Happy 2nd Birthday Elyse!

Elyse, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This is what you looked like 2 years ago:
Look how your feet have grown!

This morning Elyse was up before the sun. Toby got to go into work late so we opened her present right away.

She loves playing with her dollhouse.

For breakfast Elyse got to eat some peanut butter for the first time. She seemed to like it and she didn't have any allergic reaction. Yippee!

After breakfast Toby drove us to the zoo where we met up with some friends. Here are all the kids lined up after playing in the water park:

Elyse got to "tame" an alligator. It looks like she is riding it rodeo style.

At the water park Elyse loved going down the slide. She had this same smile on her face each time she was about to go down.

We will have her party tomorrow. I am baking the cake now. Just to warn everyone who is eating the cake tomorrow- my oven is small, so I had to finagle the cake into it so it's a bit lopsided- oops. If it doesn't look/taste good, can you just pretend- Thanks. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELYSE!!!

Busy Week

We have been having a great, but busy week so far. On Monday we did our normal Starbucks/grocery shopping trip in the morning and then I met with a friend in the afternoon to help her with her English. Yesterday we went to the local SAFRA with a friends and got to swim in the pool. At this facility there were 3 kiddie pools. One had fountains of water going up and down, plus buckets that filled with water and dumped out. It had a slope (a very slippery one I might add) into the pool so Elyse could go in and out as she pleased. The other pool and 2 giant lizards that squirted water. One had a slide on it's back and the other one had a mini hot tub. The last pool was a meter deep and was open. Elyse had a great time with her friends going back and forth between them.

In the evening I met up with my bible study group for a girls night out at The Coffee Bean. It was great to hang out with them. I feel like I know them so much better now.

Today we headed out to Gymboree. Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt gave Elyse Gymboree classes for her 2nd Birthday (Thank You!) ans she had a great time. I wasn't so sure how she was going to do since the other classes we had with Gymboree were more free play where this one was structured with activities, but she loved it- especially Gymbo the clown. Our class is small, only 2 other kids, but that means she gets more attention from her teachers. It was fun to watch her dance, clap and play. I should have learned by now to take my camera everywhere, but I left it at home. She was so cute in these butterfly wings they had for her as she flew around to the music! Perhaps next week.

As our week continues I will be meeting up with a lady new to Singapore tomorrow morning and in the afternoon we will head to our bible study group. Then on Friday ELYSE TURNS TWO!!!! Wow, how did that happen? We will be spending the day at the zoo with friends and then on Saturday we will be having her party. So as you can see our week is packed, but it has been great to far.

On another note, Elyse has liked being wrapped in a towel ("Towel... shoulders"). Here is a picture of it. I caught her right in the middle of saying hi, so it's not the best picture, but you get the idea.

Weekend

We had a great weekend. On Saturday we hung out in the morning and then went swimming in the afternoon. Elyse wore her new swimsuit and water-wings. She had a great time playing in the water. She could have stayed in there all afternoon.

In the evening Toby and I met up with some friends at Roberston Quay which is farther up the river than Clarke Quay. We had good food and great conversation. You can see pictures on my friend's blog. After dinner the rest of the group headed to a comedy show. Toby and I didn't get tickets so we walked around the area. It is beautiful at night. We were able to catch some of the practice fireworks for the National Day Parade and also hear some live music.

As we were walking we saw a bunch people trying to figure out how to place a sign over one of the bridges. It turned out someone was going to proposed that night. The sign said "Billie Will You Marry Me?" We didn't get to see the actually proposal, just the practice. I hope she said yes.

On Sunday we went to church, I drove (crazy), and then in the evening we met some people visiting from Houston down at Raffles City. Toby had met them at church the week before and found out they live close to our house in Texas. They are here visiting family (she is Singaporean). We went to a great dumpling place. Fun was had by all.

Pictures to Share

Here are some random pictures from our trip to CO/Mexico That I still wanted to share:
Aunt Lisel reading to Elyse Toby and I before snorkeling in a cave

Elyse in the cute raincoat from Aunt Megan

Toby and I standing in the same place we were 7 year years ago for our honeymoon (Mayan Ruins in Mexico)

My wonderful niece Cate

Gotta have your high heels on when you go shopping.

Grandpa teaching Elyse to golf

First trip back to IMM

Today we met some friends at IMM. The kids played in the water and on the playground. They seemed to all want to be on the merry-go-round which was very convenient for videos/pictures :)



I am coming to realize more and more that when you are away from your family, your friends become your family. People come and go in this type of family, but you always feel welcome. It was great to see part of my Singaporean "Family" today. They help keep the homesickness at bay.

The Joy of Reading

This morning Elyse lined up a couple of her babies on the couch and made sure that they each had at least one book. She then got one for herself a began to read. I thought this was so cute.

Adventures

While Toby and I had our own adventures, Elyse had some of her own (with and without us).

Here is Elyse at the Children's Museum in Denver. I think she looks so grown up in this picture.

While Toby and I were in Mexico, Elyse went to the zoo with my parents and her Aunt Pat. This was the first time Elyse was on a carousel. She didn't last long on the cheetah, but I guess she still liked the ride in Grandma's arms.Elyse was bouncing around in a "bouncy house" at Monkey Business and I captured when I captured this picture. Doesn't she look like she is having the best time!? Elyse was able to go to Monkey Business twice, which is an indoor play area, once with Grandma and and Pat and then once with me and some friends. She loved it. Everything was just her size.We also went on the red rocks by my parent's house for family photos, the park a few times and went to a pool with slides and other great water things.

I had a video I wanted to add, but the program is being dumb and it won't upload.

Mexico

The main reason we went back to North America for this trip was to attend Toby's brother Noah's wedding. The wedding was held on the beach in Tulum, Mexico. Toby and I left Elyse with my parents in CO while we headed to Mexico a couple days before the wedding.

When we arrived we were greeted by Toby's parents and were told that we were signed up for an excursion for the next day. We were told that we would be going on a zip-line, rappelling, snorkeling and touring some Mayan ruins. It turned out to be so much fun.

Here is Toby on the zip-line. Here I am repelling.
The day before the wedding a Harkless Family photo was organized. This was the first time in 7 years that all of the Harkless siblings have been in one place. The only person missing form this shot is Elyse, but we can get her at the next wedding :)
From left to right: Gran (Jan's Mom), Claire, Jeff (Claire's fiance), Megan, Jack, Jan, Me (Jenn :)), Toby, Lisel, Emily, Noah and Ethan.

On the day of the wedding, the weather cooperated: No Rain! It was beautiful, a little hot, but beautiful! There are so many pictures that were taken but here a couple to give you a general idea of what it was like.

Doesn't the smile on Noah's face say it all? We had a wonderful time and it was so great to hang out with the Harkless side of the family.

Family

I think the theme of our trip back to North America was family. We visited with family in CO and then when we went to Mexico we also got to hang out with our family. It is so wonderful when you get along with your in-laws and your husband gets along with your family. In our travels we were able to see all of our immediate family and some extended family. This is amazing since everyone is so spread out throughout the US and the world.

One big bonus while hanging out with family was that Elyse and my niece, Cate, got along really well. They are only 3 months apart in age and I hope they grow up to be great friends. Here are a few pictures of them play along with my brother and his wife.

This was one of their favorite games: "RUN"

We Are Back

After 29 hours of travel time Elyse and I were reunited with Toby in Singapore. Elyse did great on the plane rides which made everything so much easier. I also got help from Toby's parent's and Melanie's DVD player :) I will be posting more pictures of our time in CO and Mexico soon. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us.

Here is Elyse and her cousin Cate playing together.