First Meeting with Cousin Mei Mei

Finally got around to letting the boys meet their new baby cousin Noelle.

At the Huang's house in Telok Blangah

Happy 70th Birthday Opa!

 

Birthday blessings to the eldest elder in the house! 

May your days be long and full and satisfying.

"Pretend Vacation" Lunch

It's high noon and the only time of day you're guaranteed that no one else is going to be at the pool so we packed up our lunch and decided to pretend we were on vacation somewhere.

It was blindingly bright out but it was very comfortable at the table under the giant umbrellas. Zac made pizza bread and I prepped salad and a few other accompaniments. 

Think we all liked the change of scenery and that we were doing something outside of our usual routine. I find myself getting boxed in by routine and The Schedule so making the mundane special really shakes things up and slows things down enough to appreciate where we are now.

Puppy Pile

I wonder when we will start going back to normal church programming. Most Sundays are spent in pyjamas learning from God's word via Elevation Church on YouTube. I am missing the corporate worship very much and noise-blocking headphones are just not the same.

All Dressed Up

 

Photo taken on 14 February 2020

With nowhere to go.

Covid restrictions are still on and the government is allowing for a maximum of 8 visitors per day per home. You can only dine with 8 others at a table with no inter-mingling which certainly makes reunion dinner less than a reunion. Opa had the food we booked at Crystal Jade sent to Auntie Elan's and to our place so we could have family dinner on a smaller scale. It was really good to have Debbie and Jeekoh over after more than a year of not being able to have Saturday dinner together.

Flowers from our landscaper at Nyee Phoe

The accidental suckling pig that was supposed to be a duck.

初一was spent more or less like this:

Served with a platter of this for breakfast:

Kueh lapis from Benagwan Solo and 年糕

Still, we have to admit that the break from routine was nice and we got to spend time together just hanging out.

The outtakes:

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Birthday blessings abound for this man as he celebrates his birthday right after mine! The boys and I hope you feel loved and cherished all the year through and not just today. Thank you for everything you do and don't do and for the very best you put into loving our family.

We love you, papa bear!

Birthday Week

Celebrating with my crew and an ice cream cake

It's official! I am one foot firmly on this side of 40.

Am filled with gratitude for every person who made me feel so special. I never want to take for granted these beautiful, peaceful moments spent with the ones I love so while I am not big on the fanfare and fuss, I do think the celebration is a way of giving thanks.

Brunch with Melissa at TWG

Flowers from Len

Flowers from Valerie

Lunch with Mama and Mel at Table at 7

Well Done, Eli!

 

What a lovely surprise to be given such a tangible reward for the hard work and effort! 

We marvel at how far he's come, our Eli. He's always shown himself to be a bright and enthusiastic learner but these years have also displayed how God has grown him to be a hard worker with integrity and perseverance. Though we are grateful for this award, we recognise that our son is more than just the grades and we are proud of the young man he is shaping up to be. Well done, Eli!

Since we still had to adhere to safe distancing regulation. Eli gave the honour of attending the short award ceremony to daddy (who was very pleased). They decided to make it an adventure by taking a bus back home but not without stopping at McDonald's for a celebratory sundae. I think they both liked that bit the best. 

Saturday Dinner Hangout

When the boys don't let you in on the game

Just your average Saturday night with the kiddos making themselves very at home on our bed.

 

Sunday Funday

 

Back to School!

 

Primary 5-er and Sec 2-er

Morning hair, puffy faces - it's back to school we go again! (masks off for a quick and necessary photo to mark the start of the school year)

Praying for God to reveal to these young men His good and perfect plan for their lives and the purposes He has in store as they go about their day-to-day. I always have mixed feelings when I send them off into the big hamster wheel of school life. On the one hand, I am so excited to finally have some peace and quiet to think and do the tasks that have been on the back burner for a while. On the other hand, I will miss hearing their voices, feeling their presence and being able to hug them whenever I fancy. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and perhaps school helps maintain the fondness we feel for our younglings who would otherwise make us a little nutty!

Welcome 2021!

 

It feels like we have turned a chapter with the close of 2020 - the year that never was.

With open arms, we welcome a fresh new year heavy with the hopes that each day we encounter will be full of new beginnings and the desire to live more gratefully. 

Christmas Morning Madness!

 

I have to hand it to the kids. They managed to sit through Christmas service via Zoom AND a family photo before digging into their presents. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

This Christmas is so different from all the others but yet we choose to celebrate despite the imperfection!

The announcement was made that Phase 3 would only begin on the 28th of December, so we weren't able to have Jeekoh, Debbie, Denise, and Darren over as we usually would. We were fortunate that Mel's household of 5 was still able to come over to spend Christmas with us. 

Even though this year's gatherings and the feasting was scaled down, the meaning and message of Christmas were even more pronounced to me. This year seemed bent on robbing us of hope but the truth of the hope we all hold is really in us through Jesus. As we celebrate everything bright and beautiful in a world that'd gotten that much darker, I pray that we will each keep reaching toward better tomorrows for ourselves and for the ones around us too!

A blessed Christmas to all!

The boys have set Santa up for a healthier Christmas.

Times and Tides

It's our first time doing an inter-tidal walk with Young Nautilus. It felt like an adventure since we were out there on the beach around the time we would normally be calling it a day. Armed with torches (and Zachary with his net and stick) we walked the beach with our guide to find out what the tide left for us to find. 

This was Daddy's first time with us and we were so glad to have him there.

Sea cucumber: you can only tell which is the front when it sticks its tongue out!

Out of the four of us, I think I was the most enthusiastic about spotting the creatures and knowing what they were. The boys were most enthusiastic about spotting their friends who were being guided in their own family groups. Even though we signed up together, safe distancing measures had to be enforced so separate groups and staggered timings were the next best option. Still, we did manage to take just one quick photo before grabbing a really late dinner.