Celebrating 10 Years of Dallin

As we head off on a big journey, we are happy to celebrate 10 years of Dallin.  We are so glad to have him and for the good example that he is to his younger sisters and brother.

Just coming home after his first month in the hospital

We can still hear him squeaking that pacifier

A big grin after getting off of continuous feeds

Helping to plant a tree. Purple valve on the trach tube

Celebrating being able to go to a Phoenix Suns basketball game before moving to Australia. Love the ice cream stains.

Loving the sand on Whitehaven Beach, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Climbing in the old fig tree at New Farm Park in Brisbane

Loving the Thai Pumpkin soup in Dubai

Mecca & on to Taif

K, H, and I with Mecca in the background

I've done some work that required visits to a University in Mecca (Makkah).  Yeah, that one.  While not coming into the areas restricted for only Muslims, I did get to see quite a bit.

It was 44*C in Mecca and 25*C in Taif

There are baboons in the hills and hanging out at a place to pull off by the side of the road

Baboon nursing a baby.

Switchbacks on this huge climb

Some people got too close to the baboons and they weren't happy

A Child's Prayer

Our B-Bop

Sweet Rebekah is growing in more ways than one. She's getting tall and communicating better every week. She has developed her own sense of style and likes to experiment with her hair.

The Mall of the Emirates

A high-end area of the mall called "Fashion Dome"

On our last full day in Dubai we went off the resort property to another mall.  This one is called The Mall of the Emirates. It's not as big as the Dubai Mall but perhaps more fancy.

That's right a skiing park within the mall.

The thing that this mall is most known for is Ski Dubai.  The structure itself is visible for miles away from the mall as it appears like a corkscrew-type shape sticking up from the rest of the mall.

James Trying to Heal

Traveling with an injured baby wasn't the easiest for him or for us. However, we are blessed with a good natured boy that wants to play and get along as much as he can. We all got extensive amounts of sleep on this trip which helped us fulfill the "Rest" part of the Rest and Recreation Leave. Jennifer and I slept in one room on a king-sized bed. James joined us in a crib in our room. Zach, Dallin, Autumn, and Rebekah had an adjoining room with two queen-sized beds. Nap time was a must.

James having a nap with me. Not sure who fell asleep first.

Pretty sure I woke up shortly after Jen took this photo. He can lean pretty hard.

One day at the waterpark, his bandages got wet and needed to be changed. He's quite tough and kept a stiff upper lip when the bandages came off. It was tough because his dead skin came off too. The human body is an amazing thing.

{warning to tender grandparents about photographs and hurt expressions below}

"The Lost Chambers"

As part of the Atlantis resort there is also a very large aquarium, it's so big and deep that they send SCUBA divers around in it.  To showcase the sea life, they've built a themed area around the Atlantis concept called The Lost Chambers.  The whole experience was very fun and it looked different at night than in the day.

Jellyfish illuminated by UV light

The Dubai Mall & Fountains

The Burj Khalifa -- By most standards, the current tallest building in the world.

On Tuesday, after our fun-filled day at the waterpark, Dad & kids all had tremendous naps while Jennifer had a half-day treatment package at the spa. She enjoyed it and we enjoyed that she enjoyed it. That night, we took a taxi from the Atlantis to go to the Dubai Mall. I don't care to know the specifics but it claims to be the world's biggest mall.

The "Leap of Faith"

We had fun on the "Leap of Faith" slide. Or, I guess I should say that Zach and I did. Dallin, though he did it twice, still isn't too sure.

A look from above to the 70ft drop

Dubai & Atlantis

Catching up on the blog after vacation and a very hectic week of work

One aspect of the spectacular lobby

We left for Dubai on a 'Rest & Recreation Leave' on 21 May.  It was nearly a month after our family arrived in Riyadh but because I'd been there much longer we were in a position where we had to use this leave benefit or lose it.  We'll have two of these 1-week leave benefits per year plus a week of 'home leave' to fly to the USA.