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).