More Trips to the Bicycle Park

I had some additional pictures of previous trips to the Bicycle Park that I thought I would post just because the pictures are so great. Sorry if you are bored by all the photos & of another Bicycle Park post. Trust me, I was bored too, of all the time it took to upload the pictures. : )

The above picture is with a group of other families who do home school. We only found out about the group around October & this was our first outing with them. The kids are all at the table in a restaurant at the park patiently awaiting their Fried Rice & Chicken on a Stick.

Below, Kambren is fixing his shoes so that he can go get back on his bike. I guess it took a little too long for the Fried Rice & Chicken to make it to the table. He was done waiting.



Rhees preparing to leave the Butterfly Farm located in the park. (He wouldn't be wearing his Red shirt this week in Bangkok. Have you been watching the news? )



This was Kambren's first trip to the park on a bike without training wheels! He did awesome for a 4 year old. The park covers quite a bit of space & I thought that he would get tired & I would end up hauling him & his bike back, with Kalen on my bike too. But Kambren proved me wrong.



On the west side of the park there is a bicycle training course where they have designed the paths to look like roads in Bangkok. There are a few round abouts, Victory Monument, the beautiful Rama VIII bridge, & several stop lights. Children can ride their bikes around this miniature city & practice observing correct traffic/bike laws. (If there are any in this country.) I really don't know why I have never taken any pictures of this area of the park. It is quite a brilliant idea, & our kids' favorite part of the park. Maybe I have always been having too much fun riding around it myself to ever snap a picture? Anyway, this particular day while riding around the biking course, I noticed a large Monitor Lizard on the grass. I just had to take some pictures of it.








Back at the Butterfly Farm Kalen is on the lookout for something. We don't know what though. Maybe he was just enjoying looking at all the beautiful tropical trees.



Absolutely as sweet & adorable as they come!!!





We have always said that Kambren has 2 speeds: running & sleeping. This picture proves the running part.




We just feel so so blessed to have such darling & wonderful children! What a dream come true for us. You can't tell from the picture, but Kambren is in the middle of this cute little dance that he likes to do. It is so fun to see him do it.




Sweet Aybrielle is finally getting to where she isn't too shy to stand alone & pose for a picture. Good job Ellie!! (I don't know why this thing is underlining everything in this spot. : \ )




Oops, I don't know why this picture is still sideways. I know I changed it. Oh well, it is still a cute picture. Notice how many pictures Ambrian is playing with or holding Kalen. They aren't just poses either. She really helps take such great care of him just because she enjoys doing it. He just adores her too!




Aybrielle & Kambren with good friend Jack Hillman.




Rhees & Ambrian with Sister Mindy Hillman & Jane.




The Hillman family was in our ward here for 2 years. They had 2 children who my kids just loved. Jack is 5 in the picture & I think that Jane was almost 3. When they first moved here, even though Jack & Kambren were closer in age, Aybrielle & Jack just hit it off. They almost couldn't sit by one another in Primary because they had too much fun. It was darling! Mindy was Ambrian's first violin teacher for a few months before they moved back to Utah this past December. We are so glad that we got to go on this fun outing with them before they left. Thanks for the really fun day. We miss you Hillmans!




This has to be one of my all time favorite pictures. The biggest brother & the littlest brother. I just love when siblings hold hands!! Rhees also loves helping take care of & play with Kalen. These pictures are one of the best things about being a mommy!



Notice the next few pictures of butterflies. They are all resting on flowers or leaves that coordinate with their own colors. Interesting & pretty!




Who knew that there is a butterfly named the Common Mormon? I know I didn't, but I thought it was so fun, so I had to take a picture.




I just love how the colors of this butterfly match the colors of the flowers it is resting on! Don't you just love butterflies!



Same here. Green - green.




Happy Kalen & Sissy again!





Ambrian & Jane going down the slide. Can we tell who is anxious to start babysitting?






Okay, so you may not enjoy seeing this picture, it is actually really gross, but the kids were begging me to take a picture of it. Don't think that dumb rat was camera shy or anything. He kept running & hiding from me. Yes, this really is Templeton underneath some kind of a crate inside the food court. And he was so ugly! Yes, this is typical. Gotta love markets & food courts in Thailand! It is a wonder that we have never gotten sick from eating here.




Aybrielle & Kalen wandering around the food court waiting for our chicken on a stick to finish being grilled. Actually it is pork, but our kids call everything chicken. Ha ha. Seriously! For Thai Father's Day last year I bought a couple of steaks to cook for Devin. I don't really like red meat, & I wasn't sure if the kids would or not, so I got 1 for Devin & 1 for the kids & I to share. During dinner one of the kids commented, "Mom, this is the best chicken we've ever had!!" . I wasn't sure how to break the news to them that it wasn't chicken. So I just told them that it was also the most expensive chicken they had ever had. : )







Believe it or not, the kids were getting so hot & tired at this point. But you would never know it by the great smiles they faked for the picture. They are such great kids! Can you tell how hot it is just by looking at the sun's rays beating down on the cars? It was pretty bright & hot!




And the grilled pork on a stick is almost done. Barbecued especially for us by our favorite "Moo Bing" vendor.



"Moo Bing" (Grilled Pork) - 3 baht per stick (approx. .9 cents)
"Khaaw Niaw" (Sticky Rice) - 5 baht per bag (approx. 14.5 cents)

Since our neighborhood is in a very consentrated Muslim/Islam area, we can't buy pork skewers very easily. We have to go into other areas to find anyone who sells them. This is one of the reasons the kids love to go to the Bicycle Park so much. They always know that they will get to eat their favorite lunch that day.






Preparing to scoop the Sticky Rice out of the basket.



Yum!! Freshly cooked too! Now how did it still have a few ants in it? Oh well, the kids just picked them out. : ) Oh dear. Have we been here too long? Anyone for sticky rice??

The Bicycle Park

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy, all for the love of you. We don't need a stylish marriage. We can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for 2!"

I couldn't help but sing that song almost out loud as Rhees & I tried out a bicycle built for 2 this day. What a fun bike! But a whole lot harder to ride than you would think.


One of our funnest outings here in Thailand is Suan Rote Fai, meaning Train Park, because of the retired trains that they have situated there for people to come & look at. But we have lovingly referred to it as the Bicycle Park. You can rent bikes for our entire family, all sizes, for less than $3.00 US dollars for the day. We have been coming here since Kambren was a baby. We would stuff a blanket in the baby seat to prop him up & off we would go. We have done the same thing for Kalen. Our family has come a long way in 5 years. I used to not be able to go to the park by myself because Devin & I both needed to be on a bike so that Aybrielle & Kambren could each have someone to sit with, as neither were riding bikes on their own. Now both of them are on their own bike & Kalen is the only one who needs to sit with someone, although I'm sure that won't be for very long.

We have come alone as a family & with many friends on outings here over the years. We even got Grandma & Grandpa McEwen on bikes one time while they were visiting. It is a beautiful ride, & nice & breezy for the most part, because of the large amount of mature trees that provide shade. This was our last trip to the park though for a few months. We are entering the hottest season of the year, & even with the shade trees, the temperature is just way too hot for a bike ride to be enjoyable.

Enjoy our fun pictures of our WAY fun day!!!

Kalen waiting for the man to adjust Dad's seat. Doesn't he just look adorable in that little seat!



Ambrian ready for a ride. Ambrian's favorite part is the fun basket to keep her stuff in.


Aybrielle ready to go too. We need to get the kids some sun glasses. Look at her squint.


When it comes to bikes, Kambren has just grown up so so fast. He loves this place.



No that isn't an albino Thai person in the yellow shirt. Some people here just feel the need to be different. I guess much the same way as in the States. It's just that you don't expect to see a Thai person with bleached out hair. He did a good job color coordinating though. Notice his shirt.



Notice the fan. Notice that the fan isn't on. Remember that the guy in the previous picture was wearing a sweatshirt. That is the difference between Thai people & American people. We were already sweating & we hadn't even started to ride yet. Gotta love 85 degree weather & 95% humidity at 10 in the morning. I still can't figure out how that feels cool.



Cute little Kalen. How about his "Alfalfa" hair. Gotta love the way his hair goes.







On one side of the park, there is a butterfly garden. It is enclosed in a greenhouse type building & they have lots of types of trees & plants inside. They raise the caterpillars & create an environment for them to feed & live in throughout their life cycle. It is beautiful, & so much fun to see the butterflies flying all around. I was trying to take a picture of this long line of huge black ants that were crawling on the little fence. But the ants were moving so fast that I couldn't get a single picture. Ants just don't know how to stop & pose for pictures do they. Sounds like a boring picture anyway, but they really looked cool & they were so huge.

Kambren cooling off hugging his bottle of water.



Pretty little sisters!!



Just as we were pulling our bikes in to park at the butterfly farm, Aybrielle accidentally tipped over. She is so brave! She rarely cries when she gets hurt. She has to be really in alot of pain to cry over it. I think that she is just embarassed which is why she won't cry, because sometimes she looks like she really has to be hurting, yet she isn't crying. Anyway, this is her "I just fell off my bike & skinned my knee" look. Poor little Ellie.



Ambrian to the rescue! Who knew that Ambrian knew how to put a chain back on a bike. How silly of us not to know though. Ambrian can do anything. Really!



All done. Isn't she amazing!




Sorry, but I just have to say it again. What sweet, darling kids we have! We are so blessed!!



Rhees just loved carrying Kalen around on his shoulders while we were looking at butterflies. He is such a fun brother to him.




Most everywhere we go people stop & stare, smile, & want to touch the kids, mostly Kalen because he has such incredibly fair skin & because they love babies. They have never seen anyone with such light, white skin. The butterfly garden was no exception. I missed this trying to keep track of Kambren, but luckily Devin got it on camera. The pictures speak for themselves. I guess we have a little celebrity in the family.




And he even knows how to pose.



Can you believe the size of the butterflies!





There are monarch butterflies there too, but they don't stop long enough for us to get a picture of them. And did you know that there is a butterfly called a Greater Mormon Butterfly? I didn't until I came here & saw the little board describing it. My friend, Lynette Pinvises, who went with us here one time said that she wonders sometimes if she is a Greater Mormon or a Lesser Mormon. Ha ha. But if any of you know Lynette, you'll agree that she is definately a Greater Mormon!


Doesn't Kambren have just the cutest smile! He is such a fun boy!



He is actually being careful not to get too close to the butterfly. They are a little scary because they are so big.




Kalen just got so excited over them. He wanted to grab them, but then he would get afraid & just wave his hands. It was very cute to see.



The whole gang!

I couldn't help but think of the mom's & grandma's in our life when I saw all these planters of Petunias. They looked so beautiful & it reminded me of all the flats of Petunias that our moms plant every year. I just couldn't walk away without taking a picture.



They had equally as many pots of Zinnias all set out on the ground & looking just as beautiful. I just love flowers. I love Thailand so much for that reason. Even during the dry season you can still find so many gorgeous flowers & blossoms all around.


We were at the Bicycle Park about 3 weeks ago. It has just taken me that long to finally get this post finished. It was a little cooler then than it is right now, & was just in the middle of the spring season. Spring in Bangkok is so beautiful. The blossoms on the trees were so pretty that I had to take some pictures. They look like the Cherry Blossoms that I saw when I was in Japan, but I don't think they are Cherry trees. Whatever they are, aren't they gorgeous!




The older kids have so much fun helping the younger kids on the jungle gym equipment. There are 2 sections of playgrounds here & the kids just love to park the bikes for a bit & have a play on them. Kalen & Ambrian were enjoying the slide.



Sorry this picture of Aybrielle is so fuzzy. I just couldn't get the camera to flash the picture when she was stopped a little bit. It always finally flashed when she started moving again. The tire swings were a new addition this time around. Aybrielle was really enjoying them.


So were Rhees & Ambrian.



Until...



Rhees fell all the way through. Funny Rhees.



The little twins play on the tires. Sorry I cut off Kambren's head. I guess I need to work on my photography skills.



My handsome husband holding our sweet little boy. Gee I love my boys!


More tire play fun!



This one rocked back & forth. It was a little freaky because it looked like it was going to tip over, but it never really did.




Pretty little Ellie.



Doesn't Devin look like a movie star with his shades on!




Kalen loving the jungle gym.



"Cheese!"



Rhees: "I'm gonna catch you!"
Kalen: "Oh no you're not!"



Double "Cheese!"





The talented Devin strategically focusing the picture AS he is riding his bike.





I can't remember why we were stopped. Maybe someone's chain came off again. But glad we had some wipes handy. We just don't leave home without them.



I just loved this picture. Devin is such a good sport. Technically they don't have bicycles big enough for him. And with the baby seat in the front of the bike he had to pedal with his knees outward in order to keep from hitting his knees on it. Poor thing.



I just LOVE this picture. I think that I love it even more because of the conversation that I had with the girls this day. We have told the kids about our experiences as missionaries riding bikes to get around. They also see missionaries riding bikes in our area occasionally. So while we were riding our bikes at the park that day, Ambrian & Aybrielle rode up next to me & said, "We're sister missionaries!". Oh you don't even know how that made my heart leap! There is this miniature town with stoplights, bridges, round abouts, & one way roads within the park. There is also a building where they give bicycle safety instruction. The mini city within the park is like a practice driving course, but for bikes. So while we were driving around the little course, we were pretending that Rhees & I were random people who Sister Ambrian & Sister Aybrielle met while riding their bikes. It was so awesome to hear how they were answering our questions about who they are & what they do & teach. Missions are SO AWESOME!!! I hope that everyone of our children gets to serve a mission. The girls' little make believe being missionaries that day was the funnest part of the whole outing! I really can't believe that I didn't get any pictures inside of the course. I guess I was too busy trying to be a good investigator.

And no, Aybrielle does not have her ears pierced. They are just stickers.



My 2 future Sister Missionaries!



Just a random picture of people at the park. This happened to be a really crowded day. Generally there aren't that many people there & we ride around without having to watch out for too much bicycle traffic.



Almost finished. Dad & Kambren waiting for us to catch up before they head out to return the bikes.



On our way through the parking lot & back over to the bike rentals. The other canopies are food stalls.





We had such a great day!!! Thanks Honey for taking us, a-gain!




Kalen loved the statues of a chicken & turtle out in front of the bike rental.



One of the funnest things about going to the bicycle park is buying "Chicken on a stick", which is really pork, but our kids call all meat chicken. It is marinated pork on a skewer & grilled. We live in a highly populated Islam area, so we don't have any vendors selling pork near our house. This is why we get so excited to come here. We can finally find some pork sticks. It is so so good. I really need to find out how they make the marinade.






Just as we were about to enter the freeway & go through the toll booth, we noticed that there weren't any cars on the road. That can only mean one thing. For any of you who have been to Thailand, you will know that no cars on any stretch of road means that the road has been closed so the King or any members of the Royal family, or high members of Parliament can go by. They not only receive a formal escort, but traffic officers are notified via cell phone or walkie talkie to close all ramps & roads leading to & from the area so that the road is totally clear for the "Khaaraawaan" - motorcade. Sure enough, within a few seconds the first police car goes by.


Then several of the "white - cream" colored cars go by. We always wonder who is in the cars. The kids always say it is the King. Maybe?



And then after a hot day at the Bicycle park & pork skewers on the way home, nothing is better ...... than a shower! True! But first - Thailand's very own, most famous & well liked dish, Somtam (Unripe Papaya Salad) !! With sticky rice -



- or without. I know your mouths are watering! And it was just as I ordered. Slightly sweet, slightly sour, & with lots of peanuts. Aroy!! Delicious!! (Don't be jealous Jill ; )