Christmas

Elyse was the first one up on Christmas morning (surprisingly is was not Anastasia) and came into our to wake us up. We opened stockings as we waited for Grammy and Gramps to get up.

Sheer delight:

Once Anastasia was up we finished opening stocking and started in on the presents.

Elyse got this doll from Grammy and Gramps. She is from India.

The aftermath:

Christmas morning was wonderful. We took our time, had breakfast, and talked to people via skype in between opening presents. Elyse was very patient throughout the morning when we kept telling her we could play with some of her things later (likes paints etc.). She would even wait to open presents as we ate or watched others open their presents. I'm glad we didn't have some where to hurry off to so it could be a relaxing day.

After we were done opening gifts, Elyse got dressed in her new clothes and headed out to ride her new trike:

As dinner time approached we headed out to have some Chinese food. Toby's family usually eats Chinese food on Christmas Eve so this was our way of keeping the tradition alive. It was great.

After dinner we headed outside to catch the train. It was POURING out. Luckily the mall is attached to the MRT station, but when we got out on our stop we braved the rain. We were all soaked by the time we got home except for Elyse who probably got the most coverage under Daddy's umbrella. A Christmas "blizzard" here in Singapore ;)

We had a great Christmas.

Christmas Eve in the Tropics

On the morning of Christmas Eve we decided to go swimming. A little different than what we did growing up :)

Elyse has the Singapore picture pose down:

After swimming we went over to my friend Jessica's house for dinner. I guess the swimming was tiring because Elyse fell asleep on the ride over there.

We arrived to a beautifully decorated house and a view of snow falling outside (we can pretend right?)

The kids table:

We had a great time at Jessica's and then we hurried to church for a candle light service. We were late and had to sit in the over flow room which did not have candles, but a little girl was nice enough to give one to Elyse.

After church we went home, tucked the kids into bed and brought out all the presents. I always loved waking up on Christmas morning with presents magically appearing under the tree (even after I found out about Santa.) That excitement is still with me and I couldn't wait for the next morning.

You can see more pictures of Christmas Eve on Camille and Jessica's blog.

School Party

On the 23rd we ventured out to Elyse's school Christmas party. It started at 7:30 (30 mins past Elyse's bedtime) and went until 9 so people who work could attend with their children. On the way we got to see our condo all lit up and in this picture you can see (sorta) our tree between the two palm trees.

The party was like a little carnival. There were games to play and food to be eaten.

Here Elyse is at the balloon toss:


In this game Elyse had to drop coins into a tub filled with water and try to get them in a small dish. She had the most success at this game and won twice.

We got to see some of her school friends.

This friend kept coming up to Elyse and saying hi, but once I got the camera out she acted as if she had no idea who Elyse was. This picture captures the general mood while I tried to get the two girls to stand next to each other.

The night was fun. I'm glad both Toby and I got to go to Elyse's first school party.

Grammy and Gramps

Toby's parents were able to come spend Christmas with us. For those who don't know, they live in Jakarta, Indonesia so it's just a short trip for them. We love having them so close. Before Christmas we were able to show them around the Bird Park. It was a great day to be outside- not too hot.

Although these pictures don't show any birds, we did see a lot and got to enjoy a show as well.

After the Bird Park Grammy and Elyse decorated cookies for us. They were yummy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Aunt Lisel

Lisel stuck around after Jan and Jack had to go home so we got some one on one time with her.


One day we headed across the street to the Chinese Gardens. I thought this pose was cute:

On another day we head for Sentosa. We took the cable car to the little island.

After the cable car, we walked to the beach through the Merlion Walk. It has a mosaic fountain that is beautiful. Here Elyse is posing again:

We got to the beach and Lisel and Elyse had a great time while I fed Anastasia. I joined them and they continued to swim while I napped A in the Bjorn. (A was very flexible this day which I was grateful for.)

After the beach we had some lunch right next to the water and then Lisel and Elyse went on the Luge. It looks like they had a fantastic time.

We had a wonderful time with Aunt Lisel and we miss here dearly!

Fun With Family

Over Thanksgiving we had some of the Harkless family come to visit: Lisel, Jack and Jan. This is the first time Lisel has been to Singapore so we showed her around the town.

Here we are at a local hawker center. We had chicken rice and lime juice, both very Singaporean.



We also took a Hippo Tour (a double decker bus) around the city so Lisel could get an overview of the city. Elyse took this picture:

Jack and Jan had bought Candy Land for Elyse. We played it quite a bit.

One night we got a babysitter and went out on the town. We took another Hippo tour of Orchard Road to see the lights for Christmas and then we took the MRT to the Singapore River area and got to see everything all lit up.

After church Lisel, Jan and I went to a fish spa and then walked around Arab Street. Always nice to spend time with the ladies.

O Christmas Tree

Today we went to get our Christmas Tree. I still find it strange to be in shorts when picking out a tree.

Here a few "traditional" videos from our ride home:






After we got home, we put on some music, opened our can of egg nog, and decorated the tree. We had a good time. Every time Elyse put on an ornament she would say "ta-da!"

Yes, Elyse, egg nog from a can is a bit strange:



This seemed to be Elyse's favorite spot on the tree:

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

"Solids" for the First Time

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves: