Another day in paradise!
Alas, the triplets crashed on Saturday night while Sebastian crashed on Sunday morning. Upon awaking, Seb had very sore arms and chest muscles – most likely from non-stop super-hero exertion the previous day – and announced he was going to throw-up. So he did, but made it to the toilet first. We had brought breakfast cereals and decided the kids would eat en suite. Seb, like Sela the night before, refused to eat. He was too tired and clearly suffering from something – probably sun stroke – that came complete with a fever. The kid enjoyed a mixture of Cheerios and CoCo Puffs (hey, they’re on holiday, who cares about the sugar!) while Seb lazed in bed in front of the TV where he remained until about 4 pm. (Left: breakfast in the hotel room.)
Tess stayed with Sebastian and I took the triplets down to the pool where they swam and swam and swam. The morning dragged late, and before I knew it lunch was on top of us. I quickly made peanut butter sandwiches in our hotel room then went back to the pool to inform the triplets of our impending "picnic on the beach." Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the most inspired ideas of the day. (Left: typicalview looking up the beach.)
Maureen and I settled each triplet into a beach chair and cracked open lunch. we were in the shade but wow – it was hot, with the sand retaining the sun’s energy. A cool breeze wafted by, when it occured to me we could probably pull off naps on the beach, not just a picnic. Sure enough, after sandwiches, a tube of yoghurt each and Yakult yoghurt drink, the eyes were getting heavy. Not long after the kids were deep in sleep. Okay I’m sorry, but I was pretty impressed with myself. Maureen and I had our own refreshment, then I headed back to the room to give Tess a break from babysitting Seb. Fortunately, Seb was feeling much better, even managing to consume some crackers and a peanut butter sandwich. (Left: Crashed out under the tropical heat!)
At this point Maureen and Tess showed up in the hotel room. "Where are the kids?" I asked. "KIDS CLUB," they exclaimed in glee. On cue Maureen and I headed down to the beach for el cheapo, one hour massages after which we joined the kids back in the pool. Seb had made a remarkable recovery, but his volatile well being + sudden expenditure of energy in the pool + sudden temperature change = another crash. The triplets played a little longer then everyone was ushered up to the room to get changed for dinner. (Left: Grandad Blake tries to cheer-up Seb as he comes in for another crash landing.)
In the middle of all the changing I asked, "Why not room service, besides Seb doesn’t look to hungry?" Such a simple solution! The kids enjoyed hot dogs and french fries while Sebastian laid low on the bed watching TV. Post dinner everyone was ready to sleep pretty quickly. We plied Sebastian with his 3rd bottle of Gatorade then put the gang to bed. Maureen predicted Seb would be 100% by the next morning and true to her prediction, he was. (Left: dinner time and TV for the triplets. Don’t get used to this kids!)
Monday morning found us down by the pool with lots and lots of sun. The kids were playing with an array of toys and Carys was pretending to pour water on various items that she’d pretend to cook. As Jasper looked on Carys explained, "JJ, you need to pour water on it because it’s spicey." "Aha," I thought rather satisfied, "so you do listen to me." Elsewhere Maureen and Tess splashed the kids through a variety of up-in-the-air throws. At lunch Maureen and Tess headed into town to shop. (Left: one of the many shallow pools that we hijacked.)
Blake and I had a repeat picnic on the beach. Took a little longer to get the kids asleep and Seb played happily in the sand throughout. Naps were unfortunately short – maybe an hour long – due to a line squall and downpour that put us back into the hotel room. One of the highlights of our trip was the resort baby elephant. The kids were quite skeptical but curious of this small, two-year-old beast who appeared several times a day. The little guy had a whole variety of tricks up his trunk including a big smile and pose for pictures, kissing people on their necks or cheeks with his trunk and… ah… going after ladies breasts as he did with Tess! Hah! (Left: Sebastian plays in the sand while the kids nap behind the camera.)
More random pics of the kids having fun in Phuket, starting with Carys playing in the pool…
Below, Sela’s turn in the limelight…
Below, Sebastian relaxes then splashes…
Little nudies… Blake & Sebastian… Sela cuddles Carys while sporting her new goggles…
You are probably wondering where JJ is in all these pictures. Well, the poor little guy has been painfully shy of the water but we do have some amazing progress to report. So stay tuned for another update. Meanwhile, what do you think of the synchronized swimmers? (Left: a final splash from our brave little swimmer, Carys. Overall, the kids made huge water progress this week, including shy Jasper.)
