Yeah! It’s the start of my 3 week Christmas/New year break and so far it’s been great. We had a nice team lunch on the last day of work and even received presents from the boss. He wrote me a very lovely card and really ended my work year on a high. It’s nice to feel appreciated :), I hope the rest of my team felt it too and enjoy their well deserved break as well.
The kids have had three weeks of swimming lessons and while Saitaoha had a rocky start, she is much more confident now, even smiling and having fun in the pool. I am not worried about Saitaomei at all, she’s a little fish and just like me, she loves being in the water. I love the idea of being able to go swimming with my girls in the future and am glad my mum nagged me constantly to sign them up for lessons. My ah ma is a very good influence on me and is always giving me tips and reminders on how to be a better parent.
We then celebrated my nephew’s 8th birthday, I hope he had a nice time and felt loved. We were hopelessly lost going to the restaurant and I was stressing out about my parents stressing out. I’m really quite useless when it comes to directions and maps, but we managed to get there phew! I feel so bad for making my father stress out though, sigh I should get better at driving but I’m so terrible.
The kids will have a Christmas celebration this year, I am preparing a letter and presents from Santa for a change. They are not little forever so I know I should build them great memories whilst I can.
Today we were gardening in my ah pa’s house. The kids were cycling in the back yard, fed dinner by my ah ma, helping Gung Gung to garden and just generally having a lovely time. I love that backyard and the garden with my ah pa’s fruits of labour. It always strikes me now and then but I just thought again ‘my kids are having the best childhood’. They are so lucky to have their Gung Gung Mah Mah with them, growing up and taking care of them. R and I really have it great with my parents living so close by. I like being able to walk over every now and then, giving and receiving food, having meals together, it’s just all so lovely and I am really not taking it for granted.
I visited my friend who is now a widow and her two children last night. She is so heartbroken and so are her kids, he was taken away so suddenly and was so young, he leaves behind a family that just had their core ripped away from them and they must feel so hollow and so lonely.
I’m going to keep on visiting. I know we will never be able to fill even an inch of the void but I want to help where I can.
I’m going to make the most of my holidays and really hang out with the kids before next year’s madness strikes again. I almost don’t want Christmas to come because I don’t want holidays to end! The start of holidays is always the best feeling and I’m really feeling it this weekend 🙂 Happy holidays folks!
daitaoha 