Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Baking cakes & cookies with the kids

We are constantly looking for new things to do with the kids, and with the success of the last bake out with the kids, we decided to something along those lines again.

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The picture is really enticing – and the moment I picked it off the shelves at the supermarket, Nicole was super-duper excited! She was jumping up and down the trolley!

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Upon reaching home, the kids were more than ready to bake their Oreo Cake.

Advice for parents

The kids actually love getting involved in the whole process of getting the cake done.

Here are some pictures of the kids getting the cake done:

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Little Nadine was fighting to get involved as well. U can see her peeping from the the bottom of the table top! :)

At the end of the day, making the cake was more fun than eating it…as we did not even manage to finish eating the cake.

But mummy and the kids certainly had fun in the kitchen!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Building Strong Families

What makes a family?

I believe a family is a unit that spends time together.

The children are a real blessing and we really had a fun time together as a family in Melaka.

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Auntie Weng (Our Domestic Helper) has gone for about 2 weeks, but the children are getting used to having her not around. We just spent loads of time with them after she left. It just proves that we really need to spend time with the kids, as they do not seem to have very long memories when they are young (Aside: it is no wonder how young Christians seem to forget God very easily).

But this extra time with the family seems to have gone a long way with little Nadine!

Just a couple of days ago, my 1year 6 month old daughter allowed Daddy to bring her out alone, and we went to visit a friend together. (In the past, we noticed that she didn’t like to be carried by Daddy!) What a change in our relationship! She was very easy and did not make much of a fuss, when we spent some time together.

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The most difficult part about having 3 kids, is that you need to spend personal time with each of them. This is something that I am still learning today!

Before I go, here are also some interesting places that you can see in Melaka:

There is an Observatory Tower that gives you a picturesque view of the old Melaka city.

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At just $20 ringget/adult, you will get a real good view of the city.

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The Pirate Ship pictured above is also a museum which the kids can visit. Inside, there are various exhibits which will give you a history of Malacca.

Malacca also has it’s own version of the Singapore Flyer.

It is called the “Eye on Malaysia”

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This gigantic ferris wheel is much smaller than the one found in Singapore, and at $20 ringget, you will get to go about 4 rounds on this big ferris wheel.

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The capsules are much smaller than the ones found in Singapore, and it actually feels as spacious as a Sentosa Cable car.

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The ferris wheel actually goes quite fast, so don’t expect the slow rides that u get on the “Singapore Flyer” or on the “London Eye”.

If I have money for just 1 ride, which ride would I go for?

The Observatory tower wins hands down!

Firstly, it is higher than the “Eye on Malaysia” and it also offers a better view. The “Eye” is located too far away from the main city to give a good view of city!

One sad thing that I noticed was that – the machines were not well maintained. Despite being less than 2 years old, the parts were already rusting! I’m not sure if these machines can last long at this rate! 

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However, the kids enjoyed every moment of the ride!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Nicole has a Boyfriend…or Boyfriends!

Parents are naturally very over protective of their children.

Just the other day, Nicole told me that she has not 1 but 3 boyfriends!

Daddy naturally wanted to see who they were…

In my mind, I was mentally scanning through her classmates and wondering who they were…

Was it candidate A?

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Was it candidate B?

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Or was it candidate c?

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I wonder if all Fathers are like me: even if the candidate was:

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Brad Pitt…Zac Efron…Johnny Depp…Matthew McConaughey…Daddy has his reservations about any guy she brings home…

Pitt – the name sounds pathetic…

Zac – Don’t trust those boys who are in high school…

Depp – Sounds a bit shallow…

McConaughey – too difficult to pronounce…

Yes…I know…All lame excuses… Daddy seems to have reservations about every MAN!!!

In fact, I convinced Nicole to choose only ONE boyfriend…and that boyfriend is…

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I wonder if all parents are so protective over their children :)

Will Nicole and Nadine’s husbands meet Daddy’s stringent criteria?

Parenting 301 – will most probably be learning to let go…Only God can help me!!!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Celebrating Grandpa’s Birthday!

Last week was Grandpa’s birthday, and the kids went to the family’s favourite Cantonese restaurant at Tanjong Pagar.

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It was Grandpa’s 72th birthday, and we are so glad to celebrate his birthday together with him!

It was also extra significant, as this is Dad’s first birthday as a Christian! He was so excited when his Cell group celebrated his bdae for him a few days earlier. He even asked me to make sure that I get him to cg early…(He doesn’t make many requests, so to get one, is already not the norm)

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As usual, the kids loved the celebrations even more, especially when there were cakes and candles included.

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Nathan and Nicole fought over the blowing of candles and the cake cutting! (Look at Nathan stretching his hands over his sister, so as to cut the cake!)

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The kids loved the celebration and even Nadine enjoyed her moments with grandma!

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We had great fun and we are looking forward to Grandpa’s next birthday!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Riders Cafe at Bukit Timah

Just recently, the children's cousin Shauna, celebrated her Birthday and the kids were invited to her party.

We were invited to the Bukit Timah Saddle Club for high tea and they were all excited about our little excursion.

We were also looking forward to it, as I have read many reviews about this place, and I was looking forward to see it for myself.

As I entered the club, I was attracted by signs such as this…

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Frankly, where do u see road signs such as this, especially in Urban Singapore, where u get buildings after buildings!

High tea was at the Rider’s Cafe, and the cafe was situated right in the centre of the ranch.

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Shauna was excited to see them…and Nadine was at her best behaviour, up and about beginning to walk very well, while Shauna was fellowshipping with everyone around her :)

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The kids were of course very excited, as they saw the horses walking by.

This is the view from the windows next to our table…

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Later on, we managed to walk around outside and we had a close-up encounter with the horses.

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The kids were a little apprehensive about seeing the horses up close, but after a while…they enjoyed catching the animals upclose as well.

Parenting Advice:

Bring your kids out as much as possible. The exposure will do them wonders! If u have a car, this is a great place to explore with the kids, especially in land scarce Singapore. The food is priced at normal cafe prices.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Nadine is starting to walk!

After having 3 Children – I can tell u that everyone of them is different!

Each one of them has their own special qualities and attributes.

Nadine is of no exception!

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She seems to be the most timid of the 3 – and would be the most wary and afraid whenever we put her into a new environment.

Whenever we carry her, she will always be clinging on to our shirts for dear life – as she is afraid of heights!

Recently, she has also started taking her first few steps, and we are looking forward to another little one running around the house very soon…

In comparison…Nathan walked the fastest! Boys seem to have no problem when it comes to physical coordination…but till today, he lags behind Nicole in terms of speech development.

I think Nadine will speak as fast as Nicole, as she seems more inclined in this area as well!

BTW, If u are asking if No 4 is coming soon…the answer is NOT at the moment! The 3 of them are a real handful, and we need to give them time to grow up!

But the kids are always fun to have around – and Daddy and Mummy really miss them, when we don’t get to see them as often as we like!

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

National Day Performance at Preschool

Last week, as part of the National Day Celebrations, Nicole had a concert performance at her school.

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Nicole was all “pumped up” for the performance, as it was already postponed for one week due to a suspected H1N1 outbreak among her classmates.

Here are some photos to capture her performance:

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nicole running

The school also put up a mini carnival for the kids after the performance.

The kids loved the many booths set up and the free food as well :)

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DSC_0168 Nathan and Nadine loved the party and the food as well! :)

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A BIG thank you for all the teachers for making every carnival in school so FUN!

Before I go, here is a video of Nicole’s Performance. Btw, she loves watching videos of herself…It keeps her entertained, when Daddy has work to do!

Parents: A Video Cam and a Camera are GREAT INVESTMENTS!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Nadine is ONE

Nadine is ONE!

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What a milestone for our little princess! She can stand unassisted, cruise along the sofa, and of course crawl and climb everywhere and anywhere. Now we’re just waiting for her first step and first word.

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You know, she may be the youngest and smallest in the family, but she sure makes her presence known. We can hear her chuckles and squeals when she is happy, we all know when she wants her food cause she is screaming out loud! And when she is tired, you can hear a loud and clear yawn!

Well, to celebrate her birthday, we had a mini celebration with Gong Gong, Popo, Ee Ee & Family. And we forgot to take a picture with everyone! So here is a reduced version of just our family. (imagine, this was the best shot out of 20!)

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So here’s wishing Nadine a very happy birthday! We love you!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Page Boy for the First Time

This week was Extra Special for Nicole and Nathan.

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Nic got to be a Flower Girl (This is her 5th time) …But Nathan was a…

Page boy for the very 1st time!

What’s more…they got to walk down the aisle together holding hands….What a milestone for the both of them! :)

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Here is Nicole with pretty bride Jane – She is Mummy’s cousin.

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We are so happy that our little boy is growing up, and that we are coming to a new milestone… and very soon, the whole family will walk down the aisle as part of the wedding party!!!

Looks like my days carrying the little ones are becoming numbered...

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