Happy Halloween!

This afternoon, we went through some of Juliana's dress up outfits to decide what to wear for this evenings festivities.

Was it going to be Dora...

Or Alice in Wonderland...Or a fairy... Finally decision, the fairy! It fit her the best too, so it worked out well. Here we are at Milan's place after dinner before heading over to Tiong Bahru Plaza...At the Halloween party, Juliana decorated her own trick-or-treat bag with mommy, daddy and Milan's two older children...Next up was trick-or-treating in some of the mall's stores. We didn't last too long though, because Juliana was exhausted and becoming increasingly cranky! Made it to a few stops and decided to head home, but at least she got the experience... It was a good evening and got my mind off everything else for a while!! Happy Halloween everyone :-)

Love you Uncle Gidge

Since I can't be there, my brother will be reading this on my behalf at the funeral. I wanted to honor him in the best way I know how... MY DEAREST UNCLE GIDGE

There are so many thoughts
swarming around inside my head,
“what-ifs” and “should haves”
of all the things I wish I had said.

Life can be so unpredictable,
so cruel in what it takes from us,
and yet somewhere in that pain,
we can look to God to find our trust.

During our last moments together,
I was able to express my respect and love,
for your unconditional support,
and now you must continue that role from above.

When I look back at all of the memories,
I am overwhelmed with emotion
of all the family gatherings and holidays,
always filled with laughter and commotion.

There was always a game of a charades,
following our big family dinner,
and your boisterous laugh and bright smile
were there no matter which team was the winner.

When my own father passed away,
I looked to my uncles to fill the empty hole;
I asked you to give me away at my wedding,
and you gladly took on that role.

Eventually, God will bring us together again,
and that moment will fill me with bliss,
but for now, time is the only cure
for dealing with a loss such as this.

I will love you always and forever,
keeping you close in my heart,
to continue to guide me along my path
as you have done from the start.

Rest in Peace.

Your loving niece, MelanieLove you Auntie Donna, Mike and all the rest of the family...

Some fun with Jean

I must admit, it has not been an easy adjustment back to our life here in Singapore, since there's the jet lag, a long to-do list and the sadness I am feeling. I want to be back in the U.S. with family, to stand by all of them for the wake and funeral for my Uncle. But I'm here, so far away and it's very difficult. I needed some alone time today, so Jean took Juliana out for a few hours this morning and I got some things crossed off my list.

They had fun exploring downtown. By the water fountain in the mall...Outside by a "tree"...not quite like the apple trees we saw while in New Hampshire, but I guess it will have to do!

Riding the carousel horse... Playing at the indoor playground in the ball pit...

I'll take this as a sign that she enjoyed it!!

Fortunately, the weekend is here, which means family time and Halloween tomorrow. We have plans for dinner at a friend's house and then a party and trick or treating at a Plaza downtown. I can't wait to get Juliana dressed up and hopefully lift my spirits. She's still pretty tired and cranky from the time change, but her laughter, hugs, kisses and "I love yous" are so uplifting!

Rest in peace Uncle Gidge

Last night, my mom called with the sad news that my Uncle Gidge (George) passed away Tuesday evening. He had been fighting cancer for several months now and his heart gave out in his sleep. I am grateful that Jacob & I got to see him on Monday, before heading to the airport for our flight. I have gone through many losses now and rarely do you have the chance to say goodbye and say all of the things that need to be said. In my heart, I knew that this visit may be our last, so I told him all of the things in my heart and didn't hold back the emotions I needed to express to him, nor did Jacob. He was a remarkable man, a devoted husband and father and an amazing Uncle, among so many other things. When my father passed away in 2000, I turned to my two Uncles for fatherly support and they both gave me away on my wedding day. Auntie Donna and Uncle Gidge supported Jacob and I throughout our life, in ways that we will never forget. So, rest in peace Uncle Gidge and may you shine down on us from heaven in the company of our other loved ones who have gone Home. I love you dearly and will forever remember your strength, wisdom, encouragement and unconditional love and support.

We're back...

After a wonderful and very busy trip to the U.S., our departure came way too fast. Below is Juliana at the airport before a very difficult goodbye with my mom and Nana. I am already missing them terribly and we are so thankful for everything they did for us while we were home...the bed, the wonderful meals and spending a lot of time with Juliana.
She was playing, but this is just perfect for how we all felt...not wanting to get on that plane for the long trip back and leaving family and friends again. ::Deep sigh::
The flights went okay, as good as they can I suppose. We weren't too pleased with our seats, but we made it safe and sound. Now it's the challenge of getting back into our routine here. Juliana was up at 2am this morning, ugh!! I can't wait until we're all adjusted back to Singapore time!

Birthday Party #2

This picture is from Saturday night, before Juliana's second party that Nana and Nanny hosted at the function hall where they live. She was in a great mood, so I was crossing my fingers that she would sleep well!

My mom and grandmother went all out, as usual and the party was a blast! A few people couldn't make it last minute due to the flu, but it was still a full house and we got a chance to say goodbye to everyone until our next visit home.

With Juliana's Great Auntie Donna...

Juliana's Great Auntie Cheryl and Great Uncle Jeff...
With her second cousins, Danny and Jessica...
That's my little Tati and her dad, Michael...
Some of our good friends, Kane and Erin...
So, I didn't get a picture of the parents, Jim and Kristena (how did that happen?) but I did get one of their babies!! It's Mickayla and Eoin...
With Juliana's second cousin, Michael whose birthday is the day after hers...Happy Birthday Mike!

Addie, Kali and Juliana eating all the goodies...

With my good friends from grade school, Kathy and Kara...

This is Kara's mom with us, Maureen, who was like my second mother growing up and it was so nice to see her...Three generations! Juliana looked adorable in her Dora party dress that Nana bought for her...

The Powers family, except Addie who was far too busy playing. Bob, Meghan, Emily and Bridget...

When it came time for cake, I was actually surprised that Juliana didn't become too shy. She was in awe of her Dora cake, so that helped!

Singing Happy Birthday to our angel...

She's truly amazing!

She had a lot more fun with the cake this year than last, plus she enjoyed dunking the figurines of Boots, Dora and Diego into the cake...
Here we are with Aaron, Ali and their son Aidan...

Auntie Donna, Sandy, Auntie and Michael...

With Jessica...

Towards the end, as everyone was leaving, Juliana was so tired!! Then, after they all left, she got a second wind (of course!)...

She wanted to help get Bridget and Emily into the car!!
Right before they cleared out, here I am with the girls, my Auntie Cheryl, Jessica, Mom and Claudia...

Always the last to leave because they help SO much (THANK YOU), Greg and Alex...

Then another with the girls...

I couldn't share even half the pictures on here, but here's another collage of some more good pictures...It was a wonderful party...thank you to my mom and grandmother and everyone else who came, helped out and simply enjoyed spending the afternoon with us.

Happy Birthday baby girl!!

Life is just too short

This visit back to the States has been wonderful and it really has taught us a lot about ourselves and our family (the three of us). A lesson we already knew but had to learn all over again is that Life is just too short. There are way too many people living their lives without realizing that any day could be their last or that any day could be a loved one's last.

Someone in my life recently said to me, "I can only be ME," and I completely agree. She can only be the person she is, just like I can only be ME and so on and so forth for everyone else. You are who you are and either people accept it or they don't...it's simply really. All the events in my past have led me to where I am today (physically, emotionally and mentally) and I can say without a doubt in my mind that Life is Good and God is Grand. He has blessed me is so many ways, I lost count a long, long time ago. Throughout some of the struggles that continue, I persevere, because I know that I have a beautiful daughter to raise and a wonderful husband to stand by. I'm human and my mistakes are just that, mistakes. C'est la vie! Forward is the only way to go, one day at a time.

I found this quote and it says it all perfectly...

Birthday Party #1

Juliana gets two birthday celebrations while we're here in the U.S...spoiled little girl that she is! Last night was #1 at her Aunt Niki and Uncle Jason's house with her cousin, Sydney (who will be 2 in December). She was rather cranky on the way over after a three hour nap, so it was no surprise that it took her a bit of time to warm up to everyone. She was also acting very jealous of Sydney! Whenever Jacob or I gave Sydney attention, Juliana would get all upset, make a "Hmph" noise and walk away. It was actually adorable, but she's definitely showing signs of the "Only Child" syndrome. Oh well!!

Here's Jacob trying to hold Juliana while playing with Sydney...

Collage of Sydney! She is crawling, but walking pretty well with assistance. It won't be long until Jason and Niki are chasing her around the house. I can't wait to see and hear all about it! Isn't she gorgeous? I wish I had been able to extend the trip for a few days just to be with her... Second collage...Sydney with her goofy dad, Juliana with their dog, Henry and Sydney showing off that precious smile...look out Jason, she's going to be a heart-breaker!Dinner was delicious...good food, good wine, and GREAT company! When it came time for cake, Juliana got all shy again, so with some assistance from everyone except me (too busy taking pictures), the candles were blown out, YAY!
This is just so typical...Jacob and Jason struggling to open one of the toys. They pack those darn things so well. Just wish I had the other side too, of Jason's face...

Eventually, she got to play with it after their efforts worked...

Finally, a nice picture of Juliana with her Aunt and Uncle (and Godparents), even though she's not looking at the camera...

THANK YOU JASON AND NIKI FOR A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR JULIANA...

...and time we got to spend with you and Sydney as well.

We love you (and miss you) all very much!!