Diamond Family Seven

We are enjoying having Luke and Emma with us!  Saturday we went to Sentosa to let the kids play on the beach.  This is the crew waiting on our taxi bus to take us to Sentosa:

We played in the sand and the water.  Everyone had a good time!

Saturday evening the kids enjoyed hanging out around the condo...

On Sunday we headed to East Coast park to ride bicycles.

A Toe, an Uncle, a Cousin, and Fidgets!

This past Monday we experienced our first trip to the emergency room.  Ainsley was playing with our teak entry table and pulled a drawer out too far, and the heavy drawer fell straight onto her big toe.  OUCH!  She was in a lot of pain and after ice and lots and lots of TLC she was still complaining about pain so we took her in to make sure it wasn't broken.  Not broken, but really swollen so they had to puncture it a few times to drain some of the blood.  She stayed home from school for one day and then back to her normal active self.  Even though she is feeling fine, she is using the "my toe hurts" to get out of chosen activities she is not in the mood to do :-)

Uncle Luke and cousin Emma arrived this past week and we were so happy to see them!  We have enjoyed our time so far and look forward to some fun adventures while they are here.  So far lots of swimming and more swimming.  We tried to go to the Singapore Zoo this weekend but rain took us on a detour to Fidgets (indoor playground).

Luke and Matt:

Emma and Luke on the big slides:

Kara having a blast in the balls:

Ainsley showing off her monkey skills:

Jack never sat still for a moment...crawling, diving, running, laughing!

Bike Ride

We went to East Coast Park to rent bikes.  Good thing they had capacity for us to carry three with us because once Ainsley saw the kid seats there was no convincing her to ride her own bike!

Three Amigos

The Diamond trio have been getting along really well and spending more and more time playing together.  Matt and I find ourselves with actual free time when the kids are busy playing...we are still trying to figure out what to do with our newly found free time.  Their latest game of mischief is hiding in the closet together.

We decided to get creative in the kitchen.  Matt tried homemade salsa, which Jack and Kara were interested in, while Ainsley and I made brownies.  Ainsley learned the important lesson of not turning on the beaters when they are out of the bowl...the ceiling and walls were covered in chocolate!

And to top off the weekend, Kara moved to her toddler bed.  The prison walls have been removed!  Kara is a really hard sleeper, so her transition should be easy.  Jack is going to stay in his crib a while longer :-)

Ainsley wanted to pose with Kara in her bed.  Ainsley is asking if they can share a bed.  We think we will hold off on that for now.

Just Stuff

Kara had a few boo-boo's this week.  The first one happened when she was innocently walking in the house and tripped on her feet and fell face first into the desk - that is what you see on the left side of her face.  Next, Jack took a huge piece of her face into a tight squeeze when she didn't want to share with him - that is what you see on the other cheek.  The injury you can't see involved Ainsley and a pair of scissors.  Hopefully this week will be a safer one for Kara!

Ainsley actually went a full week without falling off of her bike again.  The bump on her forehead from last week is going away, you can see a bit of what is left in the picture below.

Jack is sporting a look of innocence below, but don't let it fool you.  He is full of mischief and spice :-)

New Wheels

It was time to upgrade the wheels for the Diamond kids...Jack and Kara got their own scooters and Ainsley got her first bicycle!

Jack trying out his green scooter (he can't actually use it yet, he ends up sitting on it and scooting forward on his butt)...

Kara with her pink scooter.  She can use it, but it takes a REALLY long time to get where she wants to go!

Ainsley with her bike!  She is good at it (it has training wheels), even though she has already had a tumble.  Her helmet didn't seem to help her when she fell, she ended up with a goose egg on her head but loved all the attention that got her.

And a silly picture -- Kara wearing sister's helmet...

Jack and Kara are extremely possessive of their scooters.  If Ainsley even thinks of borrowing their scooters they freak out and stage a war.  Kara attempted to bear-hug Ainsley out of using her scooter while shouting, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" until Ainsley surrendered.  Meanwhile, Jack and Kara help themselves to Ainsley's helmet and bicycle whenever they want.  Hmmm, sharing hasn't quite caught on yet for them :-)

A Trip to Austin

Ainsley and I flew to Austin last week and have enjoyed a week in Austin with friends, family, and some Texas favorites. 

Ainsley packing her Mickey suitcase in Singapore the day before we left:

Ainsley did great on the flights, she is a great traveler.  When we arrived in Austin she couldn't figure out why mommy was driving instead of the "taxi man" and why we were in a car instead of walking.  She quickly learned the reason is because everything is so spread out!  Once we arrived at our house she fell in love with her backyard, her house, and the stairs (both inside the house and outside).

Ainsley tells me her favorite thing about Texas is her cousins: McKenzie, Mason, and Madison.  They drove to Austin to spend a couple of days with us and Ainsley really enjoyed it.   Some pix of the cousins...

Ainsley and Maddie:

Playing ball in the back yard:

McKenzie jumping into the pool:

This game was a big hit, Mason playing catch with the three girls with him at the bottom and the girls at the top of the deck:

Ainsley and Maddie:

The cousins with Uncle Kevin:

Madison, Mason, Ainsley, & McKenzie: