Fun In -n- Out -n- About

There was more to Spring Break than the trip to Bangkok though. Bangkok was such a focal point that it was almost forgotten that there were dealings and doings leading up to it. With the days loooong and free of stress and "to do" lists, the family got to play a bit. Some, of course, was of the "playing house" variety, but others were a bit more exciting. 

One day, for example, was a day to the zoo. Amalia had been asking for it for weeks. In fact, when uncle 'Eko was in town we were supposed to go, but the morning of the big day she woke up to say "I don't want the tiger to bite me" and so we opted for a trip to the aquarium instead. This time around, though, there were no concerns. No worries. No tears. Just a great trip to the zoo with our little friends Kira (a classmate of Amalia's) and Bethany (Kira's sister who is joining the school next year).  The visit was a resounding success, despite little Amalia being bit by a baby goat (ouch) at the petting zoo. There were lots of beautiful animals with lots of different colors, but the highlight was probably the swimming white tiger! The girls (and accompanying parents and an uncle) were delighted, though quite tired at the end of a long morning out. 

So what does one do when they're tired after a long morning out?  Well, some head to the hair salon!  It was the first mother, daughter outing with all of the girls together. Both the girls got spoiled rotten and mommy, as might be expected, was happy as can be while her two little cuties cut their hair and had a manicure and pedicure special to boot!  Daddy, on the other hand, was somewhat less impressed. As he entered the salon up to pick them up, and they were all beaming with that winning smile, one could swear they heard him mumble things about teaching children to be vain, what about being natural, etc, etc. 

Still, the girls looked beautiful (and still do) so no one can fault mommy for giving them the special treat. :-)

There was the park time too. It was inviting and the day was beautiful. We just couldn't resist the temptation of heading over there, running around, sliding and climbing and, of course, playing on those swings too, no? In this clip the girls are wishing their Abuelita Emimamá a Happy Birthday. Quite cute really (and even daddy would agree).  We love you Suegrita Linda and can't wait to spend time with you in the summer!

Spring Breakin' & Conference Presentin'

It was that time of year, and we all needed it. Before heading out you could get the palpable sense that we were all "running on fumes" and the idea of a vacation was a very welcomed option. So, when the final Friday bell did ring at school and the kids returned home, followed later in the day by the adults, it was an "aaaahhhhh" experience. The first few days found us out and about in town. Little things here. A couple things there. Buy this. Do that. Go here. See them. It was the kind of time one likes to have, without time constraints or worries about what time to get to bed. Movie nights were frequent and, of course, included the new feature film (in the house) Frozen, which the girls know inside and out by this point. Thankfully the music is entertaining and catchy and it makes the entire time and time again piece of having children quite bearable. 

By Wednesday it was time to head out of town. We departed the apartment by around 4:00 am and headed to the airport. We checked in and boarded with little hastle (it was mid week after all) and headed on out with a smooth morning flight, to Bangkok. Once there it was the fancy, shmancy Shangri-La Hotel for a conference that daddy was presenting in. That would keep him busy, with meetings here and discussions there and preparing for his workshop/presentation (his first) and all that. The girls stayed in at times, or headed out at others. While daddy ran from session to session the girls were roaming and seeing stuff.  

The only stress was that presentation. Daddy was nervously going over and over it, making sure that it wasn't too long, not too short. He asked mommy is she might pop in and keep track of the time as he presented and, of course, being the quintessential tourist, she showed up with a camera and asked him to pose in front of his opening slide. How embarrassing.  With two minutes left there was just one person in the room, but just as presentation time was about to begin, another 24 people walked in the room and the presentation could go ahead without hitch. Overall it was a good first attempt, but he was happy it was over.

For daddy having the ladies of his life around were a particularly wonderful twist. Normally such conferences would mean a loooooong day followed by time alone sitting in a room looking at a screen (computer or TV) with little else. This time around, though, it was a return to a room with a family of people (Tia and cousins were with us too!) ready to head out to the pool. Daddy would get ready and, together, they'd head down to the beautiful pool by the river. If ever there was a lap of luxury, this was pretty close to it. Days came and went quickly until the vacation/conference was over. 

Our return was as uneventful as the outward bound trip and our arrival home found us happily numb from days sitting by a pool, nibbling of Thai cuisine and (for some of the time) roaming the markets. The rut of reality is so much more bearable when one has such cultural and experiential decadence to live with. How fortunate we are that daddy was presenting, no? 

Uncle 'Eko in Town

It had been years since uncle 'Eko had come to town, but with his new job in December he was suddenly thrust back into the fray by visiting regional headquarters here. We were naturally delighted when he announced that he'd be coming into town. The timing worked out perfectly!

From when we found out about his visit Amalia had dreamed of going to the zoo with him. She was delighted as she brought it up so often that it became the only thing that we knew we would do. The rest of the plan was a bit "up in the air" but the zoo was going to happen. 

Except that a few days before his arrival the haze arrived. The air quality dropped along with the visibility and we could barely see across the small lake in front of our place. The zoo became a "we'll have to see how the air is" affair. Thankfully by day two of his arrival the haze decided to head on out, never to return. That meant we could go to the zoo, but the morning we were going to go little Amalia had second thoughts. "Are we going to see lions?" she asked?  Daddy replied "yes" and she started to retreat in her bed. "They bite in the zoo" she announced. More similar conversations took place about tigers and gorillas too to the point that the zoo was no longer an option. 

Not to worry thought. We were off to the aquarium instead! We had a simply wonderful time there. Even seasoned traveler 'Eko was impressed with what our city had to offer!  Particularly the section where we walked down the tube, watching rays and sharks above us, was awe inspiring for our girls (and the adults too!). Tia, TTmouz and Avi were there as well!  The visit, of course, was followed up by a visit to KLCC where we had a scrumptious meal and some beer to remind Aleko of the old days. 

Aleko finally drove away in the borrowed BMW from the company. His arm waved from the driver's window as we watched him below from the balcony. It was three days of great times, lots of play and now that we know that KL is on the "tour" we can't wait until he comes back!  Thank you uncle 'Eko!!

Every Day, a Gift

In the whee hours of this morning an airliner took off from Kuala Lumpur on it's way to Beijing. By the time we woke up out of bed after a long night's slumber the plane had disappeared and as we write this it has still not been located. The passenger lists, however, have become public and, in them are a number of young children. Apart from the fact that this was pretty close to home (daddy has been on that very flight before) it was also an opportunity to recognize our vulnerability and to recognize just how fortunate we are for everything we hold dear. Our hearts go out to the many who are in pain right now, just a few miles away or perhaps just up the street. 

But in a time of difficulty it's also important to recognize just how wonderful our life is and continues to be. As the world looked on, focused on the waters off the coast of Vietnam, our girls played with us, with friends, with each other. We went out for lunch and did our shopping. Played in the pool and took naps. Snuggled together and went to bed. The girls were happy and filled with life. They reminded us - as they do each day - just how full our life is. Whether a good day or a bad one, our life is, quite literally, full. We grow with them, through them, for them. 

Each day is a gift for each and every one of us. We move on, in this case without the intense pain of some families in this country tonight. We're filled with the wishes, hopes and love that we sometimes take for granted. Love. Live. Love. Every day a gift.

This and That

Now that the days are dragging on, there are only the weekends to keep us on our toes. Thankfully those days are often filled with laughter and visits from friends. One can't ask for too much more than the "good life" and in so many ways that is exactly what we have here. The girls are growing, and talking, and jumping, and swimming. The parents are proud and happy and tired and in love.