I can't believe we're almost halfway through the year! Hello and thanks for dropping by.

Time really flies when you're busy. But there's no excuse for losing touch with people so here goes.

January. This month was a bit hectic but fun because we all went back to the Philippines for a family wedding. The wedding is for Albert and Carmen on Jammy's side of the family, which was held in a part of the Philippines called Tagaytay. It was great to see so many family and friends at the wedding. So rare to see everyone gathered together in one place.

While we were in the Philippines, we also took the opportunity to see as many of our kids' cousins on Joseph's side of the familiy. Both Arianne and Annike loved it that they have so many relatives wherever they went. We took a few days off from the non-stop to-ing and fro-ing and spent a few days in Boracay to enjoy some sunshine and beautiful beaches. We were also joined by some of our family that made it even more of an event.

Two weeks and we were back in London. Two days after we got back, London had the thickest snow for years! It was definitely a shock to our systems after the tropical heat but the kids and Jammy still enjoyed making a snowman in our back garden. A few days later and we were back to our old routine.

February. Annike turned 5. Our little girl is so proud and feels she is a 'big girl', just like her sister. We threw a little party for Annike and her friends.

Arianne received another award for her Maths (Kumon) course. This time Arianne received a gold award for her hard work. Because of her Kumon she is always at the top of her class for maths. Annike also started Kumon and is really enjoying it, which is a relief, because we were so worried she would hate it.

Annike and Arianne continue to attend their weekly theatre classes, ballet, music lessons, swimming lessons and maths. They have also started attending a weekly 'girl scouts' - UK version called Brownies and Rainbows.

March. Jammy celebrated her birthday. We also met up with Arianne's old au-pair, Petra, who now has her own baby. Petra used to look after Arianne when she was 3 to 4 years old. It was great to see that she is happy. We found it interesting when she said she now has an au-pair and she finds it difficult to deal with. She said she couldn't figure out how we made it seem so easy when she was with us.

April. Joseph celebrated his birthday. For Easter, the family drove to Belgium to see our very good friends, Anni and Terry Walker and their kids. It was so good to see them after 2 years. Just like us, they now have 2 little girls of their own. We just relaxed with them and just enjoyed each other's company. We won't be seeing them for a while because they will be moving back to Australlia later this year. Hmmm, another place to visit then.

May. A very nice time of the year for all of us. Winter has just finished and we started to get more sunlight. I swear, this family is solar powered. Except for Jammy, the kids and Joseph all get a bit depressed in the winter when it's always cold and dark. Everyone seems happier when the sun is out more.

We had a visit from our Dutch family who we haven't seen for a while. We last saw Arie (Jammy's brother) 2 years ago and the girls still follows him arond like 2 little shadows. Good thing Arie is great with kids and doesn't mind all the attention. The girls had lots of fun with Arie as usual and we all just vegged out at home so it was very relaxing.

Inspite of the recession, Jammy and I are so thankful that we both still have fairly stable jobs. We have many friends who are not quite as lucky and we can't imagine ourselves in their positions. Let's pray that this recession ends soon.

That's all for now. Hope you are all doing well.

Please check out our new Photo Gallery. It might take a while to load up but please be patient.

Until next time. Take care of yourself.