Farmer's Market

Currently, Dubai is not known for being very green. You have to drink bottled water, but there is no real recycling program to speak of. Also, the climate and landscape hinders what can be grown locally or organically. The UAE imports 85% of their produce so items that are grown locally and taste really fresh are a welcome change. The Farmer's Market is small but a good start for a city that is attempting to reduce their carbon foot print. The Farmer's Market is located in a unique setting outside Baker and Spice Restaurant at the Souk al Bahar (outside the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa). Some of the locally grown items included: herbs, oranges, green beans, peppers and cucumbers. The Farmer's Market also features breads made by the Baker and Spice restaurant. All the restaurants and grocery stores here make their own fresh breads. You cannot find any mass produced or processed bread. So far we have enjoyed tasting different kinds and flavors.

The weather was perfect for our breakfast overlooking the Dubai Fountains and a trip to the Farmer's Market.

Savannah is Five Months Old

It is so hard to believe that our "baby girl" is already five months old. No doctors appointment this month but based on how fast she is growing out of clothes I would guess she is still growing at a steady pace...especially in height. Four months was full of fun milestones like rolling over and sitting by herself. She is also getting her first tooth and loves to put everything in her mouth...including her toes! She is so interested in being able to see what is going on around her but not interested in starting a morning or afternoon nap schedule or being a consistent sleeper through the night. We can't wait to see what 5 months brings.

Proof that Savannah Can Sit!

She is still a little wobbly but everyday gets stronger on her own! (Thanks to Aunt Megan & Uncle Jon for the new outfits!)

Randomness

Here are a few random pictures of Savannah in the last few weeks. Four and half months has been full of milestones for Savannah. Since Christmas she has learned to roll over and can sit on her own. She is also starting to use her voice with random noises and squeals! We are also anxiously awaiting my mom's visit. She is coming to visit on the 15th.

On Thursday night we decided to go to dinner on the Jumeriah Beach Walk. Since traffic and parking on the walk is horrible, we opted to call a taxi. We loaded the car seat and stroller into the taxi and were off. The taxi drivers here are known to not be the best drivers...they are always in quite the rush. This particular driver was worried because he was convinced that we were not the passengers who called him and that he was supposed to pick up. Evidently he can be fined by the taxi company for this so he was trying to talk Chris into calling the taxi company and explain the situation but in his broken English I am not sure Chris knew what he was supposed to be explaining. In the process of trying to give Chris the phone number, he rear ended the driver in front of us. Luckily, he hit him in a rolling stop so there was no damage to either car or anyone in either car...although I was quite concerned as Savannah was with us (although we were going so slow that she didn't even flinch!). After this minor accident the taxi driver seemed to forget all about Chris calling his boss!

Always an adventure!

Al Mushrif Park

Today we ventured out to another park. Al Mushrif Park is the oldest and largest park in Dubai, but not one of our favorites. Most of the parks we have been to so far have been very green...this one is mostly sand and very desert like (go-figure!). We did notice that there were a lot of locals at this particular park. This isn't a bad thing, but it was one of the only times we felt very much in the minority. It is also one of the only times I have felt uncomfortable in my dress (jeans and a sleeveless shirt). Most of the other women were completely covered in National dress. Plus this park is a little farther out so not as convenient to go to for the afternoon. Even though it wasn't one of our favorites, it was a great way to spend an afternoon enjoying the winter weather.

Things Savannah Will Never Know

Chris found an article online that highlighted everyday things that kids born in 2011 (figured Savannah was close enough) will never know. We found the article interesting and since I am hoping to create a book out of all of our blog entries, I thought it would be a fun list to look back at one day. Here are the main features of the article:

*travel agents

*video tapes

* separation of work and home (you mean the blackberry is for more than texting and playing brick breaker?)

*books, magazines and newspapers

*watches (I still think watches will always be a fashion accessory!)

*movie rental stores

*paper maps

*wired phones

*long distance (Savannah will for sure never understand this...I think she may know how to operate Skype before she can walk)

*dial-up internet

* Encyclopedias

*evening news

*CD's

*film cameras

*yellow and white pages

*catalogs

*fax machines

*one picture to a frame

*retirement plans

*mail (maybe Dubai is really ahead of their time?)

*commercials on T.V.

*commercials on music radio

Polo Anyone?

Today we went to the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club to watch our first polo match. Although, we don't really understand the game it was a fun way to spend a beautiful afternoon. Entry to the match is free and Savannah got to see the horses up close. She didn't pay too much attention to them but maybe next time she can pet one.