In late October, my sister broached the idea of meeting us over the Christmas holidays. We said an enthusiastic "YES!", and plans quickly shaped up for Caitlin, her husband Tim, and their 2 year old son, Jack, to meet us outside Kuala Lumpur (KL) for one week. We decided to keep the plans a surprise from the boys, which was much harder than I realized! I slipped multiple times over the next couple of months, but with some creative and quick thinking I was able to cover my mistakes and maintain the surprise.
What I didn't know was that, shortly after my sister and her family booked their plane tickets, my Mom and Dad decided to come surprise us as well! The only one who knew the whole plan was Bob, and he did a great job of keeping the extra surprise from me.
We arrived in Putrajaya, just outside Kuala Lumpur, on December 19th. Knowing that the Christmas holidays would be a good time for some relaxation and comfortable surroundings, we booked our stay at the Marriott Putrajaya. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and there were even Christmas carols playing in the lobby.
Knowing that my sister and her family would arrive the next morning, that day crept along. We ate comfort food at Johnny Rockets (an American old-fashioned style diner), and I barely slept that night since I was so excited about the surprise that would take place the next morning.
Our surprise was scheduled to take place mid-morning, so after eating we hung out in our room for a bit. We told the boys that Bob was going to arrange transportation into Kuala Lumpur so we could see the sights that day, and that I'd take them down when it was time to leave. Bob instead went down to the lobby to coordinate the entire surprise and texted me when everyone was in place.
This video captures the double surprise, which started with Caitlin, Tim, and Jack surprising the boys and then with the boys and me all being surprised by my parents!
Here's some great photos from the surprise, too. There was a bit of disbelief on the boys' part as they realized Caitlin, Tim, and Jack were actually standing in front of them.
Then there was lots of hugging.
The set up for my parents' surprise was a bag of poppyseed muffins (from my Mom's restaurant) and a "red ruler" that was sitting under the Christmas tree. The red ruler is a long-running joke between the boys and my Dad, and it shows up in random places from time to time. Where did the red ruler come from this time?
MaMaMa and DaDaDa (what the boys call my parents) brought it!
There was more hugging, some excited screaming on my part (a few other guests came out to see what was going on), and lots of smiles. The look on Colin's face in this photo pretty much says it all.
The last time we saw my family was 9 months ago, when we visited the US while we were still living in the Netherlands. It was so exciting to have us all together--and on the other side of the world, in Malaysia, no less!
The boys immediately jumped into their older cousin roles, which they are really proud of.
They played with Jack in the children's play area, which was just perfect for a 2 year old.
We got lots of hugs in.
My family tried Ais Kachang, the Malaysian shaved ice dessert that has a little bit of everything (red beans, corn, jelly balls, evaporated milk, etc). Caitlin was not a fan.
We decorated our room for Christmas, complete with a laundry line for hanging stockings and a roaring fire in the (TV) fireplace.
We even had a Christmas tree and wrapped presents to enjoy!
This picture cracks me up. Jack was not at all thrilled to go back in his "baby backpack" and it took 3 people to get him in. I am SO GLAD we're not traveling with little ones anymore....I can't imagine doing this trip with a 2 year old.
The Petronas (Twin) Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004, when a larger building was built in Taiwan. They remain the largest twin towers in the world, though, and they are pretty impressive.
The view from the sky bridge, which links the two towers, was also impressive. The park we'd been in earlier looked like a model from up high.
Jack was excited to watch trucks and cars go by on the streets below.
The Batu Caves have been carved into a limestone hill, and inside the caves are many Hindu shrines. At the base of the steps that lead into the caves there is a 43 meter (140 foot) tall statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity.
We also went into one of the caves which is more natural and undeveloped. In this one, we had to wear hard hats, which Jack was not entirely a fan of.
Inside the cave we saw some beautiful formations, openings, and even a huge, gnarly looking caterpillar (which our guide told us was poisonous).
Other than those two sight seeing trips, we just enjoyed each other's company and hung out at the hotel. The boys especially loved going down the water slide with Jack.
We laughed, talked, and smiled a lot.
We played a lot of Exploding Kittens, which is a card game that we all like. The version for 6 people includes a "cone of shame".
We ate plenty of Christmas goodies. Not pictured are the 150 poppyseed muffins, 2 pound cakes, 2 lbs (almost 5 kg) of peppermint back, 50 Christmas cookies, and other assorted goodies that the Hubbards and Murrays brought halfway around the world to share with us. They literally brought an entire suitcase of food.......it was delicious, and I think it's still traveling with us (on my hips).
And, a family tradition.....Christmas pajamas! These 3 made the cutest little elves in all of Malaysia.
My parents' flight left at 2 AM on Christmas Day, so on Christmas Eve we opened gifts and had a nice Christmas meal before they headed to the airport that night. We were sad to see them leave but so incredibly happy that we had time together, especially considering they spent almost as much time in transit as they had in Malaysia.
On Christmas Day, with Caitlin, Tim, and Jack still with us, we hung out and enjoyed the small gifts that Santa brought the boys. The next day, we visited the Putra Mosque. This is the largest mosque in Putrajaya (the city just south of KL), and it is quite pink!
The Putra Mosque was the first mosque I've ever been inside. In order to visit, I had to wear a robe that included a hood, so that my head would be covered. We joked that the robe looked a little like something Harry Potter might wear.
We finished off our day by enjoying "Make Your Own Magnums" (ice cream bars) in the nearby mall, which were beautifully created and delicious to eat.
And then it was time for Caitlin, Tim, and Jack to head back to the US, too. We said goodbye after an absolutely wonderful week of doubly surprising guests. Our bellies were full of delicious Christmas treats from home, and our hearts were full of love and gratitude that my family made such a tremendous effort to come meet us in Malaysia. We'll never forget Christmas 2016--it was absolutely a-MALAY-zing!
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