Happiness Is... Feeling Grateful

December is a month to look back, to reminisce and to once again feel thankful for everything that surrounds me. 2014 has been a year filled with many new experiences, exciting adventures and blessings for my family and for that, I am eternally grateful.
In this month's "Happiness is...", I take a look at all the good around me and remind myself that it is not happy people who are thankful, but thankful people who are happy.
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I am grateful for all the beauty that we can find on the island and the many family-friendly attractions. Even when night falls, the fun doesn't stop and there are still many places we can visit and things we can do. Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay was one of them and we were definitely blown away by the charm of the vibrant lights.



I am grateful for having family outings and glad to have kids who love marine life as much as their Daddy. At S.E.A Aquarium, when we got to the gigantic Open Ocean Tank, we took the time to sit down as a family and talk about the fishes while munching on haw flakes, which felt somewhat surreal but magical.
Sometimes, we like to go out without a plan or agenda and see where life takes us. Look, fate brought us together with Batman and Catwoman while we were doing our Christmas shopping at Takashimaya.

I am thankful for all the doors that blogging has opened up for me, especially the opportunities for my kids to play, grow and learn.
I am thankful for peaceful afternoons, great food and most importantly, the company of my loved ones.

I am happy knowing that my kids love exploring the island as much as I do, even if that means we have to travel by bus or foot when we go on all-girls outings. I see it as an adventure and so do they!
For the chance to be a stay-at-home mom and watch my precious ones grow up every day, that is something priceless to me and I am forever thankful for this.

When Angel goes for class, I also get to spend some one on one time with the little one. This 20cents ball game is one of our favorite activities and I am always amazed by how she is one blessed lucky star and manages to win more tickets than me every time!




We also had an awesome time at Universal Studios, thanks to the Navy Family Day initiative. For the first (and probably last) time ever, the park was open till 1am especially for us and the kids had so much fun on the rides at past midnight and we absolutely enjoyed dancing the night away. Woohoo!



Christmas, to us, is a time to get together with family and friends and celebrate all the love that we have. I am thankful for the times we get to be together as mother and daughters in the afternoons and simple things like doing art and craft, decorating the tree or shopping for gifts can be so much fun and are moments that bond us closer.

I am grateful for being able to witness every of my kids' milestones and for the chance to be their guide when they need me. My big girl is now learning to cycle and although that has given me some backaches, I am pretty sure we will get there very soon! As for the little one, she is scooting like a pro but can only do straight line courses for now. Not bad, not bad at all!



I am thankful for friends who bring about so much joy and laughter and I'm glad to see that my big girl is slowly learning to make friends and be a good friend in return too. We spent a rainy day in Legoland after being stuck in the jam for over five hours but I would still say it was a worthwhile experience and a fun day out with our neighbours-cum-friends.


To have these two little animal lovers who are brave enough to try out new experiences, becoming Friends of the Zoo is probably one of the best decisions ever. Look, we fed giraffes for the first time on Ariel's birthday!


And yes, this little bundle of joy turned two this month and she still never fails to surprise me and make me laugh every single day. I am just so very, very thankful that I am a mom of two lovely girls and that she is such a precious little sister, daughter and gem.


To the Santa who is always willing to be laughed at and tries his very best to bring joy to the kids, I am blessed to have you. Thank you for making Christmas so much more fun!
Last but not least, to have a family who gives meaning to my life, I am more thankful than any words can say. This was drawn and written by my big girl at the beach on Christmas day and I hope that is a sign that she is feeling as happy as I am to be in our family.
 
As 2014 draws to an end, what are the things that you feel grateful for?

P.S. Woohoo, we are back from the holidays! I sure hope all of you had a fantastic New Year celebration and may the year 2015 be filled with endless joy and good health for everyone!
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What are you HAPPY for this month? 
Happy memories have a special way of touching our hearts every time we think about them. Join in my linky party at the end of every month and let us smile, rejoice and share the simple joys of life. Highlight and press Ctrl + C to copy my button above, include it in your post/sidebar and add your link below. For happiness is all around us.