Dubai 2013- Day 3 and 4

After a great day at the mall, we totally switched gears and headed out to the Atlantis resort on the other side of Dubai.  Have you ever heard about that island they built in the shape of a palm tree?  The Atlantis resort is at the very farthest tip of the palm and that's where we spent the next two days!

After checking into the hotel, we got settled in, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed out for fun!  The Atlantis hotel has some incredible amenities- multiple restaurants, an indoor aquarium, a beach, multiple pools, and a WATER PARK!  I honestly can't remember the last time I have been to a water park so I was looking forward to it.  :)  We found the kids area of the park and hung out there for the rest of the afternoon.  Savannah seemed to enjoy herself about 70% of the time, but was very unsure about certain areas of it.  She has a very cautious personality by nature, and unfortunately she got splashed a few too many times to make it a total success.  All in all, it wasn't a bad first run at a water park and I'm so glad we got a chance to do it!  

Needless to say our little pumpkin was pooped after a few hours...

Fell asleep on Daddy!

That night we had a delicious Italian dinner with our friends and dessert....COLD STONE ICE CREAM!  Brent also found an ATM that paid out in gold coins, bars, and jewelry- seriously, I'm not kidding!

The Whole Gang!

Family picture!

Gold to Go!

Ahhh!  Heavenly!

The next day we decided to do something a little different.  We rented a cabana on the beach and decided to let the kids play there for the majority of the day.  THIS WAS AWESOME!  The last time Savannah had been to a beach was last fall, so she didn't really remember what it was like.  She was very uncertain at first, but quickly warmed up to the sand and the water!  We had the most wonderful day together with the kids playing at the beach!  

Hmm, what is this stuff?

This is cool!

Family shot with downtown Dubai in the background.

Sweet girl!

This is FUN! 

Dads and the kids! 

Queen of the mountain!

All the kids piled up on the hammock with Lindsey.

Sperling Family

Throughout the day, the adults also took turns going to the water park.  The guys went together in the morning while the moms stayed with the kids and then we took our turn after lunch.  I was 18 weeks pregnant when we went, so I was mindful of being careful with our newest addition, but was able to ride several of the water rides.  Before you freak out- I promise it was nothing crazy or even remotely dangerous!  My sweet friends Stephanie and Lindsey were so patient and kind with me checking things out before I'd ride.  :)  They were totally willing to do all of the "wimpy" rides with me like the very exciting Lazy River!  One of the "slides" took us a quick meander underneath/inside the aquarium.  It was really cool to go zipping along the fish!

All in all it was an absolutely fantastic day!

Standing in front of the iconic Atlantis arch!

While we were planning the trip, the adults decided to try to have an adult only dinner.  The Atlantis offers a nanny service where a sweet little lady will come to your room and watch your kids while you enjoy the resort.  I was a bit nervous at first, but decided that if we did this around bed time I'd be comfortable with it.  That night our nanny showed up, headed out to the Seafire Steakhouse for an adult only dinner.  We had a great time with our friends and really enjoyed a special dinner together!

First belly shot of the pregnancy- 18 weeks

When we got back to our room sweet Savannah was sound asleep and everything had gone off without a hitch!

The next day was checkout day, but we weren't leaving until later that afternoon so we took the opportunity to make a quick trip to the pool.  Savannah didn't care for the adult pool, but she had a great time exploring the kids pool!

View of the pool area from our room.

After a few hours at the pool we got cleaned up, checked out of our room, grabbed some lunch, and tried to go to the aquarium.  Unfortunately, Savannah had had enough sight seeing at this point, so the aquarium didn't last long.  She was more interested in visiting the gift shop!  LOL!  We did let her pick out a little stuffed fish that she LOVES!

Overall, the Atlantis was an AMAZING getaway!  Brent and I had done two trips to Dubai prior to Savannah's birth and hadn't ever given Atlantis much thought.  Boy were we wrong!  It is a wonderful place for old and young!  It truly has something for everyone, but I know I enjoyed it even more because we were able to share such a special place with Savannah!

As we left the Atlantis, we got one last group picture in front of the massive sculpture that is in the lobby.

What else can I say?  It was an amazing trip and I'm so thankful we were able to share it with some awesome friends- a definite highlight to our Saudi experience!