family outing

In June we rented a car and took a family day trip to the mountains just on the outskirts of our city. Of course, the day we had the time and means to do this trip was a terribly foggy/smoggy day so the photos of our city we had hoped to get didn't happen.

 We found a temple we didn't know about just on the opposite side of the mountain.

 note the LONG staircase up the hill to get to the temple

 James taught the girls to skip rocks

And just because.....the girls on a Sunday in June :)

Ann and Mom in Thailand

Well, when you find yourself in Thailand under less than ideal circumstances, you still try to make the most of the fact that YOU'RE IN THAILAND! 

 There is no way to get from our city to Thailand in one day unless one you leave here in the middle of the night, or arrive there in the middle of the night. When one passenger is four years old, we chose to have overnights stays along the way, mostly as a courtesy to our fellow passengers. :)  Because we had an overnight in Guangdong, we made a two hour drive to see some dear friends, but little Ann just couldn't make it back to the hotel before she was DONE.

 Our guest house accommodations. 

 The tests the doctors performed included a blood test, which thankfully, they waited until the very end to do. It was traumatic. After the blood test, I still had to pay the bill. There were a few people in line in front of me and Ann chose to pass the time by screaming at the top of her lungs. I was prepared. I had candy. and a new toy. and something I bought her in the gift shop downstairs. Nothing was making her feel any better. At this point, all the other folks waiting are starting to stare and assume I'm the worst mom on the planet. I finally asked Ann, "Honey, is something still hurting you?" She answered, "YES!  MY BLOOD!!!"

 Bangkok Children's Discovery Museum was a fun distraction from the medical stuff.

 Nothing says "mom" like having to carry your child's urine and stool around town to take them back to the hospital.

 Ann chose these dresses as a gift to take home to her sisters.

 What her rash looked like almost everyday before we got treatment.

 One of the best surprises of our trip was that the homestay student from Turkey who lived with James and I in 2010 was also in Bangkok! It was so fun to meet up with her. The picture above Ann took for us :)

 The zoo was our last "fun" thing before we made our journey home.

 Paddle boats were fun until.....

 a giant snake in the water was a little too close for mom to feel ok about the paddle boat experience.