10th Wedding Anniversary in Phuket

This trip was an extra special one for us - to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! After days and days of looking at options we finally came to a decision. To spend quiet family time in Phuket in a nice resort and just chill out.

Often when we go on a holiday Matthew comes later to join us so it was rather nice to have all of us at the airport to start the holiday. Our flight was quite early in the morning but our kids are so used to traveling. It only takes a few minutes to wake them up and they are super ready for the day!

I just love these regional flights. Only an hour and 20min flight away - we arrived in a beautiful country. We stayed in Radisson BLU Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach. We used the hotel transport once we got there and it took over 40min from the airport but we were already in our holiday mode so no problems at all. Ashley had a nap and the boys were well entertained by my ipad mini :) We also enjoyed looking out the windows to find some unusual stuff?!

Those power lines hung so low...

When we got to the hotel we were told we were upgraded to a suite but it wouldn't be ready until later in the afternoon. We were extra lucky as they gave us another room to chill out while the other one was made ready. We fed the kids some lunch in the room (just saves a hassle later) then headed out for an excursion to find some lunch for Matthew and I by the hotel.
Here is our family Selfie:

There was a very good kids club in the hotel and Oliver decided he would like to stay there instead of coming with us which worked out very well. At the moment Oliver and Luca argue over everything and all we are doing is telling both of them off constantly. So not having Oliver with us made it very peaceful for Luca thus very relaxing for us!

We had some yummy Thai in a cafe. It was very nice but outdoor dining in the middle of the day was a little challenging. Phuket was certainly much hotter than Singapore. 

When we got back to the hotel the boys and I hit the pool straight away. Ashley needed a good nap in the aircon. The F1 practice was on so Matthew happily stayed with her in the room. 

They had the best kid's pool ever! Good size and mostly in the shade, with an awesome slide! The boys couldn't stop giggling. 

Our temporary room was opening onto this infinity pool. Compared to the pools by the beach there was hardly anyone here.  

Matthew came out and took some photos for us. 

I loved the end part of this pool. It had a secluded area with some tropical plants around you. There were water jet stations where you could relax and read books etc. Because it was well shaded we stayed there most of the time. The boys named it "Amazon"

We could have stayed there all afternoon but our room was ready. We packed up and walked up to 4th floor of a different wing. The rooms were amazing. We had two rooms adjoining. 

Sitting area:

Balcony:

Bathroom:

The kids room:

With their own balcony:

Both rooms faced this amazing view. It was just so beautiful!

We took it easy for the rest of the day. Dinner downstairs in the hotel and shower and bed. As soon as we put the kids in bed we heard a loud noise coming from outside.  

There was a fireworks display at the resort across the bay. We had the best viewing spot :) What a special way to finish up our exciting first day!

Easter Friday 2014

I am trying really hard to make extra time to catch up on my blog but so far it is not really happening. So I am still a whole month behind... But I decided rather than trying to catch up I will just post the current happenings in the Rose family and when I have extra time I will do the past posts to fill in the gap. That way you can see what we were up to last week, instead of a month ago!

Easter holiday was extra exciting for the boys this year as their kindy is Christian so they have a big focus on religious celebration for Easter. They both learnt what Easter is about and learnt lots of new celebration songs. Oliver got to make a basket for the Easter egg hunt (unfortunately we were away on Easter Monday so he missed out using it...) etc.

It was a public holiday on Easter Friday so the kids got to enjoy the day off with us and some friends. In the morning they wanted pancakes for breakfast. I know it is not traditional at all but I had to come up with something Easter like? - Yes, egg shaped pancakes with a little bunny each. I put some sprinkles, marshmallows and yummy NZ jam into bowls so that the boys can decorate their own Easter egg pancakes.

I think it was a hit! Very happy kids :) :) :)

I looked up some hot cross bun recipes the previous night so that I could bake some with the boys. As I was discussing it with Matthew I got a text from Nicola (who lives in the same condo) inviting us for some hot cross buns! Of course I said a big "YES" to the offer and put my recipe book away!

Nicola was very organised and had an Easter Egg craft station set up for the kids. It is so nice to have some older children who are very good at helping the little ones.

Oliver was extra proud of his little egg:

Us adults enjoyed some wine and champagne while the kids played nicely. We were invited to go to an Easter BBQ downstairs but it started to rain very heavily so it had to start later in the evening.

We decided to stay home as we had an early start planned the next day to go away for 5 days to Phuket. I had lots of packing to do!

Sakura 2014

I was so cross to find out we missed the best Japanese season - cherry blossoms by one week! I got these picnic under Sakura tree photos from my sister today. So jealous!      

It is quite hard to plan ahead to be right on time to see these beautiful flowers as each year the timing of the full bloom could change by weeks depending of the weather of the season and of course the temperature of that special week. I must try to be in Japan for longer next Spring.

Extended family dinner

Stefan and Su invited us for a dinner last night. It is very convenient all our friends live in the same condo! All we need is a 5 min walk to different towers :)

I like the fact that the kids try and eat different food when we dine with others.
Especially the quinoa salad Su made was delicious! Wonderful dinner thank you guys x