My beautiful niece

Hi Jason & Niki...hope you guys don't mind, but I had to share this adorable picture!

This is my precious niece, Sydney right before her baptism this past weekend. Isn't she gorgeous?!?! We wanted to be there so badly. She was born in December, so we still haven't had a chance to meet her and hold her. Moments like this make us miss home and our loved ones so much more. At least things like web cams and skype exist now!! I took this picture with the webcam...that's my brother-in-law holding her, with the proud look of a dad all over his face. Miss you guys!!

Fort Canning Park

After a pretty rough week, Juliana was finally back to her old self this weekend. I just wanted to share this picture from the other day...she wouldn't take her usual afternoon nap, so around five, she passed out on Jacob's lap.Daddy & Juliana with her cute little pigtails. Her hair is getting so long!!

Yesterday morning, right after breakfast, we headed to Fort Canning Park which overlooks Orchard Road. Once known as the "Forbidden Hill," Fort Canning holds a lot of historical significance dating back hundreds of years. Locals were fearful of ascending the hill since they believed their royal ancestors built their palaces on the land. In 1822, Raffles built the city's first botanical garden on the hill and government officials took residence there. Later, the hill took on a military role and served as a fort for armed forces for numerous years. There are a lot of different things to visit at the park, such as a Spice Garden, Raffle's house and an archaeological excavation site, but we spent our time running around with Juliana. We did pass the canon though, on our walk...

In front of the park's entrance was a display by the Singapore Kindness Movement.

Juliana went to each one to give them all kisses and hugs. I think there was eight in all, so it took some time, but it was adorable!!

After some quality time with the animals, we headed to the park's entrance. Yeah, this was just the beginning of the stairs!! She spent lots of time smelling and picking the flowers...

By the top of the hill was a swing that Juliana had fun on with her daddy...There were a lot of people using the park's serenity to meditate and also a group of people practicing some form of martial arts...

It was a nice morning and after exhausting ourselves in the heat, we had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants out here, Brewertz, and then headed home!

Wanting less

An amazing man said:

God, help me to want less, because you have already given me everything I need.

Yeah, that's my husband. I am grateful every day that God brought us together and gave us our little girl. It's easy to forget the simple things in our day-to-day lives and get caught up in the "stuff" in our lives. Money may be what drives our world today, but it certainly doesn't bring happiness. True happiness comes from within ourselves, our God (or whatever your higher power may be) and our loved ones.

Our marriage devotion for yesterday was called, "Beware of Blessings?" and I just wanted to share part of it. After discussing the simplicity of life in the 1800s, Barbara Rainey writes:

But is living in the twenty-first century the only reason why our loves are so cluttered with lessons, parties, activities, trips, classes, events and meetings? No. We live this way because we can--and because we choose to. Because we're prosperous enough to do so. That's the only explanation why we work countless hours earning money to spend on countless things we don't really need.

Prosperity is a blessing from God; His Word makes that clear. But He also makes it clear that prosperity can kill us, because abundance brings with it the very real danger that we will forget God, the true source of it all. Thomas Carlyle said, "For every one hundred people who can handle adversity, I can only show you one who can handle prosperity." Adversity reduces our choices and many times crystallizes our priorities. Prosperity, however, increases our options and activity. Stress soon follows!

Always be wary of prosperity and what it's capable of doing in you. Commit to the daily exercise of remembering who you belong to and why you have anything.

This expat experience put us in a culture that does not value materialism in the same way the American society does. It's a breath of fresh air to see people walking around with broad smiles on their face, despite not having a lot of money, the newest gadgets, the best clothing or the fanciest car. We can all benefit from the little reminders in our lives that money and stuff cannot bring true happiness into our lives.

Look above and within. When you strip away all of your money and your belongings, what's left? That is what truly matters in life.

Poor little girl

This picture shows how miserable Juliana has been this week and it's a rare occurence that she will choose to lie down like this for long periods of time. Usually, it's GO GO GO with her, so it's heartbreaking to see her like this.

This morning showed some promise and she had a burst of energy, so I was hoping that meant she was starting to feel a lot better. Unfortunately, the end of the day was a lot of the same it's been all week with her temperature going back up and the lethargy. I just can't wait until she's back to her old self again! Another call to the doctor tomorrow if it's more of the same...

Mommy Merit Badges

I just read a great article from Parents magazine called, "Mommy Merit Badges" and it made me want to give a set to every single mom that I know!! I feel like I'm trying to run around and be SUPERMOM most of the time and I know all mothers out there know exactly how I feel. You try to find the perfect balance in your every day life so that you give attention to your kids, your spouse, your job if you have one, friends, family members, extracurricular activities, and so on and so forth. Some days I wake up and simply smile, knowing that I'm doing my best and God will see me through...other days, I just want to pull the sheet over my head and quickly fall back into a deep sleep.

As the site says, "Mama merit badges was started as a response to the death of authentic recognition for the very hard work of mothering." I think that sometimes, the hard work of motherhood (well, fatherhood too!) is taken for granted and we don't always get the appreciation we deserve.

Check out the website for these badges:

http://www.mamameritbadges.com/

If I was rich, I think I would just buy hundreds of sets to give out to all the moms I know. It's a tough job, but one of life's greatest blessings! God bless all of you moms!

Dragging

It's been a rough couple of days since Juliana has been quite sick. It started on Sunday afternoon when we noticed how sleepy and quiet she was, which is very unusual for a little girl that normally has endless amounts of energy and cannot sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. She started to fall asleep on the couch with Jacob while watching Backyardigans and ended up waking from her nap with a very high temperature. It was well over 103 and she burning hot, so we started with a cool bath and some fever medication. After a couple hours of her temperature staying high, shakes and no appetite, I called the doctor and packed up her bag to head to the hospital.

Yesterday was another long day spent at the doctor's clinic waiting to get seen, then waiting for Juliana to give them a urine sample. After lunch, she still wasn't able to go, so we decided to head home and bring int he sample once she had gone. She was practically falling asleep on her feet after a rough night of sleep and no nap.

Today started out with more of the same...high temp, no appetite and she had no energy. I got hopeful after she ate a little bit of breakfast and drank some water, but then her temperature spiked again after her nap. Turns out she has a UTI and they sent it out to the lab for further testing to determine how much antibiotics to put her on. My poor little girl...it's miserable to see her feeling so under the weather and not be able to play and run around like she usually does. Every now and then, she gets a spark of energy, but it doesn't seem to last. She got to talk to her Nana on the phone this morning and said "Nana" and "Love you," so that made me smile. She's also been super clingy, which I enjoy, although I wish she was feeling healthy at the same time.

So, that's the update, since I've had to cancel several things as a result and a few people have asked how she was. We're working on getting her better and back to her old self as soon as possible!!

A great day of firsts!

After a short interview this morning for myself...not the right fit due to extensive hours and travel, I returned home to my cutie little girl who was in a very good mood. Jacob had taken her for a swim and they were relaxing when I got back. After lunch and a nap, we decided to stay in rather than our initial plans to head out for the afternoon. It was very HOT today with 100% humidity, so going for a walk or trip to the park didn't seem so appealing anymore. Turned out that an afternoon at home was the best thing we could have done!

As I wrote before, I purchased Juliana's first potty not too long ago. We've been sitting her there to read some books and now she goes to sit there on her own to read as well. We also have a DVD called, "Go Potty Go!" that she adores and seems to be helping her catch on to some of the potty training. Today, we played the video, pulled out the potty and let her sit there for a bit. She was relaxing, watching the DVD and after a little bit, got up and turned around. She had peed in the potty and was obviously looking forward to showing it to us!! Yes, we made a BIG deal about it, praised her and even brought her to the toilet to flush it down and wash her hands. She was smiling the whole time and it was amazing to watch. Only the very first baby step in the whole potty training process, but it just gives us one more reason to see how amazing she truly is.

After all of the commotion over the potty, we decided to try some finger painting with pudding I had made this morning...a little tip I learned from a friend to avoid her trying to put the actual finger paints in her mouth. It took a couple of minutes to warm her up to the idea, but once she was into it, the mess began! I was smart enough to remove her shirt and thank God that I did. The pudding was all over her face, arms, hands and some even made it to the paper. She actually enjoyed the taste of it too and tried feeding us some!

The final product...
After came the big clean up in the tub and her cute little face peaking down for where daddy's voice was coming from...
And just to share a few pictures from yet another trip to the water playground from the other day. Juliana seemed to enjoy it even more this time!

Been here for 6 months!

Now that Juliana is nearly 18 months old, the potty training is beginning. We're starting small by reading some books, watching a DVD called "Go Potty Go" (which she adores by the way!) and getting familiar with her own potty that I finally purchased last week. We've been reading books while she sits there, just so she can get used to it. Now, out of the blue, she'll just run over, sit down and grab a book to read. Her Nana and Great Nana sent several books about using the potty, so I put these right next to it for her. They also sent her some big girl undies, with Ariel, Tinker Bell and other girly stuff on them. Juliana tried to put them on when we took them out of the package!!! So here she is on her potty, passing the time while reading...On another note, Juliana can now count from 1 to 10 all by herself, without any help. She's also got most of the alphabet down and can name most colors, shapes and animals by sight. My favorite part is that she also knows most of the noises that each animal makes. It's adorable!

Yesterday, as we were reading through her books, I started to press the squeaking tiger on the front of one of her books and she started dancing! Quite fitting with the shirt she's wearing too. Made me think of my cousin, Jess, because she's the dancer in the family so I had to share the picture for her!

Hard to believe she is just about a year and a half old and that we have now been in Singapore for six months. So much has happened and changed in the our time here, with so many more opportunities awaiting. In just a short time, Juliana has learned a lot of new things, started gym classes, music classes, swimming lessons, made some new friends, joined a few play groups, visited an international zoo, a bird park, an aquarium, a beach on the Pacific Ocean, received numerous care packages from back home and so much more. There is so much more to come in the next 6 months and we look forward to all of the new experiences it will bring!!

One of my poems...

In the night

There is always pain in the unknown,
a mysterious cloud of darkness,
weighing down on me in the night.

The dreams keep me restless,
waking abruptly in a cold sweat,
checking to make sure I’m home.

My eyes are heavy and tearful,
but my mind cannot stop long enough
to allow my body to relax again.

Do you think God can hear me,
over the cries of everyone else,
the pleas ringing in his ears?

I lie back on my pillow,
lower my lids once again,
and prepare for another long night.

Life is too short

Family means too much

Friends are too valuable

And life is too short

To put-off sharing with people

How much they really mean to you

And pursuing whatever it is that makes you happy.

Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family.

We all know that time flies and we can miss so much if we're not paying attention. With Juliana, I realize how precious each and every moment is, because I don't want to miss anything. I have an amazing marriage, a beautiful daughter, family back home that loves me unconditionally and dear friends that I know will always be there no matter how much time passes or how much distance is between us. The rest of it doesn't really matter in the long run. It's taken me years to finally be able to work on believing in the phrase, "I am me and I am OK." A life spent trying to satisfy others or prove myself is simply a waste, because God made me for who and what I am, "flaws and all" (thanks Beyonce for that phrase!).

So, when I look at my daughter develop with each passing day and see her brginning to establish her independence and learn from her environment, I am grateful for the learning opportunities that she provides for me. I am growing with each passing moment and realizing that I have a lot more strength than I believed. Praise to God for the blessings that he puts in my life, even those that are disguised under trying times.

Just like Mommy!

Had to share this adorable picture. Juliana has started going through my clothes and likes to walk around in my socks. I also sleep with a water bottle on the night stand and every morning, she drinks whatever is left!

Happy Easter

It was a quiet day at home, very different than Easter has ever been for us. Back home, we would have gotten up and prepared to head to my Aunt's house for a delicious Easter dinner. Probably a nice juicy roast beef, her perfectly roasted potatoes, warm rolls, carrots, salad...ah, you can tell I miss food from back home a lot! Back to the point...it would have been a day filled with family, friends and food. Over here on the other side of the globe, it didn't really feel like a holiday and we stayed in for the day, but it was peaceful. Juliana had some gifts from her Nana and Great Nana as well as from us, so she had lots to keep her busy all morning.

Recently, I began playing some online games for toddlers with Juliana to have other means of learning the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. Apparently, I turned her into a monster, because she will walk over to the desk now and simply say, "ABC!" She can even do it herself now, since she knows what buttons to press to go through the letters and hear the song. It's quite amazing to watch, because she repeats each letter, number, color, etc. and is learning so fast!!And here we are, relaxing before bed. Happy Easter everyone and God Bless!

Date night!

What a wonderful evening!! We started out with a delicious dinner at Al Dente Trattoria at the Esplanade Mall. They sat us on the rooftop, which overlooks Marina bay, the Merlion and the city skyline. Our meals were fabulous, definitely a recommendation!! Good, authentic Italian food, great wine list and a delectable choice of desserts.

These aren't my pictures, but this is what the Esplanade looks like during the day and night...

After dinner, we walked over to the theater for CATS, which was a Christmas gift from Jacob. I had hinted at wanting to go back in November when I saw it advertised since I've seen it twice before and absolutely love plays! Our seats were nice and close and we were also seated close to the dividing wall where the cats climbed by us and entertained a little boy sitting next to us.

Overall, PERFECT date night!

And I learned something I didn't know before about the play from the program...

Jellicle - the type of cats in the musical

T.S. Eliot used this word because it reminded him of how his niece sounded when she tried to say the words "dear little kitten."

Busy week and back to the gardens!

Another busy week!! We went to the ENT specialist on Wednesday afternoon to discuss what to do about Juliana's ears. The decision for now is to start with a vaccine and give it a few months to see if she still continues to get ear infections. In that case, we will have to start thinking more about whether or not to put tubes in.

Juliana's swimming lesson on Thursday morning went very well!! She is more comfortable putting her face in the water, blowing bubbles and is getting better at kicking too. When Jacob and I took her in the pool yesterday afternoon, she kept dunking herself under the water! I even picked up a couple of toys for the pool, similar to what her teacher uses, so we can practice throughout the week. Here she is sitting on the side of the pool to practice her kicking...

We were supposed to meet up with some friends at fidgets yesterday afternoon, but Juliana was having quite the tantrum, so that unfortunately never happened. She is definitely a "strong-willed" child and as she tries to develop her independence, she is becoming more stubborn! I've started reading a few more parenting books just to give me some ideas of what to do when these tantrums come up. Any of you moms have advice? Let me know!!

This morning, we headed back to the Chinese Garden for a walk and to let Juliana run around. This time around, we visited the Bonsai Garden. There are hundreds of bonsais from all different countries, including Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines and China. It was quite an impressive sight to see and Juliana enjoyed exploring the area.

Lots of pictures to share, but I'll pick the best. On our walk over to the gardens...
Checking out the fish...

Being daring!

Daddy and Juliana in the cave...

We barely ever remember to take pictures of ourselves since we're always focused on Juliana. But here's a few...

And finally, we were all hot and exhausted, so it was time to head back home.

On our walk back to the MRT, Jacob and I were talking about how beautiful the Chinese and Japanese Gardens are. We have met so many expats out here that had no idea they even existed, because they are not close to the tourist part of the city (Tanglin, Orchard, etc.). So many people are missing out on such a gorgeous place to visit!! As you walk around, you notice a lot of people meditating or reading or simply relaxing and taking in the peacefulness of the gardens. I think we both decided to make it a point to visit more often, especially with it being so close to our condo!!

Finally, I simply had to share this picture...her first pigtails!

Riding her horse

Juliana received this horse from our landlords a few weeks back and has slowly been warming up to him. At first, she was afraid to go anywhere near it. Then she started to walk over and give him a little pat on the head, saying horse. After a few days of this, she started giving him kisses and playing with his mane. Finally, she is very comfortable with the horse and has been riding him around the apartment for the last several days. She even makes the noises to go along with it, "Ba da dum, ba da dum, ba da dum dum dum..."

And here she is trying to hug her Backyardigans all at once that she got from Nana and Great Nana. Pablo has been her favorite, but she adores all of them and we enjoy singing and dancing along to the DVDs on those rainy days!!