Happy Chinese New Year

The year of the horse is upon us.  Singapore, whose population is of Chinese heritage, love Chinese New Year.  Great big celebrations, several days off work, etc.  For Americans, it is a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into a multiple day holiday.  Here are some of the sites from around Singapore.

Our three beauties in their Chinese outfits

Chinatown decorations

Horses in the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay.

The color of Chinatown

The Chinese Dragon ... which can be found every where

Grandma Haubenreich Comes For A Visit

Grandma (Cathy) came back for her second January, to enjoy the warmth, nice breezes ... and good company.  The girls were thrilled, especially Anna and Jenna as grandma was here for their birthdays.  We did lots of fun outings.  Here is just a sample.

Blue Bali for a night out

Grandma in the kitchen ... with Anna as her little helper.

A visit to the night Safari.  Ask grandma about scary lizards on the walking paths.

Gardens by the Bay.

Din Tai Fung was Anna's request for a birthday dinner.  Great Taiwan dumplings.

Happy Birthday Anna (11 Years Old)

We celebrated Anna turning 11, which is quite an accomplishment.  Unbelievable how big and mature she is.  What a wonderful princess we have, even if she thinks her cool present is a skate board.

Uh oh!  The first band-aid needed after the skate board.  Thankfully, pretty minor, although she did also have a few bruises!!!

Jenna is 6!

Happy Birthday to our 6 year-old Jenna.  We can't believe how fast she has grown up to be a princess ... really!!!!

New Zealand - Goodbye

It was a good trip.  We wished there had been more blue sky days, but we enjoyed New Zealand nonetheless.

New Zealand - Walter Peak Sheep Farm

Our last full day in New Zealand was a visit to the Walter Peak Sheep Farm outside of Queenstown.  This proved to be one of the nicest and most fun days in New Zealand, with lots of laughs and smiles from all of us.  While it poured until about 10:30 AM, the rest of the day was beautiful.  A short walk to the Queenstown pier, and we were headed off to the sheep farm on the TSS Earnslaw, a vintage steamboat.

A few family shots during a short cruise on the steamboat.

We have arrived at Walter Peak Sheep Farm!  First, we headed for a great outback barbeque, full of delicious New Zealand food.  After our great lunch, we headed out to the sheep demonstration area to learn more about sheep dogs, sheep shearing and this working farm with over 20,000 sheep ranging through the mountain.

Our guide for the day ... and his faithful (but old) sheep dog.

Working the sheep.

Demonstration of sheering sheep.  In this position, the sheerer does not need to hold the sheep as he will stay like this for hours.  Wonderfully funny demonstration.

Checking the teeth, the final requirement after sheering.  Sheep typically only "live" 5 or 6 years "in the wild" before heading for the food market.

Lamb friend.

Beautiful scenery and a beautiful blue skied day!!!  What a last treat before leaving New Zealand.