Here we are in Hua Hin, a city about 3 hours from Bangkok. This guy was trying to get us to rent his horse but we didn't bother...maybe some other year when the kids are bigger. We did get a chance to rent a jetski for half an hour though while friends watched the kids. That was one of the highlights as travelling with kids does not often allow Scott and I to get away and do things together.The beach was beautiful and the ocean quite refreshing. I think it was the perfect time to get away from the winter in China, even though where we are is not near as cold as in Canada, the wind can still sure chill to the bone and take your breath away. I'm in a daily habit of wearing long johns in China whereas I didn't in Canada...go figure!
Dana preferred the beach and the ocean. She ate her fair share of sand and really enjoyed the way the sand felt on her fingers and toes, when she got too sandy, we would scoop her up and rinse her in the ocean's waves, even dipping her in completely at times. She did not mind this, if you can believe that! We bought that adorable hat in Thailand, and you can see her crawling trail in the sand.
Eli however, preferred the swimming pool to the beach. The salt and the waves of the ocean threw him off a little. Our pool at the bungalow where we stayed had toys and a nice little shallow pool for him to play in. Most of the time, Eli liked to "park" his toys in an orderly way on the edge of the pool. He is such an organized little guy: he really likes order. He fell in the pool a few times, but not to worry, I was always close enough to fish him out right away and he is not traumatized by those experiences.
And then it was time to go home. This was Eli's idea of packing! We actually had to buy some more suitcases because one of our suitcases was ripping apart and then we ended up accumulating more stuff as well. I definitely packed too much stuff for this trip. I think I can easily cut the amount of clothing for all of us in half for next time!
Other highlights from Thailand were: 1) meeting many new friends in the first week; 2) having a special Valentine's Dinner in the same restaurant we got to go to when Scott and I were engaged (7 years ago); 3) having games nights at our place after the kids were in bed; 4) meeting an inspiring couple from Norway who are now living in India; 5) eating delicious Thai food and the fresh fruit so plentiful and cheap everyday...
Now we're back and gearing up for a new semester. We have pretty much the same schedule as last semester with just a few changes. We are rested and raring to get back to work again. Eli will be starting his preschool this coming Saturday. It is just a 45 minute class in which he must be accompanied by one of us (good for our language learning!). Should be fun. We want to gradually get him used to the idea of school, (and liking it!) so he will eventually be ready to go 2 or 3 mornings a week on his own...maybe by next September.
