Videos from the equator

Just before leaving for Bintan, Indonesia, Dad picked up a new toy, an HD video camera. So, for a bit of a change from the usual picture-fest, here are three videos from our trip. If you want to see them in HD, make sure to change up the settings or visit the youtube page for each video by clicking on it.

Here's a good look at a spectacular beach - we had it to ourselves most of the time, if you can believe it.



We went to an evening performance of traditional Indonesian dance. Of course, the girls couldn't listen to that music and hold still.



Finally, we did a little bowling. Or, what passes for bowling with these two crazies.



It was a great trip, I'll be getting some pictures from Indonesia and Thailand together over the next week for another blog entry.

Birthday & Special Guests

Harper celebrated her two-year birthday in style. She got a special cake, decorated with a princess.



It was delicious!



She got a load of great gifts.



This book was a hit with both of them.



Ida Jane got a few gifts as well.



Bitty Baby from Baba and Meme is a new best friend.



And this fishing game from Great Granddad and Great Grandmama is a lot of fun.



Then it was time for our special guests: Nana and Papa! Nana got here a few days before Papa, and the girls were thrilled to see her.



We had a great week, even going out for pizza!



Another special guest, the Easter Bunny, brought the girls some great presents - Ida Jane got a ukelele and Harper got a keyboard.





Papa was another special Easter gift for the girls. We all went down to see the iconic Merlion statue.



Then we went on a little boat tour of the Singapore river.



Papa and Harper strolling by Clarke Quay.



And a delicious lunch on the riverside.



It's been a great visit so far, and we have the rest of the week to go!

School Days

Ida and Harper have started up going to school these past few weeks. Dad's been busy with traveling and Mom's been busy with her new teaching job, so we'll keep the narrative short.

Both girls get full-time Mandarin in their classes. According to Ida's teacher, Shang Laoshi, Ida Jane (Zhou Yi, as she is known in Chinese) has been doing very well following instructions in Chinese, and, when she does talk, she speaks with good tones and pronunciation. Hao Nu'er!








Harper (Zhou Hui) has also been following instructions well in Chinese and thriving with her peers. Both girls have been snacking well, also.

Lions and Tigers and Monkeys and Dragons.

Excitement has been the order of the day for Chinese New Years. First, with some news. Our girls will be starting up a twice-weekly preschool, Preschool By The Park, down the street from our place. Amy has her new job starting up the first week of March at Stamford American. Ben is still busy, off to Jakarta this week for a few days. And we have a new helper living here in our apartment, Lorena, who is working out really well.

And, today, we were really pleased to see a family of macaques walking by our place:






We took our two little monkeys out to a real Chinese New Year's family gathering last night, which they got all dressed up for.






They had a great time playing games and meeting friends.





And today, to top it all off, we got to see a lion and dragon dance, just down the block!

Harper was curious to see how these puppet heads were going to turn into lions.



And then, there they were!





By the time the dragon showed up, the girls were feeling brave.





Needless to say, it was an early bed time tonight. Happy New Year of the Tiger, everyone!

Orangutan Breakfast

After the first snowfall in DC, we were nostalgic for cold weather. After Snowpocalypse two, not so much.

This is what Ida Jane puts together as a winter outfit:



This is how Harper stays warm:



And fixing the scooter is the equivalent of putting on snow tires.



Yesterday, we got geared up for Chinese new year, checking out Chinatown and getting some new outfits for the girls.





Ida Jane got a good view of the craziness, and had her picture taken a ton. Everyone loved the red haired girl swinging her newly purchased stuffed tiger around (the coming year is the year of the tiger).






And today, we had a great trip to the zoo. The girls had fun riding a crocodile while dad got the tickets. Little did they know they would be interacting with much more active animals in a very short time.



Then we had the fabled Singapore Zoo Orangutan breakfast. Despite the name, you get more than Orangutans. You get to feed the elephants, which everyone enjoyed.











There was also a boa constrictor, which Harper loved (future herpetologist?). Of course, the show did belong to our primate friends, the Orangs. They climb down from the tree tops to grab some free fruit and get their pictures taken.





I guess the zoo has about 15 or so Orangs, and whoever feels like showing up for the breakfast just swings on by. It was pretty awesome. Hope these pictures bring a little warmth to family and friends in colder climes!

Hitting our groove

Our little water bugs have been getting quite the workout at the pool and beach lately.

East Coast Park is about 20 minutes by cab from our house.



Of course, Ida Jane and Harper made friends in less time than that.



The boat traffic on the Straits was impressive. You could believe that half the world's container ships go through or past Singapore.



Watermelon juice for lunch is always a hit.



We got some new suits



So we hit a new pool at the American Club. It was a blast!



The girls don't mind wearing summer dresses every day.



And trying out new games, like tennis:



We were really happy to finally welcome our cats, Molly and Herman, back home.



We're starting to really hit our groove in Singapore!