Playdate in Little India

The throng of little girls going down the street with their henna tattoos and fancy beaded sari-like garb certainly was a sight to behold. There were three girls present from Anna's class (one of them is Amelie in pink above--Anna's closest friend here in Singapore) and another family that joined with 3 children. From what I know of the families' nationalities, we were representing Japan, US, UK, Lebanon and France. Thank goodness they don't pick on us for being American! BTW, I think I receive the most USA-bashing from fellow Americans. Too bad we all can't all put it into perspective...

Deepavali

Went to Little India for their New Year celebration. Above we are standing in front of a statue of Ganesh and afterwards went for curry & tandoori lunch where they serve you on banana leaves! Look closely--those aren't green place mats, they're our plates. Even though they gave us forks, Anna was in heaven since she was allowed to forgo that requirement. I think the girls must have been Indian in a previous lifetime--they are both left handed but were eating with their right hands! (note; it's taboo to eat w your left hand in India since that's the hand used in place of toilet paper)

Scaling the Fridge for 'Spoiled Spoils'

Yes. I think Anna and Sophia will pass rock climbing class. We haven't yet moved the pumpkin-shaped trick-or-treat bags since there is really no place in our house that the girls cannot access!

Anna's first horse-back riding lesson!

Anna's first lesson was actually a combination of two lessons from siblings who normally hold back2backs. They were in Hong Kong for the weekend and we had the good fortune of being invited to take their place. Her pony, Caspar, is one of the oldest ponies in Singapore at 30yrs!

Halloween. Singapore style!

So here are some photos from the parties the girls had at school. That night we went to 'Woodlands' to Trick-or-Treat which is where many American families live since it's near the Singapore American School. We chose to attend the school, but avoid this particular 'suburbia' and stay central. What a CRAZY street party. At one point I asked, "What kind of message we were sending our kids?" as we rushed them from house to to house, with conveyor belt predictability, on the 'best' block to collect as much candy as possible within 45 minutes so we could hop back on the bus and get back for another Halloween party... Thankfully they both had naps that afternoon, but it was a perfect symbol of the well known 'consumerism' that plagues us. I mean, really. Were we actually going to let the girls eat EVERY piece they collected? No way! Maybe next year we'll go back to good ole New York Halloween, 'Roeloffs style', and have a party with a few friends, some spooky colored play dough and scary pencil erasers. Either way, at least we have experienced the Ultimate in Trick-or-treating as our spoils spoil on the top of the refrigerator. =) Oh, and by the way... I forgot to mention we were only there for the beginnging of the street party that ensues as after sunset. Closed streets, Open containers. Hmm. Not very 'Singapore'!

Break in Bintan, Indonesia

For Fall Break we hopped a ferry to Indonesia. Lot's of fun was had during early-morning walks on the beach, swimming and Kids Club. Kristina is beginning to show a lot more character in the sequence of 'faces' she makes, and Sophia shows one of her 'rebel' faces in the pool with Dad and Sis. Anna got to walk the tight-rope and swing on the trapeze for AM fun!

The Autumn Festival

Mooncakes and lanterns were the coveted items under the full moon at the Chinese Garden. Sharon, Anna, Sophia and mom went for a night out while Kristina slept and Dad was flying around the world. Sophia set the record with 5 mooncakes consumed in under 10 minutes. I think the rest of us were dropping them by 'accident' so we wouldn't have to finish them!

Sophia and the lilly pads!

Aaaaall the Girls

Biker Chicks

The Singapore Zoo

The zoo here is great and breakfast with the Orangutans--they are literally right beside the dining tables--is someting I'm sure we will do over, and over, and over. Sophia couldn't take her eyes off the primates for a picture, but Kurt and Anna are posing nervously!

The animals are beauiful, well cared for and in great variety. The ice cream is good, too!

The Bindi Girls

We love to go to Tekka Market and buy bindis and bangles. Here are the bindis...

First Day of School

I didn't get a shot of Anna and Sophia getting on the bus on their first day--we had no time! Their bus leaves for school at 6:48AM. On The Dot. I did get to take some photos once Sophia had arrived on campus to play before their day officially started at 8:00. Can you believe they must leave the house over an hour early for class? Yikes! Thankfully they go together, otherwise I think we would have had struggle getting them on (Sophia is about the size of one of the steps she needs to scale when boarding!). It's a long day for Anna in particular since she doesn't reach home until just before 4pm, but they are having a great time even though they don't always want to wear the uniform. Navy is not their favorite color. ;0)

Sunday Dinner on the Singapre River

From negotiations ,to goofy, to giggles we have one of our first Sunday dinners out on the town. Sophia was a little frightening in her clip so I opted not to post her bearing her teeth and acting like a ferocious tiger. The acting was a little too good!
Note: this will probably be the only time that Kurt will be documented wearing 'earrings'!

To London, to London

...we went before Singapore...

Unfortunately Buckingham Palace didn't quite fit the image the girls had of a 'castle' where real live princesses are to live! They did, however, love the double-decker buses, colorful taxis and Big Ben. Kristina spent most of the time sleeping on my chest.

Grandma Sherry, Anna & Sophia had a little break in the lovely, sunny weather we were lucky enough to bask in after the long, dark summer England had been having.

Anna's Birthday

We held Anna's 5th birthday party the day before our departure to Singapore, so you could say it was also a 'going away' party of sorts. After opening everything and removing all the packaging we were even able to get most of the gifts into our luggage! Much thanks to those of you who were able to participate as we all had a very good time.