Photo Contest

There is an international mothers’ group here in Bangkok (called BAMBI) that is sponsoring a photo contest where you creatively include their magazine in a shot of your kids. When it comes to these kinds of things, J and I aren’t very creative, but the prizes they are offering are really nice, so we want to win something.  Help? We have one more week to submit.

We thought we could leverage the fact we have four kids, unheard of here. Hence, the shot above. Here are a few others.

Too bad Claire is wearing a skirt in this one.

Triplets

I may have mentioned before that there are two other little boys at church who are two weeks older and two weeks younger than Paul. I finally got a shot of them all together, as they just look more and more alike.

Claire Starts School!

Can I just say it has been a long summer? Claire has been so ready for so long to start school but international preschools here were just way out of our budget. Now that she is starting kindergarten, we get tuition assistance (since she could go free in the States). We found what seems to be the perfect school for her, and after a week, she is still gloriously happy at the end of each day. There are 12 kids in the class, and the ones I've met so far are from the U.K., Belgium, Singapore, Germany, India and Thailand. She is the only American, as far as I know. Her teacher is from Australia.

It has just been a week when I am so happy to be a mother and at home. It makes all the difference to see your kids happy. Sylvie likes being in charge of her own activities and having a lot more of my attention. She plays with Paul who continues to be a hoot. And, she will sit or lay by Joel for a good ten minutes at a time keeping him cooing and smiling. I meet Claire in our lobby as she gets off the shuttle bus at the end of her day, and we have a little one-on-one time before we go back upstairs. To be honest, it is the first time I've wanted time to slow down a little, so I can linger in this stage of each of their lives.

"Like Nature"

We found the best place in Bangkok. We finally got around to pumping up the tires on some kids bikes a friend had given us, and when J mentioned to his Thai teacher that there is a shortage of places to ride bikes in Bangkok, she told him about a big park by Chatuchak (a famous weekend market here). J was able to rent a bike with a baby seat for Paul for 67 cents, and I pushed the stroller with Joel while the girls were triumphant on their new wheels. It was shady, there was a cool breeze, and Claire said, "Mom, this is like nature." We are definitely going back.

A Little Overboard

When most people come to Thailand for the first time, they are impressed by the brightly colored taxis, tuk-tuks and buses. On an outing to the zoo, I saw the craziest I've seen yet. The fronts of these buses are covered with headlamps, mirrors, Michelin tire guys and who knows what else. The "art" on the sides was eye-catching, to say the least.

Our Little Helper

Why buy toys?

The best way to keep a toddler out of your stuff is to fill both his hands. Paul loves our helper, Nita, and follows her around as she cleans. She often gives him her broom and dustpan, and he will even squat down and sweep under furniture. When we are out and about and he sees any other workers (around the apartment building, at the park, at the zoo, in the mall) with a broom and dustpan, he immediately wants to go and take over their job.

Bangkok Camping

roasting a tiger

The creativity of the girls can really amaze me. This time I came in to find a campsite all set up with an overturned chair as a tent, a stuffed tiger hanging from a string over a deflated pool floater "fire", plenty of clothes for their adventure, and some books and toys because those are necessary for any occasion.

Mattresses on the Move

Most days we don't fight bedtime. We do the routine, say goodnight and close the door. They usually proceed to stay up playing until they decide it is time to sleep. We're ok with that, I guess. But, sometimes, we find them, let's say, not how we left them.

Joel at Two Months

 So this guy isn't getting too many pictures taken of him. Whoops. 

Life with Joel in the family is good. The first two weeks are always hard as the baby figures out night and day, and I try to establish breastfeeding (didn't go well again, unfortunately). But, we made it past that. J went back to work, and I quickly realized that the only reason I am surviving kids spaced 15 months apart is because I have full-time help here. I have a new level of appreciation for all of you out there who have kids that close together and do/did it on your own. Wow. Seventeen-month old Paul is currently a major hazard to himself, his brother and our possessions. Luckily, at the same time he is SO cute and fun.

Anyway, we made it through the first six weeks, and Joel started sleeping better night and day (and smiling!). I took him for his 2-month check-up, and he is 12 pounds, so I have started to let him cry at night, and he usually falls back asleep on his own. Today was the first day I took all four kids to a friend's house by myself. It was fine.

I think we will really turn a corner when Claire starts school in 3 weeks (YAY!) at an international school that is supposed to be fabulous. I'm currently soliciting ideas for nut-free school lunches that can be prepared the night before.

Claire's Mango Tree

One day in April, Claire had eaten a mango and asked me if she could plant the seed. We happened to have a pot where something else I had tried to plant had failed to thrive, so I said sure. I forgot about it after a few days and the pot was in a corner of the balcony where I couldn't see it. I guess our helper, Nita, continued to water it because two and a half months later, Claire says to me, "Look at my mango tree!" Wow.

We won't mention to her that we went online and found out it won't bear fruit for seven years.

Our Independence Day Weekend

The embassy had a family event with food and games on Friday, and we had a waffle breakfast for some of our American friends on Saturday. On Monday, J took Claire, Sylvie and Paul with an adopted grandma from church, Tacie, back to the Open Zoo. I had a great day at home with Joel feeling very independent. :)

Canada Day

Being the poor North American neighbor that I am, I didn't even know when Canada Day is (July 1), but we got to celebrate it this year. One of J's contacts at the Canadian Embassy invited us to their official event. Got to eat maple-cured ham and try to figure out who was Canadian and who was American (J left no doubt with his shirt-tie combo). 

I was excited to go because it seemed like it would be fun to dress up and go out, but really in the end, I couldn't fit into any of my favorite dresses, I had to borrow jewelry from a neighbor, I lost the heel to my shoe right as we were leaving (but didn't have another shoe option), and the worst part always is that no one can hear me in a crowded room, so I feel like I have to shout and unfortunately, what I'm saying is never worth shouting about (a stay-at-home mom talking to diplomats). Oh well. A night away from the kids is still a night away from the kids. :)

Siam Ocean World

the "I'm scared" face

It has become the Saturday tradition that J takes Claire, Sylvie and usually Paul to Siam Ocean World, an amazing aquarium in the basement of one of the big malls here. It is big enough and interesting enough that they see something new each time. It is about the closest thing to a "nature experience" you can have in Bangkok without braving the heat, and there is a soft play castle thing in the middle of it that they love. The membership has paid for itself a billion times over.

Tricky Puzzle

We got this plastic puzzle on a Thai Airways flight coming over here. It was supposedly for the kids, but none of us have been able to solve it in the year we've had it. One day Claire was determined, and she kept at it for over an hour. She finally got it, and we took a picture, so we could reference the solution in the future. Turns out, she has solved it at least a dozen times since, each time a little different from the last. (We know this because Claire has insisted that we take a picture each time.) Brainy kid.

Monkey Man

A friend made Joel this fun quilt, and my mom sent the fun outfit. Too cute!

Sri Racha Tiger Zoo

baby tigers nursing from a pig

J took a few weeks off work to occupy the girls, so I could get a nap once in a while. One day they took a road trip back to the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo. The picture above is an example of the craziness in Thailand zoos.

Name Banners

The girls and I made these names banners out of their old stained baby clothes. We just used fabric glue for the letters. We also glued a chopstick to the top of each triangle to keep them flat and then glued all of those to a ribbon, pinning the banners up over their beds.

Paul Meets Joel

What is that screaming thing?

We have high hopes that these boys will be best friends, but for now, we'll have to keep them separated. Paul literally goes straight for the eyes every time.

The peace and quiet of the hospital has ended.

The Hospital Experience

I haven't really enjoyed my past stays in U.S. hospitals and usually asked to be discharged as soon as possible. Here was another story. The private hospitals feel like hotels with a lobby, nicely appointed rooms and everyone in uniform. The standard stay after birth is three days, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best part was they didn't check me from 9pm until 6am each night, and they would take the baby (at my request) in between feedings at night, so I actually got three nights of good sleep before I went home.

Joel Michael Crawford

I don't have much of a story to tell, but that is a good thing when it comes to labor and delivery.

We went to see the doctor in the morning.  She wanted to induce, but I said no. I sent J to work and within an hour called him back to say my contractions were 5 minutes apart. They weren't very intense, but regular, so we dropped the girls off at a friend's, left Paul with our helper, and checked in at the hospital. They did the fetal monitoring for 30 minutes. I got in the tub for two more contractions, got out of the tub to push, and he was born.  I almost laughed at how easy it seemed. I had never had a baby during the day. It was perfect.

Thirty-six

I was kind of hoping this baby would be born on J's birthday, but he wasn't. Instead, the two of us got to go out to lunch at a delicious French restaurant, and then we had a small family celebration with a pineapple upside down cake. The girls picked out their own Thai ties to give Daddy.

Easter

 Easter this year was one of those times that I realized that I have to make traditions happen if we want them. I can't really count on the Easter Bunny to just show up. We had already been to a mini egg hunt at a playgroup and another big one at the embassy, so for that reason and the hope that our focus will be on the Savior rather than the bunny, I decided to only do Easter baskets. Instead of Easter grass as padding, I used a baggie of Cheerios (since I also knew we wouldn't have time for breakfast before church). They got an Easter pencil, a new book and two or three plastic eggs with candy. They were thrilled, and I'm happy that I didn't set a precedent for myself that might be hard to live up to each year. We would have decorated eggs, but they only sell brown eggs here, and I didn't think they would turn out as well. Next year...

We did make my favorite Easter sugar cookies earlier in the week and took them to the playgroup.

Songkran

 The big holiday in Thailand is Songkran. It falls during the hottest time of the year and has basically become a multi-day water fight. Besides soaking strangers at the park, we also joined in some organized water games in the expat community where many of the embassy folks with school-aged kids live. The girls had a blast with the super soakers, and even Paul caught the spirit of the day and climbed into a bucket of water.

Pet Gecko

There is a lizard that lives in our bathroom. I'm assuming it is a gecko. I think geckos are good luck, so I haven't bothered it, even though it has startled me a few times. Once he was out during the girls' bath, and so they named him Bobby and decided he was their pet.

Speaking of pets, Claire's reward for going 21 days without sucking her thumb was a pet fish. Sylvie got one, too, since she has never sucked her thumb. Paul actually got one, too, for no reason, but his died after one day. The girls said, "It's ok. He didn't even know he had a pet."

Little Man Party

 Our friends invited us to their son's first birthday party with a "Little Man" theme.  We were issued bow ties at the door.  She had made this photo booth with props where we got a family snapshot.  They even had a blown up picture of their son's face, and we played "Pin the Mustache on Gunnar."  Very creative!

Claire turns five!

 In some ways, we can't believe it has only been five years since we started having kids, since life before that seems so distant, but Claire continues to hit big milestones like learning to pump on the swings, cracking eggs herself and the biggest one--deciding to give up her "taggie" and stop sucking her thumb on her own.

Paul turns one!

 Paul's birthday fell during our vacation, so we celebrated a little late (poor third child), but it didn't matter much to him. He enjoyed the attention and made a mess of his cake. 

Krabi

The second week of Shawn's family's visit, we flew down to Krabi (near Phuket) and hung out at the beach. J and I splurged on two rooms, and it made all the difference. I actually found the vacation relaxing. We stayed at a Sheraton resort with nice amenities for the kids (pools, playground, kids' club), so J mostly took the girls out, and I got to read books while Paul napped. Heaven.

One day, we rented a boat and went out to tour some of the little islands nearby, like the one pictured above.  

Safari Park

I think close encounters with animals are going to define our time in Thailand.

Saturday morning, our plan was to visit the Bridge on the River Kwai and take a scenic train ride from there to a waterfall. The train was delayed enough that we had to scrap that plan, so we ended up at yet another animal park. This one was safari-style where they take you around in a mini-bus to see and feed the animals. This was quite the experience, as you can see from the picture above. 

Then, like every animal park, there were some animal shows. A crocodile show, an elephant show, and the worst one: a dog show. Picture a few neighborhood dogs pulled together by some kids to perform a few tricks. That was about how exciting it was. Then they had the audacity to send around a golden retriever carrying a money basket. Well, it must have been a hungry dog, because as it passed Isabella who was eating a roll, it snapped it away from her, and bit her hand. Despite the assurances of the park staff that their dogs had their shots, we watched the bite carefully, and luckily, no infection set in. Yikes!

Tiger Temple

One of the famed sights of Kanchanaburi is a "Tiger Temple." Apparently, monks often take in unwanted animals, and somehow at this temple, they ended up with some tiger cubs whose mothers were poached (or something like that). It grew from there, and now it is a tiger refuge turned tourist attraction. You definitely leave with mixed feelings (like many of the animal attractions in Thailand), but it is so unique, you think you have to do it.

The tigers that you can pet are chained, and you have to go individually with a guide, only during the tigers' nap time. I stayed back with Paul (quite a hefty entrance fee--all for the upkeep of the tigers, I'm sure).  However, we were surprised that even Sylvie was willing to go by herself to pet a tiger. She usually shies away from animals. We got lots of pictures of the girls petting tigers. Try not to judge our sanity as parents. :)

Damnoen Floating Market

 J took Friday off, so we could take a little overnight trip to Kanchanaburi (west of Bangkok near the Burmese border) and see a variety of sights. Shawn's family hired a driver, so we followed his lead and caravanned first to the Damnoen Floating Market. We had heard it was more touristy than authentic, but it was the most convenient for our itinerary,  so we went ahead.

We all got on a rowboat (which luckily we didn't have to row) and started to navigate the canal where vendors sell from their own boats and little stalls on the side. For the first 20 minutes, it was so crowded that we hardly moved at all. In fact, it was hot and stinky from the "speed" boats that were spewing exhaust, and I almost abandoned ship with Paul. But, finally things cleared out a little, and we were able to see some traditional homes and at least enjoy the ride a little more.

Bangkok Sights

Sylvie & Olivia at the Grand Palace

On Saturday, J took Shawn's family and Sylvie to some of the big sights of Bangkok while Claire, Paul and I went to a friend's birthday party.  First they went to the Dusit Zoo and had the classic experience of feeding elephants and other animals. Then they took a water taxi (an experience in itself) across the river to the Grand Palace. Amazing architecture.

Monday, J was back at work, so I took everyone to my favorite tourist spot, the Rose Garden. It is a little bit of a drive, but it is relaxing once you get there. It is a nice showcase of traditional Thai culture, and the gardens are beautiful. The best feature: a cheap, short elephant ride around a paved garden path. Anything more authentic is way too bumpy for me.

The rest of the week, Shawn's family did some shopping, visited Chinatown and bought some Thai silk for Karin. These sound like simple activities, but nothing is simple in Bangkok, especially with kids, so I got the feeling they ended each day exhausted.

First Family to Visit

matching hippo jammies

We were excited to welcome J's brother Shawn and his family as our first visitors. They stayed with us in Bangkok for a week, and then we all flew down to Krabi for a week at the beach. As you can tell from the five mischievous looks above (well, you can only see Paul's rear end, but I promise you, he is mischievous) we had quite the fun time. It took all four adults to keep track of this group. Shawn, Lucki and their girls are experienced travelers, so they handled the craziness of Thailand with finesse. But, mealtimes, naptimes, playtime and bedtime are a challenge with 5 under 5 no matter where you are. See subsequent posts and to discover more of what we saw together.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo

Ever been this close?

MLK Day at the zoo! We caravanned with friends down to an "open zoo" about an hour and a half away. Basically, that just means a spread-out zoo where you can drive, take a tram or rent a golf cart to go from area to area. And, you can get really close to the animals, feeding many of them. We had done our research, so we bought big bags of discount veggies at the opening of the zoo rather than at each stop. By the end, we still had tons of food left, but the elephants took care of that as fast as we would let them. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

My favorite birthday dessert for the past few years has been pumpkin cheesecake. If you haven't explored the website Joy of Baking, you must! Every recipe I've tried from there turns out delicious. This recipe is a little complex, but I luckily have a husband who is patient enough to tackle it and spoil me on my birthday.

Sylvie's Third Birthday

I'm this many.

Each year we've debated when to celebrate Sylvie's birthday. Unfortunately, the actual day is the 26th of December--not a day many people are up for a party, much less cake. So, her 1st, 2nd and 3rd birthdays have all been on New Year's weekend. She's our sweetie (with a mischievous side), loves to play with her siblings and her dolls and sing to herself. Lately, she likes to combine songs (like "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel"). Her teachers at school and church love her, so we assume she is sweet there, too. She doesn't like a lot of foods, but chocolate is among them, so chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting it was.

Khao Yai National Park

On New Year's Day, we visited Khao Yai or "Big Mountain" National Park. It is famous for its waterfalls, but because the park was so crowded, and we weren't up for any big hikes, we only saw one of them. The girls loved hiking and being in the forest, got to splash around in the water, and we even saw a monkey swinging in a tree (in addition to the dozens by the side of the road begging for food).