2017, it's been a good year

To totally re-phrase Heidi Klum's signature line, one day you are up, another you are a crumbling mess. 2017 has been amazing and a whirlwind of emotions. Of course, there were many times I was morbidly frustrated and demanding, and I have said and done things I'm not proud of. However, in such times, the most important thing is to be kind to yourself. I feel one of the biggest lessons I was learnt this year was how to mother myself. It's not about mollycoddling or giving into your ways, but recognising the less than desirable traits of myself and situations and from there, accepting that it's part of one's growth journey.

Now whenever I think of the year in retrospect, I always think of the time with the people who mean the most to us. Here are my top moments from 2017: 

Fukuoka in Spring: Travelling with the boys is a huge thing for me as I travelled frequently with my parents throughout my childhood and singlehood, and the time spent is truly invaluable. This year, we went to Fukuoka for the first time and we had a wonderful time. Ain’t Japan always lovely? I’m trying to stay away from annual trips as there are so many more places to discover and it’s just so darn hard to stay away. Besides, we have never been to Hokkaido and it’s just calling out to us, or maybe just me.

California in Summer: We also went to California this year to visit my brother-in-law and his family. I guess this trip is particularly meaningful for several reasons – we had a terrible first trip 4 years back which really put us off from making another trip – but this trip was the trip that righted the wrong. KW gets to catch up with his elder brother and only sibling, the boys get to hang out with their cousins and we had an amazing time just being away from it all. Trips to California will probably be a bi-annual trip – one that we whole-heartedly embrace.

Our photography session with Anna: Getting a professional photographer might seem kitschy or pretentious, but I'm super glad we got Anna Wu to help capture some lovely memories of the entire family when we were in California. [Link to Anna's blog]

Russell’s 5th Birthday: And just like that, our first born turned 5. We celebrated his love and obsession for atlas maps and country flags with an adventure theme party. 5 years old with a relentless thirst for knowledge.Crazy times! This Sunday, we will be celebrating Lucas’ birthday on New Year Eve no less.

Being married for 6 years: Maybe this is KW's claim to fame. I'm not an easy person to deal with and he's stuck with by me.  We celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary at the ever amazing Odette.

Watching Lucas become a little human with huge personality: To be honest, our second born was always a space cadet - easy going and pretty much in his own little world. These days, he’s been expressing his preferences and even more assertively, HIS DISDAIN for our poor decisions and lack of thought. #threenager

Reindeer baking with Russell: The boy’s love for deers (since our trip to Nara) is truly en-deer-ing! I knew baking baking cupcakes would totally be up his alley and his joy is infectious.

Brotherhood game is strong: The boys are well and happy – sometimes, that’s all that really matters. The boys are each other’s biggest fan though the squabbles grow with age. We are waist-deep in toddlerdom (best age ever!) and lapping up all the lovey-dovey-ness that comes with its fair share of tantrums. 

Settling into my new job: 2017 started out with a bang loud enough – I changed jobs and am liking it so far *crosses fingers* I don’t really talk about work here as there is a line drawn between my professional and personal life, and I would really like to preserve my blog for my personal life. But I’ll say I’m up for more in 2018 so we will see how to make that happen.

There is so much to be thankful for, I need to really be present and grateful. I'm not quite sure what 2018 would bring but I sure am looking forward to it. See you all next year!