Gardens by the Bay outing

To me, Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family to eat and be merry, literally just to enjoy ourselves to celebrate the year coming to the end. I started this year's celebration with a visit to Gardens by the Bay under the suggestion from my friend.
We chose to go on a weekday wanting to avoid the weekend crowd but there's still many people in the evening as school holidays had already started.

We met up with Weiwen, Jade and my godson Lele at about 2pm and went to Macdonald's to grab a quick bite before proceeding with exploration of the grounds. It was my first time here so I was quite excited. Jade prepared some egg sandwiches and chicken breast meat nuggets(hand made) for the kids which they both ate heartily. But Lele wanted to eat French fries as well. I decided not to give Jonas as he still has not recovered from his flu. I brought strawberries and jeju orange but they are not receiving it well.

I guess the fruits taste sour instead of sweet so Jonas don't like them. Jade told me Lele don't take any fruits at all. I've learnt something about my godson from this outing. We tried encouraging him to eat throughout the trip but he's very insistent and wouldn't even take a small bite. I wonder if he takes fruit juice?
We decided to walk around first in the midst of scouting out the main area designated to the Christmas Wonderland. We went to the Far East Organization Children's Garden. There's a large water play area in it but suitable for older kids. I guess water play areas are quite common in Singapore and are popular because of our all year round sunny weather. There's also a toddler water play zone for younger children aged 1-5years old. We didn't bring extra clothes on that day so the kids weren't allowed to play. Another feature will be the Rainforest Treehouses playground also only suitable for older kids 6-12 years old. I made a mental note to bring them back again when they are older.
We came to the Sun Pavilion next which exhibits the many types of cactus of which several were never seen before. We even saw one with flowers! Lele and Jonas were so happy walking and running about while Jade and I were worried they may injure themselves if they walk too close as the exhibits were not fully covered.

Later on we checked with the staff where the Christmas Wonderland is situated. It is located at the Supertree Grove area nearer to the Bayfront MRT. So we had to backtrack the way Weiwen and Jade had come from. The attractions were all situated at the Supertree Grove and with stalls selling Christmas stuff and some selling food. My hubby bought churros and a drink before grabbing a seat to rest our tired legs. Weiwen and Jade decided to walk around to explore some more before finally joining us.

As it is still early before the lights and sound performance start at 7.45pm, we thought we'll grab a bite at Marina Bay sands first. The food court was pack with shoppers and it wasn't easy before we found a seat. We had the most expensive "spicy fragrant pot"(Mala) there which cost $23!! Jade bought drinks and jelly for the kids which they really loved to have on such a warm day.
Due to the festive season, the ice skating rink beside the food court had been converted to hold Christmas exhibits. I noticed some mascots walking inside and suggested going in to take some photos. The boys are happy running around while the parents are chasing behind them. But we are happy when the kids are happy.

When we tried to go back to the garden by the way we came from, we couldn't find the place. We had no choice but to go back from the MRT station but the entrance to the gardens were congested with people. Weiwen went up to scout and came back with bad news. It was raining heavily outside. We went back to the shopping centre hoping the rain will subside soon while we continue looking for the shortcut into the gardens. We eventually found another way into the gardens and by this time the rain has stopped. However the place was packed with people making it difficult to move around. Moreover the kids are already tired and Lele had fallen asleep in his pram. After taking a few photos, we decided to head home as it has started to drizzle again. Albeit feeling slightly disappointed the kids didn't get to play with the carousel and stuff, we agreed that we can always come again next year. Now we get the experience to go at a later timing. Maybe just meet for dinner then go to the park. If we meet in the afternoon like this time, both the kids and our energies will be sapped before the real party begins.
However, we are happy the kids still enjoyed themselves running around its vast grounds and the Christmas light up at Gardens by the Bay is really pretty. Here are the photo proof to show it.