Bangkok!

BANGKOK HERE WE COME!

January 6, 2014 - The whole Daynes fam clan departed on Singapore Airlines for a direct flight to Bangkok.  As usual, Sing Air did not disappoint and there was dinner on the flight and movies.

Brian Markar's entourage of 2 huge vans and drivers were there waiting for us.  They took us to our hotel, the Grand Hyatt, where we had 2 rooms on the executive floor.  The kids and I instantly went to the executive dining area to have some snacks while Mike was checking in.  Jack was acting disrespectful pretty quickly (as he does quite often these days) and soon after Skylar started hiding under table, etc. so we decided to bail out of the executive dining area and go check into our rooms.

Bailey, Sammy, Skylar and I were in the "girls" room and Mike had Carson and Jack in the "boys"
room.  After I put Sky to sleep the big girls and I watched Downton Abbey on Bailey's lap top.  In the
middle of the show we heard a loud "thud."  Sky had fallen out of her bed onto the floor.  She didn't even wake up as I picked her up and got her safely back into bed.  Sammy, Bailey and I were cracking up because the poor little girl didn't even wake up!  She fell into a small area in between the bed and a dresser that barely fit her little body but she wedged in just perfectly.  She was asleep the entire time; she never even made a peep!  Cute Sky!!!

January 7, 2014 - Sammy and I woke up early to go on a run/walk together.  I told Sammy about how Bob Daynes likes to go on "great runs" and asked her to experience one of these great runs of the world with me while in Bangkok!  We left the hotel about 7:25am to find out that Bangkok had been awake for hours, buzzing with stuff going on.  We passed lots of breakfast vendors selling breakfast goodies on our way down to Lumphini Park.

The park was full of groups doing Tai Chi for their morning exercise.  At 8:00am a loudspeaker came on with someone speaking very loudly in Thai.  Then everyone froze for the playing of the National Anthem.  Sammy and I realized we were the only ones still running and everyone around us was "frozen."  We got the hint finally and stopped for the national anthem.  As soon as the music stopped it was business as usual again.  You could really tell how much the Thai people loved their country from this small gesture of respect.  Loved that!

Next was breakfast in the Executive Suites area,a quick dip in the pool and at 10:30 we had another of Brian Markar's taxis pick us up to start our adventure out to the country.

This is how everyone entertained themselves on the long rides in the fancy taxis:

Carson listened to lots of music -

Jack played games on whoever would lend him their phone.  Skylar cruised around the taxi getting into everyone's business.

These cuties watched episodes of Sherlock on their laptops.

We stopped for lunch at a local Thai restaurant as we were nearing Khao Yai.

 When we arrived in Khao Yai we were excited to find out that we had a house all to ourselves!  Our kids favorite part about this house was the doorways hidden behind the bookshelves.  All of the bedrooms in the house were this way.  

Sammy & Bailey's bedroom

Master bedroom is behind that fake bookcase on the green wall.

It didn't take long before the kids were out on the horses...with their new Thai friends.

Dinners both nights were at the Markar's beautiful home that they had built in Khao Yai.  Sammy took over for the band at one point and played the keyboard and sang a medley of songs.

For dessert we were introduced to an awesome Italian favorite: Italian cake with a homemade sauce which we drowned the top of the cake with...an Italian chef who dined with us made it from scratch for dessert.  It was amazing.

Breakfast every morning was served by Karen at the Markar's house also.  She spoiled us with wonderful food in this lovely setting!

Carson and Jack had so much fun playing soccer outside on their huge grass lawn and hide-and-go-seek with their new Thai friends, Melanie, Gaya and Kiri.

Jan. 8, 2014 - Today we packed in a ton of sightseeing and hit all of our Thai friends' favorite spots in Khao Yai!

First Stop: Go Karts!

Skylar hung out with the Markars since she was too small for the Go Karts.

Melanie Markar, Bailey, Jack is somewhere around there...

Sammy & Mike; Sammy had quite a crash into a wall of tires.  Watch out for this girl on the roads in the next year.

Bailey and Gaya

Carson Andretti

Next stop: Palio!  It was hard to believe that this cute, outdoor mall was her in Khao Yai, Thailand.  I could've sworn that we were in Italy!

Skylar and I walked all around while Mike and the other kids went to see some 4D movies.

Next stop was Grandmonte vineyard owned by the Markar's very close friends.  We ate at the Vincotto restaurant.  It was delicious but my pasta was so spicy I couldn't even eat it!  Carson's pizza never arrived and no one realized it until the check was being paid.  He ate alone while everyone watched.

Next Stop was: Elephants!

Bailey/Sammy

Gaya/Melanie Markar

Cherry's toosh

Sammy ridin' bare back!

Mike, Becky, Skylar

so fun!

Bailey chillin'

Sammy got sprayed

Jack, Carson and Kiri

Bailey bare back

Feeding potatoes to our elephant friends

What a beautiful creature!

Hard to say goodbye...

                                                            Next Stop: Adventure Park!
                       Sammy & Bailey hit the pendulum at the adventure park right off the bat! (on the right)

The platform was pulled out from under them so there was no turning back!

Sammy, Melanie, Gaya, Bailey = crazy girls!

sister time!

Jack loved the trampoline

Mike wanted to try the platform, Bailey 2X.

Skylar loved feeding the birds sunflower seeds!

 We ended up the evening back at the Markar's home for a traditional Thai meal.  Here's a few more shots of their place:

When we got back to our place we put the little kids to bed and then introduced the "big girls" to a favorite/classic movie of ours: Fletch  It was a great way to end a fabulous day!

Christmas activities 2013!

Today is December 26 and I don't know what to do with myself!  This whole month has been so non-stop busy, crazy, with a zillion To-Do Lists that it was so weird waking up today with nothing that had to be done!  December 1-25 has been amazing!  I really didn't want it to end.  We had Christmas-y activities going on everyday and it was pure bliss!

The first thing that I'm so proud of is that we made 3 HUGE batches of Christmas salsa and delivered them to everyone who was "expecting" a batch!  We delivered salsa and chips to 30 + people!  It was actually our cheapest year because there's finally a brand of tortilla chips that arrived this year that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  They are the Mission brand of chips from the U.S. but they have them in a smaller size bag and they can be found for under $5! (Yay for importing more Tex/Mex stuff Singapore!!!)




Also, we had some amazing service projects this December!  My favorite one was "12 Days of Christmas."  We said a prayer at family night to come up with a family in our neighborhood who we thought could use an activity like this and we were all in agreement after the prayer of who it should be. Luckily, the family we chose lives right around the corner from us, which made it easy.  One or all of us dressed up in black every night (to hide our blonde hair) for 12 nights and delivered a quote, along with a piece of a nativity set each night.  We were so psyched that we didn't get caught and made it the entire 12 nights in anonymity!  The last night was super sweet because the kids in the house left a note out on the porch that said, "Thank you Secret Santa!"

Another great activity was a youth service project that Bailey, Sammy and I participated in.  We went to National University Hospital and sang Christmas Carols to sick children.  The children's faces absolutely lit up as we entered the room.  A guy in our ward came along, dressed as Santa, and he was going around shaking kids hands and delivering presents to the kids as we walked around singing. This was very well received by everyone in the hospital and many people stopped us to tell us how much they appreciated the Christmas caroling.

Some other Christmas favorites this month included the tradition of going to Tanglin Mall to play in the "Snow."  (Bailey came straight from soccer practice so she was busy eating dinner during the snowfall this year and Sammy was off shopping with Mike for a new computer.)
Skylar was not so sure she liked the snow at first but she ended up liking it by the end of the snowfall.

                                                  Jack had fun with his buddy Ryan Dean.

We spent another day going Christmas shopping and taking our annual photo with Santa at Tanglin Mall.  (My oldest 3 kids are now hating this tradition but we've been doing it since Sammy was a baby so I told them that sometimes they just have to go along with what makes their mom happy!) We also had a great ward Christmas party and went to a fun party at our friends, the Gatlin's, house where we had a White Elephant exchange.  I got a seriously creepy doll that has been the gift that keeps coming back each year.  Mike and I died laughing bc one of our friends re-wrapped it and put it under the tree for our host's daughter!  She was probably scared to death opening that present.

 Sky was the best helper this Christmas season!  She's mailing packages to the grandparents here.

Sugar cookies I made for Jack and Carson's school parties!

Jack with his friend Graeme.

 Another great service project Sammy and I participated in this Christmas season was when we got together with some of Sammy & Bailey's friends and made lanyard holders for the non-profit organization called Village Hope.  This is the same organization that Sammy went to Cambodia with in September.

Sammy, Bailey and friend Bentley scaling walls to deliver Christmas cheer (& Christmas salsa) to our neighbors!

My gang of five visiting "the Santa Claus" at Tanglin Mall.

Fall Break 2013

I am enjoying having all my kids home and off of school for a whole week for fall break!  We have been having FUN!

Day 1 - Shopping with the big girls and lunch at a favorite Swiss restaurant, Marche
Flip-flops for Sammy, clothes for Bailey
Carson, Jack and Sky - playdates with friends

Day 2 - Sammy & Bailey - piano lessons in the morning, then we hit Amped Trampoline Park for the youngest four kids.  Lots of their friends came too:  Skylar's friend 'Ina, the Gammons, the Garners and all the other SAS families that we ran into there.

I love these 2 shots of my friend Melissa and I jumping into the ball pit and the capture of our cracking up trying to get up and out of the foam.  It's much harder than it looks!

 Maddy and Bailey are great at helping out with the little kids:

 Bailey and Mason chilling on the wall:

Sorry for the blurriness and no pics of Jack.  They were too blurry.  Sammy stayed home to work on writing her novel.  It's November: National Novel Writing Month/ NaNoWriMo

The drive home from Amped included a seriously heavy Singapore storm with lightning flashing (and me ducking!) the entire ride home.  I really hate those storms.  I love the rain but hate the lightning!

Day 3 - Adventure Cove Waterpark at Sentosa all day!  We had a bunch of families join us at Adventure Cove which was great because everyone had a buddy or two to hang out with:

Bailey and Maddy:

 Sammy & Holly:

 Carson and Carsen Torfin:

Skylar and Mom!

Jack and his friend Ryan Dean:  Not pictured because they never stood still and were off on the water slides the entire time!

Adventure Cove is such a fun waterpark.  There's an amazing lazy river, lots of great slides and a really fun snorkeling pool.  Sky loved watching the fish and watching Carson snorkel by.

My friend Melissa and I went on a couple of slides while Sammy & Bailey watched Skylar.  They were both pitch black so they weren't my favorite ones ever.  I screamed pretty loud on one that had a huge drop-off right off the bat!

Day 4 - Girls Day #2 - pedicures in Holland Village and lunch at Pho Hoa, more playdates for the 3 little kids.

I woke up sick this morning so I decided a little pampering was in order.  Nothing tastes better than a big bowl of Pho when I'm sick!  I'm so glad that my girls are Pho fans also!

Day 5, 6 & 7 Mike and I were totally sick.  So, I set up playdates with my kiddos friends and just drove them all over the island to where they were playing.  So, I spent the end of the week in the car playing taxi driver.  All in all, it was a pretty fun week and I was sad to see everyone go back to school. I sure love having them around to play with!