Angel face...

Check out those teeth!!!
One of the most adorable things Juliana started to do about week ago now is sing "Twinkle twinkle" to us after we have already sang about ten songs to her and are about to lie her down for sleep. But of course it comes out as "Crinkle crinkle..." and when she's done, it's "Night, night, I love you!" It makes putting her down such an enjoyable experience! Let's just hope it lasts :-)

Join us in prayers for the Philippines

Just days ag0, the Philippines was hit by a major typhoon that has had devastating affects on thousands of people and their homes. We learned two nights ago that Jean's family is dealing with this natural disaster personally, as their home is flooded. Please see my friend, Camille's post here as she has some more information and pictures.

As reported by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance today:

Tropical Storm "Ketsana," locally known as "Ondoy," swept across metro Manila and parts of Central Luzon on Saturday, September 26, 2009, and brought a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours. The waters rose so fast that people living in low lying areas were caught unaware and had to stay on the roofs of their houses to avoid being swept away by the floods. At least 140 died from the storm, and more than 450,000 people have been displaced and have sought shelter in schools, churches and other evacuation shelters.

Electricity has been cut in submerged areas for safety reasons; generators and water systems have been damaged by floodwater as well. Public and private infrastructure and property as well as agriculture have been destroyed or damaged.

In the evacuation centers, cramped conditions and limited water and sanitation facilities pose the risk of worsening health conditions. Nutrition is also a concern, given the irregular provision of instant food products.

Please, pray for all of those affected. Far too many have already died as a result of this. May God be with them all...

Play that funky music

Time to play some music. I don't know the name of this instrument, but if it makes noise, that's all that matters!

She is so BEAUTIFUL!!

Dance Juliana, dance...I'd love to know what they were thinking as they stared at one another and chatted away in gibberish :-)

These Gymboree classes have made such a huge improvement in Juliana's development and personality. She is so outgoing and enjoys being around other children! We've watched her develop an interest in so many things, including music, art, and dance. Some of the other enrichment programs we're looking into for next year will help her grow even more, possibly with some new languages :-)

Thanks Jennifer and Justin!

It comes two days late, but I wanted to post a great big

THANK YOU

to Jennifer and Justin for hosting a wonderful supper club on Saturday night. I was out of it apparently, because I didn't take a single picture, ugh!! So unlike me. But it was a blast and the food was delicious. She had chicken burritos and homemade salsa that I could have eaten by the spoonful. Plus lots of other stuff I simply can't eat, like a cheese dip, but Jacob felt the same way about that dip as I did about the salsa. So, thank you both for a lovely kid-free evening, except of course little Marek who graced us with his presence. Holding him brought back so many memories and it's hard to believe Juliana was once that small! You can see a picture of Marek here compared to a picture of his two year old sister, Violet when she was a baby and boy, do they look alike!

Tea, Pooh and more play

Jacob got most of his work done Friday night, so Saturday was a family day!! Juliana spent breakfast at the computer with us talking to Nana and Nanny and eating yummy pancakes that Jean made. She was in a great mood!

Afterwards, for some strange reason, she was lying on the carpet flailing her arms and legs...it looked like she was trying to make a snow angel on floor!
Tea time for all of us and look at that gorgeous smile for her daddy...

Yay, mommy got a good smile for the camera too as Juliana was sipping her tea...

Juliana, Pooh and a proud daddy...

Weekends have been so nice ever since we moved to Singapore! Since we don't have a house, there's no house work or yard work to worry about, so daddy is free to be with us and play with his little girl. It's one of the best gifts with this move...much more family time!

Told you she was an artist!

Off to Gymboree Art class this morning! She is so precious...
I love how serious her face is as she studies the mask!

Once, again, so serious and devoted to her art work...

Here are some of the wonderful things she created at the last two art classes. Beach theme, obviously...

And then this was "hands" day of course.

I love this one so much!! It's her hand print, which is hard to tell through the picture. She decorated it so well...

Time to perform

Before sharing all about Juliana's performance this morning, I just wanted to share this adorable picture of my little artist from yesterday...
OK, so this morning, Juliana and I talked to my mom and grandmother on skype as usual while she ate her breakfast. Then, when she was done, she wanted to watch the Monkeydoos and perform for the two of them!

I love this picture, because she was looking at the computer screen, at her Nana and Nanny with a giant smile on her face. They were doing the animals moves along with her and she kept checking to make sure her audience was paying attention!
Such a happy little girl...

Here's the full view with the Monkeydoos DVD and the computer below with Nana and Nanny on skype. Juliana had a blast showing off her skills to them once again...

At the end of her little show, she was giving hugs to all three of us...

It's so much fun watching her "perform," because she knows she is being watched and basks in the attention!

On another note, thank you everyone for all of the comments, e-mails and notes for our anniversary. We had a lovely evening out together and got to reminisce all about the last four years of our marriage and how it all began prior to that. We also had a wonderful conversation about what to expect in the next year, our goals and things we want to do and accomplish.

Happy Anniversary My Love

It's hard to believe that four years ago, I was marrying the man of my dreams! We have been together for nearly nine years all together, but the last four years of marriage have brought a lot of changes into our lives and of course, a wonderful little girl. God truly blessed me with Jacob, a supportive man full of unconditional love. He loves me "Just the way I am" (Billy Joel...one of our two wedding songs).

Below is one of my favorite pictures taken outside the church by my talented brother. There is so much love in our eyes and throughout the last four years, that love has grown deeper and deeper.Ah, the dip at Greeley Park (fabulous place for pictures by the way!)...

This was done by our wonderful photographers, but I never ordered a print...maybe I should reconsider. It's such a neat photo...

Our first dance was to "Your Song" by Elton John. I remember it like it was yesterday...the amazing band we hired played & sang it perfectly and Jacob was singing to me as well. I was in awe that this man was finally my husband!

Later in the night after lots of dancing with our friends and family...

A wonderful snapshot of the wedding party. We had so much fun at the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception and after party. I couldn't have asked for a better group of individuals to stand by us on our day.

After our perfect wedding, we took our Honeymoon in California, beginning in San Francisco & Sausalito. This picture was taken outside Scoma's Restaurant where we had some of the best food ever!!! I remember that meal VERY well.

We got to visit Muir Woods and the trees were remarkable and HUGE...

Of course, the famous Golden Gate Bridge...

Next up was Wine Country, so we were off to Napa Valley. This was outside the wine cellar at Truchard Vineyards with the owner. They have some of the most amazing wines and it was a special visit since we got free tastings of all the wines, a private tour and a free bottle of wine! Our wedding day and honeymoon were wonderful, but they are nothing compared to the four wonderful years we have shared together as a married couple, two of which we have been blessed as parents. As it says on the inside of our wedding bands, MT3 or Marriage Takes Three. With God, anything is possible, as long as we trust in him to guide us along our path. Thank you God for leading us to one another, standing by us in good times and bad, never giving up when we have questioned our faith and providing us with an amazing child.

Happy Annivery to my amazing husband. I love you always and forever!!! (3-4-5)

Thank God she's so adorable!

Oh, my dear Juliana. She has been having a lot of mini fits lately...I wouldn't call them tantrums quite yet (knock on wood), but she is definitely testing all of us, Jean included. Once she gets her mind set on something, that is it and any attempts on our part to stop something she shouldn't be doing or take away something she shouldn't have lead to the monster of Juliana!! We are trying different discipline tactics suitable for her age, such as 1-2-3 Magic, but it's a lot of work and sometimes hard to do when she's crying (me and my soft heart).

On top of the fits, she's also been having nightmares, or at least that's my best guess. She'll cry out in the night, but when I check on her, she's fully asleep. Last night though, Juliana woke around 5:00 am very upset, with a poopy diaper and horrible rash. Needless to say, it wasn't quite the best start to a day, because she lied in our bed for a bit but was up at 6:30, much earlier than normal. Mornings like these lead to a very cranky little girl!

Jean took her to a Play & Learn class at Gymboree while I was stuck home for the contractor to come and replace the water heater in our master bath. The word from Jean was that she was rather cranky on the walk over to the MRT and on the ride, but once she got in that Gymboree room, she had a blast and got to run around and work out some of her energy.

Here is the cutie trying to stay inside the circle...
Playing with the sheer cloths (slipped my mind what the name really is)...

Being the little monkey that she is and climbing on the equipment...Finally, enjoying a cloth book...

She may be a LOT of work and test every single nerve in my body at times, but it only take one smile, laugh or giggle to make it all go away. She got home today yelling "Mommy mommy" and I got a huge hug and a big sloppy kiss. Now that she is truly a toddler, we are expecting some tantrums, fits and stubbornness, so let's just hope we can keep our heads on straight :-)

The truth of the matter is, as moms and dads know, our children have a way of melting our heart even after they've made us want to tear our hair out! God bless you my dear Juliana.

The Hungry Ghost Festival

I've been meaning to write about this festival that's been going on, but saw that my friend Jenn wrote a wonderful post about it. You can check it out here and she included some good local pictures!

Just as Halloween is for Americans, the ‘Hungry Ghost festival’ is for the Chinese. For those who have never heard of this festival, here are the essential ‘spooky’ facts on this festival.

Hungry Ghost festival is a popular occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. This festival that falls on the 7th month of the lunar New Year is celebrated mainly in China and other countries like Singapore & Malaysia. It is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. They also feel that offering food to the deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck.

Another belief among the Chinese is that the dead return to visit their living relatives during the 7th month and thus they prepare a sumptuous meal for the ‘hungry ghosts’. The Chinese feel that they have to satisfy the ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck in their lives.

During the 7th month, the Chinese offer prayers to the deceased relatives and burn joss sticks. In Singapore, it is a common sight to see entertaining ‘wayang’ shows and concerts performed on outdoor stages in some neighborhoods. These events are always held at night. There is a belief that this entertainment would please those wandering ghosts.

These are the joss sticks...
An interesting superstition that the Chinese have about the festival is that it is bad to go swimming during the 7th month. They think that an evil ghost might cause you to drown in the swimming pool. In addition to this, children are also advised to return home early and not to wander around alone at night. This belief is due to the reason that the wandering ghosts might possess children.

The Chinese also do a lot of offerings to the deceased. These offerings are made by burning fake money notes, which are also known as ‘hell money’ and even paper television or radio sets. Some families also burn paper houses & cars to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these offerings reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their world.

The Chinese regard the 15th of the month as an important date to give a feast to the ghosts. On this date, the family will cook a lot of dishes and offer them to the deceased. This is done to please the ghosts and also to gain good luck for the family. 15 days after the feast, the festival will be over, as the Chinese believe that the ghosts return back to where they come from.

MOPS & Moppets

Today was the first Mops and Moppets outing for the term and I wasn't expecting much of a turn out. Five moms came with their children to IMM to play in the water park and playground.

Juliana and Sophie had a blast chasing one another around the water park...Juliana's favorite part of the water park was working very well today, so she was happy to run back and forth through the water streams!

This is Miriam, Chris's precious little girl and she enjoyed the water too...

After everyone was all dried up, it was off to the dry playground for a little bit before lunch. The girls enjoyed spinning around. That's Elyse sitting while Sophie pushes and apparently, Juliana helps!

After play, it was time to eat, so we were off to McDonald's minus one mom who had to leave to pick up her older child from school.

Jenn and Elyse whom you all know well by now...

Karen and her son, Iain...

Jennifer and Levi...

Chris with her two girls, Miriam on the left and Sophie on the right...

It was an enjoyable morning with plenty of time for "adult conversation," especially while the kids were fueling up with their food. I'm hoping to see a lot more moms in the future!!

Thanks friends for a wonderful morning :-)