When Big Sister Strikes...

When I called B3 to get ready for Church on Sunday, this is what I found. His sister had dressed him up already in a flower hat, tulle scarf, and a fluttery skirt.  It's not the first time, and it's not likely to be the last!

What a Difference 6 Months Makes

It's 4:22 am, and I'm wide awake.  I could blame the jet lag, but instead, I'll blame the 6 year old's jet lag. She's reading stories on the iPad as I type.

We've been back in the US for about 2 1/2 days now.  In that time, we have: 

• Enjoyed Chic Fil A, Mexican, Krispy Kreme, and BBQ
• Shopped at Wal-Mart, Target, Sam's, and Talbot's
• Changed a flat tire in sweltering heat on the way home from the airport (actually, Ben changed the tire while my Dad supervised.  Mom, the kids and I walked to an insurance office and enjoyed their Air Con while we waited)
• Picked up a car to drive for the month of July. Our Pre-B3 car. It's like having being reunited with an old friend!
• Been to Church
• Picked blueberries. Twice.

Wal-Mart was our first stop, simply because we had to get the tire repaired. Never, ever have I been so excited about a trip to Wal-Mart.  Normally, I'd avoid it at all costs.  Not on Saturday!  I didn't even know where to start.  My favorite moment of the trip was when Ben exclaimed, "You oughta see their Old El Paso section!".  Ha!  Can you tell we love Mexican food but have a shortage of provisions in Singapore? 

It's nice to be here ina familiar place where the kids can play while we regroup.  B3, who loves to be outside, is feeling a little bit of cabin fever.  It's been around 106 degrees since we've been here, which severely limits our outside time. but, we've been berry picking twice.  Each time, we've used it as a diversion to distract him, and it works like a charm!  It's too hot to stay for long, but the first day we were trying to keep him awake just a little bit longer; he was falling asleep during his dinner. 

The berries are in my parents' yard. For years, my Dad has been plotting to grow blueberries, and I think this little boy is thankful that he finally succeeded!  This year's crop is unbelievable; they're sweet and plentiful. 

Several years ago (alright - 17 years ago), I picked berries with my Mom the day before I had a job interview.  I ate as many as I put into my bucket, and the only other thing I ate that day was 1/2 of a ham sandwich.  Imagine my embarassment when they called to inform me that I had failed my drug test!  Oops.  Evidently, eating a quart of blueberries sends those tests out of kilter.  Who knew?  I'm thankful I don't have any interviews this week...

Our firstborn, our DaisyDog, seems happy to have us home.

She may tire of being waked up from her all afternoon naps by little petting hands, but she certainly didn't seem to mind the cookies B3 insisted on giving her at 5 am on Saturday. She's a good dog...no matter what her PaPa says.  She's up to her old tricks again. 

See this fence?  Is it to keep deer out of the tomatoes? 

Nope.

It's to keep Daisy out of the tomatoes.  She's a patient dog; she just surveys the crops for weeks, never disturbing anything.  But, then, the tomatoes begin to ripen.  Still, she waits.  She doesn't eat green ones.  Pink ones don't even tempt her.  No, she waits until they're ready to pick.  She waits until they're red and perfect.  Then, she has a mid afternoon snack.  Just before The Farmer makes it out to the garden.  Her green snout is  a dead giveaway; she just looks guilty if you ask her about it. 

But, it's no surprise.  She's been eating tomatoes straight off of the vine for at least 9 of her 10 years. It's not her fault the fence went up after the first tomatoes got ripe!

It may seem like 6 months isn't very long, and that things don't really change in that period of time. In manny ways, that's right. In others, 6 months seems like an eternity.   For example:

This product was not available in December. Cream cheese and dark chocolate?  Yes, Please!  Actually, it's a good theory, but I'm still undecided about the actual product. More investigation is required. 

Then there's neon.  Really, fashion people?  Is it necessary to bring 1986 back?  Some things are best left in the past. Neon is one of them. I'm glad that AK wasn't with me when I went to Target; something tells me she'd be the proud new owner of the 4 pack of neon socks.  There's yet time...

And the radio. I suppse there are ways to stay in tune (no pun intended) with current music, but it's not a top priority.  As a result, everything seems strange and new.

Speaking of new - Hartsfield Atlanta's new International Terminal is fabulous!  It just opened recently, and Friday we saw it for the first time.  What an improvement.  Before, international arrivals had to clear immigration, retrieve baggage, clear customs, recheck baggage, catch a train to baggage claim (again!), and then find a way out of the airport. While it was a well orchestrated procedure, handling multiple suitcases - twice-  while keeping exhausted children upright and quiet (since it seems that ours collaborate and decide which one will wail and flail the minute we get into the immigration queue) was a nightmare. On Friday, we were greeting Inga and Papa just a moment after we found our bags (for the only time).  If our June visitors had not departed from that terminal and told us all about it, I may have worried that we had arrived into the wrong airport. It would have been a pleasant surprise.


We've got a busy few weeks planned. There are cousins to see, a wedding to attend, and friends to visit.  There's more shopping to do, too.  Those two empty suitcases we brought with us will go back filled with provisions for the next year. We intend to enjoy every minute of our visit!

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. 

Great Expectations

A perk of our skyline view is front row seats to most of Singapore's fireworks.  Last week's Army Open House did not disappoint; we had a show for at least five nights.  On Monday night, after the festivities had ended, B3 insisted that there would be fireworks.  He resisted bedtime and left his room six or seven times to ask if it was yet time for fireworks.  Finally, He went to bed as we promised to call him if we saw anything outside our window.

Evidently, he didn't believe us.

Instead, he propped up on his Big Penguin, played with trucks, opened the curtain, and waited. 

He didn't miss anything!

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. 

Kindergarten Lessons

In just eleven days, the school year will be over.  I can't believe that we'll have a first grader in our house!  it's been a good year.  She's made lots of friends, she's been a munchkin, and she's learned that math is fun.  In fact, I just learned tonight that she thinks math is great, thanks to a discussion as we read Little Town on the Prairie.  I breathed a great sigh of relief when she said it, because we've had more than a few tears over addition this year. Addition?    We will survive the next twelve years of school, I'm sure, but I'm ready for the summer!

AK's school is an IB school, which means that all of the activities are centered around a theme, or a Unit of Inquiry.  Currently, our theme involves caring for our world.  It's been interesting to see how she brings home what she learns and applies it.  For instance, yelling, "AIR POLLUTION!!" as we walk past the smokers around the bus stop is not likely what her teacher had in mind, but she's gotten the message.  She's indignant when we see trash on the ground ("We don't litter, Mama!").  I've reached my limit of "art" that she's brought home from recyclable materials.  No matter what color you paint old tissue and juice boxes, it's still trash.  Down the chute it goes.  There is absolutely no room in our 1400 square feet for someone else's rubbish.

My favorite application of her classroom lessons happened tonight during prayer time. We had the typical prayer: thanking God for her family, the butterflies, and so on.  She did leave the unicorns out this time, but her closing statement was the clincher...

"....and help us remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  Amen!"