The girls had a couple of days off over Valentine’s Day weekend. We decided to take an extra day off and take a trip to Portugal! After our Japan adventure, we felt very strongly that Levi should stay with Appacha and Ammachi this time. 🫣 Thankfully my sweet parents were more than happy to have him!
We flew out of IAH on Thursday afternoon, stopped in Amsterdam, and landed in Lisbon on Friday morning!
The cutest little traveler! 🥹
As soon as we landed, we headed straight to our beautiful historical hotel. We stayed here two nights and absolutely loved it!
Cutest little entrance to the hotel! 😍The lobby!We helped ourselves to some refreshments. Since it was raining on and off, we figured it’d be best to do a tuktuk tour so we’d have some shelter but also get a chance to explore!We climbed on to the tuktuk and set off on a rainy, windy tour of Lisbon!We secured the famous egg/custard tarts!We visited the oldest operating bookstore in the world!And stopped for hot chocolate and coffee! My little tourists slurping up their hot chocolate! 🥰And lastly, we visited the famous pink street! We finished the night off with dinner at an amazing Indian restaurant – Swaagat! We ended up eating here twice – it was so good! The next morning was our official first full day in Lisbon and we were up and at ‘em, bright and early! We took the famous Tram 28 to Alfama.We hopped on and rode it for a few stops.We explored Alfama for the morning!Sweet sisters! 😍We stopped for lunch at the famous pizzeria romana al tavolo in Alfama! It was so yummy! 🤤And of course, then we got gelato! It’s not a true family vacation unless we stop for gelato 50 times a day. 😂We went back to the hotel and “rested” for a little while….Then we bundled up and took an uber to see the famous Belem Tower and enjoy the sunset. My favorite view. Always. ♥️Afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat at Time Out Market which was just a couple of blocks from our hotel.
We walked around a bit within the market and got a few souvenirs and then headed back to our hotel to call it a night.
The next morning we took a bus to Porto. This was NOT part of the original plan. I hate buses but the trains were all shutdown due to a local dam breaking and flooding the railways. 🥴😵💫 It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We boarded the bus and couple hours later we were in….PORTO! Our hotel was wonderful and located on a pedestrian only street (no cars allowed) and was in a great location!
We checked out the hotel and then hit the ground running!
We visited the Clerigos Tower! Famous spot for the custard tarts! We popped in and out of all the little shops as we walked all through Ribiera, Boavista, and Old town areas. We tried to stop by the Mercado do bolhao (open air food market) and the famous Gazela hot dog place but both were closed.We bought tickets to visit Livraria Lello! It was STUNNING!Of course, we got a few books to keep and some to take home as souvenirs! Finally we ended the night with more pizza and walked home!Some pics from our walk home! 😍😍😍The next morning we grabbed a quick breakfast and headed straight to the bus station back to go back to Lisbon.Waiting on our Uber in Lisbon to take us to our airport hotel. We had a very early flight the next morning so we chose to stay in a hotel that was just steps away from the terminal we were departing from. The hotel wasn’t anything fancy but was nice and served breakfast so win, win!
We dropped our bags off and set off again to find some lunch and headed to our next activity!
We found some lunch!And then conveniently stumbled into a mall!😉Of course we stopped for gelato in the mall, LOL!Slowly making our way to our main attraction for the day….The oceanarium!This part of the trip really made us miss our sweet boy! Levi would’ve loved this!After the oceanarium, we continued to stroll and explore our way through Lisbon.Taking lots of pictures along the way!Beautiful Lisbon sunset! Stopped for coffee in the cutest little shop!Cutie coffee dates! 🥰😍Walked past a park that made us miss Levi SO MUCH! We finished off the night with dinner at the yummy Indian restaurant and took an Uber back to the hotel!
The next morning, we packed up and headed back home to be reunite with my sweet boy!
For fall break this school year we spent the week in visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka!
First stop: Tokyo to visit Disneyland!
We stayed in a hotel with train access to Disneyland and it worked out great!
Started off day 1 STRONG! We rode all the rides and had a great time! But by mid afternoon jet lag got the best of some of us and we napped hard! Ava and Jacob rallied and finished strong! We met up with them after our naps for dinner at the park and then took the train home to call it a day! Day TWO! We took a train to Kyoto for an overnight stay there. First stop is Nishiki Market of course! Walked over to Gion District! 😍Then made our way over to the famous orange gates of Fushimi Inari Temple! Can’t believe she turned TEN!Afterwards we called it an early night, grabbed dinner to go from the train station, and crashed! Next morning we were up and ready to go to….OSAKA! Dotonbori gate! LOL! Levi is doing what we were all thinking!👀😂Of course, we had to stop and get fuel! 😉This Pear Caramel Latte from Starbucks will forever be a favorite! 🤤And lastly, of course, we ended our time in Osaka with conveyor belt sushi!This was a jam packed day! We made our way back to Tokyo for one final activity! This was one of the highlights of our trip! By the end of the day, we were all exhausted! 😴🥹Levi really gave us a run for our money this trip! He packed ALL of his 3rd child + boy energy, LOL! This was him as we made our way back to our hotel later that day. We all crashed that night and headed home the following day!
We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and headed out to explore! we walked around the downtown area and stumbled into this delicious Italian spot.
Then we headed to Lauterbrunnen to see Staubbach Falls!Central/downtown area of Lauterbrunnen! ❤️❤️We hopped back on the train for a quick ride to Grindelwald!
Then took a gondola ride from grindelwald terminal to Mannlichen to visit the parks!
The playground was INSANE with the most wonderful views! I wished we could’ve come earlier so we could stay and enjoy it more. Aaliyah and I starting to feel like we were getting sick so we went home to rest up. Jacob took Ava and Levi to yet another park and to get more ice cream – surprise, surprise! 😂The next morning, our final full day in Switzerland, we had the delicious brekkie at the hotel and headed back to Zurich! We booked a child cabin seat this time on the way back and it was fantastic! We made a pit stop in Bern on our way to Zurich! Beautiful Bern! We stored our luggage in the train lockers then walked around, shopped for souvenirs, and ate lunch.
We got back to Zurich later that day. We booked a hotel connecting to the airport since we had an early flight out the next morning. We enjoyed dinner at the nearby shopping center and called it a night!
It was truly one of our most favorite family vacations ever!
We landed in Zurich on Sunday morning and boarded a train straight to Lucerne. I wish I could say we got there and we hit the ground running but the opposite was true. We absolutely CRASHED. Everyone (even Levi!) took a long much needed nap. We stayed at a wonderful hotel that was centrally located. The only downside was that since we’re now a family of 5, we needed to get two separate rooms. Unfortunately, there were no connecting or family rooms when we booked.
We walked outside of the hotel and were just steps away from Chapel Bridge. This hotel was seriously in the best location. We explored the quaint beautiful city of Lucerne. By “explored” I mean we headed straight to the chocolate store because we had to try Swiss chocolates!Most chocolate stores in Switzerland had a cup of sweet strawberries that you could take to the counter and they’d pour melted hot chocolate of it.
After we consumed our weight in chocolate we walked around and took in the beautiful scenery.
After lots of walking and sightseeing, we headed back to the hotel and got changed for dinner at the hotel restaurant.
These are the days! ❤️🥹After dinner we CRASHED! The next morning marked the start of my very favorite day in all of time in Switzerland. We booked tickets to visit Mt. Rigi this day! We ate a quick breakfast at the restaurant right next to the port. I don’t even know why I bother trying to take pic with Levi🙃Seriously?!?❤️❤️❤️View from the boat! View from Mt. Rigi was spectacular! We enjoyed taking in the views while eating lunch and drinking our afternoon coffee! Gosh, I still can’t get over the views!
We returned to Lucerne via Weggis and explored Old Town, Chapel Bridge, and visited the lion monument.
The next morning was our final morning in Lucerne, sadly! We grabbed breakfast and headed to….beautiful INTERLAKEN!!!
We finally crossed this bucket list destination off our list and it certainly did not disappoint! On my birthday, we set off on the first leg of our trip from Houston to Switzerland. We stayed one night in Amsterdam as an extended layover. We knew we wanted to keep this part of the trip short and sweet and we were glad we planned it like that.
This will forever be my favorite kind of view! My whole crew heading off to explore a new place just makes my heart so happy! 😍We arrived in Amsterdam and headed straight to our hotel! We stayed at The Monet Garden Hotel and loved it! We were only here for one night and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here! The staff were all so kind, warm, and helpful! They brought out coffee for us and kid treat boxes to keep the kids entertained while we waited for our room to be ready.🥹After we were all checked in and rested for a bit, we set out to explore. We ended up visiting Amsterdam the same time a parade was happening and the crowds were….interesting 🙃LOL here we are trying our best to distract the girls and Ava persevering! There were so many people swarming the streets, we sadly didn’t get a chance to visit any of the touristy places we had on our list. We called it an early night and headed home to bed so we could catch our early AM flight. But we did manage to stop and grab a STROOPWAFEL, of course! 😆The next morning, we were at the Amsterdam airport bright and early to board our flight to our much anticipated destination! A short hour and a half later, we landed in Zurich and took a train straight to Lucerne (only 45 min away). The Zurich airport was connected to the train station, making this transition so seamless! For this trip, we only packed 4 carryons and 4 backpacks. This allowed for one of us to push the stroller and the rest of the crew grabbed the carryons. We took so many trains with our luggage and so we knew it was important pack light!
Side bar: When we landed in the Zurich Airport, we downloaded the SBB mobile app and visit the public train information office (located in the Zurich airport, just follow the signs!) The representatives were so friendly and helpful. We purchased half-fare travel cards for Jacob and I. With the purchase of these travel cards, the kids travelled for FREE! The half fare travel passes typically pay for themselves after the first few train rides.
NEXT STOP: LUCERNE!!!! This was one of my favorite cities and I am so excited to share!
This summer flew by and we had such a blast! We kicked off our summer with a trip to Chicago for a family wedding!
Jacob third wheelin’ 🥰😍My girls! 😍🥰We hung back a few days after the wedding was over and played tourists! ☺️After we returned, we spent the rest of the summer making lots of snack boards….And visiting coffee shops…Ava had her first piano recital! 👏We spent lots of time playing in the driveway!Going on walks with popsicles!And having sister chats until the sunsets!And visiting playgrounds! LOTS of golf cart rides! And threw our first July 4th party!!!🥳Last but not least, we did a lot of rough housing with dada! 😂
Summer 2025 was one for the books and we ended it with a bang by taking a trip to Switzerland! More on that to come!
The school year flew by and I still can’t believe we officially have a kindergarten graduate and 4th grader!
She had her graduation ceremony a few days before the last day of school and it was the sweetest program. I can’t believe how big she’s gotten! Last day of KINDER!!!First day of Kindergarten! 🥹I need time to just FREEEEEZE! 😭Can’t get over how old she looks here!
Ava finished up third grade like a champ, of course!
Last day of THIRD GRADE! Eeeeek!!!This year she grew so much and we are so proud of the little lady she’s becoming! I MEANNN 😍
We kicked off summer with a YES Day right after the kindergarten graduation. The girls were thrilled and I was exhausted, so I guess MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! ☺️
Jacob and I snuck away to CDMX for a few days in May before Maycember set in! 😅 We had such a wonderful time enjoying the amazing food and beautiful weather!
First stop! The BEST churros🤤Ava and Aaliyah made me those bracelets right before we left so I’d always be thinking of them 🥹Of course, we had to have a Mexican Coke + tacos!We enjoyed the view of CDMX city line at the RC hotel! 😍
The next morning, we did something FUN!
We enjoyed a hot air balloon! The views were incredible! After this, we joined the rest of our crew and spent the weekend eating our weight in delicious pastries (Odettes > Panaderia Rosetta), enjoying the views, and taking it all in…kid-free!! ☺️
We stayed at a great resort in beautiful Phuket: Baan Laimai Beach Resort & Spa
As soon as we arrived, we got settled in to our rooms and headed straight to the beach!We spent two nights and three days in Phuket and had a wonderful time! The highlight of our trip was visiting the tigers for sure!During our time there, we did a tour which included a stop at an elephant sanctuary where we fed elephants! LOL Don’t mind me and Levi screaming our heads off here! 😂We enjoyed beautiful views! Our final stop on the tour was a bee factory! After the tour, we relaxed by the pool and enjoyed dinner at the hotel! We headed back to Bangkok the following day, enjoyed one last mango sticky rice dish, and flew back home the day after that. It was a whirlwind of a spring break but such a unforgettable time with family!
For spring break this year, we took two weeks off of life and spent the time in India and Thailand. It was truly the best time ever and we feel so grateful!
We spent a week in Kerala and enjoyed lots of family time! Ammachi and her favorite grandchild 🙄When I think of India, the first thing that comes to mind is eating melting ice cream in the sweltering heat! 😆SO thankful the girls get to have similar memories! We celebrated Jacob’s birthday in India by spending the day on a houseboat! My fondest recent memory of India is drinking chai and hanging out on the front porch while the kids run around, literally the best time just sitting! 😆
After a week of visiting family, SHOPPING ☺️, eating yummy food, and early morning sunrise walks, we loaded up the crew and headed to Bangkok and Phuket for the second leg of our trip!
Once we landed in Bangkok, we stored our extra luggage at the airport storage for the week and set off to our hotel.
Not gonna lie, after a week in India we were more than ready to be pampered and this hotel DID NOT disappoint!
The service, the rooms, and just the overall hotel was so nice! We loved it! We enjoyed two nights here in Bangkok.
After we dropped off our bags at the hotel, our first stop was a late lunch! This is where I discovered my new love for mango sticky rice 🤤We took a cab to the Chatuchak Market and shopped for a bit. A week after we left, an earthquake hit this area and the market was greatly affected by it. So thankful we missed it but sad to hear it happened.Later that night, my dad and Jacob took the girls for a swim! While I have this cutie a bath and ordered room service! We all ate and immediately collapsed after a long day of travel and exploring. We were up and at ‘em the next morning! Ready for another day of exploring. We took the subway and a tuktuk to visit the famous emerald buddha temple.My parents stayed back with Levi while we visited the compound a bit more! We headed back to hotel and grabbed lunch on the way! Ice cream for the girls! And of course, mango sticky rice for me! My mom went for a massage and to get her nails done, while we enjoyed the gorgeous pool area in the hotel! That evening, we ordered takeout for the kids/parents and tucked them into bed. Jacob and I snuck out for a date night and enjoyed dinner at the rooftop restaurant! 😍The next morning, we packed up and headed off to our next destination: PHUKET!
Can’t wait to share details of our time in beautiful Phuket!
The Curious Georges 