My Big, Hot, Dubai Birthday!

Happy Birthday Baby Bear!

I honestly can't believe it, but this little cake faced critter is celebrating her 8th birthday.  Our little Gigi has brought us so much joy - and kept us laughing for the past eight years.  Every time she has a birthday I wish she could just stay that age forever - but I have to say we just love her more each year! 

Since this day would double as a Bye-Bye Dubai party, we decided to blow it out.  We went BIG!  Why not? How many times to you leave your first Expat experience and celebrate your baby's birthday all in one?

For her birthday this year, all she wanted was her very closest friends to celebrate with her at the Sasso home away from home - The Atlantis.  And this is when this blog could be retitled "Ode to the Atlantis Resort".  It is an amazing place - great for families and so much to do you could live there for weeks!  But it is the staff that just makes it unbelievable.  The manager of the kids program - Isabelle -  asked me a few questions about G and her friends, and then proceeded to plan the most fun, personal, perfect birthday ever! 

Of course, we so wish G's wonderful friends and family from home could have been here to share it with her!  I think this is the first birthday since she was 3 that she didn't celebrate with E-Bear and Tay Tay!  So we'll have to take you along with us in pictures.  Here it is - a pictoral of G's 8th Birthday! 

The crew arrives at Atlantis - from left to right is Luke, Sam, Caroline, Blake, Georgia, Olivia and Emily.  I think Emily may be the only pal I haven't introduced yet.  She is a spunky little spitfire with a great sense of humour!  She lives on our frond and she and G have become really close. 

Checking in to our room and enjoying some juice!

The crew at Atlantis had put balloons EVERYWHERE you looked!  In our room, all over the floor, everywhere! 

First stop?  Aquaventure!  It's hooooottttt.  Like Africa hot.  So the kids were more than happy to hop a ride:

They even decked out the cabana at Aquaventure!   And assigned the kids grown up "friends" to play with in the water and on the rides!  Whaaaat? 



Ready for action!

There were plenty of places to stay cool!

Then back to the room for a quick change and a peek at the view - we could see our actual house (and Sam's too!):

Then we hit Club Rush - the Teen/Tween club (like Kids Club, but for slightly older kids). It is a crazy place - it resembles a mini-nightclub - but the bar serves slushies, ice cream and popcorn, and it's filled with computers and video games:

I had told Isabelle that the girls really love Club Penguin.  When we got there she had used all the pics I sent to create a Club Penguin slide show that was running on all of the computers! 

So, Isabelle asked what we would like to eat.  I said "Oh, nothing fancy.  Just some sandwiches and salads".  We got there and she said "The chef wanted to do just a little more.  Is that OK?"  Here's the Atlantis version of "a little more":

Yes.  That is a G shaped ice sculpture filled with little ice creams.  And that is the buffet - adult food to the right, kids food to the left.  All the adults couldn't resist crossing over though.  Hey - they had chili fries!

After lunch they busted a MOVE!



And busted a PINATA!

A Club Penguin Cake! 



Even Uncle Frency Fry approved!  However, he had contributed his own work of art  - Puffle Cookies!  For those of you who are blissfully uninitiated, puffles are these odd round ball things that hang out with the penguins on Club Penguin -  they may be even Penguin pets.  Huh.  Sometimes I think Disney creates weird junk just to laugh at parents when they buy it.  However - the cookes??  AMAZING!  YES!  He made those with icing and freehanded the faces.  And yes, he is "for hire" for your next party.  You should see his Star Wars cookies. 

The adults were having as much fun as the kids! A little Brother vs. Brother on Guitar Hero - what's not to love?

Are we done yet?  Nope!  Really, after ALL that fun in sun, the kids needed a little down time.  So they went to the Spa for a little mani-pedi action!  They had a room in the spa all set up with candles and soothing music, and the girls all had their piggies painted.  And THEN.....

Time for the POOL!  The counselors had set up a Club Penguin spy hunt for the kids around the pool and on the beach.  And then there was a soccer game with a giant ball on the beach, and swimming as the sun set! 

We capped it off with dinner in our cabana by the pool - where they brought her yet another cake.  And I nearly exploded like that guy in the Monty Python movie that eats the wafer thin mint. 

We totally went BIG...and now we're going to go HOME!

Happy Birthday, G-Bear!