Ella's Birthday 2015

We officially have a TEENAGER in the house!  It seems amazing that Ella is now 13 years old and entering into a new stage in her life.  Luckily she can still be the sweet, happy girl that she is (sometimes) and we hope that she never loses her sense of humor and her smile, although we know that sometimes it disappears for a short time-frame!   Having grown 5 inches in the last year (and now having size 10 feet), she really looks like a beautiful young woman and we couldn't be prouder of her.  Happy Birthday!

First Day of School 2015

The first day of school came early this year with the kids going back August 11th (after having not gotten out of school until June 19th!).  After much grumbling, everyone was up and ready for the bus on-time.  We all had to admit that it was a lot easier this year since the kids were old hands at riding the bus and finding their way around the Stamford campus.  It was their turn to help other new kids that looked lost!

SG50

We returned from our summer adventures just in time to enjoy the 50th anniversary of the creating of modern-day Singapore.  SG50 has been promoted for literally the last year and the national pride and enthusiasm has been contagious.  50 years ago Singapore separated from Malaysia and became its own country.  Looking back, I'm sure this was a move that Malaysia regrets since Singapore went on to become one of the most prosperous nations in the world while Malaysia hasn't had any of that same growth and success.  At the time, Malaysia simply thought of Singapore as an expensive piece of land to their south that didn't have any of its own natural resources and therefore was just a drain on Malaysia's economy!

SG50 has been hyped as a tribute to the country and it's founding father, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.  In a very unfortunate coincidence, Mr. Lee passed away this spring after a length illness so he wasn't able to see the SG50 festivities for himself.  The country held a full week of mourning in his honor and it was amazing to see the grief and love Singaporeans had for this leader.  His son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is now leading the country in a time of much change as Singapore tries to maintain its history and traditions while also maintaining its relevancy in the 21st century.

Here are a few pictures we took during the National Day parade weekend.

London Visit

The three kids and Mommy headed back to Singapore on August 3rd but managed a stop in London for 3 days on the way home.  We had beautiful weather and did a ton of walking exploring the city.  There was even more walking than anticipated since the public transportation workers were on strike for 2 of the 3 days!

Our first day we walked to Buckingham Palace, around Hyde Park and Westminster Abbey, and we all saw Big Ben.  The weather was wonderful - cool but still sunny.

On our second day, we walked all around London Tower before heading on a "Muggles Tour" which was a highlight for our Harry Patter - obsessed kids!  We visited different areas in London where the Harry Potter movies had been filmed and I think that our kids recognized every one of the scenes.

Our last day included visiting several wonderful museums, along with staring contests, ice cream eating and dining out, the changing of the guards are Buckingham palace, and then finished off with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" at the Theatre.

Sumner's Birthday 2015

We celebrated Sumner's 11th birthday this week on our last day in the States before heading back to Singapore (via London).  He had the special treat of having Grammy and Papa come to breakfast to help him celebrate.  Of course, the trickiest part was packing up his birthday gifts right away and getting them through Singapore customs for him to enjoy back home!