15 amazing facts about Greyson!

1. He grows a great beard for only being 15.
2. He is super smart.
3. He is too hard on himself when he doesn't get perfect grades.
4. He is very kind.
5. He only likes vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce but not chocolate ice cream.
6. He once tried to be a vegetarian. He'll probably try it again.
7. He has traveled to D.C, Nebraska, Oregon, San Francisco, Singapore, Indonesia and India. And has loved every one of them.
8. He has a wicked sense of humor.
9. He is not afraid to be true to himself no matter what.
10. He has made us all a Dr. Who fan.
11. He is funny when mom and dad are gone and he watches Jake and Nat. (Jake volunteered this one)
12. He has good taste in music and will one day appreicate disco!
13. He is a very easy teenager and we hope to keep it that way.
14. He keeps an open mind on most things. And he has good opinions on other things.
15. He is a great part of this family!

Taurus The Bull

The stars tell me that I am a Bull, a Taurus.

Taurus Traits include the light side:

Patient and reliable
Warmhearted and loving

Persistent and determined

Placid and security loving



Or the dark side:

Jealous and possessive

Resentful and inflexible

Self-indulgent and greedy

Now, I don't believe in a lot of this hooey. I do look at my horoscope from time to time and laugh or think about it. According to this ancient tradition my husband I don't mix AT ALL, he's an Aries which makes us both stubborn. Okay, I also get a little jealous but doesn't everyone and not just us Taurus'?


The only thing I think I have in common with my birth sign is that I am like a bull in a china shop!
I have no grace, no delicacy and I am sooo not agile! NOT one little bit. This has never been more abundantly clear to me than the last few months of living here in Singapore. I have had at least one bruise on each part of my body because I have either ran into something, fallen on something or being whacked by something! I am not making this up! I am unable to walk through a regular grocery store aisle here without hitting at least 2 things! And that is on a good day. I am the person they follow throughout the store yelling "clean up, aisle 3".

That's just the grocery store, never mind going to China town where the aisles are half the size of my hips Then I have to walk sideways and hope that I don't knock over any "ancient" artifacts that have been mass produced. Little India is worse, there are so many people there that I am always on someones toes or worse yet hands! I have backed into so many people that half of little India has touched my bum, most as just an innocent bystander. And one day I scared the poop out of a bird while just tripping along the road! That was a smelly clean up. True story for another post.

I can't even get a pedicure without knocking something over like a lamp or falling over something! Just ask Andrea, don't worry she's use to answering LOTS of questions! She can also vouch for my grocery woes. I haven't spilt their tray of color wheels for the pedicures, YET, but I feel it coming on! I also know that it is only a matter of time before the hot tea they give me will find it's way onto the floor, or worse the pedicurist,  because it's me and that's what I do!

My husband and I don't dance together because it's usually me stepping on his toes and getting knees in uncomfortable places. He still wants to dance with me though, just shows how crazy he is! When I tell my husband I'm going to paint he gets out paint smocks for him and the kids! This happened last Valentines day in the U.S. but you can see why he is afraid! I was just painting!

I really wish I had just one little ounce of grace and agility. It can get very embarrassing at times when things are falling all around you and you have no idea why. Or when you come home with a fresh bruise on your hip and your husband asks "what did you run into today?". It's even worse being surrounded by all these delicate and tiny Chinese women and men while you tower over them and stomp on them or run into them. I'm really not trying to hurt them, I just can't move!

Singapore really makes me feel like a Bull! But I'm learning to live with it. As long as I don't get the other dark side characteristics of a Taurs I will be just FINE.

Half of my life

Next month I'll not only be celebrating my Birthday but I will also be celebrating the month I met my husband, 19 years ago!  So, officially I will have been with my husband for 1/2 of my life!

He officially will know me better than my mom or sisters. He has put up with more of my crap than anyone else and he still loves me.
He's seen me change from a struggling 19 year old college student to a semi-confident mother of 3 and wife of 1.
He's seen wrinkles appear on my face, sunspots on my arms and still keeps his mouth shut if he has ever seen a gray hair.
He's seen my weight go up and down, along with my emotions. And he still can't keep his hands off me!
He has shared my heartbreaks, frustrations and best of all my joys!
He has supported me in dozens of ideas even when he thought they were silly. Sometimes they don't work and he's still proud of me!
He has moved me from Nebraska to Idaho to Utah and now to Singapore.
He's given me 3 of the best children in the world.
He doesn't make me feel old. With him I feel young and dumb again!
He lightens my day with his sexy little smirk.
He's made me more confident and allowed me to shine. Even if at times he has had to take a backseat.

We have done so much together, celebrated so much, cried over so many things but there isn't a better partner I'd want on this roller coaster of life.The best part is that we have alot of fun together! We enjoy eachother. I chose a great partner to spend my life with, this last half has been great! I hate getting older but knowing that he's been beside me through 1/2 of my life makes this Birthday so much better.

Carrot cake?

Since moving to Singapore I have seen many hawker stands selling fried Carrot cake.There is always a Q (line up) to get a slice so I assumed it must be delish! Now, I'm not usually a carrot cake lover but when you miss the familiar of "home" sometimes you want something that just reminds you of home. SO, I thought that I'd save this fried carrot cake for a nice Easter treat.
As Easter approached I mentioned my goal to my husband and he informed me that fried carrot cake a la Singapore style is NOT the same as carrot cake a la American style. So, I did some research and it is SO NOT THE SAME!

American carrot cake is made with real ORANGE carrots,  pecans and a bunch of other yummy things that make it cakey and delish! Then it is followed up by cream cheese frosting and NOTHING can beat that! I'm sure Americans line up in some areas just for a slice of this yummy cake. American carrot cakes look something like this.....

Fried Carrot cake a la Singapore style is also called Chai Tow Kway and is made with WHITE RADISHES! Or as they call them Singapore carrots. The radish is mixed much like a regular cake with flour and water but is stirred in a pan while cooking to make the cake.Then the cake is stir fried with eggs, garlic and spring onions sometimes even some dried shrimp for texture! Singaporeans eat this cake for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an anytime snack! Fried carrot cake looks something like this....

I'm so glad that I did some research before I ordered this Carrot Cake or I would have had a HUGE surprise!

I'm told when cooked right it really is delicious but I'm not sure I want to try it yet.

Next time I feel like a carrot cake though I think I'll just bake one American style!

I even got ice cream!

Penguin friend ready for surgery

Jake had oral surgery this week. We went in a week ago because he was complaining of a VERY sore tooth. I went to get him from school and he was in the nurses office because it hurt so bad.

First step...we went to the dentist. Jake HATES the dentist, scared out of his mind of the dentist and really for no apparent reason. We had the incentive program working, otherwise known as bribery. He actually did really good. They took a full x-ray and even looked in his mouth without so much as a whimper! I was so relieved.

BUT, we needed to make another appointment with an oral surgeon because the tooth was cracked and needed to be removed.

Next step...pediatric oral surgeon. Let me just say she is GREAT! She was so kind and gentle with Jake and he ate. it. up! He even got to watch TV while in the chair and was very willing to spit in the spitoon they have. The surgeon pointed out Jake's "extra" tooth that was impending the progress of losing teeth (he's only lost one and he's 8). She suggested that we remove the extra tooth, the top two teeth that should be gone already, a bottom one that won't fall out and was starting to look infected and finally the cracked molar that started this whole thing! 5 teeth in all needed to be removed. We scheduled a surgery to  put him under to make it easy on all of us.

Final step....Medical center for surgery. Jake was a little scared but he did what he needed to do and faced his fears. He is now 5 teeth short but 4 stitches. It went easier than the surgeon thought and was done in 45 minutes and not the 90 she thought. He took a little longer to wake up but he even got ice cream so all was well. However, he threw all that up when we pulled into the parking structure for home. It did not stop him from eating the Ben and Jerry's I got for him later though.

Natalie is quite impressed with him if not a little jealous of all the attention. Jake is pretty proud of his emtpy mouth. He has only taken pain meds once since the surgery and was bouncing around the house at 2 AM, just  a few hours past surgery! I kept him home but  he's still bouncing and talking non-stop. We had to do some research on why he needed an IV and why the happy gas smells funny. Otherwise, he really should be at school. The surgeon wanted him to take 4 days off for relaxing but he's wanting to swim so I think he's fine!

before surgery

Getting ready to go in with Daddy









smile before surgery



smile the next day after surgery

Bintan Lagoon

Our first family vacation since arriving in Singapore  was Bintan, Indonesia. It's on the South China Sea and it was AWESOME!

Ferry ride there

kids and traveling gnome with the Sea behind them

Grey loved the archery

Bob got some golfing in

Grey and his Dr. Who sunglasses

Good times!

It was a nice and relaxing trip. We might just have to go back and check out some of the tours they had. We just stayed in the resort area and hung at the pools or the beach most of the time. We did get a round of laser tag in and I think it's become our new favorite family game. All of us really liked it but not as much as the beach.

Jake's favorite part

Today we went to the ocean and i wanted to biuild a sandcastle. I first found a nice spot and i started to biuild a sandcastle. By Jake

So, my idea was to let all the kids write their own posts but they all decided they were too cool for my blog!

Digging in the sand was definitely Jake's favorite part. He's always loved building in the sand. He was also very good at telling all of us what to do when we came out of the water to help.

South China Sea Day 1

Today we went on the boat to bintan. It was so fun because we got to go outside on the boat. When we got to the hotel we went exploring the hotel grounds and went to see the beach. Than we went to see if our room was ready than we got in our swim-suits on and went to the beach and it was so salty! After we showered off we went to the pool. After the pool we went to our room and watched Dr.Who. This was our first day in bintan. This was Natalie telling you about our first day. My favorite part was going to the beach, pool, and riding on boat. The gnome you see is henry the family gnome. We take him on vacations, well going to. My aunt Theresa gave him to us for 2 years.

Everybody Loves Relaxing

There are alot of things here that are harder than in Utah. I still struggle with some of them from time to time but not as much as I struggled at the beginning. But that might be because I have found the BEST cure of all those trying times.

Massages

Yes, that is me laying around in a very nice recliner after getting both a back and shoulder massage, head and face massage and just starting on my foot massage. This is the cure for all that ails you. Trust me!

You can get just about any type of massage you want here and at a good price too! Food may be extremely expensive but those massages fit my pocket book!

This massage is at My Happy Feet in Holland Village. It also has spa fish for your feet. Which is also a really nice indulgence while here in Singapore. There are times when things are hard but honestly......

Everybody Loves Relaxing

If an 8 year old can So can you!

My Jake, who just recently turned 8 is writing a blog at school! Friday I got to read some of his posts and some of the things he has been learning about blog etiquette.

I do think that learning how to be nice and polite in a web based world is an important part of any teaching. Whether it comes from school or home, we should all learn how to correctly communicate through the web. Jake is only learning about blog etiquette right now but these rules should hold true for instant messaging and texting too.

So, for all my lovely readers both real and anonymous, I would like to go over some blog etiquette rules that we can all work on, including me.

Rule #1 BE respectful. This one is for both the poster and the reader/commenter. Don't write a post that could potentially be negative to a person or a group of people. If you are responsible enough to have a blog you should be responsible enough to think of the feelings of others.

Rule #2 Don't engage in an online argument or invoke personal attacks. If someone does not agree with your post that is fine and dandy. We are all allowed to have our own opinions but arguing in the comment section makes you both look ignorant and mean.

Rule #3 Make your comments worthwhile. Think about the comments you want to leave, are they kind? Do they stick to the subject? Is your comment a personal attack? What did you like about the post? If you can not make a nice comment it is best to move on and wait for a post you can comment nicely on.

Rule #4 Update your blog on a regular basis. If someone is taking their time to read your blog you should be courteous enough to post regularly. I myself struggle with this one and will try better for my few dedicated readers.

Rule #5 Respond to your comments on your blog. Again, take the time to let the commenter know that you care what they said and that you took the time to read what they had to say. Try to say something nice about their comment.

These are my top 5 rules, My 8 year old is learning a few different rules but these ones pertain to my blog and what I want to portray on my own little personal web space.

Knowing someone in real life and knowing someone through their blog are 2 very different things. I know that this blog of mine is only a snippet of my life and that my sons is only a snippet too (he really doesn't play Club Penguin ALL DAY!) Presuming that you know someone because you read their blog is not accurate, however, if you want to get to know them more then meet them if at all possible. I met one of my most favorite people through her blog.

You may not know these people personally but be courteous be respectful. If you wouldn't say it to someones face don't say it on a blog comment!
I think it all goes back to that golden rule...

Do unto others as you would do unto yourself.

God sure knows what he's talking about!