National Day Tradition

It has now become an established tradition for our kids to go swimming in the early afternoon and watch the celebrations on TV in the evening on National Day. In fact, the older kids could even remember down to last detail what we did last two years! I'm so glad we made it a point to make this yearly event meaningful for the children.

Flag made by Joash

Orchid buntings made by Jayna

The kids dressed in the national colours

Joram: "Me too!!!"

This year's sweet treat is pineapple seaweed jelly! The older 3 kids watched the entire process of its making the previous day. They were incredibly excited. With their endless questions, I felt like I was hosting a cooking demonstration show! Unfortunately, the heart-shaped jellies didn't turn out well since the concoction was not thick enough. 

Finally got to eat it!

Close up

Heart shaped jellies... kind of.

Taking 4 children to the swimming pool with only two adults was a great challenge. Joshua remained dry while I was the one taking the children to the pool. The kids took turns. First, I brought the older two into the water. 

Then, seeing how Jaide was raring to go, I let the Joash and Jayna have a water break so that I could take her in. However, she was extremely conflicted. The moment we went near the water, she started exclaiming 'no' emphatically. Yet, when I took her away from the pool, she kept pointing to the water. So back and forth we went till I finally decided to give up and let her remain sulking on the bench. 

Next, I tried to introduce Joram to his first dip in the pool. I'd already suspected his aversion to cold since he likes his bath water warmer than the other kids. My suspicions were confirmed when the moment his feet touched the water, he let out an ear-piercing scream. The other 3 children were pretty okay as long as I held them in my arms during their first experience in the pool and they could even enjoy themselves somewhat after getting used to the water's temperature, using the neck float. As for Joram, I had no choice but to bring him back to the bench after a few deafening attempts.

Back and forth....

We had fun!

The evening concluded with the usual grand finale: the National Day Parade. We ordered in Pizza Hut and ate in front of the TV as per tradition. It was a little tough with Jaide going all over the place. Thankfully, the older two were pretty engaged with what's happening on TV while Joram has always been a easy baby as long as he is not plagued by reflux. 

Joram: "This is how I watch the NDP."

Joram: "Here's how my older siblings watch with me!"

双刀？？？

One thing that pleasantly surprised me was Jayna's ability to memorise the national pledge. She is indeed much more suited to the Singapore education system than Joash. (However, I'm glad that even though Joash can't remember much regarding school work, he can memorise verses from the bible pretty well.) Here's a video of her reciting it. Towards the end, she forgot the words but it was hilarious how she could recall eventually by lip-reading me while I mouthed the words for her. LOL