Summer in Phuket

You know what's worse than living out of a suitcase for 8 weeks? Living out of 5 suitcases for 8 weeks. We love the United States and we love our families, but here are some things we don't love:

• a twelve hour plane ride to the States with two kids who can walk and make noise, but who can't watch TV yet
• a fifteen hour plane ride back to Hong Kong with these same two kids who walk and make noise, but who still can't watch TV yet
• waking up from 1am - 4am in the USA for five days with three kids under four years old  
• waking up at 4am in HK for five days with three kids under five years old

So this summer our family skipped the annual Stateside visit for a month in Phuket. We subletted a 3-bedroom house from friends and former colleagues who now teach in Phuket. They have a 3-year-old daughter and they managed to secure us two cribs, two high chairs, and two car-seats. They loaned us their car and left us a house full of toys. I couldn't think of a better set up for this time in our lives.

We visited the beach almost every day during our holiday. The boys loved playing in the sand and wading in the shallow waves. Maddy learned how to wave jump "in the deep blue sea" from Dad.

Our little Ty-Ty loves Thailand.

One of the best parts of the beach was a little restaurant called "Sea Almond," which thankfully did not serve our nut-free family almonds. Their tables were right on the beach, which meant the boys could make a huge mess and we didn't need to feel guilty about anyone cleaning it up. With fresh fish, fluffy pancakes, and an assortment of fruit and vegetables, it made for a great family meal any time of day. Plus they had the only high chairs with straps along the whole beach. We did try to eat at another restaurant - once. We spent the whole time trying to keep the boys from climbing out of their strapless chairs and onto the table. So Sea Almond it was! 

When it stormed we just moved inside the restaurant.

The kids loved having so much space, and with a house full of toys and a private pool there was always something to keep us occupied even if we stayed home. The boys became confident walkers and mischief makers. Maddy became a great swimmer. She was able to cross the pool without any help, and she mastered the back float and the front float, and she could dive down 5 feet to retrieve toys and rocks at the bottom of the pool.

Water play on our front porch.

We were so lucky to have a few visitors. Grandpa Mike came out for eight days was able to celebrate Madeline's fourth birthday with us. 

Father-son bonding time on the beach.

Our former colleague from Bangkok who now lives just across the border from Hong Kong in Shenzhen came to Phuket for a few days as well. His son and Maddy get along very well so she was happy to have a playmate her age for a few days.

We also visited an elephant sanctuary in Phuket. It was very hot but well worth the trip as the kids got to feed and pet elephants. While the boys were excited about the elephants, I think they were even more excited about the dogs on the property.

Our little Maddy got to meet an elephant named Maddy. The elephants in the sanctuary are allowed to roam free, but elephant Maddy is in a pen. She is good friends with another older elephant who tires easily and prefers to be in a pen. They put Maddy next to her to keep her company and keep her anxiety down.

We had a lot of opportunities for family bonding.

Tyler giving cuddles to Owen.

A family walk along the beach on an overcast and rainy day.

Here are some of my favorite shots of the kids flying solo:

It wasn't me who threw oatmeal everywhere.

Actually, yes it was me.

Thug life.

Owen likes to lay down in random places at random times.

While we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation in Phuket, we are looking forward to reuniting with family and friends next year in the US. We have already begun preparations for the flight and jet lag :-)