Fab 5 Friday...

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas!! It's such a great time of the year...no matter where you are or who you spend it with. While we missed our family and friends, we were thankful for new friends who made it special.

Time to to share this week's Fab 5!!!

1. Christmas Eve At The Pool. We spent some time Christmas Eve at the pool with new friends. When we originally told the boys we were moving to Malaysia, I played up the fact that they would be able to swim at Christmas - so we needed to keep our promise. It was fun to hang out for a while and then we headed home to maintain the Christmas Eve tradition of homemade pizza. Christmas Eve was fun for the Blackburns.

Hangin' poolside

2. Christmas Day. Christmas Day was filled with presents, friends, and good food. We spent the morning with the kiddos doing the present thing...they made out like bandits. (Really, no one can be surprisedd by that!) Then, we were off to the Ritz-Carlton for Christmas brunch. We had no idea that brunches were so popular, but soon learned that most places were fully booked for Christmas Day - so glad I made reservations weeks ago. The Gallaghers joined us for Christmas...which was fantastic! The more the merrier! The Ritz was great - tons of delicious food (could've lived off the seafood platter alone), champagne flowing, and lots of activities for the kids! We had a wonderful afternoon and finished Christmas grateful for all we have.

Present time

Checking things out

Basketball socks, new running shoes and pajamas

The Ritz

Yummy!

Caleb loved the popovers!

Champagne and desserts

Awesome friends!

Face painting

All of us full and happy!

Would totally go back to the Ritz next Christmas! Great for kids and adults!

3. Caleb and soccer. So here's my mommy brag moment...Caleb was chosen to play on the 9U soccer team for MKIS in the tournament at the French school. I was so pleasantly surprised by this as he has never played soccer until he went to a one week camp this past July and now he loves his Saturday mornings at MKIS. I don't think it will ever beat out baseball or basketball, but I could not be prouder of his commitment, his effort, and his dedication.

4. Bali. Yeah...big surprise here. We're in Bali right now and I'm in heaven. I'll blog more about it later, but I just love the ocean and the beach and a breeze...

The Grand Mirage, Nusa Dua, Bali

5. Amy An. And, Amy gets her own place in Fab 5 Friday this week. I know Amy from our time in Iowa...and she happens to be in Bali this week. So fun to see a familiar face - even though it was brief. She also made my boys extremely happy by bringing the LeBron XI basketball shoes I ordered with her - along with a gift for me from Becky - and some Tootsie pops for the kiddos. We met her at the Devdan show, along with her son, Drew, and husband, Phil this evening and my boys could not put on their new shoes fast enough! Thank you Amy for being a wonderful "mule"! Hope you enjoy the nutmeg!

Me and Amy, Pandora from home, and new LeBron's

That's it! Smile and go enjoy your weekend! I know I will!