Here is a happy clip of the 2 of them lounging with their favourite Daddy on our comfy sofa.
אֵיתָן (ee-thuhn) solid, enduring (1 Ki 4:31, Ps 89) & טליה (tal-yuh) dew of heaven (God's kindness)
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Daddy's Home
Saturday, 12 December 2009
A Screaming Good Time
With her newfound mobility, Talia is now able to follow her brother when he decides to do fun things out in the corridor where life always seems much more happening! Here she is having a screaming good time wanting in on the action of her exciting Big Brother as he ventures Outside......
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Our Special Father & Son Trip
In our little "rocket ship"
Ethan and Daddy, Ethan and Daddy
We're gonna have so much fun
Father and son
Ethan and Daddy, Ethan and Daddy
So goes the theme song of Ethan's favourite TV show, the very musical "Little Einstein" but these are of course our own words... This is our first Father and Son trip! I have been thinking about an overnight trip with just Ethan and me for a long time, and finally thought it was doable when Ethan just turned 3. He is easier to manage and put to bed, well behaved with Daddy, and of course loves spending time with his favourite Dad as well as anything to do with little black Subaru R1.
So I planned it, booked one night at nearby Thistle Hotel, Johor Bahru and started getting Ethan excited about this special trip with Daddy. "It's only us boys going!" I told him with great fanfare. He got the picture, "No Talia!" he roared with pleasure that temporarily overshadowed his love for baby sis.
I thought all was dandy and I could laze until dinner until the dreaded words came, "Daddy, I want to go home!" Yikes!! I bundled him up with promises of going out and having more fun. We scouted the hotel for more activies, but the only thing for kids is the pool. Since Ethan wanted to drive we loaded up the car with GPS and went driving. After Ethan "drove" for 5 minutes (on Daddy's lap in stationary car of course) we went for a car wash!
I don't have pictures of what happened after that cos it was too stressful! Dinner was a total failure and almost derailed the whole trip! Being totally unfamiliar with Johor, I was heading towards "Claypot Chicken Rice" on my Garmin GPS but it was nowhere to be found. So rather than heading back to the hotel for pizza, I picked a simple place. Unfortunately we sat down and they ran out of this and that, and what we ordered was really not to his liking. He's normally not a fussy eater but he's used to good tasty food of many varieties and none of these fit the bill. You could see the dissatisfaction written on his face as he nibbled on the noodles and only had a few mouthfuls of soup. Then it came again, "Daddy I want to go home!" I may be a grown man, but I got a bit terrified...
We quickly finished what we could and I distracted him more activities as we walked around somemore and I hoped to find something tasty around the corner for him. Hooray! A bakery saved the day and we got a hot dog bun and sugar roll which made him happy. Once the carbs and sugar got in him he was a happy camper again.
As we drove off he very helpfully repeated all the GPS voice prompts and gave me clear instructions. "Daddy, your phone says turn left. Can you turn left okay?" We neared the hotel and I pointed it out to him. "Ethan that's our hotel. A hotel is our new home for just 1 night and tonight is boys only." A grin spread on his face, "Can I sleep with you in the hotel daddy? Can I sleep with you in your bed?" Hooray, the day was on its way to being saved...
He fingered around for my hands, head, and mouth and managed to stick his fingers up my nose but we laughed and quietened down. 10 minutes passed he was fast asleep, after which he turned over and wrapped his arms around me. We stayed like that for a long time while I thought of all the things I could write about today.
After breakfast we went for another round of swimming which brought us to 10.40am. Since breakfast was just closing we managed to sneak in another round of prata and juice for free! One clean up and a big bubble bath later, we were happy and ready to go home...
After we arrived back home in Singapore later that night, Mummy put Ethan to bed. He told her, "I love my Daddy..." That makes it all worth it huh?
Monday, 7 December 2009
SuperTali !

Thursday, 3 December 2009
LOVE Ethan!
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Stuck On You
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Birthday Bash!





Daddy's party-blowers were quite a hit too! The kids loved them and discovered the new skill of multi-tasking -- cycling while blowing them and using them to flick passing kids!
It was quite hilarious to watch the kids having a crazy time with each other and thanks to Aunty Sharon who captured these moments on her camera. Although it was exhausting preparing for the party it was also very heartwarming seeing the kids having such a memorable time together. I'm really grateful for the warm support of our families and feel very blessed for the friendships that we and our kids have here.
Monday, 19 October 2009
Playtime Buddies

Sunday, 18 October 2009
Chopsticks
Friday, 16 October 2009
Biking
Ethan's cycling! Daddy is so excited but I'm not there to see it! He's had a tricycle for a while but just got the hang of moving his feet is circles. Ohhhh... he likes the speed. Here he is maneuvering quite expertly through the obstacle course of our corridors, looking quite pleased with himself at his new found capabilities.
Thursday, 8 October 2009
My Son, Ethan
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Daddy's Classmates
From left to right is Sitali (Zambia), Isaac (Liberia), Daddy, John (kinda famous guy who started the whole of Methodism stuff!), Sorin (Romania), Rob (Canada), Meeli (Estonia), Juan (Colombia), and Rodney (Mauritius). They're a great bunch of pastors, district superintendents, and seminary presidents! Beeson International Leaders class of 2009.
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Gong Gong's Birthday





Monday, 28 September 2009
Daddy is in School
The time has come and Daddy is standing on the green Kentucky grass on Asbury Theological Seminary's campus. Behind me are the apartments where 8 of us in my cohort live. We come from 8 different countries representing 5 continents. In front me is the building housing the programs and classes that are the reason for our being here. The Beeson International Center for Biblical Preaching and Church Leadership
I'm here alone for the next 6 weeks, away from family for slightly longer than that as I meet other churches here in the US. Pray not only for me but also for Renata, Ethan and Talia back home!Sunday, 27 September 2009
Want to Wash the Car Daddy?
One of Ethan's favourite activities is to wash the car with his daddy. He's getting quite good at it though he still needs help pointing the powerful water hose and sometimes soaps up the car after I have already dried it!
After washing the car he always wants to taste the fruits of his labour with his favourite Dad. "We drive the car now Daddy!" After a day of washing the car it will usually score highly on his list of what to thank Jesus for that day.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Bath Buddies


Thursday, 10 September 2009
A Grand Time
Monday, 24 August 2009
Fountains of Fun!

......and it didn't take long for her to warm up to the joys of splashing around! Its funny how different personalities come out through play -- she seems to be much more adventurous about getting wet than Ethan who is usually more interested in the mechanics of water-pouring in his various cups, cans and pails!
It was a little difficult getting all 3 cousins in the same photo as they were running aroung quite a bit! Managed to catch them on in action in this video tho!