Canadian Christmas

Ben hasn't been home to Canada for Christmas for nine years, which was the year before we got married. I still remember him calling me the day I got home from my mission from Stirling. We've always spent Bikman Christmases in UT or TX. Needless to say, he was excited to get home! He only had a day to recoup after flying all the way from Singapore before making the 12 hour drive north. Samara hadn't really been in a car seat much for a year so we were really worried about how she would do. Thankfully, she traveled like a champion and was less fussy than we were.
We visited Mr. Claus himself. All Samara would tell him or anyone (besides us) when they asked what she wanted was "toys". She kept asking if we wanted toys too.

The super handsome cousin Danai and Samara ready for a 4-wheel ride in the snow. Samara always refers to him as "cousin Danai" but he is the only cousin she refers to like that. We aren't sure why. Edmonton, Alberta (~7 hours north) was the coldest place on earth the week before and we definitely felt the bone-chilling cold!


Ben made a perfect target.

A little sleigh ride and back inside to warm up.

Christmas isn't complete without decorating gingerbread houses and gingerbread men. Though Samara was very adamant that hers were gingerbread girls. She and Danai had a great time together. He's just about 9 months older than her. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of her other Canadian cousin, Clark. He just turned 7 and both she and Danai adore him. They both loved whenever he came over and immediately wanted to play with him. He was so patient and sweet with both of them. She also really enjoyed playing with Jody and Dano's kids and loved seeing them again.


Santa is pretty smart and even though Samara didn't expressly ask him for a pink suitcase she got just want she'd been asking for. All the traveling must be wearing off on her and now at least she can carry her own weight. :)
She was a little more interested in presents than pictures.


Again, the stocking were much more appealing than posing for a photo.


We had the best time chillaxin' (as they call it with Ben's family). When you are 1 of 13 having only 5/13 kids and especially only 3/29 grandkids there made it seem very small and quaint. We loved catching up with everyone, eating non-stop, and just watching movies and playing video games.

My beautiful and fabulous sisters-in-law. Bam, Molly, and Shanna. Katy was already gone. :(

And, of course, no Christmas is complete without Grandpa Bikman! Samara loved getting to spend time with him and Grandma (no pictures). She still asks to wrestle with him and wants to play all the games Aunt Katy played with her.

My Scrumptious Ski Bunny

I was able to get in two FANTASTIC ski days while I was home. I took Samara once too. I know that to 99% of the general population their child skiing is the last thing they could care about. I'm part of that one percent who cares.We headed up to the bunny hill at Deer Valley with my cousin Jeanne and her darling girls, Aspen and Sage. The girls had a blast together. They were so sweet to Samara and I think it was good for her to see them doing it. Samara has told me several times that "next time you can go on the big hill, mom. I will stay on the 'ittle hill with Jeanne's 'ittle girls because 2-year olds can ski by their own there." I thought she'd be at least 8 or 9 before she started ditching me to ski with friends.

The first run down didn't go so great and Samara fussed, "I want my papa to teach me!" She didn't like me controlling her speed, but I had to since she couldn't stop on her own yet. We took a potty and lunch break and once we got back out there, she loved the afternoon. She skied for 2.5 more hours and it was tough to get her to stop. I was beat by the end of the day and don't know how I used to do this day in and day out sometimes for 10 days in a row. I know I should be proud of things like being polite and sharing, but I am still beaming about her skiing so well and enjoying the day so much. She had great balance and coordination.


With the exception of terrain, there is NO resort that compares to Deer Valley's bathrooms, lifts, service, and food. These cookies are reason enough to ski. I LOVE Deer Valley!

Check her out--she is AMAZING!!! Vancouver toddler Olympics 2010 here we come!

First Real Haircut

I've trimmed Samara's hair a few times. I'm not very good with scissors and decided she needed a real trim while we were in UT. It still seems to us like she doesn't have much hair but we look at pictures from a year ago and she is finally getting some. Most people with girls tell me we're lucky and that doing hair is one the hardest thing about having a girl.

She was a little nervous at first because the girl in the chair next to us was hysterical. After reassuring her it would not hurt she did quite well and sat still.


Her cute-as-a-button cousin, Kaylie, joined us and got her hair cut as well. The hairdresser gave them pink lollipops afterwards. When I went to get a hair cut the next week Samara told me to be good so I could get a pink lollipop too.

Back in Sandals

Samara and I are back in Singapore. We've been here just over a week and are adjusting well. She's done better than ever adjusting to a new time so hopefully it lasts. It's actually really nice to be back. The first couple months we moved here last year were awful and something I hope to never do again (don't ever move oversees in suitcases and try to take care of housing yourselves!). It's so refreshing coming back to a settled home, routine, lovely friends, familiar places, and the beautiful grounds at our condo. They even asked us at both the zoo and turtle museum why we hadn't been there in so long, which made us feel very loved. Jan and Feb are a little less humid than the rest of the year so we are enjoying a couple pleasant hours in the mornings and evenings.

So many things have struck me as different coming over this time. I'm sure it's because when we first arrived last year we were so miserable that I didn't notice them. It was really weird coming from winter to summer though. We really live in the tropics--everything is so lush, green, clean, and beautiful here. A family friend from Utah who spent some time in Singapore asked if we'd notice how many more smells there are here. We hadn't really until we came back. There are so many more smells--both good and bad. Stuff just grows here, including smells!

Here is the summary of our trip back, mostly for our records. It will probably put the rest of you to sleep.

28: Total hours of travel time

23: Total hours in the air

6: Total hours Samara slept

423: Stickers placed

1: Items confiscated at security

9: Number of movies she and I watched

5: comments about our iMac box that was really only a box with food in it.

30: Minutes playing peak-a-boo with the masked girls behind us

53: Photos taken by said girls of Samara playing peak-a-boo with them

I can't say I was really looking forward to the flight back. The day before we left to come back I was getting my teeth cleaned and I overheard a woman was telling the receptionist about her flight back to Korea the next day. The receptionist asked how long her flight was and she said it was 12 hours from LA. Oh how I envied that woman! Only 12 hours from LA?! You can almost leave the portable DVD player home with that short of a flight! Samara really did well though. We successfully got our 3 boxes and suitcase checked in (thank you Mr. Skycap guy with the fabulous accent. I love you!). We bought a Krispy Kreme donut as our way of saying "goodbye" to good ol' America grub. Samara acted up a bit on the flight to LA (no complaints--I'll take the 1.5h flight for her to act up on!) We got to LA and rushed straight to our next plane. We only had a 50 minute layover and had to get to the other side of the airport. I was very relieved to make it on the leg to Japan because Ben had missed his flight and spent a night in LA.

When we got on we found out we had the middle two seats between two dudes in the middle row and I cried inside knowing what a pain it would be to get in and out of our seats. "Sparky 1" on right was a nice young kid. "Sparky 2" on the left was a mute (he could talk, just didn't) who was dressed to the nines, complete with hoodie, jacket, fedora, big dark sunglasses, prada bag, and his DSLR camera. He wore all that the entire flight. His camera was the same model I have and let me tell you that thing is heavy. My necks hurts after an hour of lugging it around. Why he wore it for 13 hours straight is beyond me. He slept the first 7 hours while we were awake so we had to wake him up every time we wanted to get out that side. He was awake the next 6 hours with the reading light shinning directly into Samara's sleeping face (once she fell asleep). I am still kicking myself that I didn't point out and politely ask him if he'd switch to the open seat across the aisle.

I was relieved to get to Japan. A 2-hour layover and only 8 more hours on the plane. It was about 1 AM our time at that point. Poor Samara politely asked if she was going to get another pink donut. I guess she equated airports with donuts. Anyway, she burst into tears when I tried to explain that they didn't have donuts in Japan (at least not in the airport). We took a potty break in the most luxurious family bathroom ever, complete with a bidet and dryer. My tooshie welcomed the pampering after sitting for so long. The one thing missing though was a way to dry our hands. Why this part of the world doesn't believe in hand dryers and paper towels is a mystery. We boarded the plane and once again found ourselves in the middle two seats in the middle row. Thank goodness one of the ladies moved. Having the extra room and being able to get in and out freely was almost like 1st class. The lady on the other side of us was perhaps the nicest woman in the world. The plane on this leg has TV monitors in all the seats so I let Samara have at it with the movies until she fell asleep again. I watched a couple movies, including "My Sister's Keeper" (I cried and cried). That show is a tear jerker.

We were so excited to be on the ground in Singapore. A quick trip through customs and we were at the baggage claim. We were very HAPPY to see Ben waiting on the other side of the glass. Samara ran as fast as she good with a smile bigger than Christmas morning. I passed her and the stroller with our carry-ons to Ben and went to get the rest of our stuff. The luggage carts don't cost anything in Singapore, which is awesome. I loaded two up and off we went with a very happy and surprised dad who didn't know it was possible for us to bring so much back home. Sadly, I consider making this flight on my top-ten list of accomplishments. I so would have failed as a pilgrim or pioneer. We got home about 2 am local time and slept a few hours. She and I fell back asleep at 11:30 am and I was out until 5 am the next day with the exception of getting up for a while to eat.

It really is much nicer being back than I expected. I'm so thankful for awesome friends! We doubt we are never going to live in such a diverse and interesting place again, so we really want to take advantage of our time in Singapore. Here's to 2010 and another year of adventures, Singapore style!

It's what I like about you, America

I desperately miss my computer. With no computer, I can't upload photos and am going through withdrawal. It's part of our family. Samara even thinks of it as a sibling...not in a good way though. So, here is an unusual post with no photos. It is WONDERFUL being back home in the states. Ben is already back in Singapore. Samara and I head back in a week. I am really looking forward to spending 27 hours on planes and in airports. It's an ideal way to spend a day. :) We are truly grateful for our time in Singapore and the unique opportunities it presents, but life here is just 100% more convenient. Besides being with our families and friends, (and we wish we could see all of you!!), I have to share some things I like...no LOVE...about the good ol' U S of A.

A CAR--What a nation where even welfare recipients can afford a nice ride! I love love love love love love love having a car. I am not exaggerating when I say that I can get done in a morning, maybe a day at the most, what it takes me a whole bloody week to do in Singapore. If it weren't entirely inappropriate, I'd be at the pulpit next fast Sunday talking about the truthfulness of motor vehicles!

On to the next thing that makes it so much more convenient--the shopping. There isn't much one-stop shopping in Singapore so I have been loving visiting Target, Costco, and *gasp* even Wal-mart. The grocery aisles are so WIDE and luxurious. I went Christmas shopping at Target right after getting here and wondered where all the people were, almost fainted when I saw how incredibly CHEAP stuff is, and was shocked when people moved their carts out of my way so I could get past. They even said things like 'excuse me.' INCREDIBLE!!! There are fewer people in the mall here at the peak times then there are at our mall first thing in the morning. Who knew grocery shopping could be something I enjoyed and not something that gave me ulcers and that I put off until we had nothing in the house but rice?! We are taking back a total 4 check-in boxes of food--that's 200 pounds of food stuff and other supplies. Stuff is seriously so cheap--$3.24 for a huge block of CHEESE--INCREDIBLE! I don't agree with everything the US does but I can really get behind subsidizing dairy. Here are some of the other shockers (US price vs Singapore price): sunscreen $7 vs. $25, refried beans $.79 vs $3.50, Ben and Jerry's $2.53 vs. $13.00, quart of organic yogurt $3.24 vs. $15.00, cold cereal $1.60 (on sale) vs. $7.50, chewing gum $.25 vs. a trip to the customs office for confiscation. I won't even start on kid's clothes and toys. But...seriously...$9.00 full-price for a darling dress at Target?! You have to pay $50 for some cruddy character shoes in Singapore.

Samara has been LOVING the lack of attention from strangers. Now she has the occasional admirer but they don't touch her. In general, no one gives a darn about us and that, my friends, is awesome squared. We are one of a very small group of Caucasians in our neighborhood. I now have much more empathy for those in the minority. I don't mind being the minority except that we get stared at endlessly and Samara gets mauled anytime we go out. What part of my child turning her head and saying, "I don't like that" (when they rub her cheeks) don't they understand?! In fact, that makes them all the more enamored! She's had so much fun getting to know grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and new friends. And we can't complain that we have free babysitters when we need them vs. paying $65 for one just so we can go to a movie.

I know Winter isn't everyone's favorite season and I totally understand that if you don't ski or enjoy other winter sports it isn't the funnest. Singapore is hot, hot, hot, and even more humid so it's been nice to be cold vs. sweaty for a change. Admittedly, it was challenging to adapt to the dry air here; Samara refers to Singapore as "that humid place." Cute ski posts to come!

We are loving all the familiar FOOD. Mexican food in abundance, glorious chicken with no tendons, skin, or other chewy things to ruin an appetite, real salads in all their glory, and healthy options that would cost an arm and leg in Singapore.

Last but not least, being around people who think similarly and can make an exception to a rule is lovely! When I ask, for example, to have my soda replaced with a shake it's not out of the ordinary. When I try something like that in Singapore I get looked at like I just called the person's mother a four-letter word. Once I asked for a shake with half vanilla and half chocolate and, honestly, the fellow would have been less surprised had I asked his sexual-orientation. In Hong Kong, I had a 15 minute argument with a gal at a sandwich shop because I wanted a plain cheese sandwich for Samara. She couldn't do it. Couldn't comprehend it because the sandwich on the menu had other stuff on it too. After explaining 93 times that I'd pay full-price and I simply wanted her to leave the other stuff off, I left cheese-less wanting to strangle the woman. Our education may be lacking here but at least we think in more than one parameter.

Merry Christmas!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We are THOROUGHLY enjoying being home for the holidays. It's been an adventurous, challenging, and exciting year for the Bikmans. We love Christmas and the opportunity it gives us to celebrate the birth of the Savior. We are thankful for the gospel and the strength it constantly gives us.

My fabulously talented cousin, Jeanne Louise Photography, did a quick photo shoot for us this past week and here are a few of our favorites. It was cold and raining lightly so we only lasted about 15 minutes but still got plenty to choose from. She is based out of Utah Valley and is working on updating her blog and making a website so look for those soon.

Little Miss S in her Christmas Dress

More Christmas posts to come!!

Samara's Cultural Assimilation

This is Samara's trusty umbrella. It is just her size and she LOVES it! When you think of using an umbrella what kind of weather comes to mind? Rain? Try again. Here in Singapore umbrellas are used not only for rain but also for sun protection. No one wants a tan here or the skin damage that comes along with it. They do everything to protect themselves from the sun.

It is hard to believe we've been here almost a year. It has been both challenging and rewarding. While Singapore is certainly a mild version of Asia, there are still plenty of differences (like umbrellas for the sun, excruciatingly slow walkers, etc.). There are many aspects of the culture here that we will never adopt, but apparently this is one we will.When Jody and Dano were here Samara announced one day, "Mom, I need to take my umbrella with us in case it is sunny." We about died laughing. She has told me several times since that she needs to bring it because it's so bright outside. I'm sure she's overheard me telling people about this but it's funny nonetheless.
She and I head home in two (count them...TWO) days. We can't wait. Ben follows a week later. While we are very grateful for all the places we've been able to visit over here there is still no place like home. We watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie about the Mayflower a few weeks ago. Samara explained the story of the Mayflower to me in her own words today as we were talking about our trip home to America. She said that the kids on the boat were going to America from Singapore because they missed their families and they wanted to see their Grandpas and Grandmas. History retold by a 2-year old. Can you guess what we've been talking about?!