Gymboree with daddy

Finally, after Jacob got all his work done this morning, he got to take Juliana to Gymboree for the first time! We always go during the week, so of course he can't make them, but I scheduled a couple weekend classes (art, music, and play & learn) so he can see what she's up to. I headed over to Tanglin from the hotel to catch them in class and it was adorable to watch them together. She gets such a burst of energy when she walks through those doors and I don't know if he had been ready for that!!

Unfortunately, only one adult per child is allowed in the room, so my pictures were through a window so the quality isn't great, but I had to share a few!!

On the see saw...

So much for "sliding" down...

This was during "The Wheels On The Bus..." song. She's getting so good at it!
Drum time on the mat before goodbyes for the day. They say, "Hip Hip Hooray" and throw their hands up in the air. She says it all the time at home now..."Hooray" when she's done something she's proud of or wants attention for!

She finally saw me right at the end of class and yelled, "Mommy, Mommy" and I got a wave. Oh, she melts my heart :-)

On our walk back toward Orchard, she decided to stop and kiss a dragon statue and I wasn't ready with the camera. So I asked her to do it again, but I didn't get a good picture. Anyway, it was adorable.

Ready, set...JUMP!

On the walk back from the MRT to our condo, there's a place people sit outside the mall just to chill out or smoke (ugh). Well, today, Juliana picked random people just to plop down next to and smile at. If it didn't make their day, there is something wrong with them, because it was precious!

Not sure what the interest was here, but maybe she's just making sure it was sturdy so everyone is safe!? Or the color!? Who knows!

It was a good afternoon and I'm glad Jacob finally got to see what Gymboree was all about. Now he gets to see her in Art and Music at some point :-)

MOPS retreat

Last night was the MOPS retreat for the steering team. I was late to the meeting (of course!), but the beginning went well from what I heard. I showed up for a fun quiz and then we went over all the details for the term since it starts September 1st. Yay! I'm excited to be a part of this.

So, part of Camille's plan to get to the restaurant after the meeting was a Scavenger hunt. We had to get together in our groups and then go off to find someone or something for the letters of the organization.

Here's M for Man. The picture came out really bad, but anyway, he seemed happy to be surrounded by all of us!!
Now, this one was a BIG stretch, but it's O for Over, as in over the rail. Hey, we should get lots of points for creativity on that one! P for Pink flowers. And a good picture too!!

Finally, S for Steer. Initially, we had done a picture by two signs, but saw this and decided it was a bit more creative!

Here's half the group at dinner...

...and the other half, my group, the DGLs: Discussion Group Leaders.

There wasn't a whole lot of business to cover, so we got to chat and get to know each other a little more. Jennifer in the front right has 5 kids, so she's probably going to end up being my "go-to" mom for advice (Sorry hun, but you gotta know it all by now, right?) Just kidding, that's what the internet is for, I'll try not to bug you :-)

After dinner, eight of the ladies went home and the other eight of us were off to the Swissotel for the night. I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision in doing the overnight (for silly, personal reasons really), but I'm so glad I did. Everyone got into their jammies and gathered in Camille's and I's room and talked for a couple hours. I brought up the "Have you ever...?" game and learned a lot about everyone. Like where some of them have been, how long they've been married, how many kids they have, any plans for more, expat experiences, weirdest foods we've tried, most adventurous things we've done, etc. It was nice to get to know some of the wonderful women that I will be working with at MOPS for the next several months.

I'm sure there will be lots more pictures from Camille's camera, so I'll do another post with them once I get them. You'll probably be hearing a lot about MOPS in the upcoming months, but it will be especially good for all my mommy readers or those moms-to-be (Brittellen and K...I don't know if she's told everyone yet, so I'll keep her name as a letter for now!)

Art time

Gymboree Art class, yay!! She's slowly gotten more comfortable in the class and with the play dough and art activities. They always "warm up" with some play dough. At the first class, she wouldn't even touch the dough, only the shape cutters and other tools. After a few more classes and lots of play dough time at home, she's much more creative!
Then it was time to make some art!

Well, of course she's going to like this! Gets to make a big mess!!

I'm so happy she likes art and crafts, because I have all kinds of ideas of activities to do with her as she gets older :-)

Hula time

Time to hula? Juliana got this Hula skirt from Claudia & Tatiana and she decided to use it as a hat after taking it off where it's supposed to be...around her waist!!!

USA, here we come!

If you didn't already hear, we are officially coming back to the USA in October!

Jacob will be staying with BLL here for another year, but they are paying for us to visit home for about three weeks. Would never be enough time, but we'll get to see family and friends, eat some good American food, go to some great American stores and just enjoy being in the comfort of the state we grew up in.

Some things I'm, looking forward to most:

1. Seeing my family
2. Juliana seeing my family
3. Meeting my niece, Sydney, FINALLY! (P.S. Yes, I stole this picture from your facebook page Niki, because it's adorable!)
4. Spending some good time with friends!!!!!
5. Spending Juliana's second birthday in the state she was born.
6. Autumn in New England, especially apple picking, corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkin picking and carving, and preparations for Halloween (even though we'll miss the official holiday)
7. GOOD food!! Especially La Caretta, Phonecian, San Francisco Kitchen, Korbani's, Pizzico, and my mom's home cooking.
8. Normal shopping in malls that aren't mazes and swamped with people and where the cost of things aren't four times as much due to importation.
9. Sharing some good memories of our times here in Singapore with everyone.
10. Lots of loving from all those people who have missed us :-)

What I'm hating:

1. Leaving at the end of the trip :-(
2. Knowing we won't be spending the holidays with family and friends
3. Wondering who will ACTUALLY visit us next year here in SG

She's moving up!!

Go Juliana! This is one class I wish I didn't miss, but I had an appointment. Jean said that Juliana got LOTS of praise today from the teachers and parents about how smart she is. She always gets mistaken for being older, which is such a compliment. She is tall, but they also are surprised about how vocal she is.

Play & Learn 4 goes up to 22 months, which Juliana will be next week and now she will be with some of the older kids. Apparently, the teacher said she's too smart for the level 4 class anyway and she should have moved up sooner! Isn't she just amazing?
She loves balls, all shapes and all sizes. But this is the first time I've seen these her with these red ones...
The big roller all to herself!!
Checking out the view maybe?
Just where she belongs, center of attention!
I'm so proud of her! Every time someone asks me how old she is and I tell her almost 22 months, they're shocked. They always think she's at least 2 years old and I've even gotten a couple, "I thought she was 3!" I know I'm biased as her mom, but she's pretty smart for her age! Guess I must be doing something right :-)

Some of Juliana's artwork

Juliana has been taking some art classes at Gymboree. The first time was quite a challenge, getting her to stay with the kids at the table, but she's getting much better. Here was her artwork from last week. A fishy...
And Ice cream cones, which came out a bit blurry in the picture I took, but you get the idea. I put it up on the kitchen door and now when she sees it, she says "Ice Cream!"

These were the two pieces of art that Jean and Juliana worked on the other day for mommy and daddy. Had to share!!

She's so talented already! Gym, Music, Art, Dance, Swimming....she's got me beat!

Friendship...

FRIENDSHIP

My friends have always been my extended family, especially as a child and adolescent. My house was "that house" where the door was always open and the place was always full. My parents never said no to my brother and I having our friends over, knowing how important those friendships would be in our lives and the kinds of lessons they would teach us for our future. How right they were!

I have learned so much about people, but especially myself through my friendships. Just like with family, some of our best and worst personalities traits come out with our friends. This is because with our true friends, we trust them and believe in their support, loyalty and compassion.
Sometimes you put up walls not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down. ~Author unknown

-This is me. I used to trust too much as a child, so as I got older, I learned how to build walls around myself and it was always just the right people who broke them down. For the most part, I have maintained my trust for most of those people, but nothing is always perfect. I've let down those walls with a few people and realized my mistake in painful and hurtful ways. So, I put them back up and it's not up to me, but to them to break them down.-

A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you just the way you are. ~Author unknown

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. ~Albert Camus (and later Pooh :-)

A friend is someone who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. ~Walter Winchell

-I have thousands of memories, good and bad, of my friends and sometimes, these memories are what get me through the day. My childhood best friend, "Kay," helped shape me into the person that I am today, just like my family and the rest of my friends. I learned invaluable lessons throughout childhood about love, loss, trust, compassion, hate, loneliness, honesty, etc. as the result of these friendships. Now, as an adult, I am able to form more mature friendships that help me dive deeper into myself and choose whether or not that wall stays up or not. I've learned the hard way when to break it down, but when I do, amazing friendships blossom.-

Family...

FAMILY

Family life is full of major and minor crises -- the ups and downs of health, successes and failures in career, marriage, and divorce -- all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul. ~Thomas Moore

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible -- the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family. ~Virginia Satir

In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, and a ride to our future. ~Alex Haley

Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationships flourishing and growing. ~Jim Robin

Forgiveness...

FORGIVENESS

As parents, mothers, friends, sisters, brothers, and any other relationship in our life, forgiveness is vital to that bond (and in some cases, lack there of). After a lot of careful thought, reading and bible study, I found these quotes to be the most compelling, honest and closest my heart:

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you ~Unknown

Anger make you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were" Cherie Carter Scott

-This one especially hit home with me, because I was angry for a long time over a certain situation and when I began to let go, I felt free, free as a bird. As I let go of more and more anger, I flourish in my personal life, in the best of ways. I'm calmer, I'm more intuitive, I'm a better mom and wife and I'm more dedicated to all of the relationships in my life. I have the time to develop true relationships (and by true, I mean, no masks, no fake personalities, just ME).-

We all have to forgive hurt at some point. And when I say forgive, it does not mean what they did was okay. It means that you are done hurting and are ready to move on ~Rana M

-Again, hits home with me, BIG TIME! I always thought that to forgive someone was to say "It's okay and what you did to me is okay," but that's not the truth. Forgiveness is a gift from God for us to stop the hurt that we feel. Only then can we move forward with our lives, free and clear of that pain-

Forgiveness does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future. ~Lewis Smede

-Memories of the past, good and bad, can always help us to make changes for a better future-

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu

...and more fun at SAFRA

Back to SAFRA on Friday and Jean wore a bathing suit this time, YAY! They have strict rules out here about "proper" pool attire and no shoes in certain areas, etc.

Anyway, here she is in the lizard pool with her kickboard. I've been a little lazier with the swim lessons lately as I've been recouping, but I plan on getting back into a schedule. She's getting so comfortable in the water!!Of course, you have to work in time for some lounging after being in the pool!
This picture was from yesterday and I simply had to share how adorable she looks in this Elmo dress! I mean, she looks cute in everything, but I'm a bit biased :-)
Date time with daddy. She stole my purse (her way of saying, "No mommy, you are not leaving me"). They got on her princess rider and were off!

More fun at IMM

I guess Jean and Juliana decided to paint some cards for mommy and daddy...they came out adorable and are now on the wall for all to see!
Time for a Hula dance...Jean took her to the IMM playground, one of her favorite places to be while mommy did some lesson plan preparation for my new class (very nervous about this by the way!)...

Climbing the pole, or attempting...

Such a kid's mall....here's another section for kids... I guess the flower was pretty enough to get a kiss, MUAH!