Stuff

Here are a few of the random things happening around here I thought were cute, fun, or just worth mentioning.


First off, we have Abigail displaying her earthquake project that she recently made for her science unit in 3rd grade. One half has the before the earthquake and the other demonstrates what the little "city" looks like afterwards. She was very proud of it and worked really hard, enjoying every minute.





















New pets! Nine of them to be exact. Joseph and I went on our weekly date to try something called claypot rice at a little hawker joint in the middle of an HDB development (HDB is the government affordable housing and they are also community centers with shops, food stalls, exercise stations, etc.) A Singaporean co-worker of his said it was the best claypot rice in Singapore so we had to try it. After an interesting dinner, we were walking to the car and saw this aquarium store. To make a long story short, we ended up bringing home this aquarium and 9 fish. The kids were feeling bad about being pet-less. Keeping fish is a popular pastime here. It is part of the Asian mentality of keeping balance and calm in your life--Feng Sui concept (I might not have spelled that right.) Fish are easy to come by here and very cheap. Anyway I am glad we got it because the kids love the fish and we set the aquarium up right in the family room in their play area. They are quite easy pets I must say and pretty to look at.

This one is funny. These shoes only reinforce why I think every 72 hour kit should have a roll of duck tape in it (ours does.) Who knew you could make some stylish shoes out of it? Abigail came up with this on her own one day and she and Maggie spent a good part of the afternoon working on them. Then this morning I found Maggie's shoes sitting by her bed with socks and ready to put on for school. I told her that probably wasn't going to work out.

Last but not least, our little climber. I find her on top of and in all kinds of things: the top bunk in the girls room is a favorite, tables and chairs, in the dishwasher (literally) are just a few. She is such a cutie and a little clone of her dad.

Happy Birthday Abigail

We recently celebrated Abigail's 9th birthday on January 18. The day was much anticipated by all involved, and in our family that isn't just the birthday girl. We have made it a tradition to do a fun family activity for each child's birthday (in lieu of a party.) This year, we went to the East Coast (an area in Singapore kind of like Balboa in California). First we went bowling which was successful albeit there were no bumpers and Joseph had to team up with everyone to minimize the frustration and/or tears. Then we decided to rent roller blades for the children and blade along the trail that follows the coast in the park. That was the plan anyway. Little did we know that Maggie and Xan's total lack of experience would necessitate a revision. After spending 30 minutes just getting all the gear on 3 kids, I walked along with Ella in the stroller while Abigail, who has experience on roller blades, kept up with me. Joseph, who was practically dragging Maggie and Xan on either side of him, spotted a practice rink with nice railings and quickly took the opportunity to relieve his arms. Maggie started to get the hang of things after an hour and ventured away from the bar. I think we'll give Xander another year or two before we attempt rollerblading with him again.



























































All of that fun happened on Saturday while Abigail's real birthday was on Sunday. We also have another tradition involving the cake. One year I was trying to think of how I was going to make a creative birthday cake for Abigail, not particularly looking forward to it, when it dawned on me that she would love making and decorating the cake. That was 3 years ago and it has become one of the highlights of birthdays in our home. Abigail picked a white cake with white frosting. She helped me make it and then I provided a buffet of candy, frosting and sprinkles for her to use. And you can see that anytime there is sugar around, Xander isn't far away.

We had cake a presents in the evening and celebrated another successful and eventful year in the life of our oldest daughter.

Ella on Abigail's birthday with two of her favorite things.

Abigail at a school assembly that her 3rd grade class was in charge of. She was in a skit and did a great job.