Livi's chair

Olivia loves her new chair, and so do I. Especially because I bought it on Dubizzle (Dubai's Craig's list) for 100 dirhams (about $30) and had it reupholstered. The Indian woman that I bought it from didn't even post a picture of it because it was so nasty. It just said "rock & swivel chair- will need good cleaning"...so Tiffani and I journeyed to Sharjah with the terrible directions that I tried to pick up from the Indian lady's husband. We were in a pretty sketchy looking area and Tiffani started getting worried when I didn't come out of the building for about 10 minutes (I had left my phone and Olivia with her in the car). She was about to come in for me when the Indian, the Arab, and I come walking out with this hideous chair.



I told them if they could fit in the car, I'd take it...and by some small miracle IT FIT! I think the guy was pretty thrilled that I was taking the nasty chair off his hands and I was thrilled because I knew it had serious potential! Brig was really worried that we were going to catch some disease while it was in our apartment before it got reupholstered but I think he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

So here it is~Ta-DA!



I love, love, love it. It has great shape, it's super comfortable, and it ROCKS & SWIVELS, of course.



So that's our Dubizzle find of the year so far. In Brig's words, "Dubizzle fo shizzle."



Here are some more shots of Olivia. We don't have our couch yet so we spend a lot of time in the only chair in the house. Thanks to Aunt Kate for the DARLING outfit!



Me & my girl are off to America on Saturday~ YAY!



Oh yeah, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I had a pretty crazy day yesterday running around to 4 different grocery stores trying to find American food for Thanksgiving and meeting lots of expats doing the same. So we're off to dinner & SO excited for some American deliciousness!

The Kate Dress #14

If any of you know my sister, Courtney, you probably know that she has impeccable style. She is classy, tailored, and feminine- a real life Audrey Hepburn. But you may not know that she is a closet fashion designer and she's got a real talent. So, a few of her friends made her enter one of her dress designs in the Dare to Design Contest for Shabby Apple, and guess what??? Her dress made the top 15!

So, I need all of you to vote for her darling little dress

The Kate Dress #14

Believe me, you will want this dress in your closet and the only way to get it is to VOTE FOR IT! If she wins, it will go into production for the Spring 2010 line! All you have to do is go here and leave a comment with #14 in it...that's all! The voting ends NOVEMBER 30th!

* AND If you vote for the Kate Dress, leave a comment with your email address here on my blog and I will do a designer fabric GIVEAWAY on November 30th! I will enter your name in a drawing to win a pair of custom made designer pillows from yours truly!

So LADIES (& gents) GET OUT AND VOTE!

good things

I keep thinking about the phrase

"good things come to those who wait"

I think it's like the slogan of my life. Sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life.

~ I waited a LONG time for my Brigham to turn into a prince (and he did).

~ I waited what felt like an eternity for a baby to stay in my arms after enduring the loss of my sweet Reese.

~ and I have waited quite some time to be able to paint MY own walls, and not someone elses.

It seems like a silly thing to get emotional over painting my walls, but when I took these pictures yesterday of Olivia looking at us in her crib with her perfect purpley-pink walls in the background, I had an "Aa-haah moment." When I realized that those 3 things that I have wanted so badly have come to fruition in my life, I said to myself "good things come to those who wait." I sat for a moment and pondered how much more I cherish every second of every day that I spend with Olivia because I had to wait for her. I am so grateful for the miracle that both of my girls are in my life- that Reese teaches me of our life beyond death and that Olivia teaches me that every day of this life is a blessing from God. I am so grateful for my prince who loves me and his girls so much. And I am grateful for the purpley-pink walls that mean so much more than a few coats of paint.

And on that same note, I am so thrilled to announce that my sister Courtney, who has also waited a long time (almost 4 years) for another baby to join their family, is 20 weeks PREGNANT! The Lord has brought us even closer than we thought we could be in the last 2 years through our similar trials...and I am so overwhelmed with gratitude at her good news. This baby will be so loved.

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT

*and here are some more pictures for Nana, who's also been waiting so patiently for pictures of her granddaughter!

and here's the view from Olivia's room. COME VISIT US!

moving!

We are finally moving in! Last week we got a car and after a crazy turn of events...we finally signed a real contract for an apartment (not the same one we wanted, but in the same building). Life is getting a bit more settled and I am so happy! I still can't drive, but should be this week. Here are some pictures of our new place and a few more at the hotel. We won't have internet for a week or so...so I'll update when I can! And NO I don't have any Halloween pictures of Olivia because we missed the party because we were moving and then she pooped all over her ladybug costume! Sad. Happy belated Halloween!













We've been loving our days relaxing by the pool now that it has cooled down. Olivia gets so relaxed with her legs in the water, I love it. Farewell to our hotel days...they've been good to us.

again?

I think Olivia is getting sick of photo shoots on the bed in our hotel everyday...


but life isn't too exciting when you're waiting to move and you don't have a car yet.


{and even if we had a car- i can't drive till i get my visa and a license AND permission to drive from my husband } IF I GOT CAUGHT I WOULD BE IMPRISONED!


So we are good little girls and we stay at home.


by the way...this girl hates tummy time. we've been working on it this week. {i shouldn't tell you that the bribe is watching Style network. yes, she'll stay on her tummy when she can look up at the tv! we've got a fashionista on our hands.}


I did, however, find PREMIUM diapers this week...they are soft and stretchy, just like American diapers. a middle-eastern miracle. (if you think euro diapers are bad- come here...they're like cardboard)

*and I tried to add another video but it doesn't seem to be working...I'll keep trying to upload it but in the meantime enjoy the pics {excuse my gargles~ it's her favorite language}

dubai so far

view from our hotel of the burj dubai, the tallest building in the world {there's obviously a lot of construction going on here}


little livi girl


her first dip in the pool on daddy's birthday


we have to go swimming at night cause it's way too hot during the day


not sure how she felt about it


ski dubai at mall of the emirates


fashion ave in dubai mall {the shopping is amazing}


can you tell that the arabs dig this cafe?


waterfall inside dubai mall


the souk near old town island


smiling girl


the heat puts her right to sleep


sorry these aren't too exciting...we've just been super busy trying to find an apartment, car, etc.
luckily we have found a place and we'll move in in 10 days!

*here's a little video of the call to prayer at dubai mall. {fyi. i look hideous}

3 months

Olivia finally got a real-checkup yesterday by our new pediatrician here. 14.8 pounds... she is in the 95th percentile for height and weight. Brig is so proud.


By the way...she isn't wearing lipstick. Brig pressed "boost color" and I can't seem to revert to the original.



I promise I'll get some pics of Dubai up soon. Life has been crazy around here.