Cambodia part one

bali photos

sing photos part one

diaper free... (fingers crossed)

We transitioned out of daytime diapers three months ago... but were very nervous about the night time diapers... but we did it! We dropped them the first day of our trip (and brought every single one of the emergency stash home)... The night we left I let K pick night time underwear at the store... She picked horse and dora ones... I know ... shocking! The next step I guess is a big girl bed... Not sure how to do that one.

We made it...

We are home.. the laundry is done... the shopping is put away... at least the first load... (T is bringing the rest when he returns)... It is great to be home. Pmogi picked us up from the airport bearing treats. Gma C was waiting for us with milk and dinner. K has already had her read 200 books.

I don't think I will be doing a 20 hour flight journey solo again... We did well for most of it... there were a couple rough hours in the middle due to one tired little girl who only slept three of the twenty travel hours. She did fantastic even though she caught a stomach bug for the plane flight. The guy coming home at the end of our row traveling on business loved us... I am sure! She kept asking me if she could go sleep upstairs as she couldn't get comfy in her seat. We are getting back on track and had two mini check ins last night.. Hopefully those end by the end of the week...

MoCa is thrilled... look out neighborhood birds. She has been attached to me since we returned. She disappeared for two days when we were gone (longest ever).. Either she went on her own trip or went to look for us... I have gotten my scolding.

T is in Singapore for two more weeks. He dropped us to the airport and when we left him K ran to the glass put her hands on his and kissed him through the glass while shrieking see you soon daddy. Very sweet... I cried in the customs line. She has told everyone daddy is working... she keeps saying that he is stuck. She thinks he is going to work at the airport.

I start school tonight. Very excited!!!

Back in Singapore

We spent our last day in Bali enjoying the pool, breakfast with my last cappucino and the beach. It was a bittersweet day. We traveled back to Singapore so that K and I could catch our flight home tomorrow. Wish us luck! 20 solo parenting plane hours.

One bad monkey

Today we went to Uliwatu to see a temple on the western most point of Bali. The temple overlooked the ocean and was stunning. We were also warned of the monkeys and not having anything shiny out. We took off our rings, put away our glasses and did our part to be inconspicuous. Unfortunately we were the only ones there when we got there and I was attacked by a daddy monkey trying to steal the water bottle out of my hand. He jumped on my back... ahhhhhhh! T sprung into protector husband and showed the monkeys who was in charge. They didn't follow us around after that but I was frightened and we ran into a pack of twenty more of them halfway into our ocean walk. Yuck! We explained to K that daddy was being the alpha male and so she went around saying daddy is being the alphabet... Very funny! On the way out we escaped without notice as a number of tourists had stopped to see the temple.

The day continued with our driver taking us around to shops before heading in for a heavenly massage. The spa at the hotel is beautiful and so I booked a great massage and enjoyed the ponds and views. Fantastic! We all met up again after K's nap and headed down to the ocean (200 more stairs) for more hole digging, wall building and wave hopping. I also played volleyball and Frisbee with K, which she really enjoyed as she is still talking about the volleyball. We finished with an ultra swanky dinner at one of the hotel restaurants with great food and fantastic views of the beach and candle lights and little fires everywhere. Tomorrow is our last full day in Bali before heading to Singapore for one night. I fly home on Sunday... wish me luck! We are looking forward to be home, however Bali will do into history as one of our best vacations ever!

Another great day

Two of the cutest things K said today...

We were pretending to eat ice creams with our balloon sticks and K gave T a chocolate ice cream as it matched his eyes.

I hurt myself opening something and K looked at Daddy and said I want an owwie too... like Mommy.

Today we went into Kuta where we did a bit of shopping, but mainly looked at the horses. The bummer was that when we went to ride one there were none available. You can imagine who was disappointed with that. We spent more time at the pools, but T and K were banned from the water slides as K needs to be over 5. We found another great pool at the far end of the pool and T took K down to explore low tide. A very nice day... sad though as we are almost at the end of our adventure.

Bali rocks!

Our girl is back... Day one in Bali was spectacular... The hotel is one of the best resorts we have stayed in as it has a great combination of fun things for K and for the adults... The swimming pools are endless, the restaurants are fantastic... I won't eat again after coming home), the weather, the beach and our room is spectacular. Yesterday we just spent the day wandering the resort.. going out on the pier, finding restaurants, counting pools, enjoying a scrumptious breakfast and reconnecting as a (happy) family. We hung out in a little pool we found that no one was using in a little grotto, under gazebos watching the ocean and just relaxed. Our patio is really nice and the stars are so beautiful that at night T and I have been heading out to enjoy the view, the sounds, music and the stars before turning in for the night. Today we continued our exploration around after another fabulous breakfast and made it to the beach. To get to the beach the hotel provides a shuttle to a private beach adjacent to the resort. The resort is directly over the Indian Ocean without any real beach so we went to the usable beach (after climbing down 184 steps) for hole digging in the sand, seashell searching, walking on the beach and laying out. This afternoon we headed to four different pools... one looks directly over the ocean and then has stairs leading to another pool with waterfalls and fish tanks before T and K checked out the water slides... K loved the slides and raved about the experience... We finished tonight with another yummy Thai dinner at the resort, getting K off to bed and more time as a couple. I told T that he will have to drag me out kicking and screaming... I won't leave this place!

A bad day!

K is an excellent traveler... we started our day to Bali very normally... whipped cream and latte at Starbucks and a good bye to Daddy so K and I could get a head start on our Bali adventure.... We wandered the airport - put on a ton of creams at the duty free shops and checked out gucci glasses... and then we got to our gate and everything exploded. K took the spoon I was borrowing and wiped it on the floor because I couldn't use it. She screamed and yelled and cried and continued to do this for six hours with little peeks or her normal personality... To say I was shocked would be an understatement...I cried three times... She was inconsolable and even worse so sad... At the hotel her meal was pushed on the floor, she demanded a shower and got out on to the marble floor because she didn't want to wash her shampoo out... The longest tantrum of my life ended twelve hours after it began... I was sooo bummed.... and so shocked to not be able to help her or do anything to make it better. The five hour travel day (due to connections and late bookings) turned into twelve hours of heck... I only remember one other day like this when she was six weeks old and I contemplated driving to get her to nap after a day of crying... Nothing to say about what I could have done better (maybe more food but all I can say is at the end of the day we had:

- a SAD mommy
- a SAD and angry K
- a broken bed due to a tantrum about not sleeping
- a hungry mommy so glad for a new day
- many horrified fellow passengers who tried to help!
- a happy mommy to have daddy back to tag team in case this happens again

Cambodia

We are back from Cambodia... The temples were incredible (pmogi thanks for convincing us to go). We had a great time exploring them... photos to follow. I always leave my cord at home. However leave it to K to find horses around the temples and convinvcing us for a ride on one and then insisting we had to find the mommy and daddy horse for the little baby because he was lost. The shopping was really good and I found some great things, but the hard part is the disparity of wealth and the requests for money as you shop... It is really sad and difficult to watch. As a result we limited our shopping time. We had some great pool time as the hotel had a multi layered pool with tunnels and little fountains for K to explore... She loved it and practiced her humpty dumpty jumping in the pool many times. We had more great meals... one of our best meals ever at an Italian rest. in the hotel with a yummy bottle of french Merlot and more noodles for K... The meal took about 3 hours, but K hung for the long haul and continues her quest in trying noodles, orange juice and ice cream at every rest. in Asia. Last night we went to the Raffles for a really nice dinner... unfortunately the other diners didn't seem too impressed to have a two year old at the rest... I finished the Cambodia adventure with a ninety minute massage... heaven! We are now back in Singapore.

Today we went out to Sentosa (decided it was way too commercialized) and came back for more time on the waterfront before going to the night safari... The safari was incredible and allowed us to be ten feet from elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, flamingos and the list goes on. We finished with a really neat show where the animals did a variety of tricks... It was one of the best zoo experiences I have ever had... We let K pick one stuffed animal and so she is now sound asleep with her new giraffe... We leave for Bali in the morning.

More ahead

Today we spent our last day in Singapore at the most beautiful botanical gardens I have ever been to... 130 acres of beautiful bliss and I tried to walk all of them... We went to an orchid garden, fed turtles, hid from the rain under a gazebo, walked through the rain forest, visited a simulated misty mountainside (very refreshing) and checked out water fountains... K loved loved feeding the turtles and looking at the fish. We found a Parisian cafe on the way to the gardens and I treated K to six mini madelines... she loved it (way too many sweets when Mommy is around). We had a cab driver take us to a factory with beautiful jade and our own personal shopper, however they seemed a bit less interested when they discovered by husband wasn't there. We finished the day with one last look at Orchard road and a successful purse purchase. We went back to Chimes for a sushi dinner tonight ( a little village of rests. because K really wanted to eat where the kitties were) before heading in for a mad rush of packing... We are off to Cambodia in the morning.

The K and Mommy time has been spectacular... my favorite moments of the trip have been the I love you mommys and listening to K recite her favorite part of her day to Daddy when he comes home, trying new foods with her and just walking with her.

loving it

Last night the concierge directed us to this incredible Asian fusion restaurant... IndoChine... The food was really really good and had a great view of the skyline and the water... K especially liked it as the owner offered her an ice cream if she ate her dinner.... As we left the restaurant I asked K what she thought of the place... she said it was good because the woman was nice... We ordered her a Asian noodle dish and so it was a bit hard to get her to eat, but the ice cream treat was a huge motivation and so when she got her requisite bites in she requested the woman to show her all she ate.

Today we went back to the same area and I treated K to another ice cream at the Fullerton hotel... The hotel had beautiful views and a great water fountain. The only way we are getting milk in on this trip is ice cream. As you can imagine K loves it. We wandered the water and went to the Asian civilization museum which was really really great. K enjoyed practiced to write Arabic, play an Indian board game and most of all comparing her horse underwear to the horses on the Chinese snuff bottles. We are off to another good restaurant tonight (way too much good food in this city) and an afternoon at the pool...

mommy and k hanging

We had a really incredible day today... We hit the pool first so that the rain wouldn't get in the way of our swimming... It was a lot of fun, but the best part was after we swam...K laid out and we just hung together on the chairs... we spent about thirty minutes just chatting... it was really nice... however the why game has begun and so we had a bit of a circular conversation with numerous whys.... After the pool we headed to shopping area that was supposed to have a great outdoor play area... so after a few shops we went to this outside area that had a slide, all sorts of climbing structures and water fountans... K had a great time. We got an ice cream and looked over the coast as K saw all the other kids running around with ice cream. The quality time has been great.

We made it

We are here.... Eek! K did incredible on the flights... although she didn't sleep much (about 5 of the 20 hours) ... she had a great time and was really cheery the whole way. As we booked separately from T we were able to do shifts and get a bit of rest and yet keep her very entertained. When we landed in Hong Kong K asked for another airplane ride. Quite the traveler.... We are at a great hotel in Singapore (beautiful city views, food and attached to a shopping mall) and had a mellow first day bumming around the hotel and enjoying cappuccinos and a nice Italian dinner.

On Sun we woke up and headed to little India. great smells and colorful sites... lots of fun! We even went into a beautiful Hindu temple. In the afternoon we headed to the east coast, saw an incredible rainstorm and went to a fun rest with a colleague of Ts. T and I took turns hitting the hotel gym and K and T went into the kiddie pool.

T had to work today so after a yummy breakfast K and I headed to Orchard Road for shopping... Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and we had to run from toy store to toy store checking out water tables, train tables, merry go rounds and indoor slides. Reminded me of our Belgium rainstorm last Dec. Luckily it wasn't 7 degrees outside... We met T for dinner and went to an awesome Medit. rest that even had kitties running about. Very authentic. We sat in the courtyard which had all these pretty Christmas lights... K turned to us as soon as we sat down and announced... it was Christmas and we needed to give her presents... we explained it wasn't Christmas and we didn't have anything so she suggested Santa bring her something.. too funny!

The trip has been really great so far... It has been great to hang with K all day every day although I was wiped after trying to entertain with 7 hours of rain today. She loves Dr Seuss so we have been reading all the dr seuss we brought 5-7 times a day.

The biggest thing we are trying is no nighttime diapers... three successful nights... let's hope we make it and can transition away from diapers... our little girl is no longer little.

what a cutie

pics part three...

The countdown has begun...

We are taking K on her longest trip and plane flight ever... sixteen days in Asia and twenty hours on a plane... We are going to Cambodia to see the temples, heading to Bali for relaxation on the beach and spending a week in Singapore while T works... K and Mommy will be shopping, eating and pool hopping. Should be fun! Also the last hurrah before school starts on the 17th!

This weekend should have been a prep weekend for the trip... instead... we met friends on Friday night for dinner... K was delighted with the pizza... never eaten so much pizza in my life... I will have to switch to salads. I had orientation all day Sat... although before I left we went to Whole Foods as I thought they opened at 7... turns out they open at 8 and so we went to Peets for a coffee before pushing our little shopping cart throughout the store... A first time for me... being at a grocery store before they even open! T and K came and met me on campus and we spent some time at the water fountains before heading back to celebrate Pmogi's return with a yummy dinner and dessert. I made these souffle like chocolate lava cakes... which were great! Sunday K hung with Gma S and pmogi and we headed to Carmel for our yearly Carmel day (golf, shopping, coffee and fun restaraunts) with M&J.... We had a great time and tried a new restaraunt for us... Passion Fish... GREAT food and yummy wine...

Pics (part two - family photos)

pics from the last few months.. part one (europe)

The fun continues...

I have been in the city for the last few days in meetings and had a big presentation yesterday so as I was in dire need of an eyebrow wax and a pedicure I decided to check out the places I walk by when I am walking into downtown... I went to the polished lounge for a pedicure... FANTASTIC! It is really beautiful and for some reason even reasonable at $25. I went into a water spa for my eyebrows as my standard esthetician and I have had conflicting schedules... It was a great two hour lunch break and a perfect way to refresh while I get through my last two days of crazy meetings.

K really wanted to ride the train again last night so we went back to Keplers to read more books and explore... She wanted to know where the sheep building station from a few months ago was... but was distracted by lots and lots of reading. Yesterday at school they had all gone to a water park and as a result she slept in an hour past her usual wake up giving me time to prep so when K woke up we could just have fun She requested more books and hide and seek...

Hide and seek is hilarious with K.. She tells me where to hide walks around the house asking where mommy is and then pops in to the spot she put me... or she has trouble counting and hiding... so she counts and hides at the same time...

train riding..

With Daddy out ,I decided to take K to one of my favorite cafes for dinner via train... Borrone is a two minute walk from the train station and right next to an awesome bookstore... Keplers. The kids section has a little train table and small chairs so K has been going there to play for quite a while... K loved the train and moved from row to row sitting on all the seats and looking out all the windows... She picked out a chocolate cookie, enjoyed a fresh squeezed oj and shared my basil, mozarella melt... She also wandered around checking out the water... and as it turns out her favorite part of the evening... looking at the parking lot. The parking lot wasn't what I expected to be her fav... but she had a great time and we quickly fed Smoky who we have been watching for two weeks before falling asleep. K wants to do the train again tomorrow... so maybe we will go and check out the parking lot again.

How we celebrate a normal weekend

We got a normal family weekend... hurrah... it has been a long time with studying, applications and travel... Here is how we spent it.

- K wanted a merry go round... I had no idea where one was outside of this little one at VF so we went to the mall and rode the ride again and again.
- Afterwards she got a chocolate at Sees and her lipstick done at Mac. She keeps asking me to do her lipstick like the man did it... Very funny.
- We met Daddy at Left Bank and had a fantastic lunch where she got to spread butter on bread all by herself. We finished with an ice cream at Ben & Jerrys.... At least four months since we shared a cone together.
- We went to Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay and rode the ponies, jumped in the jumper and rode the ponies. I think K sat on six different ponies. Heaven.
- We went to the beach had a great picnic, wandered the beach and even climbed the rocks. Afterwards we went to the Ritz for K's first ever brownie sundae. We even snuck to the fresh fish market for incredible ahi and shrimp (for K). Summer dinners are always awesome.
- For the first time ever we made pizza at home. K loved being a chef, rolling out the dough, sprinkling everything on the crust and spreading flour around the counter. I think we will do that more often.
- We hit up the farmers market and local cafe for our standard Sunday fare.
- Spent time with Gma S and talked to Gma C on the phone.

Some funny comments:
Mommy... where is my diamond ring..
Hon you don't have a diamond ring. Ask Daddy.
After discussion with Daddy... I don't have a diamond ring... Daddy has to go get me one.
No idea how she learned about diamond rings.

Mommy... I am full have my banana... I look at the banana to see a bruise on the part she gave me. K sees me inspecting it and says Mommy... eat it... its good... Hmmm... I am not so sure!

Bad mommy moment

K finally got through all her Europe treats last night... one of her favorites was this kitty toothbrush holder complete with hourglass... I thought a perfect thing to keep teeth brushing battles at bay.... Today she took it to school and as I was leaving I picked it up to take it home to keep it safe... K burst into tears because she really wanted to keep it at school. I said no... I have to take it home. As I got out of the car... you guessed it... the toothbrush holder flew out of my hands and on to the garage floor. The hourglass broke off. OH NO! I grabbed super glue from the garage... grateful for my stocking skills. Unfortunately I have never used super glue and it didn't stick. I also thought while I was being domestic I could fix this bear spoon she bought last year in Belgium... Not only is the hourglass not back on the bear spoon is still in two pieces. Let's hope she doesn't ask for the cat before bed. Thank goodness T's trip was delayed until tomorrow... I need Daddy superstar.

After doing a quick tally of breakables brought home from Europe... I have one painting, one fruit bowl, nine candles, a sugar holder, a server set, four condiment bowls. two cheese knives, a ballerina snow globe that security tried to take from me... they aren't allowed in carry on... and an espresso set with spoons. How could my toothbrush holder break in the garage after all this made it home... When I showed T the breakables that I had to carry on he said great shopping found some great stuff.... I had to point out that this was only the breakables... My other shopping is still packed. I finished unpacking last night...

One word... WOW

Paris was incredible... We started each morning with cafe cremes, baguettes and crossaints... We went to great sites like Versailles (let's just say if Louis XIV couldn't sleep he counted ounces of gold and not sheep), the d'Orsay for a special exhibit, Notre Dame and Montmarte. We spent a ton of time wandering the city stumbling on shops, eating at cafes including the Ritz, Laduree, the top of the Pompidu, and of course, Crepes Suzette. The food was fantastic everywhere we went... not only did we try places we have loved from past trips we found even more places and more importantly more crepes to love. We wandered through the gardens and most of all we shopped. As pmogi mentioned halfway into our shopping we have lots of souvenirs from our trip... It won't be forgotten... especially since I returned with four times the amount of stuff I left with... Umm, let's just say I haven't started unpacking... from the person who normally is unpacked before we go to bed the day we return... I am not going to say anymore about the shopping or list any of the shops we visited for the fear of sounding like a shopaholic. We took Eurostar to Paris (my first time) and it was great. Not only is it really easy to check in and out of it is really nice. I kept trying to see when we went into the Chunnel, but missed it. Ahh well... another reason to return Paris.

Being home is fantastic! K and T met me at the airport and as soon as K saw me her arms started flying and she started moving around in Daddy's arms... We spent the evening attached at the hip... showering together, reading books, checking out the airport and finally going to bed at the same time due to a sleepy mommy. While reading books she just kept looking at me rather than the book... whenever she is this quiet I ask her what she is thinking about. So I asked her what she was thinking about ... she said Mommy. It is great to be home with her. Daddy did a great job and now has to head off for his work travels while me and K catch up... Ahh!

Dubrovnik

After quite a trek we made it to Dubrovnik... One word... stunning! We bummed on the beaches, had awesome food, walked the walls, shopped and shopped, checked out the little alleys, sipped cappucinos and relaxed. The Adriatic was beautiful and such a neat experience it rates up there with Santorini and the Amalfi Coast.

Today I went into London and met T's sis and had a fabulous time. We had an incredible meal with a wonderful chocolate souffle, hit up the Royal Academy for a great Impressionist exhibit, shopped in Covent Garden and New Bond Street. We ended the day with yummy drinks in Covent Garden in the smoke free bars. They just got rid of smoking in July so it was my first time enjoying a drink in London without cigarettes. Felt like NY.

K is doing awesome... working hard on dropping her nighttime diaper with Daddy as we have hores ride inspiration. She talks with me everytime I call and has been doing all her favs... shopping at whole foods, going to hobees for breakfast, playing on the swings, taking baths and playing with Grandma S. Daddy pizza is a superstar! I miss them both loads and loads, but am trying to enjoy this incredible experience. Back to London tomorrow for a few meetings, shopping and some sights. We leave for Paris late tomorrow night before I come back early next week. Pics to follow!

Cambridge

I made it to Cambridge yesterday to begin the mogi adventure. We had an incredible day!We started our adventure touring the chapel at Kings College, climbing a very worn and spiral staircase into the laregest vaults in the world and going up to the roof to take in Cambridge. A mogi adventure is only complete with a little history and a little shopping so we headed into the town to buy some beautiful presents and wander the town market for the largest rasberries we have ever seen. We continued our adventure by walking through the countryside to have tea at The Orchard in Grantchester. The walk went along the river Cam, fields full of cows and blackberry bushes which we had to pick... Good thing T wasn't here... you should see the way he picked berries at his Mom's home in Oregon. The place we had tea is the same place literary legends such as Virginia Wolf wrote and had tea... It was fantastic. We continued our adventure wandering through gardens and the personal highlight and lowlight of the day, punting in the River Cam. The boat platform was rather wet when it was my turn to punt and so I was struggling with balance... while working on balance another boat collided into us... and over I went... A rather freezing swim and ride back to the College with many good laughs... My poor dkny shoes the ones I have worn since I was pregnant and follow me to every city are sitting in the window drying... As in proper mogi fashion... we hurried back to recover from my disaster (unlike pmogi who is an incredible punter) to the b bar for a little coffee and dessert. An awesome first day.