemorate the founding of the country. It's similar to the 4th of July in America, and there are festive celebrations all throughout the country. Kaitlynn's 4th grade enjoyed a half-day of outdoor activities to celebrate the special day with face painting, games, special performances, and more.

Also in November, Kaitlynn's class went on their 2nd field trip of the year. They have a total of 4 field trips throughout the school year, which I find to be so amazing! For their November trip, they visited the Mangrove National Park which is on an island in Abu Dhabi. The park is a protected area of mangroves and wild bird and animal species on the coast. The students were able to tour and explore the park, and they even had a chance to take a canoe ride along the shore. How cool of a field trip is this?! It doesn't much compare to the Caddo Indian museum field trip that I remember taking around her age (no offense intended, as I don't enjoy most museums at all, ha!).

The students in Mrs. Wiltgen's class also recently completed some hands-on science projects as well as some fun time set aside with a fellow student in high school that visited several times to read to their class. I sure love seeing all the fun they are having week after week!