November/December

We kicked off Novembers concerts with The Cult and Incubus at Yas Island. The Cult were awesome!

If there is a table around, at least one of the kids will try to stand on it.

Or often all three.

The next concert was The Script, Sneaky Sound System and Groove Armada at Sandance Beach, Atlantis. Lots of fun.

Bastie got a shiny new red motorbike. He LOVES it.

We continued to enjoy the cooler weather in our lovely garden.

The kids got in to the spirit of National Day.

National Day celebrations at Repton.

Santa at Wafi.

Waiting to see Santa with Xavi, Suri and Reubs.

Our veggie garden has been great this year. Loads of rocket, lettuce and herbs. Lovely watermelon, huge aubergines and lots of tomatoes ripening now.

Another lovely Madinat Christmas.

Jumping back to 2011 with a quick photo round up.

Bx

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

Here is a copy of our Christmas email:

Dear all

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

No more children this year, phew! Not that it made it any easier, three little ones is hard work. I don't know how Bec does it, one afternoon alone with all three of them and I am ready to explode. Luckily, beer is an appropriate calming measure. Daisy wants a baby sister and I think Bec would happily oblige. I have one condition - my own brewery!

The big news this year was Zach starting school and Bastie starting playgroup - both of them are loving it! Daisy also moved into year 1, and now has to take responsibility for all her own things when we drop her off at the playground. She is coping fine, although she could not find her lunch one day and the teachers just assumed we had forgotten it, rather than check her bag where it was all along - she's only five!

All the kids are doing well. Daisy has received brilliant school reports and her reading & writing is just amazing. Zach also had a fantastic report for his first term, although he doesn't listen - we know! Bastie's speech is getting really good. I love the way he looks at the radio station sticker on my car and shouts "songs!". All of the kids love singing and dancing, although Bastie is so difficult to please on the iPod. I am fed up of scrolling through songs with him shouting "no!" until he gets to one he likes - do it yourself Boo Boo!

We've not had too many holidays this year, but we had a wonderful trip to Switzerland in the summer, staying with Bec's brother Blake & family in Basel. However, we made up for the lack of holidays with some serious over indulgence on the concert front. In a taste of things to come we saw both Akon and Bryan Adams in December 2010, but here is the full list of concerts we've been to this year:

• Mike Posner & N*E*R*D - February 10
• Amy Winehouse - February 11
• Macy Gray & Lifehouse - February 17
• Joshua Radin & Train - February 18
• James Walsh & Eric Hutchinson - February 25
• Usher - March 10
• The Streets - March 18
• Faithless - April 1
• Paul Young, The Real Thing, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Belinda Carlilse & Boy George - April 7
• Westlife - April 14
• Juliana Down & Maroon 5 - April 21
• Hurts - May 19
• Joe Cocker - May 22
• Moby - July 4
• Al Murray - September 9
• LMFAO - September 30
• Chicane & Example - October 15
• Metallica - October 25
• The Cult & Incubus - November 12
• The Script & Sneaky Sound System - November 18

Twenty concerts in one year is pretty good going, although there are some pretty dodgy ones, and I want to make it clear that I would not actually pay to see Westlife! Amy Winehouse was by far the worst, complete train wreck. It was the penultimate concert of her short sad life. What a waste.

More of our closest friends, Kath & Gav, left Dubai this year. I know that as expats we have to get used to this, but we don't find it easy. It was very sad to see them go. However, they now have the dubious pleasure of joining our Christmas email list, that we only send to overseas family and friends.

Anyway, it is that time of year again, nearly 10pm on Christmas Eve. Time to retire to the couch with a beer and mince pie.

Have a fantastic Christmas and an awesome 2012 - I sincerely hope that the Mayans messed up their dates and it doesn't turn out to be the end of the world. Bit of a bummer if they are on the money. Are these the same Mayans from Sons of Anarchy?

As usual, please bear us in mind if you are passing through this part of the world.

You can also see what we've been up to via http://blog.becandy.com/

Lots of love from

Andy, Bec, Daisy, Zach & Sebastian x

Rugby Sevens

Bastie works his local look.

Woo!

Much chasing and bashing went on.

Bastie tolerates a camera in the face again. But only just.

Whack!

A lot of dancing went on.

Ice cream break.

Then back to dancing.

Bastie takes a break by hiding under my hair.

Watching the on field action.

Cheerleaders!

Camels!

Boy's day the following day.

We had another brilliant day at the Rugby Sevens this year. The kids had a fantastic time catching up with their Sevens friends and watching the action on field. We were there all day and Bastie even managed to sleep for an hour and half in his buggy. Andy had a boy's day the following day and was thrilled with an England win.

Bx

Nights out in October/November

We saw the comedian Al Murray at The Madinat. He was great. This is on the boat to drinks at Al Qasr afterwards.

We had farewell drinks at The Address Marina for Andy's workmate Jono.

We went to the Dxb Festival at Nasimi Beach, Atlantis. LMFAO headlined. Not really my cup of tea!

At Dxb with Hilary. I'm surprised I didn't have to buy an extra ticket for my hair. It was very humid.

October Sandance, on the beach at Atlantis. We saw Chicane (fab) and Example (also fab). Sandance is turning out to be a consistently top night.

Our most eagerly anticipated concert of the year....Metallica at Yas Island! It was AWESOME.

The played for two and a half hours and pulled out all their classics.

Super awesome.

We also saw The Cult and Incubus another night at Yas Island. The Cult were great. I'm find Incubus boring but their fans seemed to love it.

Rock!

Yawn.

At November Sandance we saw The Script, Sneaky Sound System and Groove Armada. All very good.

The couches and bottles of vodka in the VIP area were also very good.

We've had a few top nights out over the past couple of months. Here's some pics of the action.

Bx

Daisy loses her first tooth!

Pre pulling, Daisy tries out the hillbilly look.

Tweezers didn't work.

So she enlists my help and success! First tooth out!

Super excitement.

Gappy!

Waiting for the tooth fairy.

Woo! Seven dirhams and a note.

November 25 was a very big day for Daisy, after weeks of wiggling, she lost her first tooth! Bottom centre and she made me pull it out, ewwwww. It was followed not long after with the tooth next to it.

Bx

Halloween

Repton made a great effort for Spooky Dress Up day. Here is Zach leaving his classroom with his teacher, Mrs Blakely.

At the school gates with Miles and Finn.

Our spooky ghost cake.

I thought Bastie would be a grump about dressing up but he loved it.

Scary! Not.

We had a Halloween disco. Woop woop!

The boys get down.

The bat takes flight.

Waiting for trick or treaters. There were lots.

Choc at the ready.

We had another fun Halloween. The kids had a spooky dress up day at school (which Daisy missed with chicken pox) and we decorated the house, welcomed trick or treaters and did a neighbourhood drive by to check out the action. Halloween is pretty big in the Ranches and the streets were teeming with ghouls of all description. We stayed in the car as Bastie was understandably too scared to leave it!

Bx