Home - (sort of)

Before I start this blog, I just want to ask a quick question and see how many different answers I get. What do you see on this carpet? On our vacation we all saw this carpet and all came up with completely different answers. Just wanted to hear what other people have to say!
Ok, so my family has the coolest grandma. She owns this time-share and shares it with all of her kids. Our one other vacation on her time-share was spent at an EXTREMELY nice resort in Mazatlan, Mexico. Not to brag or anything, but the president of Mexico was there at the same time in the same building as us. (To help you envision how nice this place was.)

So this year my family got to go to the Wisconsin Dells. Basically a huge waterpark town for an entire WEEK. My brother, Mike, flew out from California to be with us, Chris and Amy drove out from Minnesota to be with us, and Chad (out other, non-related brother) drove out from Michigan to be with us.

But I take the jack-pot, flying out from the Philippines to be with them.

This was the closest waterpark to us. There were exactly 3 of these just in our building. HUGE, huge, huge buildings. There was a LOT of walking around, and running down the long, endless halls and tons of swimming in the indoor pools.

The tornado. Or as we called it, the toilet.

How mid-westerners envision the ocean?

The jacuzzi in my parents' room with the two brothers.

Chris, Amy (his fiancee) and Amy's parents came over for the weekend and we got to hang out with them until they left on Monday.

Then on Tuesday, Chad came over from Michigan to spend the rest of the vacation with us - his extended family.

My poor sister. This girl has to put up with my brother, Johnny and his messy ways. He somehow managed to squeeze his ice cream cone, get ice cream ALL over his face and hands, and Bekah's face and hands.

And use up an abundance of napkins.....

And earn himself a table to himself, while Bekah moved to her own table.

While the rest of us laughed at them.

...and tried on weird cow masks.

What would a vacation in Wisconsin be without trying cheese? So we went to the cheese store to buy some squeaky cheese and play with all the souvenirs.

My dad and Chad both had birthdays that week so we celebrated with a DQ cake.

The last day of our vacation it was just the original family, my parents, me and the younger three so we just went go carting then out to Taco Bell for dinner.

This is the whole group before Chad and Mike left. What a FUN vacation!!

While we were at mini-conference last weekend, one afternoon, Belinda didn't want Neo to get dirty anymore so she got him showered and changed. We turned our backs for a second, and before we knew it, we hear splashing and giggling going on behind us, we turned around to find ......

this.

Ya can't take all the fun away from me, mom!

Girls just wanna have fun ...

Girl's night in my room

A day at the princess salon!

Ooooook, and boys obviously like to have fun too!! See?

And what's funner to a little boy than eating?

...And trying on women's shoes?

And riding "vroom vrooms"!

Such a cutie =)

Manila Highlights

Since we've spent the last (almost) 2 months living here in Manila, I've decided to show pictures of some of the things we've done since being here. Some of the things not pictured are the things we did the most of: mall trips, fun times in the guest house and shopping.

Every day we would do school, switching things around doing school in different places because it started to become very monotonous in such a small room.

Every afternoon we would do a study on something about Manila. We learned about the Quiapo church, the "Smoky Mountain", the American cemetery, Intramuros etc...

Playing cards after school

Escaping the Manila heat by going swimming!! (Aren't they adorable!?!?)

Moffits and the Merritts

Waiting for taxis - Trying to look like they are enjoying it? Or just squinting because of the sun?

... Neo too

The girls at the Quiapo church (This picture is technically illegal, I should sell it and make some serious $$)

Outside...

Waiting for a taxi outside Quiapo.

Manila traffic. Insanity

After almost 2 months of Manila we realized we still haven't ridden the train!! So we decided one day to ride it to the mall instead of taxiing. (Funny story behind this picture)

Shortly after taking this picture I lost my balance (you need both hands to take a picture with my camera) and fell into a pole with my head. But I would say it was definitely worth it =)

Neo, Josh and Matt Damon ;)

Belinda and Matt Damon's wife!!

The girlies finally got a seat near towards the end of our ride.

Chilling at starbucks in the mall where Neo would run from person to person begging for their coffees.

Those west-coast boys...

How can you resist sharing your coffee with a boy who makes this face at you? (.....You can't!)

This makes me laugh every time!!

The ghetto carousel in Trinoma

Even Neo was bored!

High-school Musical Bowling - birthday party at Megamall

Notice the bowling alley's smallest shoe size?

Father's Day family picture on the playground

Ally girl at the restaurant

The whole gang at "Cookbook" for Josh's father's day lunch.