Finally it has arrived!

One of the Christmas parcels from NZ has been missing or floating between NZ and Singapore for the last 30 days or so. We have been checking the mailbox everyday but no sign of it until this morning!

Ashley got to open her special delivery from Merryn.

There was a mini carry bag. It was made by Merryn using the same fabric as my bag which I got for my birthday last year. So mummy and daughter can be matching :)

And the matching smock for Ashley and her little doll. The little mummy and baby can be matching :)

Such a relief it finally arrived. Thank you very much for very thoughtful presents Merryn. I wish I can sew and make things like you can... Well, no need! I have such an amazing mother in law!

Another soccer game

Japan played Iraq this time. There were less supporters at our residence this time due to some illness and work commitments. We still had a great time watching the game tho.

Oliver made a LEGO ship carrying the Japan flag. He is quite creative - using a pair of lego pants!

Ashley can now say "soccer!"

The cheer girls:

Result for the match. 1 - 0. Another great win for Japan :)

Great beach day

We haven't caught up with our friends Ben and Gabi and their boys properly for a long time. It was such a perfect beach day we decided to meet up at Mana Mana Beach Club for lunch.

We had a slight problem prior to getting there - losing the boys on their scooters in the condo and couldn't find them for a while.

By the time we got to the beach it was getting pretty warm. We put heaps of sun cream on and sent the kids to the beach. It is such a perfect location we can have coffee and lunch while the little ones play in front of us.

They had new sunshades for the picnic tables which was a bonus!

It was the busiest day we have seen at the club tho.  All the tables were taken and lots of people were in the water enjoying some form of watersports. 

Gabi and baby Alex:

The only problem there is the food... It is just such a shame they cannot provide good food. We keep going back for the setting but eating less and less food each time :(

Beautiful sunset

Today's sunset was stunning...

Morning routine

When I do the school run in the morning I take Ashley without the buggy. 3 reasons. First, I can't be bothered to walk the long way with no steps. Second, even I put her in a light buggy I cannot carry it over the overbridge like Matthew can. And lastly walking to and from school gives Ashley good exercise and makes her tired hence she will have a morning nap. It almost takes us a whole hour to do the round trip.

I am smiling away watching all three of our kids enjoy the morning walk together :)

Asia Football Cup is on!

As a big sports fan family we couldn't ignore this big event. We all dressed in our supporter gear and cheered for Japan - Samurai Blue!

I finally put my customised uniform on. Unfortunately it is slightly large on me but it does the job perfectly! I chose my number as 22. Lots of you might know my birthday is on the 22nd and our wedding anniversary is also on the 22nd. Hence my lucky number :)

TJ was around for a playdate and joined in as a great Japan supporter.

By the time the game started I had some more Japanese supporters in the house. I just love watching sports with lots of people :) So much better!

We played against Palestine. Great start for the AFC, final score 4-0 :) Can't wait till the next game!!

Board games

Every Christmas we are given a family game or two by someone in the family. They have been such great gifts as both boys are now old enough we can all play together. This year Kylie gave us a board game called "Trouble", a very simple game with a dice in the middle which is covered by a little dome. Instead of rolling the dice they push the dome down and the dice flips around. The boys find it so amusing and they were straight away hooked into the game.

The aim of the game is to get all 4 of your pieces back into your area. But you get sent back if someone lands on your piece. Very simple but we can play for ages!

Special gift from NZ

Ashley received a special parcel from NZ today. Her new doll's smock, made by her grandmother in NZ. It is reversible and has a little pocket to put something special in :)

Such a lucky girl. Thank you so much Merryn! You are amazing!

LEGO afternoon

I am very happy that I actually enjoy LEGO with the boys. Building something together and using it to do a role play is such fun. This week Oliver is into making shops so I helped Luca build an ice cream shop and a dinosaur shop (of course they sell dinosaurs...).

Luca was very into selling things. These little pieces are quite tricky to handle for him but he manages quite well.

Oliver was on a roll. He was in his own world and built this "thing and thing" shop for knights and ninjas.  

It kept them busy for hours. Oliver follows the instructions to make something on the box exactly the same once and plays with it. If it break he doesn't care much. He just modifies it and creates something new. I think that's what makes LEGO so special. Such a great toy.

Official start day for kindy

Here are our beautiful boys starting their New Year at kindy. Oliver in K2, Luca in nursery. They were both very cheerful and excited today :) which is always a good way to start!

Of course someone has to do funny face shot...

I am glad I got new shoes for them yesterday. Oliver has been asking for a pair that glows when he walks. I have seen so many in Sketchers but they are $65+ and if they could stay wearing the same size for a while I wouldn't mind at all but at the moment they are both growing very fast so I just couldn't do it. Until Tomo and I found these in Bata for $25 each! What a bargain!!

They were both smiling when I said good bye to them. I cannot believe Oliver is the oldest at kindy now. There will be much less play and a lot more work for him. I hope he will still enjoy being there.