The kids were so excited about her visit too! We had a countdown going since we got back from summer! It was so unbelievably wonderful to have my mom come with us back when we first moved in February and this was our first guest since then. It was different this time around because I actually knew what I was doing and where to go:) Poor MeeMaw was having to figure things out with us! We can't wait for you to come back mom, so we can really show you around instead of making you just work!:)
Anyway, Brittney arrived around 8:15 on Wednesday morning. Brent was so sweet and went into work late so he could get the kids to school while I went to the airport to pick her up. Such a great moment when I saw her smiling face!! Even after 24 hours of flights she was still smiling! Once we left the airport, we didn't stop moving!! She was such a trooper with the jet lag!
The kids were super excited to see her at pickup! When we went to get Jake at 1:30, Lily was actually out in the courtyard with her class. She sprinted up the stairs to get to Aunt Brittney!!
And of course she brought a massive bag of Halloween treats!!
She got to jump right into our normal life with swim lessons right after school and Wednesday night Bible Class. We miss midweek services here, so we do our own Bible class in our condo with a couple of other families. It is one of our favorite nights of the week! Unfortunately I didn't get any swim or Bible class pictures. Don't you worry though...there are still plenty of pictures to come;)
The next day, after dropping everyone off at school, we headed to Publika to let Brittney see a local mall and my favorite grocery store. We also met up with some of my amazing friends for a little birthday lunch for me:) If I haven't mentioned it enough in earlier blog posts, I have amazing friends!! These ladies have quickly taken up a huge spot in my heart! Unfortunately, I was having too much fun and was too busy eating and laughing to remember to get a picture:( It was a wonderful time though and a great way to spend my first birthday in KL!
We headed to the local market in the plaza that evening. It is there every Thursday evening and we try to go whenever it is not raining, so we really wanted Brittney to get to experience it. It is just a bunch of local vendors and all kinds of different foods from Thai, to Indian, Korean, Chinese, Malay and even sometimes a guy selling bar-b-que!
Brent was so sweet and took the kids home and put them to bed while Brittney and I headed for a Thai massage! Doesn't she look beautiful in her fancy outfit??:) Neither of us had ever done a full Thai massage and it was quite an experience!! Between the outfits we were wearing and all the strange stretches and poses we were put into, there was quite a lot of giggling and some sounds of torture;) It really was good though!
The next day I turned 33 and woke up to singing, yummy cheesecake, presents, precious homemade cards and lots of hugs and kisses!! Having Brittney here was definitely the best part of the day though!
Lily participated in swim carnival that morning, so we got to hang out, drink coffee and watch some swim races! She did great!!
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| Yes folks...that is a blue ribbon in her hand;) |
Brittney was definitely not a fan of the fish spa and said she would rather just do a pedicure next time:) She was a trooper though! The things you will do for your nieces and nephews!!
She discovered she could keep her feet in longer if she held on to one of the kids. She had to be still and not throw them in the water:)
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| Eating the world's best dumplings! |
The kids were so excited to have Aunt Brittney here to watch them play soccer! This is how we spend every Saturday morning, from 8 am - 11:45, and we love it! Jake and Ella play first and then we have 1 1/2 hours to play on the playground and get some coffee before Lily plays. The kids are really loving it!!
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| The dads watching:) |
We spent the afternoon doing something new for all of us...the Petronas Towers! We have great views of the towers from our condo, so it was really cool to go see them up close and go ALL the way to the top...all 86 floors up! You stop first at the skybridge on level 40. Once you live on level 37 of your condo, 40 doesn't seem that high. Let me tell you though, 86 seems VERY high! Unfortunately, we have had some pretty hazy days lately so the views weren't quite as good as if it had been clear. It was still fun though!
We headed down to the massive park in KLCC after. We were able to see it from the top of the towers and just had to go play!! I can't believe we hadn't gone before! This park is huge...I mean huge!! I was glad we had 3 grown ups to watch the 3 kids:)
We ended the night at one of our favorite restaurants. It is actually in my favorite grocery store:) Since we are in a Muslim country, pork is sold in separate parts of the grocery store. A lot of the restaurants will not serve pork products either. I can tell you that beef bacon is just not the same:) Anyway, the restaurant is located in the back part of the grocery store right off of the non-Halal section and everything on the menu has pork! It is super yummy!! You almost feel a little like you are doing something shady though...eating in the back corner;)
We were very excited to take Brittney to worship services the next morning and introduce her to our super sweet church family here. The Lord's church is such a blessing!
Brittney and I got to have some real fun on Monday...shopping at Central Market and Peter Hoe!!! Central Market is a huge building full of different little "shops" that sell food, clothing, paintings, jewelry...pretty much anything you can think of for amazing prices! This is where Brittney loaded up on souvenirs! This is also the reason she had a really hard time zipping her suitcase;)
Now Peter Hoe is just one of those stores that I walk into and pretty much just hand my wallet over:) I have heard it described as the Malaysian Pottery Barn. I think I would say more Anthropologie. Anyway, it is mainly home decor, lots of serving pieces and some jewelry, bags and clothes. They also have a really yummy cafe inside and we had a great lunch in-between shopping!
My kid's favorite part of having Aunt Brittney here?? They had a constant playdate!! She dressed up with them and played whatever they wanted! The best was hearing them play Cinderealla:) Brittney and Ella were the mean stepsisters, Jake the stepbrother and Lily, Cinderella:)
We also got to spend a day in Brickfields, aka Little India. This is were Brent's office is. This is where I go and definitely feel like I am living on the other side of the world! In my opinion, it is a must see! Apparently a few years back, an important figure from India was coming to visit, so in an effort to beautify the city they painted the buildings on this street purple. Ella's favorite street anywhere!!
I am not a big fan of Indian food and Brent wasn't either in America. He kept telling me it was so much better here and I was going to love it. I will be honest with you...I didn't believe him:) Well folks, once again my sweet husband was right! The Indian food here is awesome!! I am a huge fan! I am actually going back for more this week! It is great too because he now knows the best places to go:)So crazy...our cousin just happened to be in KL and doing a presentation in Brickfields that day!! I hadn't seen him since college! So great getting to see him and hear about his crazy adventurous life! Look forward to him coming back!
While we were in Little India, we picked up some costumes for the kid's for their Deepavali parade in a few weeks! Jake didn't want to try it on, but in the end he was a sport! How cute is he?? The girls told him he looked like Aladdin!
That pretty much sums up all we did! We of course also took some time for mani/pedis and a foot massage;) I asked Brittney what she thought about everything before she left:
Her favorite thing about Malaysia: My friends! She is so right...I have awesome friends! I am so blessed...I have amazing friends back home in Texas that I cannot wait to return to and then amazing friends here from all over the world that I get to experience this adventure with:)
Her least favorite thing: The toilets! They are pretty awful:(
The thing that surprised her the most: How normal our life is! It is true...there are times and places that really make it feel like I am in another country, but for the most part, we just live the same life we did back in Katy, TX:) Everything is a little different though. Some things, a lot different:)
Her verdict: It really is a nice place to live, and although she has no desire to live here, she can totally see why we are doing so well:)
Saying goodbye to my sister was awful. I spent the next couple of days running past the guest room so I wouldn't have to look in. But, I am so glad that she made it back safely to her sweet family and will cherish all the memories! We love you so much, Brittney!! Thank you for taking the time and the money to come see us! I know it was not easy to travel all the way over here, but you will never know how much it meant:)
So...who's coming next??:)
