The Hua Hin Hilton

At the hotel, our 11th floor room had a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Siam and in the distance was Khao Yai, a famous mountain. It was just beautiful. One morning, it was clear enough to see the sun rise over the water and Amelia loved shouting out all the different colors in the sky: PINK! YELLOW! BLUE! (Yes, we were up before sunrise every morning. Even on vacation, there's no sleeping in with a toddler.)

We began the day with a scrumptious breakfast buffet overlooking the swimming pool and the beach. Usually, we made it to the pool twice a day, which Amelia loved because she could stand in the kiddie pool. She still dunked her head under water, but she did it while standing up. So cute. Most folks sitting around the pool were so surprised to see someone so little happily going under water. And there were BIG elephant statues near the pool which provided endless conversation for Amelia.

In the group picture, you'll see Uncle B and Auntie Pusadee, who was able to get away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok for a night. It was great having her along, too!

Getting to the BEACH! (And back)

The internet is up and running and I finally have time to post some pictures from the "BEACH!" as Amelia likes to say. We had a FABULOUS time in Hua Hin. Thank you Uncle B for arranging our wonderful stay at the Hua Hin Hilton with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Siam from our room and for organizing wonderful meals and daily outings! I can't say it enough - Amelia LOVED the BEACH! She continues to talk about all the fun things we did while we were there.

To get the BEACH! from Chiang Mai, we flew an hour to Bangkok, then drove for 2 1/2 hours in a rented van. Amelia continues to be SUCH a good traveler. Here are some pictures of us at the airport (me in a wheelchair with Amelia on my lap and Abby Cadabby on her lap) and Amelia in her car seat in the van. Every time we travel, Abby Caddaby comes with us, stuffed in Amelia's little backpack. It's the cutest thing ever. The only drawback is when the bag with Abby Cadabby has to go through the X-ray machine at the airport. That usually brings so many tears that next time we fly, I'm going to ask the security folks if Amelia can hold Abby Cadabby instead of sending her through the machine.

Swimming Princess

The weather has been really nice for the past couple of days so we headed to the Chiang Mai Sports Club to show Grandma and Grandpa Amelia's new swimming skills. As it turns out, Amelia has grown so much in the past year that she can now comfortably walk around the kiddie pool without even getting her head wet. We had to go in the BIIIIGGGG pool (as Amelia likes to say) to practice jumping in and swimming to the wall.

One day as we were leaving, Na Ning and Pi Ice made a flower crown for Amelia from these fragrant flowers that had fallen from the beautiful trees all around. She was quite pleased with her crown and she LOVES to smell all the flowers she picks, whether or not they smell sweet.

Look Da Da! Ride 'Em Elephants!

Dear Da Da,

A few days ago, I rode my first elephant! But don't worry, it wasn't a REAL elephant. We were visiting Uncle Bill at San Sai orchard and he has so many elephant statues around his house. So I climbed up on one and Grandpa took these pictures.

I even tried to make my nose long like an elephant's trunk! Can you see that picture?

I LOVED running through the orchard and picking as many flowers as I could - yellow, pink, orange, white and my favorite - PURPLE! It was so much fun!

I wish you were here, too. Mama says I can ride a real elephant someday, but only with you to hold on to me.

Love,
Amelia

20 Months Old!

Everyday, I think to myself "Where did the time go?" I just cannot believe our gorgeous, funny, smart little girl is almost two-years-old already! All you parents out there know exactly what I mean.

Tracy took these photos a few days before we left Ocoee. (You can see my crutches in the background of one of the photos.) Aren't the pictures adorable?

I forgot to share one CUTE thing about Amelia in Thailand - she now tries to do ballet. Her good friend Pi Ice (that is "older sister" Ice in Thai) had been showing Amelia some ballet steps from the class she takes. And Amelia tries to imitate her. It is SO CUTE! Amelia raises her hands above her head, gets on her tippy toes and does this funny thing with her arms. And, of course, we all clap and laugh.

Hello, Thailand (again)

I'm not sure why, but the pictures didn't post the first time. So, here they are again!

Hello, Thailand!

About a week ago, we arrived in Thailand - safe and sound! It was a LONG trip here (about 30 hours of flying and waiting in airports) but Amelia was SUCH a good little traveler. We went all that way and there was only one minor meltdown! Thank goodness for Sesame Street DVDs, coloring books, stickers, books, crayons and walking the aisles. I couldn't really do as much walking as usual because I badly hurt my left foot before we left (torn ligaments.) That was very uncomfortable, to say the least. My Mom met us in Tokyo about two-thirds of the way to Thailand and Amelia and I were never so happy to see her!

As you can see from the picture, we were quite a site in the various airports - Orlando, Washington D.C., Tokyo and Bangkok - with my wheelchair, Amelia's stroller and all our stuff!

Here in Chiang Mai, we have been taking it easy while my foot continues to heal and we adjust to the time change. We've had lots of good food, visited with friends and family and spent lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. Amelia now has names for them "Ba Ba" for Grandpa and "Na Na" for Grandma. It is SO sweet. Amelia asks for "Ba Ba" ALL the time, even in her sleep. They are such good friends!

Amelia is in heaven here in Thailand because of all the purple (her favorite color) and elephants (her favorite animal.) She sees both everywhere and impresses everyone with her expanding vocabulary. She also loves Thai fried rice and the juicy mangoes. She's not so crazy about Thai noodles yet, but we'll keep trying!