Pierced

Bryce and Layne having been asking me for months now to let them get their ears pierced.  So, on January 10, 2012 I took my babies to get their ears pierced.  I told them exactly what was going to happen.  It would be fast but it will probably hurt.  No sugar coating!  Bryce was the brains behind the piercing.  She REALLY wanted them.  But as soon as we got their the nerves kicked in and Bryce wanted Layne to go first.  Layne was a superstar.  No tears only smiles.  Then it was Bryce's turn.  She was definitely anxious even though she saw her sister go through it with out any problems.  It was over before she could really react but she had just a few quiet tears.  No big deal!

 

So after all the piercing we went to Dunkin Donuts for a celebration.

 Graham still has no piercings but wanted a picture as well.  Hopefully he will continue to remain without any piercings...

Monsoon Season? That won't stop us!

December is typically a very rainy time in Singapore.  Some might even call it monsoon season.  Rain was definitely plentiful this last month.  

The day after Christmas  we headed to Malaysia with the Reids for a few days of rest and relaxation at Tioman Island.  We were excited to go.  It was a quick 2 hour drive to Mersing, Malaysia and then it was supposed to be a 1.5 hr boat ride to the island.  Well, the ocean was angry that day due to monsoon season and no boats were allowed to cross over to Tioman Island that day.  Disappointment set in but we were still determined to holiday somewhere.  A local Malaysian man came over to us and offered to take us by boat to Rawa Island which is only 20 minutes by boat.  The men made some phone calls and found rooms available so we were about head to Rawa instead.  Then, Jen and I saw the boat that was supposed to carry us over to the island and we quickly put a stop to the boat ride.  The boat was way to small in my opinion for how rough the ocean looked.  I am pretty sure we would have capsized!

So we went to the next plan which was head south back towards Singapore to Desaru and hope for some place to stay and relax on the beach.  It took some sweet talking and alot of effort but we finally found a spot to spend a couple of days away from the city and relax.

Our last beach trip of 2011, Desaru, Malaysia!

 The ocean waves were very strong but the kids still had a great time playing on the edge even though they could not really swim in it.  The sand was great.  Bryce preferred to play in that while Graham and Layne enjoyed getting pounded by the waves.

 The Richards joined us in Desaru a day after us.  So we added one more family to our holiday!

Graham also lost another tooth.  He seems to like to loose teeth when we are on holiday.  He has only lost 4 and 3 of the 4 have been lost away from Singapore.

Teppanyaki Time!  The restaraunt had no idea what they were in for when we showed up.  6 adults and 6 kids!  FUN!

More beach fun!  The boys loved body surfing and letting the waves pull them into the ocean.  I was a nervous wreck watching.   These next few pictures really show how rough the surf was.  You can see how big the waves are in the background.

Love this one of my beach baby!

And this one of my water baby!

So, we close out 2011 and look forward to 2012.  Lots going on and even more happy occasions to look towards.  Happy New Year!

Tropical Christmas

Christmas in Singapore was hot and rainy but my kids were happy, happy, happy little people.  Our family of 5 celebrated Christmas for the first time without cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  Although, we missed them terribly I would say our first Christmas abroad was a success.

The kids were excited to each open one present up on Christmas Eve and get the milk and cookies ready for Santa Claus.  It was quite easy getting them all to bed as they were so excited to see what Santa would leave for them in the morning.

Christmas morning:

The kids woke up around 7:00 am and came scurrying into our room to wake us up for the big reveal downstairs.

I am pretty sure their faces tell it all...

After all the present opening, we got all gussied up in our new clothes and headed to our friends for a Christmas Day Open House.  It was lovely to be able to spend time with our friends here in Singapore.  Being so far away from home, it helps that we have made some great friendships that will last a lifetime.