Yuan Xiao!!!

On Sat, we were glad dayi could come fetch us for dinner with po2 and ah gong (as daddy had to go 'exercise' hhmm) and we went to T2 for dinner at Soup restaurant (ya again coz dayi was 'tempted' when we went there on Christmas day with ah maa and ah gong) and dayi requested for yusheng and here we are feasting before daddy came to join us! Again Ian loved the crackers for the yusheng altho he did eat plenty of food for lunch!

On Sun, we had an unusual drive up to Yishun and all were glad we had steamboat and yusheng (again!) for dinner....here's another cosy family shot taken with all the uncooked food! Everybody looked real happy and perked up (perhaps coz we had all the layout of food in front of us hahaa)

And of coz not forgetting the TOSS!!! So glad we are able to gather again as a family and this festive season is almost coming to an end but we are still enjoying every bit of the wkly family gatherings! A toss for another yr of FAMILY GATHERINGS!

Happy New Year!

Ya its a bit late hahaa but this was the card we made for our family members (ie ah gong & ah maa, ah gong & po2, dayi, ah baa & ah mu) coz felt that card making was more personal than sending the usual CNY cards or even e-cards and its more interesting to see our faces too ahhaa...and besides we could choose the greeting words we wanna put....this yr we put the word 'En' not only coz it's the word in Ian's name (ie Song En) but it's a reminder that its thru God's grace we have come this far and we could celebrate CNY together as a family....its a time to remember God's grace and to speak of God's blessings even as we meet relatives and friends...so may u have a GRACE-FULL new yr....hhmm not too late, another 5 days more to go =) Here's the Iong family 'bai nian' to u as well =p

Our kite was flying at Marina Barrage....

This is like our 3rd attempt in kite flying and we managed to figure out how to fly (after ah mu and ah baa had some help from Uncle SH) and it was flying in the sky....the kids were instead busy running on the concrete as the grass was kindof muddy after last nite's downpour .....so we adults were the ones flying in the windy weather...gd that the sun was absent so we could enjoy the breezy day with the kites in the sky! See the satisfied daddy after getting his kite up in the sky!

Here are the kids busy with everything else but the kite...Ian did hold the kite for a while coz mama was afraid he might let go of the kite as it was pretty strong wind and could feel the force in the strings...saw some kites being blown away so better take care of it!

And here are the boys again with the Marina IR as the backdrop..we have taken quite a few pics of the IR and will take again when its finally up and we could see the progression of the works!

Nice day to be out with the kites =)

Computer, O computer!

Yesterday, on chu san we visited er gu-gong's place and the kids were attracted by the computer game which was turned on for them to play but Ian din get much chance since Seth was almost hogging it and later we went AL gu2's place and Ian again was happy to be on Junette jie2's laptop (tho was being shoved for some time)

Ian has always been trying to get his hands on a comp back home (either when mama's on desktop or daddy's laptop but he just loved jamming his fingers on the keyboard)...today when we got to po2's place, po2 showed him an old lap top which belongs to dayi and he was asking to have the lap top on and when he finally got it he was so excited that he shoved mama aside saying 'Let Ian do it!'...guess he has learnt the skills after seeing his gor2 and jie2 doing it to him....sigh and soon he was busily playing the pin ball game...wonder if this is gd for kids but soon po2 was keeping it...guess he won't bug po2 for it coz po2 won't know how to operate it....these days kids are so pampered, what were we playing when we were 3yo?? Maybe dolls and more dolls....hhmm just a thot that came to my mind as the lap top came into the pic....

The eventful CNY days...

CNY eve....a day of reunion
On the CNY eve, we had an early morning out with ah mu and the kids to the Hort Park and there was hardly much pple there (guess most pple are busy at home preparing stuff) so the kids could roam ard the whole playground on their own except that the sun was really scorching...here the 3 kids taking shade

After their naps, we headed to the airport as ah ba was coming back so here are the kids exploring the new Aviation Gallery at T2 and there was so much for them to explore and 'climb' hhmm soon we were off to ah maa and ah gong's place for reunion dinner!

Chu Yi....a day to worship God before bai nian

This yr's CNY coincided with Sun so as usual we went for the Sun service and thereafter we went ah maa and ah gong's place to bai nian and here are the 3 kids with their dolls since they had so much time there to play the toys....Ian stayed back with mama and daddy as we thot we would stay behind to help out with the many guests who came by since Ian din show any sign of tiredness...so we stayed till 3+ then Ian was soon dozing off on daddy's shoulder and off we went to gu-gong and kim-po's place and the kids were so entertained by the many stuff specially bought for them to play and of coz the many goodies prepared for us!

Then we proceeded to po2 and ah gong's place for steamboat dinner and the kids had so much goodies prep for them that they were so excited (coz we hardly allow them such food hhmm) and they were most fascinated by the colourful windmills bought by biao-jiu from China...and they had endless 'spins' in front of the fan....

Chu Er....bai nian to relatives

After bf, we headed to yi-maa's place who is also daddy's godma (which makes her Ian's po2? abit confusing for him since he already has a po2) anw the place had quite abit of toys so the kids were quite entertained and here's ian on the scooter which seemed quite fun and gd for them to learn balancing...

thereafter we headed to chor2's place and the kids were kindof disappointed they couldn't play the fish games but yet there were enough food and toys to keep them occupied...then we went back ah maa's place for lunch and after nap, we zoomed off to xiao yi-maa's place and it was nice meeting up with biao-jiu and biao-yi after not meeting them for some time and of coz their comments were the kids have grown....and have we hehee

Chu San....a day of meeting up with friends and family

Since we have mostly done with bai nian so in the morning, we took some time to visit mama's ex-colleague Mdm Tan and it was a gd time of catching up for mama while ian was entertained by the dog Mdm Tan has (tho Ian has been warned not to touch her) and he was busily running ard in the playground and later in her place as there was a nice view of the Serangoon and surrounds

Soon we were on the go to er gu-gong and er kim-po's place and it was a gd time for the adults to catch up while the kids were busy on the computer and also the fishes in the house....then we were on the go for nap before going AL gu2's new place

Here the kids had whole lot of toys to choose from and Ian was most entertained by this Dora laptop...see how comfy he was on the laptop on the princess bed....the adults were busy talking in the living hall...what a gd time we spent there before meeting po2, ah gong and dayi for dinner at Thomson plaza

Dunno if its coz of CNY mood, ah baa was in such a mood for the kids to be on the kiddy ride (which is v rare coz its pricy for this ride which just goes round and round for a few bucks!) but nonetheless the kids were most thrilled before we went for dinner....this wraps the long break we had but it was a gd time for all of us to catch up with families and friends and also for a family to spend much time on the road and getting united....the 4 days just zoomed past so so fast! Just need to capture down the events to remember how our CNY was spent meaningfully and also to thank God for families and friends =)

Ian turns 35 mths old....

This mth, we see more changes in the little boy who is soon turning 3 yrs old....how time flies past, he has celebrated his 3rd Christmas and very soon his 3rd CNY and then his 3rd bday....this mth he has kind of slowed down in his request for his used to be all time fav apples and papayas and now instead asking for more 'exotic' fruit like cheries, mangoes, plums and durians so we often have to start scouting for such fruit coz they dun come at all seasons like apples...and this reminds us of an occasion when we (adults) shunned from the rather bland dragon fruit which ah maa has cut 1 Sun (some many mths ago) and Ian was the only one who was asking for more....its a fruit that is quite of its own but Ian could eat quite a far bit hhmm so now gotta look for more fruit that is of his liking since we forbid him to take oranges, watermelon and grapes coz of the likelyhood of causing cough....

And last wk he surprised po2 when he stayed over at po2's pl when he could find the tiny screwdriver and took out the screw so that he could remove the batteries and then put everything in place again and true enough last Fri, he showed mama he could change batteries for his own toy hhmm wonder issit coz he has been observing us doing so much that he's able to do them himself but truly, this boy is getting more independent in wanting to do things 'himself' and only when he has tried and realised he's unable to then he will relent and ask for help hhmm so much abt growing up =p or maybe he wanna be a handyman just like his daddy huh

This mth, Ian has also been introduced to a drink which he loved so much -RIBENA!!! And now he could recognise more drinks when he's at the drink stall...beside the usual milo, carrot juice and now he's asking for ribena...just 2 weeks ago, he actually wanted Carrot Juice (the pokka can kind) and he told us 'Wait, let me go and order' and he really walked up to the drink stall but only to retreat when the drink stall uncle started smiling at him hahaaa so much for his guts wanting to order his own drink huh....these days he will wanna buy this and that and when we ask him 'where's ur $$?' then he will be stumped and then say 'At po2's house' which he has a train piggy bank which po2 and ah gong have been the ones giving him 'donations' to his piggy bank and he thinks with that $$ he could go Australia again hahaa....well Ian, ur piggy bank is not bottomless pit =) like u wished huh

Oh no....this mth is NOT the mth Ian's been abused....its just a sign he has 'ripped po2 off some plasters' coz he will moan to po2 to say his insect bite wound is 'hurting' and he needs to put cream and need plaster to ensure he doesn't scratch it again so there was a day he came back with this many plasters on 1 leg...so thot better take a pic to remind him to return po2 this many plasters when he's older....and yes, the incident at po2's place did make the old folks worry quite abit coz he was v much in tears during the incident but this also tells us that grandparents' love is quite different from parents huh....anw the sawed off plank will be a reminder of how much po2 and ah gong loved this boy hhmm will show him when he's bigger but he's not fearful of the repeat as he is still 'fighting' to lie on the 'throne' with ah gong every wk....hhmm this is the 'bo kia si' attitude huh

This mth is a v special mth coz we finally see our boy able to let go of us when it comes to attending wkly Sun Sch and Bible Sch and it means alot to mama coz it means the boy has grown up and he's really able to let go of mama and trusting that mama will come back to pick him up (as promised) and he's understanding that mama and daddy can't be at sch with him and he is definitely looking fwd to going sch daily (as he hears so much abt gor2 and jie2 going to sch) so twice a wk sch is definitely a gd start for him to start real sch =)

1 more mth before our boy is gonna turn 3 and he's been waiting for his bday to come as he sees everyone blowing their candles mth after mth...and always wanting to cut others' cakes as well...guess he will be real happy when the day finally comes and finally he can understand the meaning of bday huh =)

Happy 5th Birthday to Seth!!!

Happy Birthday to our dear nephew (who's also Ian's Seth gor2) we have seen how u have grown from a baby to a toddler and what we call today a true BOY.....hope u continue to be so cheery and happy wherever u go continue to bring JOY to pple ard u =) Blessed 5th birthday!

We went to the East for.....

Ian woke up all cheery and was waking daddy up (coz its always been daddy will be up earlier than him or either daddy's at work) so it was rare for him to tell daddy WAKE UP and he requested to cycle his tricycle to the car park (has been careful abt not cycling on the road)

After our yummy fishball noodles at the newly refurbished Telok Blangah market (the best fishball noodle ard that we like) then we headed to Changi....hhmm near the NSRCC coz wanted let Ian see planes fly pass...there were alot of planes but the boy was busy collecting water up and down the quiet part of the beach and we had a gd time there...its been so long we brought Ian to dig sand and he thoroughly enjoyed the session and was in fact making fun of us, tossing sand at us as he sang the bday song!

And here he is building some 'sand cakes' hahaa he was scouting for sticks to act as candles...and him trying to toss the sand as he cheesed at the camera...sigh how naughty he can get =p

And he managed to do 5 bday cakes for Seth gor2 coz we reminded him it was Seth's bday today....hehee how nice of the boy huh but he just came up with the number 5...he din know he's turning 5 today...wat a coincidence guess huh...well if u see this man behind with a brolly...we happened to chance into a couple who's taking pics on their wedding day....quite funny to see what the jie mei and bros had to do in order to take pics....hahaa just mere entertainment for us while we watched our son enjoying the sand play

The other reason we were at the Changi coz we wanted to catch the airshow planes fly pass....2 yrs ago we drove past the place and it was crowded and so today we thot of going earlier to get a gd spot but Ian ended up so much into sandplaying we went a little later....but well it was gd to be later coz we got a perfect parking lot to park at the Changi stretch and we could see fighter planes fly pass...and this Ian was infact asking to take plane to go Australia...sigh earlier daddy was asking if the sand here was nicer or Australia's...obvious ans of coz it was AUSTRALIA...and thereafter he kept bugging us to go Aust again hehee this boy's memory is still there huh...the white sand there is nothing compared to the rocky ones here with plenty of ants hahaa

Thereafter we headed to ECP to get our lunch and Ian's a noodle lover and he loves prawn and he was in fact sharing fried prawn noodle with daddy....was nice to lunch there coz it's been so long coz its usually super crowded at nite and in the noon we had the cooling shelter and we could order most of the food quite fast! Nice day to head out to the East as the weather was SO GD! And also we caught glimpses of the airshow planes =) best of all worlds!

An early reunion dinner cum celebration for Seth's bday....

Yes, we had an early reunion dinner (almost more than a week earlier) coz jiu2 has a biz trip this coming Sun and Aunty Lorr will be going with him as well and won't be ard for 1st few days of CNY so hence we had an early reunion dinner on an unusual Thur nite coz usually we pick Ian up on Thur nite and he was so surprised everyone was back for dinner....adn here's him with Seth gor2 enjoying their endless request of prawn fritter =) we were just recalling how we could only eat prawn fritter during reunion dinner at our time and nowadays the kids are eating them almost every other month (just coz po2 knows they love it!)

And we had an early bday celeb for Seth as well....time flies he's turning 5 and just seem yesteryr when we saw him celebrating his 3rd bday with the 2 little babies ard....now they could all cuddle together and capture a shot in front of the cake (tho Ian was pining to cut the cake and blow the candle....wait a mth more k?)

And here's us with Seth.... wishing him a blessed bday and may him continue to grow in God's wisdom and mature with his blessings =)

Happy Birthday to DAYI!!!

We celebrated dayi's birthday last Sun and here's the card we have done earlier but just print it out (tho there is another which we did with Ian only) here are ur 3 adorable niece and nephews greeting HAPPY BIRTHDAY to DAYI!! Have u have a blessed birthday and feasting to ur heart's content hahhaa and also to remember to count the many blessings in ur life....we are ur little blessings as well =)

Ian attends the 'Bible School'

Exactly 2 weeks ago, mama received a phone call that both mama and Ian have received placement in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) as it was truly an answered prayer as both ah mu and mama have been praying we would be placed in BSF with the kids so we could get structured study of the Word as well as the kids...so thank God all 5 of us could attend this bible school together....hehee made easier for Ian to understand so mama has been preparing him going this bible sch with gor2 and jie2....

this yr we would be studying on the book of John and today was the 1st lesson...things didn't seem too gd in the morning as Ian couldn't wake up early (tho we did make him sleep early) and thus he din have much appetite for bf and then he told me he had tummy ache which he couldn't poo....so off we went and upon reaching he held mama's hands real tight as he saw many kids along the aisle with their mummies going into the classroom..for a moment mama thot he wasn't gonna let go and soon he let go and went with the teacher and upon prompted he turned ard and said (rather happily) 'Bye Bye mummy' and there mama heaved a sigh of relief and waved happily back hahaa

So much worries for a boy who hasn't been to formal school and so much worries for mama coz it isn't easy for this boy to let go in a totally new environment and everyone seems new and some of the kids had tearry eyes and later on, we heard some kids crying aiyo....some cried till end of class and when mama tried to take a peek at Ian in class but could't locate his class and just had to wait till the end of the whole 2 hr session

He was most delighted to spot mama at the door and almost dashed out only to be called back by the teacher (to ensure its the mummy collecting him at the door) and then he turned back and said bye bye teacher....he was totally happy going off holding mama's hands and hopping off step by step....
Here's a shot outside the church with the other 2 cousins and its a pic to testify of God's providence for 5 slots in the Bible Class coz later on we did hear some kids din get place tho their mummy did....what an answered prayer for us and we will press on with the daily homework to read His Word and may the kid also grow to know and love Christ....just glad Ian adapted so well to 'school' tho its only 2 hrs but on the way back he was asking to go Bible School again...guess he just loved the school and was hoping for more....and in the day he told mama 'Jesus loves me' guess this is v much drilled into him even after Sun School and now with the BSF....hope he can tell me more after each Mon what he has learnt =)

Oh my boy has grown up....was really so worried abt him not letting go of my hands....so much worries went unfounded =p just need to trust Him and all things shld fall into place =)