Since my last post, I've survived Summer Camp with elementary students, received a promotion, successfully enrolled Annabelle in "big girl school," and managed to make it through life here with a little bit of my sanity intact!
After a year and a half in Singapore, we are now thinking "holy cow, how has time gone so fast?" We have determined that Singapore is actually some kind of time warp. While we have seen the majority of the island and have found our favorite things to do here, we still find out about new places all the time. There is so much to see and do here, that I don't think we will ever conquer it all! Of course we have our moments when Singapore isn't everything we've ever wanted, but for the most part we really love it here, and are beyond thankful that we were given this incredible opportunity!
Annabelle began school at Singapore American School in August. Her speech delay has improved so drastically and she is thriving. We are impressed every single day with the language that she has now. She can have conversations with other people, and seeing the surprise on their faces and hearing them say "I understood every word!" is the most gratifying reward for her! She doesn't have to get frustrated anymore with her lack of ability to express herself! Don't worry, though- she has plenty more reasons to be frustrated and throw irrational tantrums.
While 2016 has definitely given us some hard times, we also have a lot to be thankful for this Holiday season. Not to mention, I'm a total Christmas fanatic. We have had our tree and decorations up for quite some time now, and I have to say- just seeing the beautiful tree when I get home from work instantly puts a smile on my face. I love the peacefulness and the beauty of looking at festive lights. I love seeing Annabelle's face light up when we change the colors of the tree, or when she discovers a new ornament. She particularly loves snow globes and nutcrackers. How fun to see Christmas through a toddler's eyes!
Perhaps our biggest surprise of the season is, that we have the best present anyone could ever ask for on the way! We found out a few months ago that we are expecting a sweet angel to join our family in May! Annabelle is overjoyed and tells the world. She picks up random things at stores and demands that we "neeeeeeeed these for the baby." Today, she also told me that she can hear the baby crying in my belly. Oh, and it also apparently says "goo goo ga ga" to her. Haha! I love her imagination. She is anxious to be a big sister, and goes back and forth on whether she wants a brother or a sister.
We did somehow manage to keep my pregnancy a secret from everyone aside from coworkers until we were able to get Christmas cards out to reveal our big news! What a challenging secret, but an equally awesome time receiving the texts of surprise from all of our family, and sharing the excitement with them! Now, we can share our fun surprise announcement with all of our friends around the World!
I genuinely hope that all of our friends and family around the World have the happiest Holiday Season and are surrounded by the people they love!
