Christmas Program

 Graham had his 1st grade program this week to celebrate the holidays.  He did a wonderful job.  He said he was so nervous when the lights came on the stage but felt better after he spotted me in the audience.  If you are having trouble spotting him he is the one with reindeer antlers on and a green polo and super crazy wavy hair that I love!  No one tell me to cut it!

They all sang several songs as a group and then each class was also featured.  It was quite lovely.  I still have not figured out how to do the whole transfer video thing so if you want to watch his performance you can go here to see a short clip.

On a side note, I asked Graham if he wanted to leave school a few minutes early and he could ride home with me instead of ride the bus...he chose the bus!  He would much rather hang with his buddies on the bus than his mother.*big sigh*

Sentosa Staycation

Sentosa is a popular area in Singapore. There is so much to do there that you can't possibly do it all in one trip.  Fortunately, this weekend the company Brian works for held their holiday party on Saturday and Sunday.  So we were able to knock out a few things that we have been wanting to do in Sentosa.  Saturday was held at the beach with games and food for the family. Sunday was at Universal Studios.  It was quite the busy weekend and the kids LOVED it.

It started on Saturday with a tram ride to the beach.  The weather was quite rainy for most of the morning but eventually cleared up after lunch.  It was nice to have the rain in the morning as it kept the afternoon cooler.  There were tons of food and games for the kids to keep them entertained all day long.

 There was a stage area and of course Bryce and Layne performed for everyone.  They even requested songs from the DJ like Pokerface, Papparazzi, Soul Sister and We Belong Together.

 Hula Hoop was a big hit with the kids as well.  Graham made it to the final round but lost to an older kid.

After all the fun and games we headed to the hotel at Resorts World  for some sleep to get ready for the big day at Universal Studios.

Universal Studios

 We finally made it to Universal Studios here in Singapore.  It is still not completely finished but I would say it is 90% done.  It is a small park compared to ones back home but it was perfect size for our first outing to a theme park.

 We have driven by this castle many times and the girls have been begging to see it.  When Bryce got up close to it she was in absolute heaven.  She kept looking for Disney Princesses.  I thought she might be disappointed when she found out the castle was from Shrek but she wasn't.

Inside the castle was a 4-D Shrek ride.  All the kids were sitting in their chairs with their glasses on enjoying the show when all of a sudden a large spider dangled in front of us.  Layne threw her glasses off faster than the speed of light.  She thought the spider was really coming at her.  Needless to say she did not put the glasses back on the rest of the ride.  Other than that they enjoyed the castle.


We also took a jeep ride through the desert from the movie The Mummy.  It was an easy non-scary ride.  No one tried to jump out.

 Graham was tall enough to ride the Mummy roller coaster.  It was his first real roller coaster.  He said it wasn't too scary.  However, when I asked him if he wanted to go again, this time with me, he declined.  It may have been scarier than he let on.

Graham rock climbing.

Brian and Bryce on the Madagascar Carousel

Layne

The last ride of the day was a water ride.  We just assumed we all could go on it.  However, when we went to get in line they made us measure Bryce.  She wasn't tall enough...sigh.  So, Brian took Graham and Layne on the ride and I took Bryce on another plus I through in some ice cream. 

And this is what they looked like on the way out...tired but happy!

It's a jungle out there...

 Bryce and Layne had their end of term/year concert this morning at their preschool.  It was quite a production with costumes and full dress rehearsals as well.  I am pretty sure everyone in the audience was entertained by the various age groups of kids. 

They sang 2 songs.  Good Friends in English and Jian Kang Ge in Mandarin.

Both girls sang and danced and had a great time.  There were no tears or stage fright this time around...unlike a certain ballet recital last June.

This also marks the end of Pre~K for the girls.  They go to school at an Australian based school and their calendar year follows the traditional calendar.  So, when they start up in January they will be in Kindy (Kindergarten).  I know, I know it can't be possible!!!  Although they will start Kindy at their current school I will move them to SAS in August to be official American Kindergarteners.

A Bali Thanksgiving

We had a very non-tradtional Thanksgiving holiday this year.  We boarded a plane and headed to Bali, Indonesia.  Since our stay in Singapore is temporary, my plan is to try and take advantage of all the holiday breaks from school to travel around the area.  Afterall, once we return home travelling across the world for a holiday is highly unlikely. So this year, we are thankful for the beautiful beaches of Bali.

The beach water was so clear,  you can see our toes through the water.

Thanksgiving night dinner on the beach listening to Elton John songs.

Bryce and Pina

Pina and the kids swimming in the ocean.

Low tide at night.  The kids were able to wade pretty far out.  I let them get wet since we were on vacation.  They thought it was great to swim in their clothes!

One day we took the kids on a glass bottom boat to snorkle and then to head to Turtle Island.

Layne loved everything about the boat!

Graham

Bryce loved the boat ride but could have done without the snorkling.

This is the only picture with all 5 of us in the water.  Bryce did not even get her hair wet.

Layne, on the other hand, stayed in until it was time to go!

Next stop was Turtle Island.  We were able to hold and feed the turtles. Plus there were other animals to entertain the kids.  The kids were also an attraction as well.  Several other visitors requested to take pictures of our kids.  Graham was actually more sought after than the girls this time around.  I think it was his messy wavy hair that drew the attention to him this trip.

Later in the day, Brian took Graham to try out the Flying Fish.  This attraction is basically an intertube that is pulled by a boat and then the boat flies into the air.  Graham was just tall enough to do it at the second place we tried...I told Brian if Graham falls off into the ocean he better be right behind him.  Thankfully, it was a success and there were no injuries!

Heading out to sea

Hold on tight!

That little speak right above the cruiseship is Graham and Brian flying through the air.

We have so many things to be thankful for this year...family, old friends, new friends, and much much more!