This video is from about a month ago when we went to the Swiss Club with one of Ryan's coworkers. They had a diving board and I didn't realize that either twin knew how to swim well enough to use it until I saw them jumping off the end of it! They never hesitated about going off the diving board and had quite a lot of fun:)

First Company From Home

We had our first visitors from the States pass through BRIEFLY on Monday. We had a really nice time and were blessed by their visit! It was interesting explaining to my new friends here that I didn't really know any of the three staying with us but that we'd get along just fine!

These picture are all a bit out of order according to our day so I apologize. I'm still not good at remembering to upload the pictures in the correct order so that it all makes sense:)

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Rita Knobloch, Bruce Banwart, Kenton, Ryan, Becky, Kaitlyn, Carol Martin, Cheryl Hermann, and Ethan.

Ethan and his daddy at Clark Quay
Carol, Kenton, Rita, Cheryl, Ryan, and Ethan at supper. We ate at Jumbo Seafood (Asian style seafood) at Riverside Point in Clark Quay along the Singapore River. We ate outside which is always much preferred when you have three noisy kids along. We each ordered a dish which was placed on the lazy Susan in the middle of the table and we all sampled everything.
Along the river on one side are nice sit down restaurants. On the other side is a type of hawker's center - the restaurants line the river for quite a way and are all very brightly lit. When Ryan and I made the mistake of walking by them in September we had to say, "No thanks, already ate" a million times until we got to the end of them. The hostesses will walk beside you for the length of their stall holding an open menu trying you to eat their food.
Bruce and Kenton (with his Calvin smile) on the bum boat ride that we took along the Singapore River. It gives you the history of the area and a little history of Singapore as you ride along.
Kaitlyn, Carol, and Rita

Cheryl, Carol, Rita, and I all went to Little India first and than walked to Arab Street. I stopped to ask for directions several times as it seems each set of directions only takes you a few blocks before you think, "Now where" The above picture is of a shop selling hand woven baskets where I may or may not have bought a few recently (in case Ryan reads this:)
Here is a view of what the walk outside the shops along Arab street looks like.
I finally was able to go into the courtyard in the above picture and look through all the shops there. I have been to Arab Street three times and this was the first time I made it all the way to these shops in time to have a look! What I found was an interesting array of items - from Singapore souvenirs, to fabric, to musical instruments from different parts of Asia.
This little shop had several tables set up out from with musical instruments from Malaysia.
Clark Quay before supper

These are some of the most colorful HDB housing flats I have seen yet! I thought that they were pretty:) HDB housing is government housing that is available only to Singaporeans and is affordable based on what you make per year. They are generally safe (they are not rentals) and a lot of wet markets and hawkers stalls are situated underneath these buildings on the ground floor.
We stopped to eat nan - an Indian bread - along our walk from Little India to Arab Street. Ethan enjoyed sitting by himself on the stool:)
One of the first shops we visited on Arab Street was owned by this man - Kadihr. We spent quite a bit of time in their talking to him after he found out one among us was a dental hygienist! We didn't mind the break from the heat and off our feet and Ethan made another friend - surprise, surprise! This man is a second generation Singaporean (with Indian background.)
Arab Street is lined with fabric stores carrying the most beautiful fabric I have ever seen! They also will make a dress for you at these shops - usually any dress you walk in there wanting made they will do. They drape some of the fabrics on models in the fashions that Arab women would wear to give you an idea of what a dress would look like.
Here are the fronts of some of the dresses.

This is the front of Tekka Centre which is the main Little India wet market area. Produce is incredibly cheap here and most locals will make one trip a day or a week here to buy most of what they need. The second floor is made up of dress shop after dress shop.
Here is a sampling of ready made dresses that you can choose from! All very bright fabrics and patterns.

From the second floor you can view the wet market below - the meat area which smells HORRIBLE! I took a picture of a stall selling chicken - not sure I would want to buy my meat this way but I've met several people who do and live to tell about it!
If you double click on this picture to view it larger you will see the laundry poles hanging off the side of the building. This is a common site on the HDB housing flats as most don't have a good area to hang laundry and the locals don't use dryers - electricity is just too expensive and no one wants the extra heat. Just us expats:)

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Like I said before we had a wonderful time with our guest and look forward to when more can come to visit. I kept commenting on how nice it was to actually get to show someone around our world here!

I figured out today that we have 5 weeks left before our visit home this summer - I think that we are all ready to come back and fill up on American things before coming back for another round!

I will be posting a few more updates in the next couple of days. I was able to go on a field trip with Kaitlyn today and took two pictures of that before my battery died - you would think I would remember to just charge it after each use...

Yesterday I finally finished cleaning out and organizing Kaitlyn's room - it feels SO nice to get that done. My room is next and Kenton's is still waiting for some furniture to be moved out and some shelves to be moved in before his room will be done! The office still needs some work as well but that has to wait on Kenton's room. The kitchen, living room, and bathrooms are done. We have settled in well - it's hard to believe that we have been here four full months already and are starting on our fifth! May will go fast with end of the year activities and getting ready for the trip home.

Life Questions

While getting ready for bed last night...

Kenton: "Mom, prayer doesn't really turn the night to day!"

Hmmm - how to explain this one to an almost 6 year old? We had a singing on Sunday with the KC Singles and we sang, "Prayer will turn the night to day so when life seems dark and dreary don't forget to pray!"

Mom: "Well, technically it doesn't but if you are feeling sad in your heart a prayer can turn that feeling into sunshine:)"

Not sure that he believed me but it was interesting to me that he was still thinking about that song two days after we had sung it!

The Mud PIt

Kenton went to a birthday party this afternoon at a place called "The Mud Pit." It's an obstacle course in the mud. Ryan e-mailed me this picture so it's a little fuzzy but you can see that Kenton is COVERED in mud! That should be fun to clean up when he arrives home this evening! Hopefully Kaitlyn's art birthday party was a little less messy!

Budding Nudist

Yep. It's true. We have a budding nudist in the house. I shouldn't be surprised as his older siblings are known to run around in the buff. I'm not sure which side of the family it comes from - I would have to say the Weiss's since I'm the one authoring this blog. :) Anyway, the youngest of the family was found this morning running around clutching his diaper to his abdomen free as a jaybird! He wasn't too happy to be caught and re-diapered...

"Oh yes they call him the streak, he likes to show off his physique!" =0 Good thing that Ethan doesn't know any Ethel's!!!!!

Home Hospitality

This past Saturday we had the privilege of hosting two US sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln for supper. We had a wonderful time with them and are glad to have made new friends! We grilled out by the pool and swam a little before supper. The twins loved having young, energetic friends to play with! They were just as nervous about us as we were about them:) They told us that the sailors LOVE care packages - if anyone is interested in sending them something to share with their fellow sailors let me know and I will get you their address and a list of things they would appreciate. Not everyone on the ship receives packages and letters from back home so anything is appreciated. Andrew told us that his sister teaches school and the children all sent letters - he said it gives them something to read! I'm guessing that they would do their best to respond as well if they are able.

Kenton, Andrew, Billie, and Kaitlyn

This is a picture that I should have put with the previous post - it's of the birthday party that Kaitlyn attended last weekend at Build-A-Bear. The girls all had a fun time:)

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We are keeping busy like usual! Both of the twins went to a b-day party last weekend and they each have another one this Saturday. Kaitlyn has a friend over today - the first we've invited since moving here. Kenton went over to a neighbor's house for awhile - too much girl going on here at the moment! Ethan has a fever today and has been pretty cranky. He has a runny nose so hopefully it will run it's course soon. Ryan was in Australia and China again last week and is home this week teaching a class. I have been doing the usual laundry, housework, and kids but have taken some time to catch up on some reading. It's slow going as it seems I usually only have about 5 minutes before I need to be up doing things again:) Well, my buddy just climbed up on my lap which is rare and the girls want to go swimming so I'd better wrap this one up!

=0

Just an interesting observation...

I was walking the twins to school the other day when I heard something that made my head turn...a radio blaring music from a car! I found my reaction odd since this is a normal occurrence back home until I really started thinking about it. You don't hear that in Singapore and I think that first of all it's because teens don't drive. The legal age to drive may be 18 but even then most don't drive due to cars being crazy expensive. Wow! Imagine a place that is free from teen drivers and the distractions of their LOUD music!! Singapore's sounding better every day, isn't it?!?

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Today I took Kaitlyn to a birthday party. Another mom asked if I would drop her daughter off at home after the party. As we were riding home the little girl said something my kids aren't allowed to say. Kaitlyn responded, "How come you are allowed to say bad words when Kenton and I aren't allowed to say "stupid" ??"

Really, truly she said that!!

Have a great weekend!

Arab Street

This morning Ethan and I tackled the MRT again this time getting off at a station we've never alighted at before and switching to a new line that we've never ridden before...all this while he's screaming his little head off because he was BEYOND tired!

You may be asking...what could possibly be worth enduring all of that? The answer is Arab Street! I've never been there so when a friend mentioned that she and another girl were going to check it out I of course was up for the adventure!

I didn't have my camera with me (imagine that!) so pictures will have to come at another time. It was well worth exploring and I'm heading back there soon to check out all the little shops that we didn't have time for today. I was able to get four baskets to help organize my pantry - for a great price! I was looking at them when the proprietor walked up and said "$15 each but I give them to you for $12. How many you want?" I thought a bit and answered, "I'll take four." "Four? Than I give you low price of $10 each! You are first customer today!" I was happy about my great price - he had me at $12 but still came down for some reason. I discovered later that the shop owners will give good discounts to the first buying customer of the day - you supposedly bring them good luck by starting that day's sales. I could have bargained with the man and gotten a much cheaper price! Oh well, live and learn, I guess! He was happy that he made the first sale of the day and I was happy that he came down in price without me bargaining - although I suppose he probably thinks that I'm pretty dumb for not talking him down more! It's pretty much expected that you will bargain in these little shops...

There were all kinds of textile shops, basket shops, shops selling trinkets, carpet stores - all for lower prices than you may find elsewhere on the island. One view that I noticed that I would like to capture with the camera was the contrast of the old shops against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers on the horizon. Other than being a hot day it was fun exploring!

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Playing with Kaitlyn's dolls
I don't usually consider myself very creative so I have to admit that I thought our last minute Sunday School project turned out quite well:)
Here's our new table and chairs and also a Singapore downpour that happened yesterday. It's the first thunderstorm that I've experienced since moving here that actually had me a little on edge! The lightening was wicked and was striking very close to the condo. The wind was turning the umbrella around and around...
If you double click on this picture and make it bigger you will notice the blowing, driving rain!

Thanks, Melissa!

Shanghai, China

The following is Ryan's post compiled from a couple of different e-mails. If it's a little choppy or I missed misprints I apologize:)

March 31:

So, I am in Shanghai, and my first experience is the taxi.
I was instructed by a coworker to negotiate price before getting in the car.
Tried negotiating, but the gentleman acts like he doesn't speak English. I guess that is his right. After all, I am in his country!

Anyway, we talked to the taxi stand attendant, and he said the word "meter", so I figured out that you only negotiate on taxis without meters...

I am wondering if I get a lower rate since there are no visible seat belts. If only I knew how to ask in Mandarin!

I hope he is going the right way. I don't read Mandarin either. I just handed him a copy of an email with the hotel address in Chinese. Not sure what to do if he takes me to the wrong place!

Oh, another interesting thing about his cab... He has a plastic shield around himself with a small change tray to slip my payment through, I suppose.

Have you ever driven a video game race car, where you are swerving in and out of traffic, crossing double yellow lines, passing on the right, left, and middle in the safety of your living room? I now have personal experience that tells me it is more intense in real life, especially in the absence of the aforementioned seat belt, in a 15 year old economy car...

Maybe next time I will take the maglev train. Although, I was told this would be better... Wonder what that is like? I think it is just more difficult to navigate, if you are not fluent in Chinese. Based on my experiences in Amsterdam, I think I will stick with StreetRacer-Shanghai (the real life version)

Well, the one thing that is at least a little familiar here is that they drive on the same side of the road as Americans.

Again I am amazed at the disparity in wealth. I see everything from brand new Mercedes to minivans that are barely roadworthy. In Guilin, I saw lots of vehicles that had no hood. They looked like modified belt driven motorcycles with a truck be attached. Tried getting pictures, but my driver was too busy dodging them at high rates of speed...

Not sure what manner of cuisine I will find this week. Previous experience tells me that Singapore is more my flavor. I will try to give you an idea of the foods they serve me.

Gotta go for now, hopefully getting close to the hotel.

April 3

Ah, now that I mentioned dinner, I must tell you about this experience... Amazing!

The place was called Fisherman something, and it was an enormous restaurant. It was a giant 3 story building, capable of seating over 4,000 on the first floor, with room for the owner to show off his Ferrari, and other exotic cars (including a very OLD Ford). Additionally, the first floor contained a huge live fish market. I will definitely send pictures when I can download them.

When I say live fish market, I mean LIVE! They had rows and rows of aquariums holding everything from Sea Bass to Rock Fish, Crabs to Lobsters, 8 varieties of Shrimp, Snakes, Crocodiles, Sting Rays, Turtles, all varieties of Shell Fish (including the strange looking large brown things you see in Ft Meyers), Sand Worms, Waterbugs (yes I mean insects!), and some wiggly things that look like giant Maggots!

I am serious about every one of the above delicacies! I have pictures to prove most of them.

So you pick out any live creature you want, they grab it with a net, put it in a bag, write a note on your ticket, and immediately start preparing it in a giant open kitchen. By the time we got back to our private dining table upstairs, they already had one of the dishes ready for us to dig our chopsticks into!

Absolutely amazing experience. I have never imagined anything like it.

Better go for now.

p.s. At least I know exactly what I ate tonight, even if some of it looked very strange.

Overheard...

Kenton:

"Mom's playing rap music!"

Kaitlyn:

"No she isn't, it's CHURCH music."

Kenton:

"No, it's rap music...W-A-P music."

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He doesn't always say his "R's" but usually he still knows that the word starts with an "r" anyway...not this time considering how he spelled rap! BTW: I was NOT playing rap or anything close to it - I was playing piano hymns so I'm not sure what Kenton was all about!

Conquering Mt. Sofa Table

Last night my enterprising youngest pushed an ottoman across the room and used it to climb on top of this table. When I initially found him he was standing up with a look that said, "Ha Ha! Look at me! I'm on top of the world (and I know I'm not supposed to be!)" I asked Kaitlyn to grab the camera and by the time she did he had knocked over a picture, sat on it, and was reaching for my treasured Willow Tree nativity...=O

Conversations From The Brink Of Insanity

Please bear in mind that these conversations happen DAILY, sometimes hourly!

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Kenton:

"Mom, can I play the computer?" (Asked after playing for hours already)

Me:

"No, Kenton. You may not."

Kenton:

"Why not?"

Me:

"Because I said so!" (We've already discussed the reason at least three times.)

Kenton:

"But, I just want to know WHY!"

Me:

"BECAUSE I'M THE MOM! THAT'S WHY!"

Kenton:

"Why?"

And so the conversation continues...

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Kaitlyn:

At the absolute top of her lungs in the grocery store, "SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT! SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT! SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT..."

Me:

"Sh-h-h-h-h!!!!!"

Kaitlyn:

"Why?" Oh wait, "WHY???"

Me:

"Because everyone is STARING at us!" (Asian children are seriously the quietest kids around! My children sound like fog horns in comparison with a normal tone of voice!)

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Me:

"Finish your supper."

Twins: (Take your pick as to which one!)

"But I'm not hun-ngry!"

Me:

"Fine, than don't ask me for a bedtime snack."

Anyone want to take a wild stab at what happens next?

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Me:

"Ethan! Get off the table! Ethan! Get those rocks out of your mouth! Ethan, STOP SCREAMING! Ethan, no no! Ethan, the lamp plug is ouchies! Oh, Ethan! You spilled the orange juice AGAIN? Who left the OJ where Ethan could reach it?!?!?"

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Kenton:

"Mom! Ethan just put ____________ (fill in the blank) in the toilet!"

Me:

"WHO LEFT THE BATHROOM DOOR OPEN, AGAIN??"

Twins: (Once again take your pick...)

"Not me!"

Well, it certainly wasn't ME and I know it wasn't Ethan so.....

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Kenton:

"Mom, I can't sleep."

Me:

"Try counting sheep."

Kenton:

"I already tried that and it didn't work."

Me:

"Try doing math problems." (No kidding, he does this!)

Kenton:

"I tried that too and it didn't work! My brain just won't shut off!"

Me:

"Try saying a prayer that God will shut your brain off long enough that you fall asleep."

Kenton: (after disappearing for a few minutes)

"He isn't answering my prayer!"

Me:

"Try shutting your light off and actually closing your eyes."

Well, what do you know? Mom does know something after all!