February has come and gone

Date night at Shy rooftop bar. We went with a great group of friends and there was a live band

Nixon tempting Stella with some peanut butter

Ramen dinner with friends. This was the kid table

Laser tag with friends. Surprisingly Weston won every single game. Not only won, but he killed it. We think it was his height compared to the other kids. His aim was spot on.

Wendy's frosties with friends! Once again, the kids table

Nixon driving. We have a security check point to get into our neighborhood. The twins have started driving with the help of our driver Subagio from the gate to our driveway.

I went a little lighter

Weston cheering on Ashton

Ashton injured his ankle pretty bad. It was a severe sprain and really took a long time to heal. It happened about 2 weeks into the season and was hard for him to just sit back and not practice or play. It is now for the most part back to normal.

The twins turned 4!! This was Nixon's cake (Cooper was in bed very sick). Nixon designed his cake

Ashton bringing cupcakes to his classroom for his birthday

The twins stretching for swim lessons.

Ashton back on the field after a muddy win.

(Picture by Cooper) One of Stellas favorite spots

Weston at a modeling shoot

Ashton at a modeling shoot.

Where did February go? 

Maybe it was the sickness that blew through our family like a raging storm. 

We had everything from stomach bugs (probably from unwashed fruits or vegetables) to hand, foot, mouth disease. 

As much as I'm ecstatic that the twins started preschool, I'm not so thrilled about the germs and increase in sickness that we have seen. Glad that their little immune systems are being challenged and strengthened but don't love the bugs. 

Tommy and I have enjoyed making new friends here in Jakarta. When we moved into our little neighborhood we immediately hit it off with 3 other couples that all live in our cul de sac. 

Our weekends usually consist of gathering outside and bbqing, kids running around and music playing. 

A few weeks ago though, we thought we would go out for an early Valentines Day celebration with everyone. 

We took advantage of the fun restaurants near us as to not deal with traffic and went to a cool rooftop place. At 10:30 a live band started playing (and taking requests) and we had a great time. 

The boys are continuing to excel in sports. 

Right now Ashton is playing soccer, basketball and golf.

Weston is doing basketball and golf.

Our Saturdays consist of games for both soccer and basketball so we are busy going from court to field but that's just how we like it. The twins usually stay home with the nanny because the car ride is far and the time commitment is too much for them. 

Ashton's soccer team is very good and he is learning a lot. He plays on a 10 year old team with 4th and 5th graders. With him being in 3rd grade and just turning 9 (making him the youngest on the team), Ashton is learning that the competition is fierce this year and there is a lot that he can learn from his teammates. 

The twins are reluctantly enjoying preschool. They still don't like the fact that I drop them and run, but they are happy and talkative when I pick them up.

They like to tell me what they ate for snack and what songs Mr. Harry played on his guitar. 

They enjoy swim lessons every week and are learning to swim quickly! 

Last week Nixon was playing in the wade pool that is connected to the big pool. The teacher was busy with Cooper and all of a sudden we saw Nixon jump into the big pool. The teacher was near by, but Nixon just calmly swam to him and popped his head up when he reached the instructor. I asked Nixon why he jumped in the pool and he said "because it's my swim lesson time"!

Ashton and Weston are both still modeling here which has been fun. 

We have met some nice clients and friends and enjoy the outings. 

Now it's on to March!
We will be going to Singapore for spring break at the end of this month! 

Then, only 2 months after that we will be back in the States for the summer!

Bali for Christmas Break 2015

Headed out very early....our flight left at 6:30am

Just hanging out at the airport

We made it to the Westin! Fresh juice and cucumber water waiting for us!

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This was the kids waiting area in the lobby

They upgraded our rooms to a huge suite. There was an entryway and living room in-between our rooms

These little pods were everywhere-even on the beach!

Tommy holding down the fort

The boys spent everyday in the ocean

Cooper liked to dig in the sand

All of the boys searching for shells

Ashton and Weston were great swimmers and snorkelers

Cooper and Nixon waiting to leave Water Bom

Me and the twins getting chased by waves

Ashton, Weston and Nixon hanging out at Water Bom

Weston and Nixon swimming in the shallow part of the bay

Weston, Nixon and Ashton drying off (Cooper was sick in the room)

Ashton and Weston dug a pretty cool canal

One of the restaurants at the resort had a kids area. There were "nannies" (that is anyone helping you according to Nixon and Cooper) there to help get drinks and dish up plates. Tommy and I had a table just a few feet away.

Taking the bus/taxi to shop

Cooper and Nixon sound asleep on my lap in the taxi

Even thought the boys had their own room, everyone always ended up with us for movie time

A mom and her boys

The hotel grounds

We ate lunch on the beach almost every day

Weston riding the waves

Can't get much better than that!

Glass bottom boat ride

We saw a lot of fish

Nixon and Cooper are literally asleep sitting up. The sun, the rocking of the boat and the sound of the ocean put them right to sleep!

Daddy and Cooper

Nice view boys!

Water Bom Bali

 We traveled to Bali for Christmas vacation this year. We left the morning after school let out and got back just in time to celebrate Christmas Eve at home.

We chose The Westin Resort and we were very spoiled. Our rooms were upgraded when we arrived and we were very happy with that! Not to mention the service and amenities. 

We all got used to ordering lunch to the beach and of course unlimited drinks! One of the selling points of the Westin was that kids eat for only $15 per day. On arrival, if you have chosen this package, the kids receive a wrist band and they get meals and drinks (all you can eat) for that small price. The boys often ordered 2-3 orders of chicken nuggets each per meal, so we definitely used those wrist bands!

Most of our time was spent at the beach except for the one day we ventured out to Water Bom the water park. It was super clean and had a lot of fun rides and splash areas. We made it all day and then as we were packing up, Cooper decided to throw up. He was down for the count so we loaded up on plastic bags for the 45 minute taxi ride back to the hotel and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, he threw up 2 more times in the taxi. He was sick through the night and the next day just wanted to sleep. Nixon ended up getting a bit of a fever the last day we were there, and then threw up at the airport while we waited to board and again on the flight home. Oh the joys of kids! 

We made it back to Jakarta and we were happy to see Subagio our driver waiting for us. But he had bad news. The traffic was horrendous and it took us over 3 hours to get home (1 hour of that was spent trying to get out of the airport parking lot). 

We were happy when we finally got home and into our own beds! Bali was really pretty and it was nice to take a break on the beach. We are happy that we get to give our kids such unique experiences!