Orchids in the Rain

Monday morning, B3 had a speech therapy appointment, so we we left bright and early to explore the Botanic Gardens.   Of course, it started to rain just as the gardens came into sight.  Rather than abandon our plan altogether, we trudged through with umbrellas in hand.  We saw lots of people practicing tai chi, walking, and running in the park; we were far from alone in the rain. 

The Gardens are huge, but we spent most of our time in the Orchid Garden.  Thanks to a school holiday, admission was free.  Hooray for free on an island where not much is!

Here are some favorite shots from the day.  Even when the camera lens fogged from the humidity, some pictures turned out okay.

Heliconias

B3 has thoroughly enjoyed having his Biggest Cousin all to himself in the gardens as his sister has finished up her first year of school.  He hasn't needed me; he reaches for Emma's hand instead of mine, and "Emma will help me!"  has replaced "Mommy help me!" as his favorite phrase.  It's been fun to watch them together, and I know that AK will be more than thrilled to join in our fun when school is out!

The Waiting is Over!

When we first found out we were moving to Singapore, several family members threatened to come visit.  We made sure to choose an apartment where we could have a little (emphasis on little) extra space when we had visitors. We hoped that someone would make good on their promises to spend 24+ hours folded up in an airplane seat to come explore Singapore.   We also warned everyone that they'd better come soon; there's no way to know how long (or how short) this assignment will be. 

Last Thursday, I went to the airport to pick up our first guests.  I found the carousel where their baggage was to be collected, and I waited.  I watched kids at baggage claim make monkey motions at their parents on the Starbucks side of the glass wall where I sat.  I watched an older man write notes and hold them up to the window for his family on the other side to read.  I watched and I watched; the people watching was superb.  And I waited.  And waited. I saw their bags come out and circle numerous times.  I think that my sister and niece must have been the last ones to wander over to claim their bags.  At least, it felt that way.  We'd been planning this trip for months, and they were finally here!

AK and B3 have been making big, big plans for their cousin. B3 has said, "Emma will ride that with me!" every time we've ridden past The Flyer for months.  AK has dreamed of an evening swim with Emma. I've been preparing, too.  I've bought Groupon coupons, cleaned out closets to make space for their stuff, and stocked up on luxuries and necessities like laundry detergent, toilet paper, and Dr. Pepper.  They arrived sharing gifts of chocolate chips and mac and cheese and stories of an extra long layover in Paris.

So far, we've visited the Merlion,  gone to the top of the Marina Bay Sands, seen Harry Potter,wandered around the Botanic Gardens in the rain, and we've had our toenails painted. So far, so good! 

They've been introduced to the grocery store, tried sea weed flavored chips, and posed with the bag as proof.  Note the jet lag in her eyes. It hit them hard and ugly, but they survived!

The cousins have enjoyed being reunited, too!

At the Beach

At The Pool

Admiring the MBS

At Boat Quay

In nearly all of my pictures, at least one of my kids is staring with admiration at their biggest cousin.  They are SO glad that she's here to explore Singapore with us! 

Tomorrow, it's off to the zoo for some of us; AK has just 3 more days of school and then she'll join us in our adventures. 

Army Day

The Singapore Army is having its Open House this weekend, so we decided to go check it out.  The event is held in the Formula One pits, which we can see from our windows, and we've been watching them set up for a while now.  In fact, we've enjoyed the practice parachute runs, helicopter fly bys and fire works trials.  Gotta love a country that practices fireworks shows right outside of our window. We've seen them three times this week, and there's another tomorrow night.

When we first got there, we went straight for the landing vehicle rides, only to discover that B3 was way too short to participate. The boys went off to explore helicopters while the girls waited in line, but a little black rain cloud soon suspended the rides.  Too bad! 

Our morning was off to a dud of a start, but the Kids' Area remedied that quickly. There was a bounce house,

and face painting.  Army camo, of course!

These soldiers were more than happy to pose with our crew (friends joined us for our Army Adventure).  In fact, we were very impressed with all of the men in camo that we encountered.  They were polite, friendly, helpful, and always smiling.  It seems they've taken a page from the Disney Public Relations book too; everyone had stickers, tattoos, pins, badges or magnets to pass out.

The dads took a turn at target shooting; that's likely the only time while we're in Singapore that B2 will have a chance to do that.  There were helicopters, tanks, trucks, and all sorts of things to crawl in and out of.

We continued our morning adventure with some lunch. B3 enjoyed his favorite Singapore food:  satay. He's definitely his Father's son. He loves food on a stick!  He thinks that Popsicles should be a daily occurrence, and he would eat corn dogs just as often if allowed. 

 B2 and AK finished their day with a quick spin in an armoured personnel vehicle.  Again, B3 was too small to ride.  There's an excellent photo of B2 stylin' in a hairnet, and I'll add it if I can get a copy. 



It was a fun day out with the army. It was obvious that Singapore is very proud of their military, and we enjoyed seeing a little bit of their equipment.