Thailand

Last week was HKIS's fall break, so we went to Phuket for 5 fun-in-the-sun days with our friends Kathryn and Chris, and Finley's friend Iris. (This is all part of my mission to turn Kathryn, Chris, Iris, Nate, and Finley into "beach people".) Not to be pessimistic or anything, but it was a stressful start to the trip, because a few things happened before we even got there.

• The landlord came by the day before we left to say he would likely have to rip out a large section of our floor and the concrete beneath it due to a leak, a loud, messy, 3-4 day project!
• There was supposed to be a van coming to pick all of us up at 6am for the airport, but a car showed up instead. So we had to hunt down a taxi to take with the car at the last minute. (No, they didn't charge us for the car since they messed up.)
• The computer didn't make its way into our luggage, and I had a lot of school work I was planning to do on the trip. Small freak-out over than one.
• Finley was previously sick with a slight cold that somehow turned into a chest issue that somehow turned into an ear infection a mere 36 hours before we left, which of course also gave him an upset tummy from the resulting medicines. Yes, that equals two weeks of crankiness, poor sleep, and poor appetite leading up to the trip. On the airplane, Finley screamed for 20 straight minutes during takeoff and then again during landing, because of the pressure in his ears. He also pooped on me on the airplane thanks to his tummy troubles.

So as you can imagine, by the time we landed in Phuket, we really needed a vacation! Fortunately, other than the first 36 or so hours of the trip when Finley was still recovering from his ear infection and wicked diaper rash, the rest of the trip was GREAT! Iris and Finley got along well, and it was really fun for Finley to have a pretend sibling for the week. The weather was great-- no signs of any flooding or escaped crocodiles. The resort was easy-- plenty of food options, beach, pool, children's playroom, etc. And the flight was only 3h 15m direct from HK to Phuket, with a 30 min ride from the airport to the resort, and a 1 hour time difference. We stayed on and around the resort, so didn't have to worry about dragging toddlers around on sightseeing trips, just lots of beach and pool time. I'm so glad we went, and I'm so glad we got to do it with our friends. And we totally owe them for putting up with a sick child (and a stressed out mama) for the first part of the trip! After the trip, we were all feeling more relaxed, rested, and happy. And Finley was sooo good on the flight home!

Unfortunately, I'm not going to share a lot of photos online. We spent most of the trip in swimsuits, and I'd rather not have a bunch of swimsuit photos floating around the Internet. So here's what you get:

And Finley's favorite part of the trip...a water slide! (Nate and I enjoyed it, too!)

And here's a brief video from the trip: CLICK HERE.