Holidays 2009

Well we are back in KL after a month long holiday in the states. The girls and I left on 12/7 for our solo mission. We flew from KL to Hong Kong, then to LA and then to Austin. I was really nervous before the trip, not knowing how I was going to handle two kids and all our stuff by myself. Actually it was just fine. The airline provided extra assistance and the girls are true world travelers. From door to door it was about 33 hours, yikes!

We stayed in Austin for a night and then headed to San Antonio where we moved in to my parent's townhouse. It was great to have a "home base" where we could unpack and not be imposing on anyone. The first week I was so tired. Mostly because I didn't sleep much on the plane and then also the time difference. Luckily the girls adapted to the time pretty quickly. It was great to see my parents everyday and share most meals with them.

We then headed to Austin to spend the weekend with my mom's family. Megan and I were able to do some shopping and plan a nice family dinner for everyone. Kyle met us in Austin on 12/17 which was also Samantha's 4th birthday. I got her an insane princess castle cake and of course she LOVED it. We all bundled up that night and went to Zilker park to see the lights. Then a weekend full of games and family. Lots of fun.

After that then back to SA to hang out with Kyle's folks for a few days. It worked out great for them to come over and see some old friends, as well as us. We celebrated Christmas with them on Christmas Eve morning and then they headed to Dallas to see Sharon's brother. Then we spent Christmas eve and day with my parents, Megan and Carlos. Of course Santa was way too good to us. Samantha got a mop and broom set, Barbie and dress up shoes from Santa. Emily got a new baby stroller and fairy dress up outfit. They both loved them.

We had a few more days in SA so Kyle and I could do some much needed shopping. We both needed new clothes and several other things on our "can't get in KL list". We stocked up on new towels, foam mattress topper, clothes, medicines, deodorant, etc. Then it took me a whole day to pack it all up. Believe it or not we only paid $50 in excess baggage fees. Not to bad considering all the Christmas gifts too.

We spent New Year's with Megan and Carlos. It was pretty low key with good Indian food and a local bar. We got some good pictures of the four of us which are really nice to have. We also spent time with my dad's sister and husband as they were passing thru to Brownsville for the winter.

Saying goodbye was really tough for all of us. Especially since it will be 8 months before we see them again. We left on Saturday 1/2 and arrived home mid Monday morning. This week has been spent unpacking, reorganizing and catching up on sleep. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful holiday!