Grandma and Bampa did it again! They flew thousands of miles to come and visit us once again on our tiny island. They arrived at night and so we let Jude stay up past his bedtime to see them. He was beyond thrilled to see them and the gifts they brought for him.
That first night, Jude insisted Bampa put him to sleep.
In the morning Toby was pretty excited to have new friends to play with. He warmed up to them right away and was totally attached the rest of the time.
Their first day we went for a walk around town.
And to Din Tai Fung for the most delicious lunch ever.
Bampa promised Jude ice cream after.
On Saturday night we left the kids home with our babysitter and took them to A Cai, so they could sample real homestyle Taiwanese food in a very lively atmosphere.
And on Sunday we packed a few bags, said goodbye to Dad, and got on a train to Hualien. From there we headed to Taroko Gorge, where we spent the night at the Silks Place.
We were all happy to arrive at our hotel room after the long journey.
Later we found some energy to check out the rooftop pools famous for the fabulous views.
And after a quick play in the basement playroom we headed to happy hour.
Sharing one room with the boys meant we had to be pretty quiet while they fell asleep. We actually all ended up falling asleep when they did – around 7:30pm! So we were up in the morning and ready to go. First, breakfast.
And then, to the indoor pool for one last swim.
Before we know it it was time to leave. Wee Toby fell asleep in Grandma’s arms in the van back to the train station. Precious!
Back in Taipei we got into our normal, everyday routine again. Going to the wet market,
Playground,
And lots of walks around.
We spent one morning at Leo’s for a change of scenery.
And lots of time at home chilling out.
We also managed one more adult night out at our favorite Japanese spot.
Then on Thursday we packed our bags again and took the High Speed Rail down to Kenting to head to the beach.
We spent 4 days down there and the boys were really pooped at the end of each one.
It was nice to escape the city for a bit and get to play in the sand and surf.
Their final few days we were also busy. We went to IKEA for hotdogs and a new chair for Toby.
We celebrated an Early Thanksgiving.
Baked cookies with Grandma.
And took Grandma to Toby’s modeling gig.
As always, time went by all too fast. We miss this scene so much. It was so sad waking up the days after they left and the boys realizing that they really weren’t there.
We miss you Grandma and Bampa and can’t wait to see you again.
Five years in Taiwan 