Mike & Erin Featherstone

Part one: KHAO LAK

We have lived in Malaysia for seven months now and haven't traveled at all! What is wrong with this picture?!
Well since Kate and Alex were coming we figured it is the perfect excuse to get out and see some of southeast Asia.

We picked Thailand for our first beach trip in Southeast Asia. We basically just looked for hotels where we could stay for free using Mike's starwood points.

We chose Khao Lak, Thailand, a tiny town full of empty beaches which supposedly is way better than "touristy" Phuket. I have never been to Phuket but that is what I hear.

To get there we had to fly to Phuket and then take a 1.5 hour drive up the coast.

We hired a car to drive us because it was cheaper than the hotel shuttle. It was so cool because our name was on a card. That was a first for me. I was so excited I made him stand there so I could get a picture. Mike was just laughing at me. So was everyone else.

The first thing we saw when we walked out of the airport was the welcome to Phuket" sign. I was so excited to be in Thailand that I just kept taking pictures of everything. It was kind of ridiculous but hey you never know when you're going to need a "Welcome to Phuket" photo.

This will show you the emotional condition of our children at this point. Joseph is so tired from missing his nap that he is swatting Mike.

We found this car company called "BOSS Cars" on Trip Advisor. They quoted us a much cheaper price than hiring the hotel shuttle--don't you love Trip Advisor. We were suprised when we showed up that they sent a minibus!

Getting flower bracelets upon arrival. That was also a first for me. So many firsts on this trip.

Sipping welcome Pandan leaf tea--I guess Thailand is famous for its Pandan leaves which have the most amazing flavor--while the hotel checked us into our rooms. The guys got flower bracelets too and I thought it was awesome they were man enough to wear them with pride.

Another photo of the emotional condition of my children when we arrived. Andrew was so tired he just kept wandering and wouldn't listen to anything we said, including commands like, "Andrew sit here," or "Andrew don't touch that!" Kate is my hero for following him around.

Breakfast the next morning. Can you tell who didn't get enough sleep?

Andrew did so good eating on this trip and using his utensils! I am so proud of him.
Here he is eating pancakes (these were millet zucchini pancakes packed from home).

Good morning Khao Lak

Morning yoga on the beach organized by the hotel. I wish I were there, but instead I was running after two kids! That has got to be some form of exercise right?

Tasting sand, a favorite activity

One great thing about having Kate and Alex around is we got lots of pics of our family all together. Often I would see something completely dumb (like this random wood pole) and say, "WAIT! We have to have a picture HERE" and luckily Kate or Alex would sweetly oblige.

Kate and Alex are in this picture but you have to squint to see them. Hint: check in the pool.

We thought this would be an artsy pic but you should have seen the drama we went through to get it...see below photo...

Lunch

I have never seen Joseph coloring before so this was so fun. I will admit that most of the time he was eating the colored pencil instead.

Towards the end of lunch the boys were so restless to get out so I had to entertain them with songs so Andrew would finish his meatballs and "green trees" (aka broccoli). I think this song was the cheer "Give me an A! A! You got your A you got your A. Give me an N!" and on and on. Oh the joys of being a mom.

Seeing real seashells on the beach for the first time. Unlike California, Thailand actually still has big seashells along the beach.

Thanks to our Utah family for the boys' new outfits!

Waterslide with dada. Andrew was scared the first few times Mike took him down. "No, no big slide," he would say. Mike refused to give up and kept trying until Andrew actually smiled.