24 Weeks

I am a little behind with the pictures since I am currently at 26 weeks, but here it is anyway...my 24 week baby belly photo  :)

24 weeks.  Trip took this while we were in Singapore

A few weeks ago we went to lunch with our friends Ben and Michelle.  We really haven't spent enough time with our friends lately thanks to me and pregnancy, so it was fun to see them.  Hopefully, we get together again soon!

Trip enjoying his man-sized sandwich

"Can I help you with that?"

Since I have been feeling so much better lately, Trip and I have been getting some last minute traveling in.  Jack and Tigger have not been as fond of these trips as we have since they don't get to come along.  While we are packing and unpacking, they like to stay close to remind us that they are still here  :)  Tigger decided to help me unpack this suitcase, while Jack decided that it was better to let me know how "uninterested" he was in the whole process.

I just can't get over how cute these two are!

Babymoon part 2: Singapore

We went to Singapore this last weekend and had a great time! We didn't manage to do as much as we wanted, but that was due to my being slower than usual thanks to pregnancy and sunburn from Borneo.  However, the trip was still fun and we saw all of the things at the top of our list.  I am a little behind in posting this because there are so many awesome pictures to choose from.  Hopefully, I chose wisely :)


We started out on Orchard Road, which is the famous shopping road.  It reminds me of a less spectacular version of the strip at Vegas.

Apparently this is a statue of nutmeg.  I thought it looked more like a pear...

The ceiling in this mall was animated so it looked like fish were swimming above you.  They moved and everything.

We had some delicious Japanese food for lunch.  It was just like being in Japan.

Trip's awesome night shot of the Ion Orchard Mall at night.  Note the television screens across the front.

Our next stop was the Botanical Gardens.  We loved it and spent several hours there.  The Orchid Garden was closed, so we also went back the next day.  

These are some kind of roots that I don't remember the name of.  They were nice and shady :)

As if Trip needs more mustache 

I really like this statue of a girl swinging

Giving my tired feet a rest

Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim

The entrance to the Orchid Garden

Rather than make me walk some more, Trip got a wheelchair for me.  I have to say, it was nice to sit back and let someone else do all the work!

Trip feeling like a bamf after pushing me around all day

A beautiful picture taken by Trip.  All of the orchids were just gorgeous!

After the gardens we went to Marina Bay to check out the waterfront and see the new casino.  Our timing was pretty good because we also managed to see the light show.  It was a nice evening and Trip got some more great night shots of the area.

Fort Canning was also a must since Trip is such a war history buff.  We started the next day off with a tour of the Battle Box, a bunker that was where the British and Australian troops holed up in until the decision was made to surrender Singapore over to the Japanese in WWII.

The "sally port", a place for reinforcements to sneak in undetected

One of the soldiers wrote in chalk on this door and it is still faintly visible.  The camera didn't capture it very well, but it says "Last day, February 15, 1942"

One of the animated displays.  It was pretty well done.

Writing on the wall from when the Japanese occupied the bunker.

Clark's Quay was our last stop for the day and we had some fantastic food for dinner.  All the restaurants are set up along the river and it is a pretty fun atmosphere.

The burgers we got were the best we have had in Asia!  They used real bacon and everything.

Clarke Quay

This video is of a street performer playing a didgeridoo.  He was really impressive.

We spent 2 full days of eating, walking around, and picture taking.  We were hoping to go to the world's largest slide in the airport and to check out the zoo and Sentosa Island, but unfortunately pregnancy can be exhausting and I can only waddle so fast :P  So now we have incentive to go back soon!  :)

Gold Class

One of the things we have discovered here in Malaysia that we will miss when we go back to the States, is Gold Class movies.  We first heard about these from my dad, and after our first experience we were hooked!  Gold Class movies are movies done right  :)


For only 40 ringgit (a little over $10) you can watch a movie in a leather recliner with your own blanket and a call button should you need someone to bring you refreshments during the movie.  You can also hang out in the private lounge and use a bathroom that is not all gross like the rest of the mall can be.  Pretty fancy, huh?


Unfortunately not every movie is offered in Gold Class, so we have only been to a few movies there, but we have loved it every time!  I totally recommend this to anyone who comes to Malaysia...it's an experience worth having.

Waiting in the lounge

The refreshment bar

Behold the awesomeness!

Snug as a bug in a rug

Chillin' like villians, or something like that

Reach out and touch someone

It seems that since I am pregnant, I am now public property and it is socially acceptable to be touched at anytime by anyone.  Any reaction other than being overjoyed at this new development has been met with surprise.  After all, don't I know that my pregnancy is something that random strangers should be able to enjoy too?!  (I hope you note the sarcasm with which I write here)


I know that some women don't mind when people touch their bellies, but I didn't like it before I was pregnant and I don't like it now.  It's different with people I know who actually ask first, but getting unexpectedly assaulted is unpleasant and uncomfortable to me.


Perhaps my feelings about this have been tainted by the first "belly groper" that I encountered.  It was just after church, and rather than try to touch my baby bump the conventional way (from the front), they ambushed me from behind.  And missed.
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I wonder if this is how lucky buddha statues feel?

Babymoon part 1: Kota Kinabalu (Borneo)

We are back!  We had a great time in Borneo this past weekend.  We got nice long massages on Friday and then had a delicious steak dinner.  There was a market that we found that had some beautiful shells and coral, something that we haven't seen at any other markets since we've been here.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera with me, so no pictures to display.  We also got some amazing mangoes at the market that we enjoyed all weekend.


Saturday was devoted to snorkeling at a little island called Gaya Island.  It was a gorgeous day and we saw some amazing fish.  We saw barracuda, banner fish, puffer fish, clown fish, and a bunch of other tropical fish that we don't know the names of.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The marina

23 weeks

View from the island where we were snorkeling

What's an island without puppies?

Weekends of fun

We are off to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow for some much needed R&R.  This will kickoff our travel extravaganza for the next several weeks so hopefully I will be able to keep up and blog about our adventures in between each weekend getaway.


We have planned a trip to a different country for the next four weekends, starting with East Malaysia of course.  This should be fun and we are excited to get out there and do and see new things.  So now you have something to look forward to  :)

Walking for Candy

As a bunch of you may know already, the Sanders have become extended family to Kim and I while we've been out here in Kuala Lumpur. Kim and I often will spend every night of the weekend (sometime starting on Thursday) with the Sanders. We play a game of dominoes called Mexican Train and eat some wonderful food. This Sunday, Tobi even made me her special, fabulous, awesome carrot cake in honor of my 30th birthday (we were in the States at the time of my actual birthday). 

So yeah, we are pretty close. 

Tobi, Scott's wife (if your "new" ;), is a really sweet woman and Kim and I love her like a mom and a sister and we've both been sick over the struggle that she is going through being so far away from her own flesh-and-blood sister, Candy. So this past Friday night, when Scott said that he was getting up early on Saturday to complete a 5K walk/ jog in honor of Candy and her fight against cancer... well there just wasn't any other place I'd have rather been. 

My buddy Scott getting ready to do 5K against cancer

Go Eagles. Go Candy!

Candy, I don't know you, but Scott and Tobi tell us wonderful stories of you. Kim and I are coming back to Utah at the end of the year and would love to share some of our stories with you... when you're in the neighborhood. Keep fighting and know that there are people half way around the world who are thinking, praying, and even walking for you :) 

Apple Torte

I was asked to bring dessert to a dinner we were invited to recently and I wanted to try something new.  I found this recipe at www.simplyrecipes.com and I loved it!  It took very little time and was absolutely delicious, both alone and with ice cream.  I just had to share it with all of you.  Again, the notes in red are the things I added or changed.  Hope you try it out and enjoy it!

Buttery Apple Torte Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (4 oz or 125 g) plus 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• 3 Renette or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick (I used 4 medium sized apples)
• 2/3 cup (3 1/2 oz or 105 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (8 oz or 250 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Confectioners' sugar (optional)

METHOD

1 Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously butter a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with 2 inch (5 cm) sides.

2 In a microwave, melt the butter. Pour 6 Tbsp (3 fl oz or 90 ml) of it into a small bowl or cup and set aside. Add the apple slices and the remaining butter to a large frying pan and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3 In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt and cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs and egg yolk until blended. Add the 6 Tbsp of melted butter, the vanilla, the granulated sugar, and the lemon zest. Stir in the flour mixture and the apples. Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.

4 Bake until browned, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate and lift off the pan, then invert the cake again onto the rack and let cool completely.

5 (Optional) Just before serving, place confectioners' sugar in a small sieve and dust the top of the cake.

Serves 8 (or 16 depending on how big you make the slices)

22 weeks

Here I am at 22 weeks.  Getting bigger all the time!

                      

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Yesterday was dad's birthday and to celebrate we went out to dinner.  Dad took us to Shook! which is a restaurant that he has been talking about since we got here.  The ambiance was fantastic and the food was delicious.  The company was pretty good too  :)

It was great to be able to spend his birthday in Malaysia together.  Here's to many more, dad!