Another wonderful holiday in Phuket, Thailand

A couple of days after Cooper's 1st birthday, we loaded up and went back to Phuket, Thailand for a great week long holiday. We'd looked into visiting a different place in Thailand or even in Bali, Indonesia (since my parents had already gone with us to Phuket for Evan's 1st birthday), but we weren't able to find accommodations that we liked. We really wanted something with two bedrooms and some sort of common area that we could be in while the boys napped each day and after they went to bed in the evenings. Well, Andrew as he typically does, found us the perfect place and it just happened to be in Phuket again! We loved it - it was this huge 2 bedroom suite with a huge balcony that overlooked the sea and the pool (and just happened to be above a nice, large lady who liked to sunbath nude...yuck!) I guess I should also mention we saw a few other topless ones on the beach as well, although they were thin, at least. Andrew claims he knew nothing of the allowed nude bathing when doing his research...hmmmm!! Luckily Evan never saw them or else he might have asked why Mommy's weren't so big :-)

As I mentioned the resort was great - they had a fabulous kids place for the parents to drop the kiddos off at when they needed some adult time. Unfortunately they only allowed for 3 years and above to be left there without a parent. We didn't need it anyhow since we had my parents there to look after the boys so Andrew and I could get some "us" time in while vacationing, but it was a great place to take the kids for some playtime that was out of the sun and sand occasionally. From the pictures below you'd think we spent more time there than out by the pool or on the beach. The fact is that we spent tons of time on the beach (you can tell from the boy's suntans), I just didn't ever have my camera with me because of how sandy everything would get. Actually, my mom got several beach/pool pictures of the boys, but one of our last nights there she was messing with her camera and accidentally erased everything she had taken prior to then (even Cooper's birthday pictures........she was devastated as you could imagine...sorry Mom for mentioning it again!!)

But the boys did love playing in the sand....even Evan who used to despise getting "all dirty" with it. He and his Boss spent countless hours playing in the sand and near the sea building sand castles. The waves were really big most of the time we were there so it was a bit rough to take the boys too far in, although they did get in some sea time when we helped them jump over the waves. Cooper even got some seawater in his mouth, and actually seemed to enjoy the saltiness a bit - he kept licking his lips after it would get on him...silly little boy!

The resort also had some great restaurants on site, so we had some great meals with a terrific breakfast spread each morning....that served pork bacon...yum!! I tell you, you never realize how much you miss eating bacon or ham, until it isn't readily available to you.

We didn't get out and see much of Patong Beach (that is the area we visited this time), other than going out to this huge mall, that had a giant pirate ship and some really neat water fountains, for some dinner. We also did some quick shopping nearby the mall at their "flea market"....or the place that sells all the knockoff stuff. Since we were planning a trip to KL to Chinatown once we got back and we could get all the same stuff there, we knew we didn't need to spend much time doing that sort of shopping.

So after alot of eating and just hanging out everyday (along with a few, wonderful beach side massages!), it was time to head back to Malaysia. We had a great trip and a very memorable time while we were there. Cooper even topped off the trip, by leaving us with a very memorable "poop" on our drive home to Melaka from KL....so much so that we had to stop and "decontaminate" the car (as my dad put it) - I'm sure you mothers out there can appreciate this one :-)

Anyhow, here are alot of pictures from our trip:

Cooper, sporting his spiked hairdo his BeBe gave him, excited about going on our holiday...of course, he is always excited about everything!

Having some lunch at the airport before we board the airplane, sporting their matching shirts. My mom brought them tons of matching clothes, so of course our whole trip they matched - I have to get that sort of stuff in before they won't allow me to ever do it again!

E and his two new, favorite buddies....hmmm, did it have something to do with them letting him do ANYTHING he wanted to do!!

E and BeBe after arriving at the resort and getting their lei

Cooper having a good time at the kids place in their outside play area. It was great to be able to let them hang outside for awhile, in some grass, and without having to worry about infectious mosquitoes!! I was hoping the grass would help him get some practice walking - knowing if he fell it wouldn't hurt - but that didn't seem to be the case...he still wanted to crawl everywhere!

Another one of Coop's favorite afternoon things to do while we were just hanging out... he loved to climb on and off the lounge chairs - it was amazing how long that actually kept him entertained!

E and Daddy being silly and imitating the "Chaba Wing" guy - that is the wing of the resort that we stayed in.

E made several little friends while we were there - this was a little girl whose mother was Brazilian and whose father was German...I've forgotten her name now, but she was quite the little talker for a 4 year old!

This is the view from our balcony out onto the pool....that's E and Boss in the pool in the left hand corner of the picture

That's Boss and E out by the water building their sandcastles - it almost makes it looks like we were the only ones there :-) Actually, it was the beginning of their off-season so the resort was a bit empty, but there were still plenty of people around for a little people-watching!

And this is a view of the Andaman Sea from our balcony. We didn't get to do any snorkeling off the beach since the waves were too big and it just turned up to much of the sand to be able to see anything, but Andrew and I did spend some time just playing in the waves, which turned out to be alot of fun as well. Or maybe it was just that we got to spend some quality alone time together and doing anything would have been fun! Thanks BeBe and Boss for being some great babysitters! Some pictures from our Japanese steakhouse dinner night. The show wasn't as good as we'd expected it to be, but the food was great! As I mentioned above, it looks like we spent more time at the kids place than out on the beach, but the boys had a fantastic time taking advantage of all the fun, new toys they had to play with and the large playground they had outside.

These pics are from the mall we went to in Patong Beach to have dinner.

I think this is the only picture I have of them out at the pool and it was just because I knew I hadn't taken any pool pictures, so I made them pose for one before they got out and got ready for lunch one afternoon.

This was our last dinner there, it was at place that had a nightly show with a different themed buffet each night. We went on Italian night and had a great time watching the entertainment. Can you tell from the pictures of the boys below that they were just mesmerized the entire time?!?! It was so cute because after the show, Evan said he wanted to go say goodbye to "my girls" (that's what he would call them - even the next morning he was still talking about them!). I thought he would be shy and not want to take a picture with them, but he jumped right in with a big ol' grin on his face!

Andrew was even sung to by a he/she that was performing "We are Family"...lip-syncing actually, and not that well I might add :-)

Evan giving Coop his typical choke-hold for a picture with his little brother before we head out!! I've been trying to teach Evan that he can grab Cooper around his waist sometimes, it doesn't always have to be around his neck!! I bet Coop sure is ready to get big enough to hold Evan off when he tries this move....he is getting very close!!

So long Phuket, it was a great trip!

Happy 1st Birthday, Cooper!

Wow, our little monkey is one today....the last year has just flown by!! He is such a happy little thing and has brought so much joy.... and chaos.... to our lives, and we've loved every minute of it!

The morning started off with all of us (Evan, Marte, BeBe and Boss and me....poor Dad had to go to work and had to miss out) singing him Happy Birthday as we came down the stairs for breakfast this morning. He seemed pretty pumped when he saw all the decoration and gifts. Evan was pretty excited as well, probably more so than he was for his own birthday (guess he is finally getting the whole birthday thing now!). I'd made a little homemade cake for Coop, so we let him blow out his candle and try out a bit of cake. Just like Evan, he doesn't seem to have much of a sweet tooth and doesn't care for cake much. He took one bite and that was enough...he had more fun just sticking his fingers in the icing and getting it everywhere...including his hair! Then we all went on a walk down to the clubhouse (the boys on their bikes) - Cooper loved his new bike that his Nana and Pop got for him! The boys then came and had lunch and went down for a nap....although Cooper decided he was too excited (or on too big of a sugar high!) and only had a short 35 min catnap today. Luckily, he was still in good spirits at the end of the day. He did crash hard after his bath though....guess it was too much excitement for one day!

In the evening, once Dad made it home from work, we had our little party - pictures, pizza, presents and more cake...ice cream cake this time! As for presents, Cooper was completely oblivious to the concept of presents - he could have cared less about them, so his big brother took the liberty of opening them up for him. We were sure he was going to love the ice cream in his 2nd cake, but nope....still no go...he gagged and spit out the icing from the cake and did the same when we tried to give him the ice cream as well! Strange children we have....to this day even Evan only cares for only tiny bites of anything sweet....but give him anything sour and he is all over it!

All in all, it was a great day and we had a wonderful time helping our little man celebrate his special day. We look forward to many, many more!!! We are also very thankful that his BeBe and Boss were able to be here to celebrate with us. And thanks to Skype which allowed Nana and Pop "to be with us" when we sang him Happy Birthday this morning! Happy 1st Birthday, Coop!

BeBe & Boss arrive into Singapore

My parents made it here with no problems (we were a little worried given all the security issues around the latest swine flu....especially in their stop over in Hong Kong where so many were just quarantined recently) and a car full of suitcases....you would have thought they were coming to live with us....except hardly any of the bags had things that belonged to them...it was ALL stuff for the boys. Needless to say, Evan was in heaven opening all his new presents, even though it was some of the things that my folks had bought them for Christmas (that we weren't able to bring back with us in January due to luggage capacity)....it was all like new to him!

Cooper and I made the road trip alone since we knew we needed room for all the luggage they were bringing. This was the first time I'd gone this far with him in the car just the two of us...3 hours...but he did fantastic! We did some "talking" (a lot of ma ma ma and bah bah bahs) and then he slept for about 45 minutes. The rest of the time he just took in the view.....I let him use Evan's car seat for the first time facing forward....he was in heaven with so many new things to look at. Since there aren't any child safety seat rules here in Malaysia or Singapore, it wasn't an issue and besides he was only a few days from being one anyhow. He sure is going to love his new seat....my parents are getting it for him for his birthday once we find one we like. So he was great on the way up there, but it was a completely different story on the way back....he wasn't too comfortable with BeBe and Boss in the car too. He has had this attachment to Mommy thing going lately, so he'd start to cry if I didn't keep a hand on him. Should have seen me trying to drive with one hand and with my other in the backseat keeping a hand on his leg. It was the craziest thing...I'd let go for a sec and it was as though I was leaving him...I'd reach back and touch him and he'd automatically shut off the crying. We made a stop at the grocery store and for some lunch and Boss took him for a stroll while my Mom and I shopped and he did great with him. They rode on some of those rides they have in the mall....as long as I wasn't around he seemed to do fine with them. Silly little boy! Once we got to Melaka, he was finally warming up to the both of them....and well Evan, he couldn't wait to see his BeBe and Boss and was ready for all the fun he was going to have with them!!

I know I'm thrilled about them being here because the extra sets of hands are going to be very helpful and maybe Evan can wear someone else out for awhile! We'll keep everyone posted on our adventures while they are here.

Closing in on Cooper's 1st Birthday!

So we are just over a week away from the little man turning one (yikes!) and I thought I would share some of Coop's latest doings:

He still isn't walking on his own - guess I was wrong that he was going to prefer his feet to being on all fours. We know he can do it because several weeks ago, a few weeks after he took his first few steps alone, he took about 12 to 15 steps from Marte to me in the kitchen....so we know he can, he just prefers crawling I suppose. We try to get him to practice, but he just throws his arms up and wants to sit so he can crawl...so we've started labeling him "lazy guy", so much so that Evan even says "Mom, Cooper is lazy". So, we'll keep practicing and just let him do it in his own time...I'm in no rush! I've started to think that him not walking is actually a good thing, he is enough trouble and hard enough to keep up with by just crawling!

He has really gotten great at throwing kisses...he blows kisses by smacking his lips while covering his mouth with one hand, it's too adorable

loves to "stretch" when he gets up from a nap or when you tell him to...he stretches by throwing both hands in the air

one of his funniest is....he used to put his hand up to his ear and say "hi" or his version (which sounds more like "hah" every time he saw me using the phone or we were skyping with one of the grandparents and then it turned into anytime he gets hurt....whether he bumps his head, leg, arm or any other body part, he puts his hand up to his head in the same manner and says "hah". We've even seen him do it when he wants to be held and you put him down and it hurts his feelings, he does the same "hah"....it's just too funny...I wish I had it on video.

loves making a roaring sound for both lions and dinosaurs and has even started his version of a "moo" for cows
waves hi and bye all the time....loves to send Evan off to school and waves bye while we beep the horn as we leave

sticks out his tongue when you tell him to....and lately walks around with it sticking out all the time, biting on it....maybe he is teething (he currently has 4 bottom and 4 top with no other sighting of anymore to come any time soon)

loves to mimic the sound of a cough whenever he hears anyone doing it!

is learning to place his hands on his head when we ask "where is your head"

looks up to the lights (doesn't point just yet) when you ask "where are the lights" ...also is starting to love to push the switches to turn on and off the lights and looks up after he does it to see them turn off and on.....it's always the little things!!

claps and dances ANYTIME he hears music

has learned to turn around backwards and slide down the stairs in addition to climbing up them....this keeps us very busy since he LOVES stairs and even more the safety gate. He loves to get to the top of the stairs from the basement and open and close the gate. He HATES it when you shut it and lock it while he is trying to play with it.

still gives off this ear piercing shriek sometimes when he doesn't get what he wants or if you aren't paying attention to him when he wants you to be. It isn't quite as loud...or as long...as before, but still a yell. I can't wait until he is out of this stage!!

is a total monkey because he loves to climb on everything....the couch, in and out of Evan's little motorized dump truck....his walker (we found out after he tumbled to the floor and knocked his forehead pretty good a few weeks ago!!), he even tries to climb up on the toy drawer thing we have if he can't get to something he wants on the top shelf. I've been so afraid that he is going to start trying to crawl out of his bed soon. Luckily, we keep him in a sleep sack at night so it makes it a bit more difficult for him, but I'm still afraid he is going to find a way. I don't think he is going to make it in his crib as long as Evan (to this day, Evan still has never tried to get out of his crib) has before we have to turn it to a toddler bed.

So I guess that is it for now. We are gearing up for BeBe and Boss' visit and can hardly wait to see them.

Here are a few pics of Coop from the month of April and the beginning of May:

Looking up at me on the 2nd floor....even after I took this picture, later in the day, he would continue to go to the living room, lay on the ground, roll over and look up to see if he could see me...I think he thought it was pretty cool that I was so high up above him!

Not really digging the BK crown

Mr. Trouble giving me his mischievous look....

Matching with Dad before we head to dinner

A happy, smiling Cooper

Evan Mania!

We've been having so much fun with E lately. This kid is just a hoot! Almost everyday, he does something or says something that just makes Andrew and I look at each other and say...."this is why you have children!" We love him so very much and could not imagine our lives any other way!

Here are a few of his latest phrases that I've jotted down:


"Mommy, are you mad?" ....."Mommy, are you happy?" I've been getting this one quite a bit lately, especially when it comes to going potty. He asks if I'll be happy if he goes pee or poop or he'll ask if I'm mad if I've just gotten angry with him for not listening to me and will then usually apologize and then ask if I'm happy. I try like crazy not to laugh! Although, lately he has been asking so frequently if I'm happy, that I told him I'm beginning to question if I really don't seem happy :-)


"Mommy, what did you say"....not because he didn't hear me, but what he says when he doesn't understand what I've said...sometimes when I use a new word he hasn't heard before

"all by self"..."or sometimes "all by selves"...instead of "all by myself".....the other day when we were leaving for school he said, "Mommy, you don't come....I'm going all by self". I said you can't drive yourself....and he said "I CAN drive all by self". I really despise when he stresses "CAN" ... he sounds like such a Malaysian. You get alot of "CAN" or "CANNOT" here....in lieu of a proper sentence saying something is or isn't possible - I hate it when I have to resort to saying it just so that I get my point across...it's terrible!


wanting to potty anywhere outside now...thinks it's fun - thanks Dad for this one!! It took one "fun" pee outside to turn the boy into wanting to go outside now...great!

"this is FUN" - I love this one! Since he is usually so serious and it's sometimes very difficult to gadge whether or not he really is having a good time, you know he is when you get the "this is FUN" comment! His eyes light up and it makes me remember how sometimes it is just the simplest of things in life that can bring so much joy.
Evan's latest game is "dinosaurs are coming" - "dinosaurs, dinosaurs...hurry run, dinosaurs are coming"....which creates about 30 minutes of hiding and running from these so called "dinosaurs"....glad to know his imagination is finally emerging - he has always been such a serious kid, I was afraid it was going to be awhile before that creative side kicked in. Well that isn't entirely true because he has always shown a love for painting and coloring in his coloring books. In any case, he has definitely started with the pretending phase and it is so fun to hear what he comes up with!

"I'm mad for Cooper"...which translates to "I'm mad at Cooper"....but not sure why he tells him this because it's usually at times when Cooper has done nothing to him (which isn't often I might add). So, maybe it's for all the prior times..who knows!


Today we had a conversation that went something like this: As he finished going to the bathroom (since he'd taken off his undies and his shorts...)

Mom: "Alright, go get dressed now"
Evan: "Mom, you said go get dressed"
Mom: "yes I know, I said go get dressed now please"
Evan: 'like a princess?"
Mom: "No silly, I mean go put your clothes back on"


Ha...I guess he thought I was talking about a "dress "and he therefore associated it with a princess...or at least I hope that was it! I'm sure these types of conversations are just the first of many more to come!

Here are a few random pictures, from the month of April and beginning of May, that I haven't captured in other posts.

Daddy and Evan playing some Mariokart on the Wii....I'm sure it's not long before Evan will be playing it alone. Luckily, he doesn't seem too addicted to it yet and only asks to play when he sees his Dad playing.

Getting ready for yet, another haircut. I'm so glad he loves to get haircuts since E's hair grows so quickly and we like to keep it short.

A treat to some Burger King chicken nuggets and fries....this is something else that Evan enjoys, but hasn't yet come to ask for on a regular basis. Burger King or Old McDonald's ....as he refers to it!On our way to school looking cool!