Thailand- Bangkok

In June of 2011, we boarded a plane to India.  In those days, I was excited to see this place that I'd only heard about.  And it is a SPECIAL place.  Everyone should experience it before they die.  But, if you aren't native to this area, you'll begin to see very quickly that breaks from this place and culture are necessary.

We had heard this, but we didn't take it to heart until we had been engulfed in this place for 18 months. In December of 2012, we boarded a new plane-- this time headed to Thailand.  We planned 12 glorious days in this beautiful country.  BUT I could have moved there forever.

We started our journey in Bangkok.  It's a huge metropolis, and it's clean.  There are no cows roaming the streets.  No car horns.  Everyone drives in their designated lanes.  And trash is collected in garbage cans.  I was overwhelmed.  I hadn't seen anything like this in quite some time.  

But of all the things that surprised us, the sight and taste of beef was more than our hearts could handle. While I watched Jack take down his first of many Double Bacon Cheeseburgers from Burger King, I felt a bit guilty that he didn't get to enjoy them more often.  This boy LOVES a hamburger.  Look at that face... pure joy!

Bangkok is full of malls.  I even shopped at GAP!  I could have shopped all day, but the boys couldn't bear another mall.  So we ventured out to see what we could find.  Our taxi driver took us to a river, where boat tours are offered.  It was fun to see the houses that lined the river banks.  They had so much character.

You can take the boy out of the South, but you can't the South out of the boy.  "Hey, y'all!"  We, southerners, just have to wave at the people we pass.

 

Jason and I really took in the scenery, but the boys were highly engaged in a HotWheels conversation.  Apparently while I was snapping this sentimental moment, we passed through a "smelly area!"

Years ago, this river was used for trade.  Boats traveled up and down selling goods.  There are still a few boats that remain.  We didn't buy anything, but it was neat to see how things work.

The boats that travel this river are HUGE, and they take mighty big motors to keep them going!





Bangkok is also home to Asia's largest aquarium.  It's randomly located at the bottom of a mall, but it really was a top-notch place.  We enjoyed it so much that we went through it twice.













These sea snakes creeped me out a little.  I'm telling myself these don't play in the beaches where I like to swim!



And an aquarium wouldn't be legit if "Nemo" wasn't present.

This beaver was chowing down...



But these fish were praying that he'd just drop one tiny piece!



This guy was just odd.  I don't know his name, but he deserved a picture!

Of course, who can resist the sharks?

The sharks could be best seen in the cave-like section of the aquarium... you know, where you're completely enclosed on all sides, including the ceiling, with aquarium?  This boy had the best seat in the house.  Why strain your neck?

I, however, was mesmerized by the jelly fish.  How can such a beautiful creature be so darn painful?

Bangkok certainly did not disappoint.  And we cannot wait until we visit again!



I've done lots of fun things since moving to India, but making memories with these two is easily my favorite!

max- 5

Max-

Five.  It takes an entire hand of fingers to represent "your new number."  F.I.V.E. When did it happen? How did I miss it?

Weren't you just lying all snug in that blanket, wearing that fresh newborn smell, and meeting us all for the first time?

But somehow, even though your stature has changed over the years,  so much about you is exactly the same as it was in those first days of your life.

You still have a smile that melts this mama's heart like butter.  Something about your little lips will always tug at my insides.

You love life, adventure, and seeing how far you can push limits.



But you have a strong-willed side.  When something isn't your idea of a good time, we can count you out.



You are always good for a laugh.  Whether you're telling knock-knock jokes or just being silly, we find ourselves humored by you daily!



You are a boy.  You can hardly ever be found without a HotWheels car in one hand and most likely a gun in the other.  Your face can only be found "dirt-free" for the ten seconds after you've had a bath.  But I'd kiss that dirty face any time of the day.



Some days you eat like a bird, and other days you eat like a grown man.  But you have your own ideas when it comes to meals.  Sour cream and onion chips are a constant breakfast food, and cheese toast never gets old to you.





That tongue is always at work when you are thinking or working hard on a project.  And I can't help but smile every time I see it.  Your daddy does the same thing, and I hope you hold on to that little trait.



You're amazed at the simple things in life.  The rain, the snow, animals, new adventures--- everything grabs your attention, and you take in every detail.



You love the bathtub.  Even though our bathtub isn't very traditional these days, you still spend your sweet time in there- only getting out when your fingers and toes are adequately pruned up!



And you still light up this family.

You are irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind, a masterpeice.  And I am so thankful to be your mama.

I still don't know how it happened, but somehow FIVE is upon us.  I pray this is your best year yet.  You are loved more than words, and I hope we spend 100 more years together.  Happy birthday, sweet boy!





P.S.-  Five is as much as I can take right now.  Please take your time reaching six.  I'm not ready.  I'm just not ready! :)

five (+ five) on friday

This is my 59th attempt to revive the five on friday section of this blog.  In an attempt to make up for  lost time, I'll throw in five extras for free!  Eat your heart out, people!



1.  You might have read about Jason's accident with the handsaw.   Good news--- he is now stitches-free and it looks like he might live!  We are finally able to laugh about it a little, but it is something I NEVER want to relive.  Here's an updated picture of the arm:



2.  Today was the first day we've used a power tool since Jason cut his hand.  In fact, we finished the project that initiated the use of the saw.  This curtain is used to close off the family room so that we can contain the air conditioning or heat- whichever applies.  It had recently fallen, but now it's up and running.  And no one was injured in the process!



(The armed guard was adamant about being in the picture.)

3.  Speaking of heat, India is cooling off.  We're officailly in our "winter season."  I will admit that it can be very cool inside the house.  Because our houses are made of concrete, without insulation, and the floors are all covered in tile/marble, it is usually colder inside than out.  But I was shocked to see that our local schools were closing until January 14 due to "severe cold weather."  Don't believe me:  click here to see the newspaper article.

Here' s a look at our seven day forecast.  Bundle up!  I think snow might be just on the horizon!

4.  With such frigid temperatures, I was finding that my dryer (a.k.a. clothes rack) wasn't working as efficiently as it did when we were nearing 115 degrees.

Lucky for me, Santa came early and I'm the proud new owner of a real CLOTHES DRYER!  A couple of things I want you to notice:

• The object with the white cover directly beside the dryer is the washing machine.  The washing machine is the same as what you would find in America.  But I'm guessing none of you have a dryer that compares in size to this one!
• Size doesn't matter!  I put a load in and less than an hour later, we pull out hot, fresh. soft clothes.  For the first time in 19 months, we don't have to sport crunchy bluejeans and underwear.  Hello, soft clothes!
• There are two settings:  normal and easy.  I'm guessing easy means "warm."  But I stick with normal.

(The boy on the dryer was all about modeling today.)

5.  If you live without a dryer for long enough, your children will forget what it is.  I told Jack to put something in the "dryer" the other day, and he returned by saying, "I see two washing machines, but what is a "dryer?"  Have we been in India too long?

6.  Rubbing alcohol will get silly putty out of fabric couches.  Wanna know how I know that?  Ask the little guy on the dryer in #5.

7.  Since the weather is cooler, the boys spend LOTS of time outside.  In the evenings, they enjoy sitting by the fire with our neighborhood guards.  During his bath one evening, Max mentioned that a spark had burned his finger.  I asked him what the guard did when it happened.  His response, "Oh- he just put my finger in his mouth and did his tongue around it."  I have no words.  But be assured- we washed the wound that evening.

8.  Speaking of that little boy--- Max will be 5 on Tuesday.  That's an entire handful of fingers.  I've begged and pleaded with him to stay 4, but he is determined to break my heart.  I'm putting my foot down after this birthday.  Five is all I can handle.

9.  If you looked at the picture in #3 for more than a second, you might have noticed a few Christmas decorations.  I wish I could say there were only a few still lingering around, but on January 11th, our house is still fully decorated for the big day- garland on the gate, a decorated and lit tree, stockings, and ornaments.  And if I'm honest I don't really see an end in sight.  They've been up so long that they've become part of the house.  Would it be crazy if I kept them up forever?

10.  Christmas decorations aren't the only area of my life where I need to do some cleaning.  Jason has this thing about his email account.  It MUST stay empty.  When he is notified that he has an email, he races to move it to a folder or delete if for life.  NOT ME!  He was looking over my shoulder as I was checking email.  He was horrified to see my inbox.  Yep- I have 10,282 emails in my inbox.  And I'm convinced I may need them all one day, so for now, they are staying put... all 10,282 of them!






And with that, five on friday comes to a close.  Hope you enjoy your weekend and get lots of rest.  Monday will be back before we know it!