Almost Like a Friday

Kristie and Will came over this morning for a playdate with Brandon. It's so fun watching those two boys play. They follow each other around, hug, wrestle, and share each other's sippie cups. So cute.



This afternoon, I took Brandon to Royce Gym. We also needed to go to the grocery, so after playtime we went down to Meidi Ya, the Japanese grocery store in Liang Court.



Our timing worked out nicely. Steven left work just as we were checking out at the store. He met us at Liang Court, and we took a cab together.



Once we got home, Steven took Brandon to Takashimaya. Steven wanted to pick up a book for our trip tomorrow. It was nice having an hour at home to myself. Ahhh! A nice, relaxing, quiet bath.



So excited for our trip to Phuket tomorrow! Brandon and I will take a cab to pick Steven up from work just before noon. I almost feel like tomorrow is the weekend! Looking forward to some great family time, some rest and relaxation, and some new scenery!

Playgroup at Polina's

Our Monday playgroup was at Polina's apartment this week. Brandon had a great time playing with Will, Cheng-Hoon, and Daniel! Really thankful that Polina offered to host a playgroup at the last minute. We almost didn't have a Monday group. I was worried this morning that I was going to have to go back to Royce, and I need a short break from that routine. :)

This afternoon, Brandon wasn't interested in playing on his own. He wanted 110% of Mommy's attention. Just one of those days. We played with Brandon's little train set for a while. He enjoyed running the trains along the track and taking apart and putting together the pieces of track. It's amazing how much Brandon has changed. When Steven bought him the small train set a couple of months ago, he wasn't very into it. Now, he can play with it and enjoys it!

This evening, Steven took a train to Orchard Ion from work, and we met him at Borders. He and I wanted to look for a couple of books. We are going to Phuket, Thailand in a couple of days, and we are hoping to have some time to read on the beach! Ahhhh! Can't wait. We'll use this trip to celebrate our anniversary! We were planning on going to Cambodia, but we'll probably wait another month or two for that trip. Looking forward to another excursion and adventure!

Brunch on Robertson Quay

Steven, Brandon, and I had a nice brunch this morning on Robertson Quay. We walked along the river and stopped at the restaurant Boomerang. A nice atmosphere and quite delicious, despite the fact that the bacon wasn't crispy. It's not easy to find crispy bacon here!

This afternoon we walked to the Forum and let Brandon play for a short while. Then, we took another evening stroll down Orchard Road. This area is so vibrant in the evenings and on the weekends!

Great, great weekend. Looking forward to the grandmommas coming in two weeks!

Singapore Science Centre

Saturday morning we decided to go to the Singapore Science Centre. None of us had been there before. We were quite impressed! There were so many exhibits!

The pictures show a bit of our visit at the center. Brandon tested out the Magical Mirror. He was transformed into a cowboy, a princess, and a pirate. We were also intrigued and amused by the exhibit relating to viruses. A large portion of this exhibit was related to SARS. Scary viruses!

Mommy was especially pleased to see the Mathematics - Everywhere and Everyday exhibit. We didn't get a chance to look through all of this exhibit because we didn't see it until the end of our visit. Very cool though. Just enough time for Mommy and Brandon to take turns being Mr. Maths Universe. Go Mathletes!

We also spent time in the special Pixar exhibit that was currently at the museum. This exhibit showed how their computer animation movies are made from start to finish. It displayed many of the original models and concept drawings from different Pixar movies, such as Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Toy Story. Neat exhibit. So much work goes into making one of these movies, even before the computer is ever used! Amazing.

Brandon loved seeing some of the fish from Finding Nemo. "Ish, ish, ish!"

There is a water play area for children at the museum. We took a swim diaper for Brandon and intended to let him play, but we ran out of time! Brandon was so wiped out that he fell asleep on Daddy in the cab on the way home. So sweet.

This evening, we walked to the Orchard Ion and grabbed some dinner at the food court. Then, we spent some time walking down Orchard Road. We bought a Singapore 2010 Youth Summer Olympics mug and had some local artists paint our pictures on it. A fun keepsake.

Lately, Brandon has really been into puzzles. He loves putting the pieces in and taking them out. He also loves sorting shapes, especially the animals on his Noah's Ark shape sorter. Brandon is learning much about frustration when he plays now. Things don't always come easy. Maybe soon he will learn a little about patience too. :)

Fidgets

Brandon and I took a cab to Fidgets this morning with Kristie and Will. Our Friday playgroup met there today. Brandon had a great time, and I was actually able to enjoy some conversations with my friends.

This afternoon, we walked to the grocery store. I haven't been cooking too much here. It's hard because our kitchen isn't fully stocked with appliances or food. Also, Steven isn't home for dinner, and Brandon may or may not eat. It's hard to go to too much trouble just for myself. I can usually cook Brandon quick and simple dishes. At many food centers here, you can get food for decent prices too. By the time I buy all of the groceries, I'm not sure it saves money to cook.

Tonight, we were really craving a home cooked meal so I picked up some things to make tacos. I even spent the extra money to get some Tostitos queso, salsa, and chips. It was a great dinner!

Royce, Again

Brandon and I didn't have any plans this morning, so again, our backup was to go to Royce Gym. We walked there with Jo, Stella, and Sam.

Sometimes I feel a little bored doing the same things over and over each day here. Yes, there are so many things to do with kids here in Singapore. However, I'm still sometimes bored and lonely. I think that this is just the nature of being away from home and in a foreign country. I also feel a bit isolated sometimes living on an island and not having my car. Being here temporarily also brings certain difficulties. While I am meeting so many great people, it is hard to grow strong roots or attachments because we know we are leaving fairly soon. So many new experiences and feelings!

This afternoon, Arch and Arya came over for a playdate. Arch works part time outside of the home, so I don't see her often. However, she has still been a great support for me. I am very thankful to have met her!

Just Like Daddy

This morning, we walked to the Paragon with Jo, Stella, and Sam. Brandon and I don't go to the Paragon that often. It's a nice indoor playground. However, it's geared for children a little older than Brandon. Plus, there isn't a gate to the play area. So, I have to chase Brandon quite a bit. He likes to run out of the play area into the mall. The Paragon is harder work for Mommy! It was nice to go to the Paragon today for a change though. I don't want either of us to get burnt out with Royce or the Forum.

On the way out of the Paragon, I stopped at the grocery and bought some cucumber and avocado maki rolls. I gave one to Brandon, but he wasn't too sure about it. We'll keep trying.

A month or two ago when we went to get our green cards, I struck up a conversation with a woman who was in line next to us. She has a daughter one month older than Brandon, as well as another baby a few months old. I ran into this woman again today at the Paragon. Small world. It took us a while to remember where we had met before. It turns out that she lives on Leonie Hill Road. (We live on Leonie Hill. "No road", as we tell the cab drivers.) We exchanged phone numbers, and we plan to get together soon.

We had a lazy afternoon in the apartment just lounging, reading, and playing. Brandon is starting to have more facial expressions. While we mostly see his happy face, Brandon now has shown a frustrated look, a mad look, and a mischievous look. I'm sure there are even more. Brandon is so expressive. He is quite the chatterbox too. So curious to know what he's saying sometimes when he is pointing his finger at me and babbling. And, when I'm not paying quite enough attention, he knows to get just a little bit louder. Wow. Kids learn fast! :)

Royce

There is another woman, named Jo, who lives in our building. She came here from Australia and has been here for a few weeks. Jo has two girls. Stella is not quite three years old, and Sam is about 10 months.

This morning, Jo, the kids, and I walked to Royce Gym. Royce is becoming one of my favorite places here in Singapore. There are so many toys there that there is always something new for Brandon to play with. A great hour for both of us.

Later this afternoon, Brandon and I took a walk. We didn't have any plans, and we just needed to get out. It was refreshing.

For the past two to three weeks, Brandon has been sleeping completely through the night. It is amazing! I can only hope that this continues!

7th Anniversary

Dad left this morning at about 3:45 am. Steven and I got up to call him a cab and say good-bye. :(



It was strange not having Dad here when we woke up. When I got Brandon out of his crib, he looked for Grandpa in the living room. I had to explain to him that Grandpa went "bye bye". Brandon said, "Bye bye."



Thanks, again, for coming to SG, Dad!



This morning, Brandon and I went to our Monday playgroup. It was at Nina's apartment on Sentosa. Georgeous! She has a large balcony that overlooks the beach and ocean. As always, we had a great time at the playgroup.

This afternoon, Wendy and Sofia came over for a playdate. Wendy will be going back to the States in less than two weeks. :( Since she is originally from the Chicago area, I think we will see each other again in the future. We will miss having them in SG for the rest of our time here though!

Wow. I can't believe that it is already our 7th anniversary. Unreal. I remember our wedding day so clearly. It has been an amazing seven years filled with love, challenges, and adventure. I love Steven so much.

Tonight, Steven came home earlier from work so that we could go to dinner for our anniversary. We decided to celebrate at the Hard Rock Cafe Singapore. It was so nice to be out at dinner with Steven and Brandon during the week. Oh, and when we left in the cab for dinner, Brandon said, "Bye bye, Dino." He loves Dino! When Dino sees Brandon, he says, "Ahhh. My hero!" So sweet.

Steven and I both decided not to buy each other anniversary gifts. We don't really have room for any "stuff" right now. Instead, we agreed that we will book a trip to Cambodia as our anniversary gift to each other. We hope to book the trip in the next week and make the trip to Cambodia in late July after our moms leave SG.

Happy Anniversary, my love!

Father's Day

After such a busy day yesterday, we decided to make today a little more low key. This morning, I cooked bacon, eggs, and hash browns for breakfast. It was nice to have a meal together as a family. Afterwards, we took a cab to the Forum, let Brandon play for a little while, and then walked to Tanglin Mall for some grocery shopping.

While we were at the grocery, Steven went ahead and bought me our anniversary flowers. Every year since our wedding, Steven buys me white stargazer lillies on our anniversary. These are the flowers that were in my wedding bouquet, and the smell of them brings back amazing, vivid memories of our wedding day. I'm always amazed by how powerful the sense of smell is and how connected it is to memories. At least for me.

This evening, we decided to have a Father's Day dinner at Chili's. Back to Tanglin Mall! :) Dad and Steven were treated to free beers for Father's Day! What a deal!

Steven went to see a movie by himself tonight. My dad and I had an early night in.

Happy Father's Day, Dad and Steven! It was so wonderful getting to spend the day with both of you here. You both mean so much to me, and I thank you for all that you do for me and Brandon! I love you both!

Singapore Zoo, Singapore Flyer

What a busy day!

This morning Steven, Brandon, Dad, and I took a cab to the zoo. We love the zoo here! Steven and Brandon fed the giraffes. What long tongues giraffes have! I had no idea! Brandon fed a carrot to the giraffe, and then he got a bit scared.

Steven, Brandon, and Grandpa also got to feed the kangaroos. Brandon let one roo take one bite out of his hand, but then he was done. He wasn't too crazy about feeding the animals today!

We had lunch near the water park at the zoo, and then we let Brandon run around in the sprinkers for a bit.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to go to the Singapore Flyer. The Singapore Flyer is a giant observation wheel located right on the water downtown. The wheel stands at 165 meters, about the height of a 42 storey building. There are 28 capsules on SG Flyer.

We took a cab to the flyer, but we ended up having to walk some from where the cab dropped us off. There is a national holiday here in August, and they were having parade practice down near the Flyer. There were tanks, soldiers, and even fighter jets in the air.

We had bought tickets for the Flyer ahead of time online. We did still have to wait in line for about 30 minutes. The timing worked out perfectly though. We boarded the capsule just before dark. It was about a 30 minute ride for one revolution in the capsule. Since it got dark while we were up, we were able to see Singapore in daylight and dark. Beautiful views!

Brandon loved his ride on the Flyer. He ran around the capsule screaming. He kept pointing out the window and saying, "Ball." Brandon also met a few friends while we were on our ride. They enjoyed looking at the views together and playing chase.


Great day! Sad that tomorrow, Father's Day, is my dad's last day here in SG.

Royce

This morning Dad and I walked to Liang Court and took Brandon to Royce Gym. Today, Brandon was very fascinated by the train set. He enjoyed pushing the trains on the track and saying, "Weee!"

Brandon also ventured over to the book station to read. He was so happy when he found a book with pictures of balls!

Dad and I took turns at Royce today with Brandon. I love playing with Brandon, but it was nice to have a short break to walk around for part of the hour. I walked down to Starbucks, grabbed a snack, and read a magazine. Ahhhh...

This evening we just took it easy at our apartment. Can't believe it's already the weekend!

Have It Your Way

This morning, Dad, Brandon, and I took a cab to Chinatown. We spent some time walking around the streets looking at the temples and shops.

We decided to take the train home from Chinatown. However, once we arrived at the Dhoby Ghaut stop, we decided to get off of the train rather than transfer to the red line.

We went into Plaza Singapura and made a stop at Carrefour for some diapers and bread.

Before heading home, we stopped at Burger King for some lunch. Funniest part of today for us was the sign that we saw while sitting in Burger King.

"You have the right to have what you want, exactly when you want it. Because on the menu of life, you are "Today's Special". And tomorrow's. And the day after that. And... well, you get the drift. Yes, that's right. We may be the King, but you my friend, are the almightly ruler."

Hilarious.

See the king, Brandon, in the picture. Also, see that Brandon is learning that we don't quite subscribe to the BK motto in the Bierly household. Son, you may be the king, but Mommy and Daddy are the almighty rulers! :)

This afternoon, we spent some time at the pool with Jo, Jessie, Jake, and others. Jo and the kids are leaving tomorrow to go back to Australia for a month. :( Happy for them, but sad that they will be gone on holiday for a while. We will miss them so much!

A new thing for Brandon - He now pats Mommy. It's so sweet. When he hugs me, he pats me on the back. Awwww... It feels so great to be hugged, patted, and loved by my son!