Singapore

Because of Heath's recent promotion at work, we had the opportunity to go to Singapore. Thankfully, my mom was willing to fly down to watch the boys for a week. I love going to new places, and I can't wait until the boys are a little bigger, so that traveling is a little easier with them. Putting them on a plane for 24 hours was just not going to happen. ugh. 

We left early on a Friday morning.. like 2am. Our first flight left Sao Paulo, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean and Africa for our first connection in Doha. That flight was 14 hours. WOW. While in some ways it was like a vacation, I read a lot, and watched a lot of movies, it was a LONG time to be on a plane. We were happy to be on the ground, even for a short time. Doha, by the way, was the cleanest, nicest airport I've ever been in. The next flight to Singapore was only a short 8 hours. 

Once we arrived, one of the first things I noticed was that everyone spoke English. It is so nice to be able to communicate, seriously. Those who haven't traveled abroad - you just can't know the appreciation I have for the ability to communicate in foreign countries. 

Singapore is humid. HUMID. But I'll get to that later. 

It's a small city/country. It's easy to get around, and you can get to most places quickly. Our drive from the airport to the hotel was 20 minutes. 

We stayed at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It was really nice. It was attached to a gigantic mall (I don't know that I've ever been so excited to see a Banana Republic), and across from the Gardens by the Bay.

Unfortunately, a few hundred miles away on the island of Sumatra, they were conducting their yearly vegetation burns. The winds carried the smoke and haze right to Singapore, so for most of our trip it was hazy and visibility was pretty low.

On top of the hotel is the worlds longest elevated swimming pool, which also features an infinity edge. The pool was always packed. And I've never seen so many selfie sticks in a pool. But, I guess I can't blame them. The views were pretty amazing.

The spouses/guests were really lucky. While Heath was in meetings and break out sessions, I got to explore the city a little. The first day we took a short river boat ride.

The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore. They are everywhere and are featured on most souvenirs.

This is our hotel from the river - can you see it through the haze?

The same day we took a trip to Little India and Chinatown. I loved Little India, and really could have bought a whole bunch of stuff. As it was I ended up with two pashminas, and a black elephant to put with our collection of animals from different countries.

There is always some type of holiday/festival happening. The amazing part is that each year, they come up with a new design for each one, and designs are never duplicated or repeated.

Chinatown was interesting. I really just found each stall to be the same stuff. A lot of touristy items.

The next day we took at trip to the Gardens by the Bay.

They featured two different green house type domes filled with lots of plants, flowers, and water features. And it was really cool in there - so a nice break from the humidity.

I know some of you Arkansans are thinking that you KNOW humidity. No, you don't. Seriously. I stepped outside and immediately broke out in a sweat - and not because it was hot.

Each night the firm had a cocktail hour, or dinner. The last night was the sit down dinner where we all got to dress up. They had a great band and we may or may not have done a bit of dancing. It probably would have been nice if I thought to take a picture of the two of us. But we looked spectacular (in our attire, not just on the dance floor), trust me.

I loved Singapore. We got to hear some really great speakers during some of Heath's meetings. We got to learn a lot about how Singapore got to where it is now, in such a short period of time - 50 years!

It's a clean city, where you feel safe walking around, and it's easy to go to where you are going. Everyone speaks English, so that makes it easier too. There are tons of things to do. Go to the beach,  Universal Studios, a zoo that is one of the top in the world - lots to do! And as I always consider - would my kids have fun? Is it a place I would want to take them? Yes and Yes - minus one small - but kind of big detail - FLIGHT TIMES. If you know my kids, or really any kids. 24 hours on a plane is a deal breaker, and frankly you would be crazy.

All Good Things, All Good Things

Beckham still loves Olaf, not that it has anything to do with this post. 

Two really good things happening in our household:

1. Cayden has been going to speech therapy since March. He has made awesome progress, and his doctor decided this week that we can start decreasing the number of sessions. We are so proud of him, and all the hard work he has done the last few months!

2. Beckham and Potty Training. He has done an excellent job. Basically, he wears big boy underwear all day - even at school, and then I put him in a diaper at night. This is probably more selfish on my side. But it will happen soon. We've been really, really, lucky. Both boys were pretty easy to train - thank goodness.

We still have the same routine here, so not too much new to report. We are all looking forward to coming home for the Christmas holidays, and Cayden asks for just about everything to be added to his "list."

I'll leave you with some old pictures of the boys!

In the Meantime ...

I have a post, sort of ready to go about Singapore. I will post it, eventually. But here is a quick phone dump and particular conversation that has been happening  A LOT lately. 

Cayden: "Mom, Can we have a cat?"

Me: "No, not until we move back?"

Beckham: "I want a pink cat!"

Me: "I don't think they make pink cats."

Cayden: "I want a black and white one named Mittens. And Beckham's cat will be named Guido. Dada, what do you want your cat to be named? What's your cat's name, Mama?"

--- In case you are keeping count - we now have 4 prospective cats

Heath: "Whompas. That's my cat's name." And then he chuckles to himself.

Me: "Swatch."
Cayden: "Mom, that's not a good name."

Seriously. It's all about cats. Feeding cats, and walking cats, and giving them a "nice place to rest."

Mittens, Guido, Whompas, and Swatch -

Ugh. But we are NOT getting four.

The Boys these Days

I haven't really done a post about the boys and what they are up to these days. We have a pretty normal routine: school, park, dinner, play time, and off to bed. But of course, our kids are anything but normal and routine. 

I love this picture of Beckham. He is such a charmer. Oh, you should see him with all the girls (no matter the age). Where the girls are, you will find Beckham. He gives hugs, let's them carry him around. He's quite the ladies man. A friend said that when Beckham walks into the room, it's like he's announcing that he's there and the party is ready to start. 

I like that about him. That he's comfortable in social settings, and that he likes people. He's a food scrounger. If there are french fries nearby, well - game on. Speaking of food, he could eat ALL. DAY.  Snacks consist of popcorn, pretzels, fruit pouches, and lately granola bars. He eats lunch at school - and LOVES it. They serve rice and beans several days a week, and he's hooked.

He runs everywhere. He fights like a cat with his brother. In the morning, he's jealous and territorial if Cayden wants to sit on my lap. He likes going places, which makes him easy to take - even if it's just to the store. He's very much into Minions and the first 15 minutes of Toy Story 3. And Frozen, always Frozen.

He sings. Cayden never really sang, but Beckham does. Old MacDonald is a favorite. And I'm teaching him how to Whip and Nae Nae. It's AWESOME.

Cayden. Gosh, he's growing up. It's in the things he says - "Well, actually..." " Sort of..." And really, just every day conversation. He's smart. He picks up on his school work easily, which leaves him a lot of play time. He has started playing with Legos and loves them. He hasn't quite reached the stage where he can follow the directions on his own, but I would rather him play with these than watch TV.

He has a notebook where he collects words. He will ask Heath or I, how to spell a word and either he writes it down, or he has us write it down and he copies it. I guess I need to start focusing on some sight words.

He has also started running with the big boys at the park. I have given him a little freedom and trust here. There is one boy in particular that he really likes. He's 10 going on 11. All the boys just let Cayden play with them, so it's really great.

Sleeping: For the last year, he has crept into our bed every night. We put him to bed at night, and at some point later in the night, he joins us. One evening, we had a babysitter who left his light on when she put him to bed. (Come to find out, this is not uncommon among Brazilian babysitters). Anyway  - since that night, he has slept in his bed. ALL NIGHT. So, now he sleeps with a light on. Sheesh.

They are a mess. but boy do I love them. they keep me running and always fetching things, or calling me to intervene some dispute, and in those moments, I know I get frustrated, but then they give you these looks and you just kind of melt and forgive and forget and try and find the joy and know that it's going by so. fast. In a short time, we will have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. What? We are on the cusp of kindergarten - shut the front door.

Happy Birthday

Cayden and Beckham turned 4 and 2, respectively, over the summer. After last year's Little Giggles party success, it seemed crazy to not do it again - only times four. That's right, we had a quadruple birthday party - and it was awesome. I'm certain that if it's up to Kristin and I, the kids will be having combined birthdays for a few more years, at least until Cayden and Millie have a Harry Potter birthday, which will be the birthday to end all birthdays. 

Here's the deal. Our kids love each other. We would be at the others' party anyway, so why not do it together. Someone else's location, someone else cleans it up - Bam! Done! 

Our theme was superheroes, and bless Millie and Sydney's hearts. They went a long with it - and Millie got a unicorn too. By the way, these cakes taste as awesome as they look!

Two peas in a pod. For the most part, they were always together.

I can't tell you how much I love these two.  They spent almost everyday of 5 weeks together over the summer, and I don't think they fought once. Just played and acted crazy silly together. Totally warmed my heart to watch them.

Beckham got to eat pizza, too! With no toppings, poor kid. He takes what he can get.

See. Goofy. Love it!

These last two pictures sum up these boys. They are "on" all the time. Full of energy. Run, rather than walk. Scream, rather than talk quietly. Eating all the time. Pestering each other, all the time. Beckham loves his big brother so much. He does what he does. Pete and Repeat.

While Cayden may not express is affection as well, every now and then, you can see he cares. For instance, in the elevator, if Beckham is slow off the elevator, or if there appears to be a chance that Beckham won't get off in time, Cayden freaks out!! I believe it's because he doesn't want harm to come to Beckham, and that's a sure sign of love, right?

Oh the adventures that await us.

Our Summer

Hi. We've gone and come back. And I didn't blog anything while we were away. We spent roughly 5 weeks in Arkansas this summer, and it was Perfect. We didn't take any trips anywhere, we just spent time with family and friends. A lot of time. We were lucky enough to be able to rent a house for our stay, so that put us smack dab in the middle of everyone. It was easy to take the kids for activities, and meet up with family for dinner and hanging out. I'm really not sure anything could have made it better!

The kids and I spent everyday doing something. Whether is was at the trampoline park, the pool, Little Giggles, the park, etc. We were busy doing things, and most of the time we were with Mills and Syd. I think this summer was the first time that it became a little easier to just. do. You know? Beckham still takes a nap, but he was pretty easy going, and as long as we were busy, the kids were pretty great. 

I've included a bunch of random pictures, and I will definitely do a blog just about their birthday party, but here is a little bit of our summer. 

Don't let sleeping pictures fool you. Flights with these two, especially the little one, are hard.

Hair cuts.

Best Friends, reunited. This was the most amazing thing to watch. Cayden and Mills just picked up right where they left off, and seriously NEVER fought. They jabbered and talked, and played, and did silly things, and I'm certain that they love each other.

The Fab Four - back again!

 Playing in the creek. It was coooold. But they loved it!

 Millie taught Cayden how to Cannon Ball - But he yells out something about Monsters.

Lots of time in the pool. I'm so thankful that we get to come back for visits. We miss our family and friends terribly when we are gone, and just love. love. love spending time with everyone when we visit.