Little Getaway!!

We are discovering through talking to different people and a little research there is so much to see and do here in KL! There are so many amazing places a short plane ride away that we are having to be careful not to forget what all the city we are actually living in has to offer! So, when Brent and the kids all had a Monday off a couple of weeks ago for a public holiday, we decided to try a little "staycation" and we had a blast!! I honestly cannot remember where I first heard about Sunway Lagoon, but after hearing on sight accommodations and waterpark...we were sold!!
Brent actually was in Perth the whole week leading up to our little adventure and wasn't flying back until Saturday morning. The kids and I decided to start the weekend fun anyway, so we skipped golf lessons and headed to the hotel right after school on Firday! It is so great how much fun staying in a hotel is!! When we lived in Katy, there was a little hotel literally 5 min from the house and Lily and Ella would ask at least once a week if we could go stay there sometime:) It doesn't have to be fancy and it doesn't have to be far, it just has to have a bed we can jump on and a pool!
Anyway, there were 2 hotels to choose from and we picked the Sunway Resort and Spa. The room was great with a ton of floor space and we were actually able to fit in 2 roll away beds that the girls slept on and Jake got a pallet on the floor. The only boy in the family and the 3rd child...he better get used to sleeping on the floor:)
Like everything in KL, the hotel was attached to a huge mall. We found this out because the taxi driver dropped me and all 3 kids with all of our luggage and stuffed animals for everyone to sleep with on the complete opposite side of the mall from our hotel. He just pointed and said, "It's just right there on the other side." This involved staircases, elevators and a long walk through an extremely crowded mall:) What do you do??:) We made it!! A sweet security guard felt sorry for me and actually helped us with all of our stuff. I don't think I would have been able to find the hotel on my own, so thank goodness!
After we jumped on the bed, we headed to the mall for some dinner and found a whole section of carnival rides that the kids loved!

We had a great view of the waterpark from our window! We knew exactly where we were heading when Daddy showed up!

Brent's flight landed around 7:30 on Saturday morning, so he met us for breakfast and then we were off for a super fun day at the waterpark!! I only have a picture of us at the entrance and then my phone went in the locker for the rest of the day:) We all had such a great time!! There were 2 sections with a bunch of smaller slides and all kinds of ways to climb for small kids. All 3 kids loved this part as well as the lazy river and wave pool. They even had a dance party in the wave pool and some cool performances!! Lily also really enjoyed the bigger slides which was fun for me and Brent too:) Her favorite was the huge funnel one were you sit 4-6 people in a large tube and go flying through a tunnel slide and eventually end up in a huge funnel where you fly back and forth up the sides. Brent did it with her twice and then she came and got me to do it with her. I was SO not expecting it to be that fast!! I am not used to her liking the big rides!



The next day we went to church and then back to the hotel to play at the pool! It was a great pool!! It was huge and had all these beautiful waterfalls! However, it was freezing! When we first got down there the sun was out and we were freezing. Then the sun went away and it started to sprinkle and we were really freezing!! Poor Ella wanted to swim so bad. She would get out and wrap up in a towel and after a few minutes get back in for about 30 seconds and then back out again;) The girls and I finally gave up and enjoyed some drinks by the side (milkshakes don't help warm you up by the way)!

Lily took care of Ella, giving her drink and cuddling with her:)

The next morning we had breakfast and headed back home to get unpacked, get groceries and get ready for the week! We will definitely go back to Sunway Lagoon and look forward to checking out some more places close to home!:)

Back to School and Routine :)

Well, summer is officially over:( We have been back to school now for almost 3 weeks and I am so happy to say that all 3 kids are loving it!!! It was hard to say goodbye to pjs till lunch time, swimming whenever we wanted, sleeping in, etc... But 3 happy kids makes 1 happy mama:) We did try and make the most of our last couple of weeks of summer though. Well, actually a lot of the first week back was spent catching up on sleep;) There were a couple of mornings when I woke the kids up at lunch time! It isn't easy getting over a 13 hr time difference! Once we caught up on sleep though, we were ready to play!

I loved having the kids home this summer!! Once school starts life always gets nuts! I loved just being able to let them play and to play with them. They even joined me for yoga and pilates a couple of times! I got such an awesome stomach work out those days from laughing so hard:)

One thing Lily and Ella both really wanted to do before school started was to go back to the fish spa and have our feet nibbled on:) There were a TON of fish this time!! A little too many for Ella and Jake actually;) We headed for mani/pedis after while Brent and Jake shopped at the superhero store!

We also headed to the National Science Museum one day. It is really close to where we live and we pass it all the time and finally decided to take advantage of it on a rainy Saturday morning. The kids really enjoyed it!! They had some really cool exhibits and Brent loved showing the kids how things worked:)

This girl figured the puzzle out all by herself!!

Another thing that the kids and I have recently picked up is golf! Brent is beside himself excited about this!! I am actually taking weekly lessons with a sweet friend and Lily is in a weekly class as well. We are both loving it!! Ella and Jake are too young for lessons, but they always want to practice at the driving range or at the putting green at the condo. 

And of course the thing we are loving the most about being back is awesome friends!! The best thing about living in the condo is that you can go down to the pool anytime and there is always someone to play with! We have made some amazing friends in the short time that we have been here and I know they will be lifetime friendships!

And then there is school:) Once again, we have been blessed with fantastic teachers!! School started on a Tuesday, so we had meet the teacher on the Monday. We started in Lily's class first. She was so excited to have 5 friends from her 1st grade class in her class! She has quickly made friends with the other students as well and is so happy!! Her homeroom teacher is so calm and soft spoken which Lily absolutely loves! She came home the 2nd day of school and said, "Mom, she never yells!" This is a big deal for Lily:) Her teacher is also huge into reading which is Lily's favorite thing to do:) In 2nd grade, they start to focus on a language. Lily choose French and this has quickly become a highlight of her day! Right now she is taking swim lessons, golf lessons, soccer and will start dance next week 2 times a week. Between all that and playdates, she is very busy, but extremely happy!!

Ella repeatedly tells me, "Mommy, Kindergarten is AWESOME!!" The first week is a little different here for Kinder and younger here. They have the meet the teacher on Monday, and then just go in a small group for an hour on Tuesday, then a half day on either the Wednesday or Thursday and eventually the first full day on Friday. Ella was pretty disappointed because she wanted to immediately start going until 3 o'clock! I appreciated this little transition more for myself! I had to get used to her going 5 days a week when we first moved here, but now it's until 3 everyday!! That's a really long time!! She is so happy though! She too was extremely excited to have 1 sweet friend from last year in her class and a new friend we love from the condo! Her teacher is extremely animated and loves to sing...Ella is totally in heaven with her teacher:) Her class is called the Lovable Lions. She even got to dress up like a lion on one of the first days! Ella is also taking swim lessons, soccer and dance 1 day a week:)

And then there's Jake! I wasn't too sure how Jake was going to do going to school. He was pretty excited about going where his sisters go and getting to play on the playground he just got to look at last year:) However, I never expected him to love it this much! He goes in with a smile and comes out with a smile everyday!! I really miss my little buddy during the mornings, but I am glad he is having so much fun! Bless his teacher's heart...17 three year olds...13 of which are boys!! They added an extra assistant for her;) She really is fantastic though! She has lots of years of experience and is extremely organized and structured but also very loving:) Her classroom makes my heart so happy! It is beautiful, with toys and books everywhere! I also love that one of the helper teachers is a guy. Jake loves having his best buddy in his class and is enjoying making new friends! He is also taking swim lessons and soccer:)

And some more first day of school pictures! 

Getting some last minute snuggles and tickles! 

We were all very excited that Daddy took the morning off!!

So...we are doing good!! Getting back in the routine and used to the schedule again:) Life is busy, but it is fun!! Time is flying, but I am loving all the memories that we are making here!