Making Lemonade out of Lemons

Today was one of those days where Cole actually tried to climb into his crib to go to sleep...a successful day in our books!  The day started out with hopes of spending it on a Harbor cruise, in DisneyLand, or at a beach. Instead, we were greeted with torrential downpours - a day where we would cuddle in our jams all day and watch movies if we were home. Todd took the day off work to do some sightseeing and staying home wasn't going to cut it.  Noelle found a restaurant in Frommers that said they had traditional American breakfast food, specifically biscuits and gravy which Noelle was so excited to try. The Flying Pan was just what we needed. We felt right at home and the kids were thrilled to have some of their favorite foods. I took a picture of Sydney's choice for my dad, our favorite chef!  She ordered Challah french toast and enjoyed every bite.  She has definitely made the jump from the kids menu to the adult menu as she can now rival me with the amount of food she can eat at one sitting.

Following our delicious brunch, we decided to head to Kowloon via the Star Ferry, boats that take you across the Harbor from Central. We walked for about 45 minutes through some bouts of rain. The view from the ferry made the sweat and sore feet worth it. It was a different vantage point than we're used to and was gorgeous.

Ready to Walk!

A view of our building

The girls were so excited to try their new ponchos.

The rain stopped but just enhanced the humidity.

The lovely glow on my face is courtesy of walking up and down 100s of stairs with a sleeping 30 pound heat source on my back in 90 degree heat with a humidity level that I am sure exceeded 100%.

A ride on the boat! Cole absolutely loves all these new forms of transportation!

There are statues, waterfalls, and little gardens located in between skyscrapers and retail stores.

The view of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon.

They are very color coordinated today.

From there, we went to the Hong Kong Space Museum, one stop on our newly compiled list of indoor activities to keep us busy on those rainy days.  Our day ended with a little pool time, a little dinner (after all of our dining out at mostly fantastic restaurants, the girls thanked me tonight for making them such a delicious dinner - it was pb and j, strawberries and some chips - I'm quite the chef apparently), and a lot of snuggling! Todd and Noelle are on their way to a floating seafood restaurant for dinner and I'm sure they will have stories to tell and hopefully some photos to share.

Sydney loved the interactive museum. She could have spent a lot more time at the museum reading and absorbing every last detail.

I don't think a square foot of the museum went untouched by Cole.

Skye, Syd, and Todd all took turns in the hang glider simulator.

Making the best out of what could be a not so ideal situation - a second rainy day in a row on vacation - and approaching the day with a positive attitude where we can discover something that we may never have thought to do - is a lesson learned that I hope the kids take home with them.  I already see them growing, becoming a bit more open to the world, a bit more flexible, and more willing to try new things - whether it's a new food, a new form of transportation, or a last minute plan - they have been fantastic (even the one that at times is making sure we all remember why they put the word "terrible" in front of the "two"). I can't wait to continue exploring with them tomorrow.