Dane's Graduation


Today I feel really old. I am fast approaching 30, which is scary enough. But celebrating Dane's graduation from Preschool has really made me wonder where the time goes. My mind was playing fast forward during the kids program of Goldilock's and the Three Bears. Dane turns 5 this summer, then he starts kindergarten, next he'll be driving, going to college, getting married, having kids.... You see where I am going with this. Whew! I have to stop focusing on time going too fast and just enjoy the moment. The graduation celebration was great. Dane and I have really enjoyed being a part of the CCNS preschool program. His teacher, Stephanie, is an amazing person with so much patience and knowledge. My hope is that she hasn't decided to retire by the time Ian is old enough to start there. Congratulations Dane!

Our Trip to Thailand


The best things about our trip:

-Wonderful food. If you enjoy Thai food. We also had a delicious pizza for lunch one day.

-The best massages ever. They were 200 baht/hour which is about $7. We miss our daily massages. Anyone know a Thai lady wanting to earn some extra cash?

-Beautiful and cheap artwork. We got 3 original canvas paintings for less than $200 total.

-The Thai people are wonderful. So nice and humble.

-Beautiful white sand beaches where you can lay out and eat corn on the cob, cooked to order on a portable grill, slathered in butter, salt & pepper. Or enjoy fresh cut pineapple. Delicious! (The corn lady carries the grill up and down the beach on her shoulder!)

-Swimming in the ocean with Ra-Ra the elephant at the Sheraton Hotel on the island of Krabi. Seriously a dream come true for me!

-How cheap everything is. $1 to 32 baht. Example: Our scooter rental charge was $5/day

-Traveling with Kristen and Russell. We had a great time together.

The not so great things about our trip:

-Trying to get comfortable on a 17 hour plane ride.

-Hard beds in every hotel. Thank goodness for the massages!

-Having to walk through the stinking dried squid market in Bangkok. It was awful :(

-We didn't have the best weather for sunbathing on the beach. I wasn't able to get a real tan to replace the fake one I went with.

-It was hard to see how poor many of the Thai people are. They sleep where they work. Literally. They have a building with a store in the front and a kitchen and bedroom in the back. The kids hardly have clothes let alone toys.

-Missing the boys

Just a quick update from paradise

Greetings from paradise! We are in a town called Ao Nang at a little internet cafe. We just spent the afternoon on a secluded beach that you can only get to by boat. It was very beautiful. For about $3 Dustin got a foot massage and for another $1.50 we got a fresh pineapple to share. Delicious! Thailand is awesome and I recommend anyone who can should come here at least once in their lifetime. The people are soooo nice and everything is soooo cheap. We got the best massages we've ever had for about $7. Dustin is planning on going back for the 3 hour day at the spa and that will set us back about $20. Can't beat it. And the food is delicious too. The only thing that is bittersweet about being here is that my mom has been in the hospital in Rexburg, ID with Ian. Turns out he got pneumonia the day we left and had to be admitted for IV antibiotics and breathing treatments. My mom is so great and hasn't complained at all about having to sleep at the hospital. My sister Megan and her bro-in-law have been taking care of Dane. I do feel like the worst parent ever enjoying myself while my little one is sick. Actually both of the boys are sick. Dane got an ear infection before we left and is on antibiotics too. Thanks mom and Megan for taking such good care of the boys. I owe you two big time. I love and miss you all.

Off we go....

Well, the day has finally come for us to embark on an adventure. To Thailand we go. The packing is done. Whew! The kids and pets will be well taken care of (thanks to grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles). And whatever is not done can wait until we get back. See ya in a couple of weeks!

Happy First Birthday Ian!

A year has passed
How time has flown
We can't believe how Ian has grown
He's really cute and so much fun
Our little boy is turning One!