S plus S

A few days ago, M and I became the temporary guardian of his 9-year old god-daughter. So now we have a bb S and a bigger S under our care. Bb S is the happiest person in the household with a new big sister to play with, following her wherever she goes. Perhaps this is a chance to prepare us for number 2 (wink).

Our conversations have expanded from milk feed and frequency of naps to logistics to/from school, time table and homework.

I am thankful that we have the ability to take on more in life – the opportunity to serve in children’s ministry, ministering to His flock as well as the capacity to care and help those who are in need.

I don’t know how we will do it or if we can do it well but I know God will give us the wisdom and cause everything to turn out well.

Bali 2011

She has a love/hate relationship with water – loves to play with water but hates to be in the pool.

 

I thought I looked cool with this on my back for a few days.

Don’t you just love this oversized hat that covers the whole face? It’s the only souvenir from Bali for S.

Boys being boys, they will never be bored.

She entertained herself with ONE leaf and lots of sand for the whole afternoon. No spades & buckets or beach toys required. Low maintenance child :)

Everyone was mesmerised by the slide show of my in laws and the growing up of their children and grandchildren.

The last time four of them gathered was in 2003 and we are not sure when’s the next time.

 

What is a beach holiday without surfing?

We didn’t want to come back

People are surprised to learn that we spent 9 days in Bali.  With a total of 16 people (8 adults , 8 children) from three continents,  9 days passed by in a blink of an eye. A few days chilling at Kuta beach, 1-day trip to cultural Ubud,  2 days to Seminyak for some yummy food, a few massage sessions and voila, it’s finished! Every minute was precious, trying to get to know new family members, catch up and updates on each others’ lives, not forgetting the main reason why we’re there  - 50th anniversary of Mr and Mrs Dorett (senior).

The Doretts. A very unique family.

Dad: serious, organised with random sense of humour. Loves Black Label Whisky. Note: it has to be Black Label.

Mom: Typical mom/grandmother who dotes on her grandchildren. Her children and grandchildren are the most perfect.

Eldest daughter (in floral Pink dress to my right): Resides in Kalamanzoo, Michigan. The tour director for this trip who tried to ensure everyone is looked after. Endured seeing her two handsome sons (the twins in blue and white at the back row) being tattooed and secretly felt the pain for them. She is the most jovial person I have met who laughs every 5 minutes. She is a true first born.

Second daughter (white top behind me): Resides in Melbourne. A more mellowed middle child, she shares the same birthday as I do and home schools her youngest son (floral shirt-boy behind baby S). Patience is her virtue. The blue shirt boy in the middle of the last row is his second son, who decided to shave his head on our last day!

Third daughter (black floral dress in the second row): She is vocal and demonstrates the ‘youngest’ child attribute (if we don’t count daddy M). She’s also the closest to us as the only sister who resides in Sg. The two beautiful girls are her gems.

The youngest son: Daddy M, smiled from day 1 to day 9. Being the only boy among the four and with huge age gaps ranging 7-12 years, he let the sisters run the show and just follows. 

The blue shirt man standing in between first and last daughter is the cousin who decided to fly from Canada to soak in some fun, love and family warmth.

Stay tuned for more highlights of our trip!

Family trip

It's Friday and we are heading to Bali tomorrow for the first international Dorett family trip, to celebrate my in laws' 50th anniversary (part II). Daddy M is pretty excited over the trip despite his hampered mobility and yes, he is limping there!

It will also be my first time meeting three of M's nephews from the US and Australia (checking one of my to-do's in 2008!)

This is probably the first holiday that I am totally switched off in the planning-where to stay, what to do are all discussed among daddy M and his sisters. I just need to ensure our luggages are packed.


Spa, spa, here I come...

Gastronomy at home

I am no fan of fine gastronomy. However for our 4th wedding anniversary last week, we celebrated it with a cliché at home - a small tin of Prunier carviar, truffled frois gras, mini bilinis, creme fraiche and a bottle of Flying Fish Cove wine (which we toasted on the proposal night).

 

Sounds romantic.

Neh. My mom joined us in our celebration and preferred her bilinis with peanut butter! 

See, now you know why I am not an aficionado of luxury delicacies. It’s not in the blood. 

Belated birthday celebration

I realised that I always opted for girls night out for my birthday celebration. The tradition remained this year.

At 9pm we were making our usual funny faces in an unassuming steamboat restaurant. Very decent. 

 

By 2am, we were on the roof top of Kinki (get your minds out of the gutter, it’s a Japanese restaurant), chatting our hearts out and dancing on champagne.

 

It was a very happy belated birthday celebration.

End on a sweet note

It was a good 48-hour trip. A few meetings got cancelled which left me with some free time to walk around the city, combing every floor of Harrods and Harvey Nicols at Knightsbridge.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), the effects of jet lag hindered me from making any emotional big-ticket purchase despite the sale.

I love London. When it’s NOT raining.  I love the medieval architecture, the parks, the curry and the accents… Unlike the past few cities that I was in, I managed to take it slow in London and enjoyed every bit of it. Shopping, fine dining, people watching and fantastic weather. It would have been perfect if daddy M was with me.

When you’re down, the only way is UP and I see this short ‘break’ in London as my UP after the exhausting past few weeks.

This marks the close of a chapter in my crazy work season.  I’m happy to be home.