First Holy Communion

Ella made her First Holy Communion in  the St. Ignatius Church of Singapore on May 19.  It was far from a small intimate celebration as she was one of 180 children making their  Communion that day but it was lovely and she looked beautiful!!!  

Lexi was sick so did not make it to the church, nor did we get her to agree to a photo shoot with her sis, so these will have to do!

Ella and Catherine, a friend from HK who moved to Spore the same time we did.

Ella and her partner Joshua

waiting....

Ella's class

Can't say I made this gorgeous cupcake cake but I did order it!

Ella with John Paul and Hugh - two boys from her class at SAIS.

We love you Ella!!!

I had every intention of getting a timely Mother's Day post up to honor all of the amazing Moms in my life and those watching over me.  Sorry for the delay but it still very much comes from my heart and important to share.

At the top of my list is my dear Mother whom I cherish with all of my heart.  Without your grace and charm to guide me I would feel so empty.  I am so lucky to have you in my life.  I love you Mom.

My dear Mother-in-law also continues to be an important Mother figure in my life despite the fact that she is guiding me from above.  So much of Omi lives on and I feel her in my life in many ways.

Omi & Mimi with Ella 2004

Of course there are endless other Moms (Karen, Annie, Patty & Elvira to name just a few but there are many.....) whom I look up to and learn from everyday.  Your wit, wisdom, support and encouragement mean the world to me!

I also have two Mothers in my life who I have never met but are often on my mind.  Lexi's Birth Mother and Foster Mother will always be important women who I think of with gratitude.  

Lexi's Birth Mother - also referred to as her Tummy Mommy or China Mommy - gave Lexi life and for that we are so very grateful.  The decision she made to let Lexi go is one that we may never fully understand nor know the reasons why but in doing so she gave us another beautiful daughter.   It is hard to comprehend that her loss - and Lexi's loss - has been such a wonderful gift to us. I often wonder what China Mommy looks like and I know there will come a time when Lexi may ask me that as well but when I look at our gorgeous little girl, I have a pretty good idea.

And if Lexi ever asks me what Tummy Mommy looks like, all she will need to do is look at herself in the mirror.

Foster Mama is also someone who we honor and will never forget.  It is this amazing woman who took Lexi in for 17 months and loved her and cared for her like her own.  The bond between the two was strong and because of her Lexi knows how to love and how to attach....it just takes time to start over again.

Lexi with Foster Mama in 2010

So.... here's to Moms every where!  Remember how important you are in the lives of many and never forget for a minute that you make a difference in someone else's life.

xo from one lucky Mom of two gorgeous girls

A salute to Mothers everywhere This tribute to Mothers was circulated via the Internet from author unknown. This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here." Who walk around the house all night with their babies when they keep crying and won't stop. This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T. This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football or soccer games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it. This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old who wants ice cream before dinner. This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time." This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own off spring are at home. This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away. This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed -- when their 14 year olds dye their hair green. What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying? For all the mothers of the victims of all these school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely. This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves. This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation; And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers; Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. So hang in there.

A salute to Mothers everywhere

This tribute to Mothers was circulated via the Internet from author unknown.


This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here." Who walk around the house all night with their babies when they keep crying and won't stop.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football or soccer games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.
This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own off spring are at home.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed -- when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.
What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?
The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
For all the mothers of the victims of all these school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.
This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation; And mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers; Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all.
So hang in there.

Remembering Susan

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. 

 ~Author Unknown

Happy Birthday Susan....you are so missed.

xoxoxo

Happy Easter!

Chocolate bunnies already in fridge so they don't melt!!

 

Sa Wat Dee

One of the many things we enjoy about living in Singapore is the close proximity to some great travel destinations.  Last week we visited Koh Lanta - a small island off the south coast of Thailand.  Koh Lanta is a wonderful laid back island with beautiful beaches, magnificent sunsets and dense jungle.  If you want lots of glitz and glamour then look else where because Koh Lanta can not be compared to some of the bigger more built up islands.  There is a timeless magic about Koh Lanta where time is soon forgotten and instead you can spend endless hours marveled by the life and antics of a hermit crab.

There are jungles treks, elephant rides, waterfalls, diving and great snorkeling on and around Koh Lanta but we made the decision to not enjoy any of these wonders on this particular trip.  Instead we opted for a very quiet family focussed week.  For a variety of reasons we needed to have a few days of doing very little - Patrick needed to quiet his mind, Ella needed a place with little stimulation, Lexi needed to feel safe and secure in a new environment and I just needed my family to be happy!  

Our home for the week was Lanta Castaway which is a cluster of bungalows surrounded by beautiful gardens on the beach.  The staff are warm and friendly...... and always smiling.  Thai people in general are very peaceful and serene so the atmosphere they create is very welcoming.

We woke up every day to the sound of the waves and went to bed the same way.  We planted ourselves under a big palm tree in the early morning....and were often sitting under the same tree in the evening watching the sun set.  We swam in the blue turcqoise sea, watched the hermit crabs, built many a sand castle, collected shells, read good books, ate yummy thai cuisine, sipped many banana smoothies, played lots of cards, enjoyed lovely thai massages and did I mention watched the hermit crabs!  

Our bungalow

Long Beach

Our own little hermit crab!

One of the many beautiful sunsets we enjoyed.

As we were up so early every morning, we were always lucky to get a big lounger under our favorite palm!

One cute girl!

Ella enjoying her first, of many to come I think, Thai massage.

Reading Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was another great way to relax.

Lexi enjoying one of her many banana smoothies of the week!

Ella chilling at the bar sipping her smoothie, listening to good tunes and drawing.

"Dont even think about it." whispers Lexi to our friendly bartender.
She enjoyed, but became very territorial over, the free flowing popcorn during happy hour.

A tidal inlet/canal forms in front of the Castaway - a perfect place for  the kids to play.

With "Hermie"

Nothing better then sharing a smoothie in paradise...

...especially between sisters!

Over the years and especially during our long wait for Lexi, we often visited local orphanages when we were traveling or on holiday.  We did this with the best of intentions but realize now that we did it more to feel better as individuals then out of the best interest for the children.  I will leave that for another post but suffice to say we have learned a lot the past year and a half.  So having said that, we set out to find another type of volunteer opportunity that was in line with our objective - to give back to someone(s) in need within the local community that we were visiting.  In my research I found a local animal shelter on Koh Lanta that is very open and in need of visitors to play with the kitties, take the dogs for a walk and/or give a donation as they survive solely on the financial support of the founder as well as donations from the local community, tourists and animal lovers around the world. 

Lanta Animal Welfare (http://www.lantaanimalwelfare.com/) is taking great care of the stray cat and dog population on the island and overall doing some amazing and honorable work.  We were shown around the facility by a volunteer and told how LAW was founded.  We were also told about each animal there.  The dogs all looked happy and healthy despite some bearing scars as a testament to their past.  The dogs and cats were all playful and seemed to enjoy the extra attention.  Their is no pressure to make a donation but it is something you will want to do after being there and we were very happy to do so in memory of my sister Susan, an animal lover and advocator for animals in need.

So overall, a wonderful week.  Mainly in terms of relaxation and family time but also having the opportunity to give a bit back to the local community.

Sa wat dee.

xo

8 years ago our lives changed forever....

....as we welcomed our precious Ella Sarita into the world. 

So much has changed in the past 8 years but what remains the same is Ella's zest for life and her fun loving spirit.  Ella is amazing in so many ways. I am just so thankful that we get to count those ways every single day!

Birthday Girl!!

Ella has always enjoyed keeping her birthday parties simple and this year was no different.  She invited five friends over for an afternoon of swimming, playing games, bbq and a movie.  

Forever a Diva

Enjoying an ice lolly before the pool.

These next few photos speak for themselves...

Back home, showered and opening gifts

Let the games begin!

Girlfriends are the best!

Love the semi sleep-over - pjs, movie and popcorn minus the late night drama & trauma!


Happy 8th birthday sweet Ella, we love you!