Friday, February 26, 2010

planning. better start now...


So, because I am so timely & I spent my Friday night doing all the things I should have (HAHAHA), I better get to the birthday planning. I only have until April...the truth is: I'm really good at planning. Just not so good at completion!

Here is my first idea. Beks is absolutely obsessed with The Very Hungry Caterpillar...so this is perfect!!! Abby still wants a #5 cake (which I need to get on the ball with!!!), and I have other plans formulating. I have ordered pettiskirts for the girls (I did not pay this much...found them on ebay), and plan to make them some other cute b-day clothes. We'll see how that turns out!!

Bloggy love,

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

this is it!

Wow...we are at the end of our adventure to Thailand! What a week! I would go back in a heartbeat (Daddy too!). So would the girls! I'm pretty sure the girls would go back with or without us! They were pretty spoiled there (and her initials are: P.i.s.t.i.s.m.a.i!!).

Itinerary:
Old Chiang Mai city and see ruins, re-built Thai village homes, and ride horse carts!
Lunch @ "jungle restaurant"
Explore
Airport @5p.m.

Second most talked about event...
the horse cart.
#1: Elephants, of course!!
The little princesses!


These Thai animals were sure into bananas!


In case you can't read the sign:
Lady Cannot Enter
{but as you can see from the above picture, we can beat the heck out of the noise makers!!}

Pistismai's nephew...he drove us the last couple of days!
You might recognize him from our New Year's photos! :)
He was our go-to guy for fireworks!

So now, I can catch up a little more & get back into my normal updates. I know...you can hardly contain yourselves!

Bloggy love,

Monday, February 22, 2010

thailand: day 6. {we were there for 7 days...if you were wondering}


Well, we didn't do much on day 6. HAHAHA. Sorry. We did lots each day. It's really quite impressive what 2 kids who nap can handle for 7 days. No naps. That's right. None. I guess I should tell you that we forced Beks to scream herself to sleep in the room for 2 naps, but it was so stressful, I'm not sure I can call them naps. ANYWAY, on to New Year's Eve in Thailand, baby!

Itinerary:
Market shopping...I love me some shopping. Fun, fun shopping. {have I mentioned that I loved shopping in Thailand?}
Hot Springs
Dinner cruise on the Ping River
Light our own fireworks & floating fire laterns
Bring in the new year with our children awake...this wasn't on Kim's original itinerary, but it was what ended up happening. Party girls.


The drop off at the market...
having a driver was awesome!

What is YOUR favorite kind of bug?
I like the bigs ones in the middle the very best!
Their flowers at the market made the flower market here seem expensive!
Where I found all sorts of goodies!
{Should have bought more clothes!}
These markets were amazing!
So much to see...not enough time!
Where Brad got most of his new comfort clothes!
Now, we just have to wait for the warm weather!
Here we are at the hot springs...
Pistismai knowing what to do!
Let's boil some eggs!
They are cooked. Time to cool them off!
Just so you know...
The finished product...Abby is off to find some fish sauce! :)
{It ends up that we didn't get to swim at the hot springs. One side was very busy, so we went to the less busy portion. Unfortunately, the side we visited just had bathtubs you could get into, so Abby didn't like that idea. Instead, she talked Mommy into getting into the COLD outdoor pool at the hotel!}

Tuk tuk ride...woohoo!
We have been to Thailand now!
Our boat!
Beautiful dinner on the water! Loved it!
Abby & her Shirley Temple...
special drink she has had only one other time {Hawaii!}.
Everyone but Daddy!
This girl can put some noodles away!
Another new found love...
Abby & her fish sauce!
I think we were on appetizers here...
Abby enjoying the cruise!
No wonder she made it until midnight!! :)
Beks & her silly faces
One of the more memorable events...
lighting the fire lanterns & watching them float into the sky.
Well, we had to clear the power lines first!
It was truly amazing though;
incredible to see how many of them were in the sky.
Possibly Abby's best question of the trip,
"Mommy, is that how stars are made?"
That's how many of them were in the sky! Amazing.



Some of the funnier videos from Thailand...and they happen to be with the big kids.
Brad & Unc! :)


One more day...stick with me. We're almost there. Off to bed now.

Bloggy love,

Thursday, February 18, 2010

more thailand.


Day 5...the long day.
{Okay, we can call it the exceptionally full day! It doesn't sound quite as negative!}

Itinerary:
The White Temple, Chiang Rai
Visit Longneck Hill Tribe Village
Golden Triangle...where Thailand, Burma, & Laos meet
Longtail Boat across Mekong River to Laos

It was absolutely incredible! So beautiful.
The creepy hands...I'm sure there is some significance.
Our visit to see the hill tribes!
It is incredible how much they weigh...
we asked some of the girls when they put them on for the first time.
They said it was when they were around 5! Wow.
Better get Abby's on order...birthday in April!
One of the families!
We bought some of their scarves! :)

The girls with their new friend!
Cute little restaurant!
LUNCH!
Well, what's left of it anyway!
Still smiling after all the hours in the car
Abby & Gertrude
Golden Triangle
Longtail Boat
Unc manning the front of the boat!
Burma...it's a casino
Here we are in Laos
The girls loved the crazy boat!
Last picture of the day...
we then made the LONG trip back to Chiang Mai.
We had dinner at 9:30p.m.
In bed by 10:30. Party animals.


Bloggy love,