The Jolliff Family

The big boys made some great friends while we were in Thailand and on a few occasions, we took these kids with us for the night so their parents could spend time alone or with other people for meetings.  On this night, Andrew's buddy came with us. We also had the opportunity to go to a huge indoor aquarium.  Sam and Andrew went with their class but Jacob and the twins didn't get to go, so we decided this would be a fun (and air-conditioned) way to spend a day! They had stations that each child moved through and stamped their paper.  They turned the paper in at the end for a little prize. Touching some sea life. The neatest part was the shark tanks.  They had several sharks, large sting rays, and schools of fish swimming around to watch. We had such a great day together and the kids are still talking about all that they saw at Sea Life.

Sam and I had the opportunity to go ride some elephants and visit a floating market.  We went about 1 hour outside Bangkok to do this.  Sam was super happy about the elephants and for the one-on-one time. It was pretty touristy, maybe next time we can do a bit more rustic.  Sam didn't care, though! We then went to the largest floating market in Thailand.  They called it the Venice of the east ;) Some of the boats are paddled by hand. But some of them have huge motors on them! It was so hot so before we left I enjoyed some fresh coconut ice-cream and Sam enjoyed some rainbow ice-cream. Sam is such a fun kid to spend time with and loves learning and seeing new cultures.  I love this about him.

In the evening, we had a great birthday party for Andrew and for another little girl who celebrated her 4th birthday! This was Andrew's cake.  It was the only cake I could find and he loved it! The other mother did all the decorating and she did a great job! Sweetest 8 year old around! Everyone was invited to come and we had plenty of cake and ice cream for everyone! It was SO HOT AND HUMID during the party but we did manage a decent family picture. Andrew was surrounded by sweet new friends that he made during his weeks.  I was humbled at the turnout.  It was such a great night celebrating Andrew. LOVE this lady and Abigail liked her, too! A little homemade piñata action. These boys became great buddies!!! And they blessed Andrew with some fun gifts. Happy Birthday, Andrew.  We love you like crazy!!