valentines

It was so fun to snap these pictures. And thanks to my amazingly talented friend we had ourselves some sweet Valentines for the boys' classes. (We were the only ones to bring in some.) We put scratch off stickers over the words for the kids to scratch off. Thanks Malia! 

Noah and Gage loved their waffle breakfast. Topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh mangoes, and can I admit? chocolate sauce. Noah helped me set the table and made sure there was a love note on everyone's plate.

And did I tell you Dave bought me a treat? To satisfy all my pregnancy cravings. It was perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea that something good is just around the corner." G.K. Chesterton

Things are changing around here.

Slowly.

But they are changing.

These boys are getting bigger. Have you seen Gage lately? He's tall. and handsome. And that Noah with his teeth coming in. They both never stop talking and have the funniest things to say.

My belly is getting bigger too. Before long we'll have a girl in this house. a little one. and diapers. and onsies. and midnight feedings.

Pure craziness. 

Tonight I was making dinner, white snapper and green beans, with Ingrid's new album playing. The boys were outside with Dave. Dishes were done. Lunches for tomorrow packed. Everything calm. under control. taken care of.

I stole a few glances out the window at the baseball game on the tennis court 10 floors below, wet after this afternoon's downpour. The boys looked happy. calm. taken care of.

We're in the calm before the crazy.

And I intend to enjoy every minute.

food fair and a parade

One of my favorite things about living in Singapore is the boys' schools. 

I heart international schools.

Noah is the only American in his class. All the other kids are from somewhere else: Australia, India, Cambodia, Singapore, France, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, England.  I'm forgetting some. I'll have to ask Noah.

And I've been really happy with the IB curriculum. Focusing on becoming: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk takers, balanced and reflective. Gage has even picked up on the lingo, "Noah, that was risk taking! good job!" 

We'll have some things to sort out later - like how to correctly spell favourite and colour. We'll need to learn American currency and inches and yards. But today they are doing batik paintings from Indonesia. I'll take it.

Last week was Cultural Week with all sorts of activities celebrating different cultures. Performances, art projects, assemblies. But my favorites (spelled like an American) were the parade and the food fair. 

'Come dressed in traditional clothes from your country' the instructions for the parade said. Noah choose a red hat with a blue star on it an old Tball shirt from way up in the cupboard. 

 

You should have seen all the Japanese in their komonos, the Swedes in their lederhosen, the Indians in their saris, and that one kid from Peru with his chullos hat. I need to take more pictures next time.

Another day was the food fair. A booth full of food for each country.

Noah told me his plan beforehand - go to Japan for some sushi, France for some cheese, and Australia for some fairy bread and sweets. He knows what he's doing.

 

He also picked up some other favorites along the way (Cambodian springrolls, Indonesian satay, and Korean beef) and tried a few new things too.

Noah and his buddy Michael. 

Michael's mom. She makes the best springrolls. 

Noah and Michael and Haaresh. 

Gage's belly was full by the end too. In between each new thing he would always head back to the US table

for the Rice Krispie Treats of course!