Happy Easter!

Spring was in the air in our home this week as we prepared for Easter. Karen and I visited the flower market and I passed on buying orchids this time when I spotted tulips. Never mind that I spent S$30 for 10 stems. Those beautiful pink blooms looked like the perfect Easter flower. I felt an urge to buy something representing spring because I had no Easter decorations here. So, I happily arranged my tulips and placed eggs in a cute little basket I found at the market to add some holiday flair to the condo.

The girls were all home from school Friday so we dyed eggs with our condo friends. I was thankful that Brian's mom sent us the egg dying kit again this year because I'm very popular with my special dye tablets! :)  Our Aussie friends had never colored eggs before so they enjoyed participating in that activity with us. Emily's friend Jack celebrated his 3rd birthday at the pool that afternoon and while watching throngs of kids playing outside together, I was reminded of how fortunate we are to live in a community with so many nice families. It was a great way to kick off the holiday weekend.

Friends Coloring Eggs

Megan Displaying Her Masterpiece

Brian and I went out with some of our condo friends Friday night and I can say with certainty that they are a very bad influence for someone in the middle of triathlon training. I was wishing I had more self-restraint when I had to get up and ride my bike Saturday morning.

I wasn't the only one hurting that morning. Elizabeth came down with a cough Friday and she woke up feverish with a wicked cough Saturday. All of the sudden our holiday plans were altered. Brian and I ran a few errands that day and then I took Megan to see "How to Train Your Dragon." We both really enjoyed the movie and it's always fun to share popcorn with my pumpkin at the movies on a rainy afternoon.

Brian and I treated ourselves to a massage Saturday night and it worked wonders on my achy body because I woke up Easter morning feeling like a new woman. The Easter Bunny found the girls and left their baskets full of goodies outside our door. In addition to their baskets, they also received one gift from Brian and me. Megan received a charm necklace she has been wanting for months, girly Elizabeth got a pretty dress and Emily received an airplane toy because she is infatuated with aircraft these days. The bigger girls liked their gifts and all three loved Emily's new toy. They took turns playing with it all day.

Easter Bunny Brings More Toys than Candy :)

Emily's Passengers Boarding the Plane

We were supposed to have an Easter egg hunt at the pool but rain forced a move indoors. Elizabeth still had a fever so Brian took Megan and Emily to the hunt while Elizabeth and I played with make-up at home. The girls enjoyed the egg hunt with their neighbor friends and after they returned home, I went to church.

Megan's Egg Hunt Finds

Emily's Excited About Her Eggs

I have been thinking about finding a church here and it's not an easy search in Singapore. There are plenty of churches but familiar terms like Methodist and Presbyterian are actually quite different than what we find in the US. So, I went back to my upbringing and attended the Church of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church just down the road. I know my mom is smiling while reading this news :)

For me, the beauty of the Catholic Church is that no matter where I travel in the world, mass will always be basically the same. Sacred Heart did not disappoint. The mass felt different because I had never had a Chinese priest or heard a gong in the middle of mass, but basically it was the same exact format I was accustomed to and I appreciated that I knew exactly what the Gospel reading would be on Easter Sunday. The music was pretty funny though because a small group sang with a Yamaha keyboard that featured an electronic drumbeat in the background of every song. I had never heard holy songs sound like karaoke before. I was happy I went to church though because I wanted to celebrate the true meaning of the day.

We had planned to go over to a friend's house late afternoon for swimming and dinner but had to cancel since Elizabeth was sick, so we grilled a casual dinner at home instead. The weather refused to cooperate as well (it rained for 24 hours straight!) so I baked cupcakes in the afternoon and the girls all helped decorate them with pastel icing. Thank goodness for that new airplane toy because we didn't have many entertainment options with a mildly sick child and rainy weather. In the end, we had a nice Easter weekend because we didn't have to leave our condo for fun activities for the family. I just felt bad that Elizabeth didn't feel well. Thankfully her fever went down by Easter afternoon so she appears to be on the mend.

The tulips didn't fare too well either. They clearly were not designed for the tropics. After about two days, they were drooping over to the table so I had to clip them short to salvage them. It made me laugh because those sad Dutch flowers provided a subtle reminder that some traditions need to be altered for the current environment. Perhaps next year if we celebrate Easter in Singapore again, I'll opt for Easter orchids instead. I will be happy if we can celebrate the holiday with a healthy family in the company of friends. Happy Easter!