Ethan and Talia's World

Easter Cave

2012-02-04T23:15:00.000+08:00

Last night we read the Easter Story at bedtime and I could see Ethan was listening quite intently. This afternoon, he proudly showed me this new cave he had just spent the afternoon building. "It's the cave after Jesus died, Mummy" he explained. Not too much of a stretch of the imagination to see that he had reconstructed the famous "Garden Tomb" in our living room complete with round doors at the entrance and where sisters, Care Bears and other toy animals got resurrected after lying inside!

Wanna Cook!

2012-01-04T23:39:00.001+08:00

Here is my Junior (Master) chef! He's been wanting to cook on our BBQ for those he loves and finally got a chance when we had Yeh Yeh, Ah Mah & Gu Ma over to celebrate their birthdays. Quite funny to see how he has the same intense look that Ivan has when he is cooking!

You can see from the satisfied faces of his 'customers' that he did a pretty good job!

Zzzzzz

2011-11-05T23:19:00.001+08:00

Had to do some supermarketing for a big dinner after picking Ethan from school one day..... but the poor fella was so tired he fell asleep while in the shopping trolley!

Ethan & Talia are 5 & 3!

2011-10-26T21:52:00.010+08:00

It's Birthday Season for our kids! As with all kids they loved getting presents from family and friends. This year the theme seems to be "Trains"! Here they are putting together the first of 3 (!) train sets that they recieved from us, Gu Ma and Yeh Yeh & Ah Mah! Interestingly the 3 train sets can also be joined together for quite an amazing effect!
Talia enjoys the trains but she REALLY enjoyed her "Cashier" toy from Gu Ma (especially after watching Ethan get all the presents before this!).....

But it was the amazing series of cakes (& Barney & Thomas the Train cupcakes) that thrilled them! Or rather the candles on the cakes that they loved to blow out! And what a lot of cake we had this year! We had a yummy ice cream cake from Uncle Roy & A Jas.....
a home cooked Pavlova from Grandma (which Ethan helped to decorate!).....
And a Baby Chiffon cake that Daddy found for Talia's Birthday breakfast! What an amazing birthday season its been for us this year!

The 2-Child Brompton

2011-09-15T23:06:00.008+08:00

We just got a second seat for our Brompton! This one is much larger and excellent quality with 5 point harness, reclining seat, and head rest with space for helmet.

I picked up the seat second hand, brand new, from someone who couldn't fit it onto his Dahon. It's tough with foldies, but a few modifications (mainly to the setback distance to the seatpost) and we were in business out riding in East Coast Park that very same evening!

This video is the very first time that Ethan and Talia rode on the Brompton at the same time. Listen for squeals of joy! It makes it all worthwhile...

All three of us loved the experience of being together. Ethan and Talia are quite attached to one another, so this new experience of being with one another and with Daddy is quite a thrill. Of course the speed makes it all the much better, though needless to say since I was carrying an additional 35kg load it was slower than usual.

More recently, I took both of them out on a more adventurous urban outing. We did some short distances on roads from Pinnacle to Lau Pa Sat for a satay dinner, then on to Marina Bay Sands for the evening light show. It was a great success, especially since I had tweaked the setup and the tire pressure so we were much faster. It's just amazing how well the Brompton handled this load. As someone once wrote, "A folding bike with small wheels like this shouldn't be able to carry loads this well!" But it does... As we were eating satay, Talia looked over at our folded Brompton with two child seats contorted around it and proudly said, "That's our bike Dad!"

Tech note: Total weight < 110kg, front bracket = 15kg, rear seat 20kg with mounting point < 5cm to seat clamp minimizing moment loading. I wouldn't ride the bike daily like this, but for the occasional outing it seems well within Brompton tolerances.

Darling Daughter's Daddy Day

2011-08-28T21:55:00.002+08:00

It was our first extended Daddy Daughter Day outing. We had been out alone for a couple of goes before but this was to be a longer outing at the beach in Sentosa making use of our new Islander family membership.

The great thing about the Sentosa train is it's just one stop away from our home on the NE Line and we can bring daddy's Brompton in, complete with Talia's child seat attached.

First we played on the beach. It was great as it is 1 min walk from the foodcourt, showers and toilets. Talia could play in the sand me I could drink my morning "teh" and rest on a beach mat both under the shade of a tree on the beach!

After playing in the sand and splashing in the waves, Talia got a bit bored cos there were no other kids around. Unfortunately the water feature was closed for cleaning so we went off cycling and stopped to see the birds at Animal Encounters.

Caring brother

2011-08-16T08:56:00.003+08:00

Talia had another minor conk on her head in a wobbly moment and I decided to give her an ice pack for her head. Caring and concerned brother immediately came along and lovingly looked at the bumped head. Very sweet when he pulled back her hair for her and spoke very soothingly to her. Eventually I let him feel more involved by letting him hold the ice pack on her....a responsibility which he took quite seriously-- see pics below!

She- of course-- was revelling in all the love n attention and lapping up the attention by being a good patient.... See the face!

Needless to say the recovery was a speedy and happy one after all that TLC!!

Tanglin Tales

2011-07-22T08:03:00.000+08:00

An afternoon outing with Yeh Yeh and Ah Ma began with tea, continued with swimming and ended with dinner. It was a great day! It seems that Ethan was eyeing the Corona on the table, but in the end both kids were enamoured with the crisp bread which thy munched all the way home!

Bought and Paid For

2011-07-19T19:14:00.000+08:00

While the kids were in the supermarket trolley I playfully said, "I want to buy these children. How much are they?" Ethan promptly replied, "No, don't buy me! Jesus has already bought me!" We congratulated him on his good theology and began debating whether this was to be credited to WEFC PowerKids or BRMC Sunday School...

How to Relax and Fly Kites

2011-07-15T18:02:00.000+08:00

We got a new kite! A very easy to fly $12 angel fish...so easy in fact that Ethan figured he could sit, then lie down while holding the kite string! We had a great time and I really liked Ethan's way of kite flying cos you can look up and have a great view of all the fluttering dancing kites above you.

Pretty Girl

2011-07-14T16:54:00.000+08:00

Talia looks so pretty today she has her daddy smitten! We are on our way to fly kites at Marina Barrage and have stopped at this neighborhood playground to buy some food for dinner. Talia is fearlessly "balancing" on this rolling bar which you can't see in this photo. Pretty, athletic, and fearless, like one of Charlie's Angels!

Motorcycle Recycle

2011-07-12T01:07:00.000+08:00

We are the masters of recycled toys! Somehow we often manage to find good stuff that people throw out cos they don't know how or can't be bothered to fix them. We got 2 cars previously, one if which is still with us, and look what showed up downstairs yesterday! The toddlers motorbike was in great condition but not operating. Some electrical work, soldering, and a battery upgrade and voilà! It is now charging the high capacity battery to welcome Talia to her first motorbike. Yes, it is Talia's cos it is a little small for Ethan but somehow I think Brother will get a few rides in...

Flying Kites

2011-07-08T17:36:00.002+08:00

It was our first time ever flying kites and we had great fun trying! A beautiful hand-made and painted bird kite from Bali was high up in the air over Marina Barrage! Needless to say, the kids loved it! Ethan said his favourite part was holding the "red wheel" (the kite line) and wants to go again.

Baby Burgers

2011-07-06T12:07:00.013+08:00

I had the grand idea of making "mini burgers" for the kids the other day. They can't eat burgers like we usually do cos their mouths are too small! So I bought soft dinner rolls for buns and made home-made mini beef patties with rosemary, grilled with melted cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and topped with Daddy's special home-made tomato sauce.

"Wow!" said Ethan when he first saw his dinner waiting him. He promptly stacked the lettuce and mushrooms into his burger and took a big bite. When I gave him his second burger an audible "Ooooh!" and a clap of hands was all the appreciation a chef ever needed. Talia was less verbal about the food but I think that was because she was concentrating very hard as she was enthusiastically eating her baby burger. She has announcing her love for Daddy several times a day recently...which makes it very hard to leave the house to go to work! :)

Epic Adventure

2011-07-03T11:43:00.009+08:00

We did it! Another Father and Son trip and this time... an epic adventure. Daddy gave Ethan a huge surprise by taking him on an overnight train from Singapore to Kelantan then back again on the next day to arrive at 10pm 30 June 2011... the LAST train to arrive at Tanjong Pagar Railway Staiton before closing and ending it's long history.

I was a bit worried that only upper bunks were available for our trip. It made eating dinner a little more difficult but we still had a very happy and full meal of nasi lemak and Ethan absolutely loved his top bunk. I asked him if he needed me to cuddle him to sleep but he said, "No daddy, you go into your bed over there!" and he promptly closed the curtains and figured out the velcro closures for himself. He slept all the way through the night while I read my Kindle, and woke up several times worrying whether we would miss our 6.20am stop in a tiny town called Dabong in Kelantan, just south of the Thai border.

The next morning saw a sleepy Ethan and Daddy get off the train in the dark in Dabong. Ethan wondered why we were getting off when it was still "night time." Soon the day brightened up and we got ourselves tea-tarik, roti cenai, iced milo and fried eggs.

Daddy chose this stop because it gave us 3 hours to "hang around" before we got on the return train to Singapore at 9.30am. We had considered bringing our Brompton with child seat, but the unfamiliarities and chance of rain dissuaded us so we went simple instead and walked around the town seeing the school, the different looking houses, and Daddy teaching Ethan little by little what it means that things are "different but still nice" and why we sometimes go to different places to tell others that Jesus loves them! There were still some smells that Ethan didn't like though!

We made friends with Wan, the Gemas station master who invited us back to stay with him next time (no need hotel!) and visit the waterfall. His wife works at the coffeeshop next to the train station from whom we ordered more delicious nasi lemak to eat for lunch on the way home.

Wan showed Ethan and I the antique token machines that were still functioning. He operates them using morse code and removes the giant keys to exchange them with the train driver. This gives the train the "license" to run on a certain part of the track.

Where and how else would Ethan have gotten to play with 100+ year old token machines at a real train station! Amazing...

It was a 13 hour journey on the way back. Some may think it's a crazy thing to do with a toddler! We spent 13 hours overnight going up, then immediately came back 13 hours again. But it's totally different on a train than in a car or aeroplane. Ethan loved the whole experience. He did colouring activities, jumped off when train stopped to buy drinks and snacks, and of course played "Angry Birds" but Daddy tried to keep this to a minimum

One moment he was colouring, and the next I felt a little head slumped onto my shoulder. The colouring pencil was still clutched in his left hand. I laid him down flat on the chairs and took an empty seat behind him. With children, 2nd Class is better than first class cos there is no armrest in between the seats! He had a glorious 2 hour snooze while Daddy had his own quiet time, Kindle time, thinking time, and thankfulness time.

By the time we pulled into Singapore it was dark and things were getting festive on the train. Another carriage was a standing party while ours was quiet with various people chatting. An elderly Sri Lankan gentleman was telling a photo-journalist about how when he first took the KTM trains it was a luxury experience and there was a carriage with a bar and a restaurant which cooked whatever you wanted! We were witnessing the end of an era with the closing of Tanjong Pagar. As the train whizzed by, we could see people standing in their apartments watching the last train go by and waving to us! We stopped at Bukit Timah station and there was another train waiting for us to say "farewell" as they were heading up to Malaysia. Throngs of people were at the normally deserted station taking pictures. We got off the station and Ethan had his hand at "changing tracks!"

Mummy waited for us to congratulate the boys on our highly succesful epic adventure. Daddy's pocket was very pleased because the whole trip including food cost us only $90! It was certainly the most memorable, historic, cheapest, and intensive Father-Son trip ever!

Swimming Class

2011-06-30T10:37:00.001+08:00

Ethan is following in his sister's (brave) footsteps and has started swimming classes as well! We were not sure how he would fit in as the other kids in the class have been there for quite a long time and he is a little more cautious than his sister...... but he surprised us all by giving it his best shot even overcoming his aversion to getting his face in the water! He is now even able to do an assisted dive into the water and pick up little toys at the bottom of the pool! We think having positive peer influence and a good teacher really helped. ("I love Teacher Sam", he tells us quite often)

Here is the happy boy waiting for his swimming class to start. The classes continue even after we get home, when he then takes over Teacher Sam's role and patiently teaches his sister and bath toys the same excercises he learnt in the pool earlier!

Family Train Holiday

2011-06-29T11:41:00.000+08:00

The impending closure of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station motivated us to do what we had been talking about for a long time... take a family train ride into Malaysia! We booked a 5 hour ride into the small town of Gemas and had a great time with the kids who absolutely loved the whole experience.

Hotel Tropicana is a small, simple, and very clean hotel just 3 minutes walk from the train station. It's the perfect place to stay a night while you eat local food (oooh...the prata was so good!). There is even an air-conditioned KFC near the train station if you really need something kid friendly and safe. Ethan and Talia are great travellers and have fun doing and seeing new things. In the morning, Talia wanted to be in Ethan's bed so we tucked them in like the loving brother and sister they are.

The train ride back was neither too short nor too long. They watched TV, coloured books, looked at the window, and enjoyed eating snacks. "Mmmmm.... train food is yummy!" is something we kept hearing over and over again.

The train is a great place for kids and a bonding holiday cos you slow down and spend lots of time talking with each other. There were times when even Mummy and Daddy got time "alone" as Ethan and Talia happily played together on their own two seats. Other times it was Mummy-Daughter cuddle time... this was certainly how our nap time went.
All in all, it was such a great (and cheap) trip that Daddy thought perhaps he should even do it next week with Ethan just one more time before Tanjong Pagar closes...

Night Toilet Training

2011-06-28T20:37:00.002+08:00

We are proud that Ethan is pretty much in control of his toileting in the day time (that Good Boy chart was pretty good!) and we have recently started trying to train him to go to the toilet at night. He is quite a heavy sleeper so we are not sure how this will go but so far we have been waking him at around midnight before we go to sleep and take him to the toilet then. He's usually quite sleepy but cooperative enough to stand and pee at the appropriate time. We have also been trying to reduce his bedtime milk drink to only upon request. In the morning we have been telling him to make sure he pees in the toilet and not in the diaper!

So far we have been pleasantly surprised with quite a few dry diapers and only a couple of 'spillovers'! Well done son!

Festive Recollections

2011-06-18T21:26:00.004+08:00

We were so busy and tired out during Chinese New Year this year that we didnt get a chance to post these cute pics of Ethan & Talia doing the Tea Ceremony on the first morning of CNY. This was their first time at offering tea (cold Chrysanthemum tea) to their parents & elders and they did really well without spilling anything! Ethan, of course, was the Master of the tea pot while Talia looked attentively on....

They then took turns carefully offering us the tea....

......before finally being rewarded with their ang pows -- comprising of 2 golden chocolate coins for the joy of instant gratification!

They did great at Yeh Yeh & Ah Mah's place as well.....and seemed to enjoy the visiting of relatives as well! Here they are enjoying their first lollipop ever!

Singapore Art Museum (Part 2)

2011-06-15T11:39:00.001+08:00

More interesting exibits at the Art Museum -- here they are appreciating the solar powered "flowers" on the wall.....

You may just be able to make out a happy Talia dashing around these "trees" and scribbling on them with the markers provided.....

Happiness is decorating a giant cake for Mummy!

This one must have been Talia's favourite!

Ethan, on the other hand, had a great time building train tracks and watching them run and eventually collide into each other around him.....

They even had a tiny stage where he proudly sang to the rest of the gallery at the top of his voice and did a little joy jig for his Mummy Dearest! They are now big fans of the Museum!

Singapore Art Museum

2011-06-15T10:45:00.000+08:00

We went to the Singapore Art Museum with 2 kids and minus 2 wisdom teeth from Daddy's extraction yesterday.

In this special exhibit many things are interactive and you can play with the exhibits. Young children are free but we had to pay $10/adult.

Cooling off

2011-05-26T17:29:00.000+08:00

It's been simmering these last few weeks so here we are at the water playground at Nex Mall. The kids are loving it and were thrilled on the train ride up too! Cheap n good fun!

The Apprentice

2011-05-23T16:48:00.002+08:00

Daddy has a young apprentice who deeply respects his work and has a keen interest to learn and help out as much as possible. Here they are putting on the finishing touches on a modified bike seat. Like any good apprentice he takes the art of craftsmanship very seriously (look at the face!)

The Poser

2011-05-19T20:39:00.000+08:00

Ethan has been striking different poses for photos, finding that he adds variety to the resulting ensemble. We went another "Night Cycling and Satay Outing" during whin Ethan insisted on eating biscuits after the Marina Bay light show cos that's what we did the last time!

Loving It

2011-05-19T07:53:00.001+08:00

Guess who just loves her swimming!

A Loving Drive

2011-05-15T16:30:00.002+08:00

Our two critters were in a good mood this morning with lots of love and affection for each other. Here they are sharing a single seated Barney car after church... Quite sweet!

Tender Heart

2011-05-09T22:27:00.000+08:00

Did you know a little boy can get so sad thinking about missing his Daddy that he throws up? Indeed these sheets look clean now but a short while ago...

We were having a nice bedtime, finished reading, and lying in Daddy's bed waiting for Talia to fall asleep in the kids room. I had earlier told Ethan that Daddy was going to East Timor next week and that I would miss him very much. After a long silence Ethan mournfully said, "I will miss you Dad," and a distressed sadness came over his face. His eyes were glistening and the edges of his mouth drooped down. "Ethan, are you sad?" He nodded as tears dripped down his cheeks. I hugged him and he began weeping, then coughing, then all of a sudden I was covered in penne, cheddar cheese, beef, tomatoes and once roasted vegetables that didn't smell nearly as good as it had 2 hours earlier! What a tender heart...hope he'll be okay while I am away!

Taxi Driver

2011-05-09T12:11:00.000+08:00

Our son seems to have a knack for knowing how to relax and look like he is really enjoying himself. Work intensely, play intensely, and relax intensely...he gets this from both mummy and daddy! He does look like a taxi driver napping in his car though...

Dear Talia

2011-05-08T23:46:00.000+08:00

Dear Talia,

Today you woke up from your nap with a plaintive cry. "I want Daddy!" you cried. Mummy carried you to me and you calmed down instantly when you put your head on my shoulder and gave me big hug. You stayed there for a long time and I just closed my eyes and soaked in your presence. I wrote to you when you were first born than I would be here to watch over you and protect you my sweetie. I remembered this when I looked at this picture of you holding me. I am so glad that you wanted your Daddy and came ti me. I will be ready for a hug from you any time my dearest daughter. Love,

Daddy

Night Cycling with Ethan

2011-05-07T00:44:00.002+08:00

We had a Father-Son outing today specially planned on Daddy's Brompton with the child seat Ethan barely fits in! We set off from home just before 7pm and made our way to Lau Pa Sat where we promptly consumed 7 and 13 sticks of satay. Ethan really loves satay and this famous location does not disappoint!

The last few sticks were gobbled quickly so we could continue cycling to the Marina Bay Sands light show at 8pm which was excellent and great fun. More cycling, eating cookies while watching the skyline and seeing the sights ended a great evening together, though Ethan did have to swallow the news that Daddy is going away next week to East Timor. It was all topped off by night-time cuddles and a sleepy 4 year old who curled up in Daddy's bed to conclude this special night together.

Swim Class

2011-05-06T15:28:00.001+08:00

Ethan is now in a Saturday swim class with some other K1 boys. They've
been at it longer than him though, so he has some catching up to do.
The swim coach is an Aussie chap, and Ethan seems to understand his
accent and like the friendly fellow! Here is Ethan at one of his first
few classes with Daddy in the pool with Ethan for the first time.

At The Cross

2011-05-03T22:36:00.001+08:00

Ethan took an immediate liking to a gift that Daddy received in his recent Korea trip. He promptly laid the small wooden cross on the bedroom floor, kneeled down an prayed a beautiful prayer to Jesus! I was too slow to get that on photographed, but he tried out a few positions and I managed to take this one saying thank you to Jesus for bringing Daddy home safely.

Sentosa Boardwalk Cycling

2011-05-02T16:51:00.003+08:00

It was a drizzly day but we were sure glad we got out and brought the kids with bikes to Sentosa Boardwalk. It's a wonderful stretch and they great fun with the travellators and cycling on the deck, especially on the gentle ramps by the ocean.

The girls were not left out of the fun and Talia did extremely well navigating the wet surfaces and slopes.

Talia's Chopsticks

2011-05-01T16:11:00.000+08:00

Talia is just marvelous with her chopsticks! Sometimes it seems like mind over matter as I don't know how she manages to deftly get her food with them. She loves using them and I dare say she is more capable with them than her big brother!

Talia's Brompton Ride

2011-04-30T16:42:00.000+08:00

Talia got an early Saturday morning at East Coast Park on Daddy's Brompton with Goo Ma and friends! It was a special Daddy-Daughter outing while Ethan went to Ah Ma's house for the morning. Daddy is particularly pleased with the DIY seat that fits Talia so well and the fact that the kids took to doing separate things without fuss. Talia was very quiet and sleepy the whole ride but otherwise seemed to enjoy the experience. The best part is the increased "Daddy, I love you!" exclamations and signs of affection I got showered with afterwards.

School Together

2011-04-08T22:57:00.008+08:00

Talia has started School this year!

Up till now, she had to watch longingly while her brother trooped off to an exciting place called School with Mummy or Daddy while she got left behind. This year she can happily join her brother, while he, of course is pleased with the new company with whom he can now travel with! Here they are on their first day of school.

Of course, things changed once Talia got to school and realized they would be in different classes! She started crying when Ethan went off to his class....and was quite inconsolable for a long time.... It was pretty heartbreaking to see her cry so much especially since most of her other classmates seemed so much calmer! The inevitable "I'm a bad mother" guilt trips & "what could I have done better" thoughts that every mum goes through was emotionally draining but with Ivan's calming effect, we persevered and tried to make school mornings as fun as possible, and by the end of the week, the tears had pretty much cleared up! Phew!

Wasn't able to take many photos of Talia in her first week as she was crying through most of it, but here are a couple of happy moments in that difficult week!

Model Subject

2011-03-29T16:05:00.001+08:00

Ethan was so amenable to this haircut that I took this picture with his hairdresser...or should I say "stylist." Both she and I were quite happy with how handsome the model subject turned out. He especially likes getting wax or gel in his hair, spiking it up a little so he looks just like daddy. Very soon any imitation of Daddy's hairstyles will be a distant and embarrassing memory for him!

Afternoon Naps

2011-02-21T09:42:00.000+08:00

These afternoon naps are always better in good company. Talia flopped over onto her brother on a lazy Chinese New Year afternoon and both kept right on sleeping.

Saturday Fun

2011-02-20T10:46:00.000+08:00

It's a nice Saturday morning with some relax time with the kids as they ride bikes and play together at Duxton Plain Park near our home. Ethan and Talia really love each others company...and Daddy's too of course.

Little Cyclist

2011-01-31T20:43:00.000+08:00

Talia has been turning heads wherever she rides cos our neighbors haven't seen such a small girl balancing on a 2 wheeler before. She is just so cute in her helmet and bike. Even though Ethan whizzes by and is very handsome on his bike, Talia still grabs more attention as she scoots along trying catch her brother.

Chip off the Old Block

2011-01-29T19:40:00.002+08:00

It was quite some time ago that we dressed Ethan up in his snazzy "Comme Ca" shirt. It even had a tie and pullover interacts into the shirt. We chose Sunday so he looked just like daddy! As you can see, we love each other very much!

It's Just Lunch

2011-01-28T10:53:00.000+08:00

It was one of those last minute decisions that turned an ordinary moment into a great memory. It was our day off, so Daddy was at home and Ethan and Talia were about to have their mid-day meal. Why don't we bring the kids' lunch downstairs for a no-fuss picnic?

They rode their toy scooter and tricycle down and we brought a picnic basket and towel for a mat. It was a cool and windy day. "Mmmm... yummy!" They exclaimed as they ate their ordinary porridge and sipped their everyday water bottles. Things always taste better al-fresco! It all lasted only 30 wonderful minutes, but it was the best and simplest lunch-time picnic ever!

Oh yeah, it was a nice change and a sort of mini-lunch-date-with-kids for Mum and Dad!

Better When Smiling

2011-01-26T00:05:00.001+08:00

My two boys have lots in common. They both love using their computer and they have furrowed brows ridged with much intensity when concentrating!

When they do look up and smile they look much better! It's hard to figure out how much Ethan copies from his Daddy and how much is just naturally him!

The Urban Playground

2011-01-25T13:16:00.002+08:00

Pockets of fun can be had if you are creative and easy going. The kids know no difference between cheap and expensive outings as they just like being together and having fun.

We took our bikes (Daddy's included) and cycled to get a haircut the other day at our friendly neighborhood hair dresser. At the increased $10/adult Chinese New Year price it is still a bargain. While waiting our turn Ethan and Talia frolicked on the not so clean toy outside. I've been teaching Ethan that these can be just as much fun without putting coins in if we make up our own sounds and actions, and Talia is getting in the act too. I think it's much healthier than hankering for coins whenever we come across these ubiquitous playthings.

The Little Traffic Light

2011-01-24T13:15:00.000+08:00

There's a unique little traffic light at the bottom of Pearl's Hill that Ethan liked the look of. It only allows cars one of either direction at any one time since the single road going up is so narrow. We parked here on the way home from school to eat our favorite La Mien from northern China, located at a one-man-show, hole-in-the-wall, corner shop in the more easily accessible Pearl's Centre. Ethan eats 2/3 of a bowl while Daddy happily gobbles 1 1/3 bowls!

Marina Bay City Park

2011-01-22T19:32:00.005+08:00

Today was a rare Sat morning that we didn't have to work on so we took the kids out for a fun bike ride on Marina Bay! Weather was great and it's such a beautiful bay to explore.... Plus parking at Marina Link Mall is now free for 4 hrs on weekends with any purchase from the mall!

Ethan is now very agile on his bike and Talia surprised us by balancing for about 4-5 secs on a downhill slope! She loves her little bike and is impossible to keep her off it when she sees Ethan riding.

We had a great time cooling off in the air-conditioned comfort of the Marina Bay City Gallery where they loved playing with the interactive display model of the whole Marina Bay area! Here they are sitting below a huge touchscreen which we dubbed the Giant iPhone! There was even a large contingent of design students from Kuala Lumpur who eagerly snapped pictures of Talia on her little bike, cooed "How cute!" and asked me where I got the balance bike from.

Talia's Brompton Bike Seat

2011-01-06T23:00:00.001+08:00

I have been having such joy with my Brompton folding bike that I wanted Talia to be able to join me in the fun. After some Internet research I discovered that there were no child seats available for a compact folding bike like mine, but there were some references to people who modified seats to fit on to the front luggage rack!

First, a proof of concept was done my strapping a portable high chair to my front luggage frame. This is an alloy frame that normally holds a bag securely and locks it to a special holder on the bicycle frame. Instead of my normal luggage, I attached my daughter! Talia enjoyed the short ride downstairs very much but this "fabric only" seat was only suitable for a short test. It showed that leg clearance was adequate, Talia sits low and in front in such a way that the centre of gravity makes for very stable riding, and her position does not impede my cycling leg stroke.

I then went to purchase a proper child seat. I settled on an inexpensive $35 seat that suited itself to modification and installation on my Brompton. We did a longer test at East Coast Park (with Talia's helmet - she just doesn't have it on here before the ride) and it was a success!

From a folding bike about which shop owners say, "You can't put a bike seat on that!" to the best bike seat position available! No standard bike could have the benefits of mass distribution, stability of ride, quick seat removal, view of child by adult rider, and excellent view by child that this has! And at less than $40 including modifications! Plus, the seat can even stays on when the bike is folded...amazing Brompton design! It's been so good that I am continuing to improve it with further modifications so more pics and cycling escapades with Talia coming soon! This could be a good Daddy-Daughter activity to do together...

Little Chef

2011-01-03T19:54:00.002+08:00

One of Ethan's all time favourite pastimes is cooking! He has an extensive collection of toy salads, meats, breads, desserts, fruits and even ice-creams! The innovative chef also improvises as he goes along, using transparent containers as 'blenders', drawers for 'ovens' and socks as 'oven gloves'! We've slowly been enlisting his & Talia's help for some simple dishes like Chawan Mushi, bread and pizza but we are looking forward to the day he can cook us dinner one night a week!

Good Boy Progress

2011-01-03T11:33:00.001+08:00

It's now about 2 months since we put up the Good Boy & Good Girl Chart and we are happy to report significant progress on the toilet training situation! There are still some spills and setbacks during periods of illness or intense concentration, but Ethan really has become a lot better at peeing in the toilet regularly. Ironically he is better at this when we are out of the house! Having a nice new set of handsome underwear also helps as well. However, he still needs adult reminders to go every few hours or after a big drink....so we still need the chart around!

Talia's New Bed

2011-01-02T17:28:00.001+08:00

It's not entirely new but Talia's bed has been reconfigured to a child bed with some drilling work. It's now just nice for her to climb in and out of. Ethan and Talia love the new look and they love napping and bedtime together now too.

Chocolate that Reduces Fever

2010-12-30T23:38:00.002+08:00

Ethan had a very high fever today. For the past 2 days he has been taking his fever liquid medicine with screams, tears, and yells. Today he went up to 38.6 degrees so I held him and force fed him while he cried and begged me not to do it. It was awful and I felt terrible doing it.

Later in the evening I decided to try something different. I crushed some of my adult ibuprofen and slipped it in my home made mushroom soup. It worked! He lapped up all his soup and his fever went down. When he went to bed, I began my own drug lab to make palatable medicine that he would gladly take at any time. Here is my recipe...

Melt 6 pieces of chocolate in a small bowl. I used Toblerone in my Sharp Supersteam oven. Crush 3 Ibuprofen tablets in a small plastic bag using a mallet or hammer. Mix powder into melted chocolate. Line 6 slots in an ice cube tray with squares of aluminum foil. Spoon chocolate-Ibuprofen mixture into the 6 molds. This provides half an adult dose per chocolate, suitable for children. Set in fridge. When it becomes hard, wrap up the foil and store in labelled container. Serve to feverish children as a lovely treat!

Father and Son: Journeying and Learning

2010-12-28T13:42:00.001+08:00

Article I wrote with picture selected for church bulletin:

I learn a lot from my relationship with my now four-year old son. Insights don't usually come automatically, but are the rewards of a change of pace and activity, some slowing down and some reflection.

One insight I had early this year was how my relationship with Ethan made a difference to things deep in my own heart that are there due to my non-existent relationship with my biological father. I wrote these things down to show Ethan one day... to tell him how in some amazing God-orchestrated way, I found healing in giving him the kind of love that I yearned for but never had in my relationship with my Dad. I'm sure this does some good for my relationship with my heavenly Father, but I can't put that in words just yet. I'm just very thankful for God's amazing healing ways, and that we can start new fresh legacies in our families because we have been made new in Christ.

As I write this, I am sitting in Changi Airport with Ethan. He just fell asleep in the stroller as we wait to get on the airplane to Bali. It's a special trip for two reasons. First, it's a reunion of my university Christian fellowship. This was where I first came to know Christ some 18 years ago. Second, I'm taking this 5 days 4 night trip with just Ethan so it's a "Father-Son Trip" as well. Intentionally building relationships, even with our own children, feels like risky business sometimes. Now is one of those times. I have lots of nervous anticipation and excitement about the days ahead without mummy whom we both depend upon so much, often without realizing it or appreciating her. I'm hopeful and prayerful for indelible memories and a deeper bond that will be a cornerstone of the foundation of our father-son relationship in the year ahead. I'm also looking for more learning about myself and Ethan. The kind that comes from thinking about things and reflecting. Writing these words is part of that hopeful and prayerful process that God would teach me, and you reading this, how to be a good father and a good son.

Bali: A Father and Son Travelogue

2010-12-27T11:07:00.003+08:00

We are beginning our Bali father and son trip. Goo Ma took us to the airport and here we are enjoying Ya Kun before checking in. Ethan is very much looking forward to it, and Daddy is filled with nervous anticipation.

Blankies are the best! Ethan had a short nap before we got on the plane and is now rearing to go. We are taking off now...

Ethan saw me completing the immigration forms and asked for his passport he could work on things too!

Padmore Resort is a really nice and very big resort! Here is Ethan enjoying the great room. He already said that the bathtub was really nice and while we were walking around looking for dinner gushed, "This is the best hotel ever!"

We had a great day which included a quick swim, snacks by the pool and a late dinner with old friends. Ethan loosened up with the older kids after a while and all were having a whale of a time. It was great to see so much warmth and fun and we've only been here half a day!

One year ago Ethan and I did a one night father-son trip in JB. That time the bedtime was hardest. What a difference now! He was such a good boy and listened to everything daddy said. Upon seeing the welcome fruit platter he asked, "Apple! Can I have some apple daddy?" I offered to cut it for him but he likes to munch on it whole. "Do you think it will be nice with the milk we bought today daddy?" I assured him that I thought it would be great, so here he is just before story time and nap time! That's "bear bear" whom he tucked in beside himself by the way...

We chartered a big bus today for almost 20 of us including kids. Ethan had a great view of happenings up front and there was even a microphone he could use to make his announcements. He pretended it was a train and that he was the conductor. He kept saying "All aboard!" and "People, we are arriving at Terminal 3!" I'm sure his favorite part of the whole excursion today is the bus itself!

Today was a bit hard on daddy because we travelled a lot with a schedule not tailored to young kids and it rained quite a bit. Overall though, Ethan was well behaved and he slept in my lap while we were on the road taking 2 short naps today.

Like I said, yesterday was a bit tough with the rain and a little boy who doesn't like getting one grain of sand in his crocs. He wasn't too enthused with this particular outing but overall loved the bus trip and all the friends.

Our room and the standalone bath is really great! Last night we had a bubble bath which Ethan really enjoyed as you can see!

It was a great way to clean up after a long bus outing during which he played conductor, made announcements, and sold ice cream to everyone who would pay "91 cents" for the flavor of their choice. He stopped at one point in the bath, smiled with a look of remembrance and said, "Everyone says I'm a good conductor Daddy!" I truthfully assured him this was so. Though I offered him a swimming day with Daddy the day after, he eagerly wanted to be on the bus with everyone!

Just before the bath I scolded Ethan rather fiercely for not wanting to brush his teeth. The blood drained from his face and he started crying, "I want mummy!" This was enough to terrify any grown man. So I hugged him until he calmed down. Later he said in a very calm way, "I want mummy and Talia." I reminded him that this was a special boys holiday and he sweetly said in a non-complaining voice, "I like my family with everyone." He is very happy with Daddy and j thunk he will go back loving Mummy and Talia even more. I think this is a great thing about trips like this.

The next morning we did something totally new... Jetskiing! Here we are pictures in our jetski togs. After Ethan complained about sand and diet yesterday, I was a bit worried today especially as it was drizzling and not the sunny day we had hoped for! But Ethan ran on the beak into the water ad hopped onto the "water motorcycle" which is what I told him it was. When we took off he literally screamed with joy and laughter that could be heard over the waves! The overpriced $15 ride for 10 min was worth every rupiah!

After cleaning up we ate home made kueh lapis and Korean strawberry ice-cream. I didn't mind the long traffic jam afterwards as Ethan napped for 1 hour in my arms on the way to a late lunch.

Having dried off from jet-skiing the gang went shopping. Since we have Indonesians in our reunion group we get to go to local places so here we are. We bought 2 big beautiful kites and 2 tiny oil paintings of a cat and dog. Ethan and Talia each get one for play and to decorate their bedroom. Ethan thinks about his sister very often and loves to get things for her. Here he is after the shopping trip superbly entertaining himself with drawing while we waited for the ladies to finish their shopping.

Ethan and I had great fun today. It was the first non-rainy day since we got here so it was a great day for the pool. We met an Australian who went to the same high school as Daddy and Ethan played with their 2 pretty girls. They were both jumping off the ledge into the pool which Ethan tried, but this new feat was trickier than anticipated cos the poor fella jumped straight up instead of forward, landed square on his rump then slid into the water! Howls of "Daddy, my bum bum!" were mixed with my comfort and laughter at this unfortunate accident!

We did some coloring after that and the 2 Aussie girls eagerly joined in. Three year old Hannah was really cute and chatty. I think she took more of a liking to me than to Ethan, and asked me to sit next to her at breakfast tomorrow!

After I checked out of the hotel, I gave Ethan his colouring book to entertain himself. He asked me how to spell "Talia" and after I said the letters he wrote out his sisters name and proudly showed it to me. I was impressed with his writing ability and told him so, but I loved him loving and missing his sister which I told him so! I think this Father-Son trip is good for their sibling relationship too!

We left the hotel and went on a driving excursion with friends before I had to go to the airport. On the way, the adults were having a lively discussion and Ethan was the only child in our car. He started putting his hand over my mouth and saying "Shhh Daddy!" After a few rounds of this interruption I asked, "Ethan, we're talking. Why don't you want Daddy to speak?" He looked up at me with large round eyes and patiently explained, "Because I want you to talk to me Daddy."

After a long flight we have finally arrived. I was exhausted cos when Ethan sleeps, I keep an eye to make sure he is safe. On the plane when I try to sleep I get prying fingers on my eyelids and a a cute voice saying, "Wake up Daddy! Don't sleep!"

On the way back from Bali it was really sweet to hear Ethan talk a lot about his sister whom he said he missed. In fact he was rather disappointed to learn that she would be asleep when he got home and he could only talk to her in the morning. Peals of laughter could be heard the next morning and both of them raced into our room and climbed into our bed early in the morning in celebration of this joyous reunion!

Girls' Holiday

2010-12-22T23:48:00.001+08:00

While the Boys are off having their holiday, the Girls have been having some cuddly & fun bonding time as well. Talia loves animals and often pretends to be one at home, so we went to the Zoo for our Girls outing. When I asked her what animals she wanted to see she said "Giraffe and snails"! But she seemed most thrilled to see the Zebras! Here she is enjoying the sight of the stripey Zebras having their breakfast.
She tends to tire quite easily especially now that she is having a cold, but we managed to get in a great time at the Kid's Water playground and some lunch before she fell asleep in my arms on the tram ride back. I'm enjoying the special time with her and since I am also clearing leave, it's nice that its quite unrushed and I can go at her pace (rather than have to make sure she fits into our hectic one!) It's been wonderful bonding time but she often remembers her Daddy and Brother and I think we all appreciate each other a lot more after this!

Girls Outing

2010-12-20T00:06:00.000+08:00

Ethan said that the girls were having their own holiday while us boys were enjoying ours. Indeed they are! Well, an outing at least if not a holiday.

Talia has been eagerly watching her brother zip around expertly on his Kettler balance bike and has been wanting to try. After some research and hunting I got her a Strider balance bike using soon her forth-coming Christmas ang-pows from grandparents! That's the logic anyway. Here she is on day 2 with her lovely helmet from Goo Ma. Mummy took her cycling. She can now put on her own helmet! But was quite busy with this new skill so she kept stopping to put it on and take it off! Quite posey even at 2 years old eh?

Kids by the Bay

2010-12-18T12:15:00.000+08:00

We had a little family walk by the recently and Ethan and Talia now don't mind posing for photos! It's so sweet when they love and take care of one another... makes mummy and daddy's hearts glow with joy.

Tomorrow Ethan will fly to Bali with Daddy for a 4D3N trip which is Daddy's university Christian fellowship reunion. Father and son will have a grand time but it will be longest we've been without mummy and Talia by far. The last one was 2 years ago when we went to JB for one night. That had such great memories so we are hopeful of weaving great new ones on this trip.

Loving It

2010-12-15T23:23:00.001+08:00

Ethan loves typing away on Mummy's new iPhone. So far the notepad application is his favourite. We're hoping it stays that way as long as possible. Ethan knows his alphabet, can write almost all of the letters ("S" is still quite tough), but is of course still slow to find them on a keyboard. What was really cool in this photo was that Daddy was also lying next to Ethan wearing exactly the same shorts and playing with his iPhone...but we could not show that of course!

Ready for School

2010-12-10T00:46:00.001+08:00

Talia is all excited about going to school with her brother next year. Here she is kitted out in her brand new uniform. The dress looks almost ankle length but it's actually the smallest size and supposed to be knee-length. Talia is just a bit small though she is strong and is talking so well. She looks so grown up in this picture and speaks full sentences now. We remember when Ethan first went to school he only grunted and pointed energetically to get his needs communicated to the world.

Best of Friends

2010-12-09T08:09:00.000+08:00

After a nice breakfast and playing on the bed together, Ethan and Talia moved to playing "baby." Funny thing is Ethan is the baby and Talia gets him milk, tells him not to cry and pats him. He crawls, kisses her and says than you. Here they are enjoying each others company on the sofa after Daddy suggested that Talia read a book for her baby!

Playing at Marche, 313 Somerset

2010-12-08T15:24:00.000+08:00

After the most harrowing and horrendously tiring Christmas shopping at Robinsons, Ethan and I are having a nice pit stop at Marche.

Mummy is sick so just us boys went out. Lunch was at a jam packed food in Centrepoint after which we went back to Robinsons where Ethan slept all the way through the 30 min queue to pay the cashier and was a good boy all day. We found a great lunch set at Marche. This is a much needed respite after all my emotional energy was taken up battling crowds, watching Ethan, and gawking at high prices! This Marche has a great play area and being right at Somerset MRT with great $7.90 meal and drink, I think I will come back here...

Ethan "Armstrong" Liew

2010-12-06T13:20:00.007+08:00

Ethan is really getting into cycling and is thus becoming more and more like Daddy! It's funny how he is scared to climb high things in the playground but he is undaunted by speed, balance, and steering. He's taken to his balance bike really well so much so that 2 year old Talia is really keen to have a go even though she's too short! Daddy is looking on eBay for a good quality 16" bicycle (pedals this time) preferably with pedal brakes. Trek Mystic 16 anyone?

Mr Preppy

2010-12-04T12:11:00.000+08:00

Ethan looks ready for some British prep school with this shirt and his studious look! He had just finished writing DADDY and is now drawing a daddy.

Goo with Gumption

2010-12-02T11:28:00.000+08:00

Cousin Josie is in town and the kids are having the greatest fun with home made "play-dough." It really is true that the cheapest home made stuff is the most precious and memorable which makes the extra effort required most worth it!

Good Boy & Good Girl Chart

2010-11-21T13:15:00.001+08:00

Here's the latest addition to our efforts at Toilet training! Been tired of washing pee-filled pants (& socks & shoes) so we have put up a Good Boy & Good girl chart to reward Good boys & girls who pee & poo in the right place! They get a star for each successful pee & after 5 stars they can get a little snack reward! Fortunately they love it and we have already had 15 stars for Ethan in 3 days! Big change from the horrible tantrums some pple threw when it was time to go toilet.... only to pee in his pants minutes later......
Hopefully this will be the beginning of a wonderful new chapter ofless diapers & happier toilet experiences! Thanks to Roy for helpingto print the nice colour photos of what Good Boys & Girls do!

Gong Gong's 70th Birthday

2010-10-10T22:22:00.006+08:00

Gong Gong is 70! We celebrated with the family with Auntie Ruth & Josie, (Grand) Uncle Donald & Auntie Junie, travelling from Sydney for the birthday dinner.
Then we took a week off in Phuket for our own celebration time together! This was one of the nice dinners we had on a (steep!) cliff overlooking the sea & sunset.
The cousins had a nice time together too. Ethan took this photo of the girls while they were engrossed in picking leaves.
They loved the nice beach just in front of our hotel and spent half a morning building sandcastles in the sand. Ethan particularly enjoyed the building and made an "Octopus Castle" with his favourite octopus sand mould.

The girls enjoyed it too although it took a little warming up for them to get into it.....

Fortunately grandparents are very patient people and helped the little ones to explore the beach.....

.....but the pool was the main highlight of the holiday! EVERYONE enjoyed splashing, jumping, playing and even swimming! Here is Ethan as he catches her sister in the "Crocodile Game" where she jumps into the water and into one of our arms (without her floaties). It was great to see Talia's fearlessness, Ethan's confidence in catching his sister and the sisterly trust she had in him. We were also amazed to see the fruits of Talia's swimming lessons as she paddled effortlessly around the small pool with her floats & occasional face in the water! Was nice to see her love of water & fearlessness rub off on Ethan and a little on Josie as they decided they could do it too! (well, without the face in the water bit!)

All in all, it was a great week of family bonding and catching up with family & cousins we don't often get the chance to spend time with. What a great way to celebrate Gong Gong's Birthday!

Kid's Birthdays

2010-10-01T20:57:00.000+08:00

Ethan and Talia are now 4 and 2! This year, Ethan articulated that he wanted to celebrate his birthday with his classmates "with a cake, and then everyone will stand near me!" So we had a simple celebration in his class and he clearly enjoyed the princely treatment for the day! All his friends crowded around him to admire his cake and wish him a happy birthday.....no wonder he is looking forward to his 5th birthday already!
We decided to celebrate both their birthdays together as they are only 2 weeks apart, and share mostly the same friends at this stage. Here is the birthday Boy & Girl looking very focused on their birthday cake lovingly and freshly baked by Ah Mah (it was still warm when it came!) It's in the shape of a horseshoe so both got their own corners to blow out their own candles!

Daddy was away on Talia's actual birthday so we celebrated simply at home with some candles on birthday muffins followed by a fun-filled outing to West Coast Park. Sometimes the simple things are often the best and the kids had a great time playing with the sand and each other there. After playing out in the hot afternoon sun, they got a special ice-cream treat to cool off! Daddy happened to call us from the US while we were having ice-creams and Ethan was so excited he called him "Ice-Cream Daddy"!

Discovering Our Backyard

2010-08-27T00:00:00.004+08:00

We've been exploring our new neighbourhood and found that One Fullerton & the Marina Bay area is a short 5 min bus ride from our home! It's a really nice place to stroll around with the kids or just sit and have a nice coffee or brunch.

We didn't think we would be living this close to such iconic symbols of Singapore!

Talia's a little more appreciative of the scenery than her brother is. He looked quite unimpressed -- until we found some amazing automatic doors in the underpass that open & close once you step into the range of its sensor...... You should have seen the glee on their faces when they realised the power they now unleashed on the auto doors! Best backyard in the World!

Little Tiger

2010-08-26T23:43:00.003+08:00

We have a little Tiger in our lush jungle. She is small but can roar quite sweetly.

Tigers have been quite popular among our critters of late. They had a great time watching the tigers at the zoo some weeks ago and Talia 'chatted' with them by roaring cheerfully back at them! She seemed to be amazed with how big the real ones were and said "Big!" with outstreched arms to emphasize her point!

We also took Tiger Airways for our recent family trip to Phuket and the kids were thrilled to be in an airplane with a tiger on it! Now every plane they see is "Tiger Aeroplane!".......They probably think that Tiger is the best airline in the world!!!

Swim Classes

2010-07-26T21:22:00.002+08:00

Most kids enjoy the great fun of splashing around in pools but when I saw the sparkle in Talia's eyes when we brought her swimming, I just knew she was a natural water baby! Here she is splashing around in Goo Ma's nice pool......

So we signed her up for Swimming classes at Jane Marsden's Swim School and she's really taken to it very well. In fact, the lessons are the highlight of her week and she loves going swimming every Monday! I was quite amazed she was hardly fussed about getting her face wet or even going "under" the water. (although we had to remind her to close her mouth!) Even her swim teacher is quite amazed at how fearless she is with water and its really a joy to see her in the water. Here she is happily "lying down" on the water (which is not easy to get most kids to do!)

I'm really glad we brought her for these lessons..... will have to work out some time to do the same for Ethan soon. He enjoys the water but is a tad more cautious about water than his sister!

Sausages and Rosti

2010-07-18T17:50:00.000+08:00

We had a surprisingly nice evening out recently when Ethan accompanied me to the office in the evening. We visited a friend in the evening and I asked him whether he wanted sausages for dinner. "Yeah sausages!" came the enthusiastically affirmative reply. So off we headed to a small stall in Woodlands that serves great sausages and rosti. We had french fries for an appertizer and a great father-son time for both of us!

First Time at the Dentist

2010-07-04T21:02:00.005+08:00

It has been quite some time since we've been to the dentist...about one year overdue. It was also due to the fact that we were looking to change our dentist as our previous one wasn't very child friendly and we wanted Ethan to have a good visit. At just the right time, we found out about one of Renata's church members so off we went...

Mister Dentist was really good! First, he met Ethan in the waiting room where the little fella was playing with all the cool toys. There Mr. Dentist "counted" his teeth using the familiar 1 to 10 that toddlers know so well. Of course he wasn't really counting, but making Ethan feel comfortable with something familiar. After this was done, he brought Ethan and sat him in the dental chair. It was a fascinating world for Ethan with the myriad of gadgets, lights and various computer screens around. He was allowed to press the buttons to lower the chair and down he went into the lying down position. Ethan got kids sunglasses to protect his eyes. "Hands up," Mr. Dentist said. Ethan stretched his hands above his head which were promptly held and used to pull him up to the right position. He looked so funny in that big chair we were stifling our laughter.

The firm yet sensitive-to-toddler instructions continued and we were amazed at how readily Ethan opened his mouth and let Mr. Dentist examine all his teeth. When it came time to polishing, he let Ethan press the button so that he could "control" the sound and not let it frighten him. He allowed Ethan to choose which toothpaste he would use. "Cars" was the final selection after which Mr. Dentist used it to polish Ethan's fingernail so he could feel what it was like before it went into this mouth. "Taste it now" he said, and Ethan did. "Does it taste good?" A quick nod was sufficient affirmation and the dental visit continued!

So it was a superb visit overall and so much better than we imagined! We can certainly recommend this dentist for your kids. He was gentle yet also firm at times so there was no nonsense from Ethan throughout! Ethan even left with a toy. "That really was fun Ethan!" I said. "Do you want to come back again?" A grin and a nod signified that was indeed an unqualified success!

Friends of the Zoo

2010-06-29T21:19:00.004+08:00

We are now Friends of the Zoo! And so is Goo Ma too! This means we get to go to the Zoo unlimited times for a year. It's a great place for a family outing and the kids love going there. We also get free tram rides on weekdays which is great on the legs and lots of fun for the kids!

There's nothing like getting up close to the animals and here they are happily watching the turtles swimming in the tank......

Talia was thrilled to see the monkeys, butterflies and bats in the rainforest enclosure.......most of the butterflies she had seen before were on the pages of her books!

And here's the latest addition to the zoo's impressive bat collection!

Of course the main highlight of most kids visiting the Zoo has got to be the water playground! It's one of the best water playgrounds around and no one ever gets tired of it. Here is Talia flashing a spunky grin before changing up into her swimsuit for a splashing good time.....

Our Friends of the Zoo card gets us a discount on the F&B outlets there too. Look how far a little Ben & Jerries goes in making a holiday feel complete!

Father & Sons of the Zoo

2010-06-24T17:26:00.000+08:00

We're having a great time at the zoo this afternoon. I roused a sleepy little boy from his post-lunch nap to bring him here. We watched the elephant show, rode the tram and played in the water playground. After the water fun, I bought popcorn chicken for him and he said, "Mmmm... Yummy food!" about 5 times while eating it. He was so happy, and he didn't even know i was saving the french fries for last...

Just before i took this picture of us he was sitting in my lap, turned to look up at me and said, "I like daddy time with me." it was so sweet and solicited that I asked him to repeat it just to make sure I wasn't imagining things!

Lots of Learning

2010-06-13T22:33:00.003+08:00

We sometimes don't really know what Ethan does at school (he's still in nursery class) and often wonder what he actually gets out of spending so much time there as he can't really tell us what he is learning and we only get to meet his teachers & see his work much later in the term. Sometime, though, we do get clues into some significant progress in his learning progress -- here is a funny clip of Ethan breaking out exuberantly into a recent Chinese song he learnt from school......

While he was in the mood, he also discussed some of the recent Mathematical skills he had accomplished. Quite entertaining.......maybe we can get him to tutor his sister too!

Our New Home!

2010-05-23T16:28:00.007+08:00

We have a new home! After months of dreaming, talking, planning and hard work we are finally settled into our very own special place! Ethan had been looking forward to having his very own ceiling fan in his room and he proudly shows it to everyone he gets to show to his room. The kids also now enjoy their very own little table where they love to do their 'cooking', colouring and snacking. Its really cute to see them entertain their own buddies in their own corner having little tea and dinner parties there too!

It's hard work being a pre-schooler these days so Daddy has lovingly set up their own little computer corner (yes -- that's their own recycled computer complete with Skype capabilities!) right next to Mummy's. Here they are engaged in a computer puzzle that is keeping them very busy!

But their favourite place is probably their new bedroom which they now share and seem to have quite a happy co-existence in. Here is Ethan in a rare moment of affectionate passion with new roommate Talia, who is similarly thrilled with the new bedtime company...... Although there are challenges with having two young 'uns trying to settle into a restful state in the same room, there have also been sweet moments like one evening when Talia suddenly started crying after a loud & nasty motorcycle went by. I wasn't sure what she was disturbed about but her perceptive brother gently informed me that "Mummy, Talia cried because the motorcycle was noisy".
They now love their Story Times together and the routine seems to calm them. This is followed by a race to be the first to climb into their own beds, a soothing milk drink served in a cute dog cup and the happy 'tuck tuck tuck' into their blankets.

They say moving house is a very stressful experience but we are thankful that the kids seem to have adjusted well and are loving their new home......

The Little Black Car

2010-05-20T21:46:00.002+08:00

Some time ago we found this cute little car dumped by the side of the road ready for the garbage collector. It wasn't working but it was still clean so we salvaged it as we thought that just sitting in it, the kids would have fun. That they did, but with a recycled battery and some loving fixing, Daddy got it working again! "Grandma, we fixed the car!" Ethan proudly claimed. He had such great fun driving it around. It was most fun to see him driving Talia around in the little car.

Around that time, I came back from my long 7 week overseas study trip. Mummy and Ethan had made this fantastic "Welcome Home Daddy!" poster. It got me thinking...

Why not have a father-son project together? If Mummy and Ethan had such a wonderful time hand painting (and Daddy doesn't like arts and crafts) then Daddy and Ethan can have a father-son project. And what better project than fixing up a car? Sure, Ethan's car was moving but we could spruce it up a little....

Some of the electrical work was done without a 3 year old toddler pulling at everything, but we did other stuff together. Ethan loves fiddling with tools while Daddy fixes things. It really is doing things together and he is always careful to say later that, "Daddy and I did it!" We don't have enough pictures to cover everything, but in the end the whole body was dismantled and repainted so we had lovely black and silver convertible!

Photos of Ethan and Talia were printed and cut to fit on the steering wheel and the rear boot. It was their very own car and they loved!

Below is the picture that is on the steering wheel, though on the steering wheel it also has the caption "Ethan and Talia's Car." When Ethan first saw it he yelled, "Talia it's yooouuuuu!" And when Talia was a passenger for the first time she kept pointing at it saying, "Ethan... Ethan!"

The project was completed during the school holidays so for about 2 weeks after that, Ethan would drive the car every opportunity he got. In fact, he would often jump out of bed and run to the car. The corridors outside our apartment were totally safe at that time, so we would often awake to happy sound of the whirring electric engine and squeals of happiness going up and down the corridor. He very quickly became an excellent driver with only one hand and very good spatial judgment, managing to maneuver his car through doors and into elevators and go very close and fast but just miss doors and walls! Needless to say, he made his Daddy very proud!

It gave us an extra kick when we saw the same car selling brand new in the shop for $230. Of course, our black and silver custom model was priceless as were all the memories that have been tucked away with it.

Furry Animals

2010-04-05T00:14:00.000+08:00

"Neck!" squealed Talia as she pointed at the stuffed giraffe. Then she tipped her head forward and pointed to the back of her own cute little neck! She just loves animals, even furry fake ones in shopping malls. As Ethan is now 3.5 years old and Talia enjoys animals so much we are thinking about getting a family zoo pass to go there with the kids!

Best Friends

2010-02-22T23:28:00.001+08:00

At bedtime last night, Ethan asked in the sweetest most earmest voice :"Mummy, can you be my best friend?.......I want you to be my best friend..."

I was totally disarmed by such cuteness lovingly directed toward me and just had to cuddle this cute and loving creature......sigh....! Of course I could be his 'best friend', and was almost driven to tears that he had asked me......even though I knew that he probably didn't know what a 'best friend' really meant! But hearing that from Ethan after coming out of a hectic few weeks with a number of things weighing on my mind, it was like finding a jewel in the most unexpected places.....

The best things in life are often the most simple & childlike ones. Its a wonderful thing to be able to see this world through the eyes of our kids. I love you son, much much!

Fly Me to the Moon

2010-01-30T23:58:00.002+08:00

Talia is getting much more regular in her sleeping patterns as she crossed the 1 year mark, and has now been sleeping well through the night and longer at nap times. This is such a relief because everyone else can also sleep better too! (You will notice how few sleeping photos we have of Talia -- its because she is such a light sleeper and often wakes when we go in to take pictures!) In recent weeks we have even been able to leave her in her room while she is still awake to "fly to the moon on her own"!! This has been our elusive dream for the last 13 months......

We were even able to put her to sleep in the same room as Ethan with some success for some time. Unfortunately this seemed to fall apart after we went to KL for a short holiday and they have since had to sleep seperately........ Meanwhile we are hoping they will get better and be able to share a room sometime soon.

Love at First Sight

2010-01-01T17:23:00.001+08:00

A. Mei took us to the Gallop Stables at Pasir Ris park with the kids. We had planned for a nice brunch but unfortunately the cafe was closed on New Years Day! We did see the horses and ponies though. Ethan liked them... for about 60 seconds, after which he was bored... but Talia was totally fascinated with the animals. The trip was worth it to see her eagerness and longing look at the gorgeous horses, without any fear at all.

Daddy's Home

2009-12-27T23:37:00.004+08:00

Daddy's back from his studies and the kids were thrilled to see him again! I think they were missing him but not fully able to verbalise their emotions. For Ethan I think it manifested in extra tantrums and 'neediness', as well as quite a number of night wakings.... Talia would look at Daddy's pictures and call for him but was quite happy with myself and Auntie Mary -- till she saw Daddy and made a beeline for him, calling "Daddy, Daddy" and nestling in his arms for a looooong time......

Here is a happy clip of the 2 of them lounging with their favourite Daddy on our comfy sofa.

A Screaming Good Time

2009-12-12T23:28:00.005+08:00

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......

Our Special Father & Son Trip

2009-12-10T00:41:00.024+08:00

We're going on a 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.

After stuffing him with as much lunch as I could manage without being accused of treating him like foie gras, I bundled him in the car and prayed fervently that he would go to sleep. As you can see, he gets a fantastic view of the road even in the back seat of the R1 cos the front seat folds all the way down and acts as his foot rest and table! It's business class all the way if you're a toddler in a Subaru R1!

Finally, sleep happened after 15 minutes of crawling along the highway, and I took some detours to make sure he slept some more before we hit the causeway. True enough, he woke up at immigration but he was happy enough and we made it through after a long traffic jam on the Malaysian side.

The hotel is very near the causeway and we were there in a jiffy. They upgraded us for free to the seav/pool view room which is really quite nice. You can see our fantastic view of the pool from the 10th floor and the lovely bathroom with a huge window into the bedroom area.

After a quick rest and admiring our room, we got changed and packed our things for a swim. It's amazing how many things there are to pack for little 3 year old! We had a great time at the poolside where fluffy towels, brand new deck chairs and umbrellas awaited us.

After a roaring good time, replete with squeals, yells of laughter, insistence on "I swim alone Daddy," yelps of "I'm scared Daddy," and precious "Daddy's so much fun, I love you Daddy," we ordered some food and dried off. Great little chicken fillets coated with sesame seeds on a stick were served with various sauces on a beautifully presented tray. The fresh-cut-off-the-potato french fries were the best and all in was reasonably priced and a great hit!

It was mid-afternoon, the sun was disappearing behind clouds and it was getting cold. So went back to the room, showered off, watched TV and played with the best toy... the room itself. Yes, when Ethan is in a new place he loves to check out every switch, hinge, and fiddly thing he can find. His favourite was the walk-in closet cos it had automatic lights that turned on when you opened the doors and it had 4 doors and you could go in one and out the other.

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!

Ethan loves washing the car with me. In fact he wanted to wash it this time too. I tried to explain that we were actually paying someone to wash it for us this time. I don't think the weird concept got through to him. After all, why would you pay someone to wash and vacuum your car (even if only costs 8 RM) when it is the most fun thing in the world to do with your daddy?

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...

Here is Ethan relaxing and enjoying himself after we got back to the room, finished off our bread and enjoyed music and a fun bath time with Daddy. After this came milk and story time and we were settling down to the difficult task of bedtime. I read one of his favourites, "Clifford the Big Red Dog" and then the most dreaded question of all erupted. "Daddy, where's Mummy?" What could I say? I tried explained that we're on holiday and Malaysia is far away and that they already charged my credit card for the room but he still wanted "home and Mummy!" We were only a few minutes away from tears which is the point of no return... I don't know what happened next exactly. It was a combination of more stories, insistence of boys only fun, prayer for HEEEELPP from God, and he calmed down. After lots of restfulness demanding all the different N! permutations of lights to be on/off (where N is the number of lights in your hotel room), he finally settled when I turned off all the lights and drew the curtains so it was pitch black.

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.

Night time went okay, and apart from being a little cold and coughs happening we made it through to morning and the long awaited breakfast. It was actually quite a nice breakfast but hard to enjoy when there's only one adult taking care of one toddler. Here he is enjoying sausages and chocolate milk!

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...

This is our final picture taken in room just as we were all packed to go back in our little black "rocket ship". Thank you God, for helping me when it was really scary at times ! And thanks for giving us this special FIRST FATHER AND SON trip together!

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?

SuperTali !

2009-12-07T23:25:00.004+08:00

Ethan's surprised us by being quite generous to Talia. Recently, he decided to share his favourite bib with Talia and even lovingly put it on for her....Unfortunately in his exuberence he put it wrong side up and back to front for her!

Ever the good natured sister, Tali (as she is affectionately known at home) hardly minded the slight oversight and after getting used to the new bib, decided she quite liked the new Superhero look! Here is SuperTali looking quite indestructible in the play corner......

......and here is the Architect of Chaos looking very pleased with himself (despite a very runny nose)!

LOVE Ethan!

2009-12-03T23:20:00.003+08:00

It's lovely to see Talia's personality emerging day by day and like her brother, we can see that she's got a sweet and tender heart. Her affection is most often displayed on the soft toys that she likes to cuddle and play with, but she is also very affectionate to the special people in her life too. She often comes around to "pat pat" us and I am often pleasantly surprised by a little hug from behind me when I am sitting on the floor! We managed to capture this tender moment with Talia while Ethan was busy playing with his musical toy......

Stuck On You

2009-12-01T22:38:00.004+08:00

Ethan loved the mega Dora sticker book that Gu Ma bought for him a couple of weeks ago! (We still keep it as a back up for rough days!)

Here he is generously sharing his stickers with his unsuspecting sister......

Birthday Bash!

2009-10-31T00:00:00.003+08:00

Ethan & Talia turned 3 & 1 ! Their birthdays are just 2 weeks apart so we had a combined birthday party for them on Children's Day. The kids loved the cake that was lovingly baked by Ah Mah, and Ethan helpfully blew Talia's candle out for her!

We had a simple Ice Cream party and with help from Aunty Sharon & Aunty Cheryl, it was quite a bit of fun for the kids.

The Birthday Boy certainly had a great time at his own party. Aunty Sharon lent him her camera and he had a great time snapping away!

But the highlight of the party was probably when all their friends came along bringing their favourite bikes, cars and scooters and the ensuing excitement of running, driving, chasing and screaming that followed!

Even little Talia got her fair share of happy driving before retiring for her morning nap....

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.

Happy Birthday Ethan & Talia! May you always be surrounded in the warm knowledge that you are deeply loved!

Playtime Buddies

2009-10-19T22:51:00.008+08:00

Mom: Ethan and Talia are enjoying their playtimes together much more with Talia becoming more mobile, expressive and capable of playing with her brother, whom she really looks up to with expressions of rapt admiration!

Dad: Really is nice to see them get along so well. Talia will allow Ethan to play with her toys and he will (usually) teach her how to use them rather than take them away to a corner. "Talia, this is blocks Talia!"

Mom: Her generous big brother has taught her how to appreciate blocks, balls......

Mom: ...and of course his treasured car!! I must say he has been very good in sharing with her (and others) and clearly enjoys taking her on rides and even trying to teach her how to drive!

Mom: His lessons on the joys of sharing have only just begun, but we are quite proud to see our two kids get along so well and even passers by have to break into smiles when they see these two cackling with delight!

Dad: See his protective arm around his sister. Look in the video and see how he grabs her hand and places it on the steering wheel to teach her.... then laughs in delight! We sure hope they continue to appreciate one another as they get older!

Chopsticks

2009-10-18T23:13:00.004+08:00

Ethan's just got his first chopsticks from Por Por and has been eager to try them out! Here he is trying them out on his donut peach at lunch. Its a surprisingly simple and easy idea -- 3 simple rings for toddlers to slip their fingers through and learn how to use chopsticks in under 5 minutes! (2 mins if you are a gadgety guy like Ethan!)

Of course, after tiring of the donut peach (and after it has disappeared into his tummy), Ethan decides to try picking up his little sister with his newfound gadget....

Biking

2009-10-16T04:13:00.005+08:00

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.

My Son, Ethan

2009-10-08T08:53:00.000+08:00

I had to write a descriptive piece about something to think about improving our powers of imagery. So I decided to write "My Son, Ethan." Of course this pic shows two of my favourite cute animals but this particular piece is about the one on the left. Enjoy!

It is funny how a name sticks with you. Your parents leafed through pages of books and consulted wise family members to choose a good one for you (now we surf the Internet) and voila! Slapped on the back, you clear your airways and enter the world with a voracious yell. Your name is bestowed. It becomes distinctly you and you are that name. My son was given a name – Ethan. Now, despite the infinite choices that bombarded us and some which nearly stuck, it is clear that he could have never been any other thing – Ethan was the only possibility.

“Windows into the soul” is what they call them… eyes that is. He sports two magnificent specimens. They’re wonderfully formed into almonds – that’s what people constantly say. I’ve never thought much of almonds before, but now I think they’re beautiful. His eyes are topped with a double serving of eyelids and long lashes that would make any mascara masquerading teenager green with envy.

Before he could talk he would speak volumes with those eyes. They could wrench your heart from the cavity of your chest, and just as easily melt it while you crumbled to the floor. They were his voice, but they were also his weapons – wielded as skilfully as any stone that flew from sling to a giant’s head. Yes, whole armies of our frustration and anger were felled with those eyes. Yet weapons also reveal weakness, and his too opened wide marvellous gateways into the fortress of his soul. He didn’t mind you see, for this young boy instinctively trusted the two giants who named him. When he could talk he would scamper energetically around the living room loudly declaring which toys he would conquer next. “I’m not sleepy!” announced the trumpeted cry, but his eyes gave him away. Those windows into his soul were wide as ever, but they became ever so lightly cloudy and moved imperceptibly slower. They were his downfall, telegraphing state of affairs more true than even he knew. Bundling him up amidst frequent protests we would ship him off to be imprisoned in the wooden cage that frames his bed.

There he sits. Defeat rapidly turns to delight as he takes in familiar surroundings. Mr. Turtle and Twinkle Star beckon in a restful routine of bedtime congeniality. “Daddy, come inside?” This request combines the power of his inviting voice and those irresistible eyes pulling me to leave my realm and enter his world – his cot. I can rarely resist this cosmic pull, and why should I want to? No, I abandon myself to this futility, stepping over the rails and curling up beside my bundle of laughter and happy giggles. We lie down nose to nose and our eyes meet. This is love.

The next morning he greets me far too early with energy exceeding my sleepy state. Those eyes are bright and full of expectant glee for what the day will bring. “Ethan, I have a surprise for you!” The almonds grow wide and glassy. Like pools of ink they brim with words describing all that a young boy could ever want. It could be a car ride, a new toy, or a visit to grandma’s house – these are all wonderful things but most of all he’s happiest to have special times with Daddy. It’s funny how the ordinary things are most remembered and requested. A broad smile frames expectant eyes when he senses the possibility of washing Daddy’s car or having that picnic with Daddy’s fire cooking bacon for Ethan.

His eyes look a little sadder recently. I am on the opposite side of the world and we cannot share the special things that only Daddy does. Pixels substitute play-time and digitized voices just don’t replace those universe-shattering bed times. “Jesus, thank you for Daddy in America” he prays. “I miss Daddy because only Daddy comes inside.” His bed is there and I am here. I stare in the mirror and subtract three decades of puffy bags and surrounding lines. There they are. At least I have his eyes.

Daddy's Classmates

2009-10-06T15:47:00.001+08:00

Daddy is away from home at Asbury Theological Seminary. Here is the new international family for these few weeks while Mummy, Ethan and Talia are far away.

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.

Gong Gong's Birthday

2009-09-29T23:15:00.004+08:00

Gong Gong had a special birthday celebration last month and Aunty Ruth and Josie came all the way from Australia to celebrate!

Talia was on her best behaviour and sat with Gong Gong for a looooong time devouring a yummy peach with all of her 2 new teeth!

After polishing off a great lunch by Por Por, all the kids got down to super fun and a grand time playing with all the cousins.

Daddy had fun cuddling the little uns too!

It was a really memorable time with all of the family taking time to be together. Ethan still misses Josie and still asks "Where is Josie?" when we gather as a family!

Daddy is in School

2009-09-28T08:52:00.001+08:00

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!

Want to Wash the Car Daddy?

2009-09-27T19:39:00.001+08:00

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.

Bath Buddies

2009-09-12T23:15:00.005+08:00

Like most babies, Ethan and Talia love their bath times. It's not just about getting clean -- it's a whole other sensory experience that includes lots of happy splashing and feeling the freedom from clingy clothes and cumbersome diapers wearing only your skin! It's also a great time of bonding intimately with the important people in your life.

Talia enjoys regular bathtimes with her favourite Daddy but a few weeks ago, she had her first bath with Ethan! As you can see, Ethan seems to have been the happier of the two since it was like a reunion with his old bathtub (now Talia's) since he graduated from it more than a year ago!

Although Talia wasn't thrilled with having to share her bath with Ethan, she seems to have warmed up to having a new bath buddy once in a while and I'm sure this won't be the last you will see of them sharing baths on this blog!

A Grand Time

2009-09-10T10:59:00.000+08:00

Talia has been such a sweetie and is so loving to her daddy recently. With the morning off we are now in Vivo City. Ethan is playing outside with mummy while Talia is napping on her favourite daddy who is enjoying iced frappucino on this warm day! There is nothing quite like having a calm and trusting baby fall asleep on you. Ladies passing by are glancing with "awwww...." looks too! :)

Fountains of Fun!

2009-08-24T21:41:00.004+08:00

Cousin Josie and Aunty Ruth were in town recently and one of the first places we went to was the Vivocity Playground for all the kids! Ethan had a good time playing with Josie but was a very caring big brother when Talia joined in. Here he is helping her enjoy the water 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!

40 Winks

2009-08-20T14:24:00.000+08:00

We were having lunch in a small restaurant when Ethan fell asleep while eating! There was unchewed spaghetti in his mouth which he later swallowed after he woke up from his brief nap... Yummy!

Time with Grandparents

2009-08-10T10:40:00.005+08:00

Ethan & Talia enjoy the time they spend with their grandparents. Here is Ethan learning how to bake with Ah Mah. Like his Daddy, he tends to take his culinary skills quite seriously......

Looking very pleased with himself with the end product of his hard work (with a lot of help from Ah Mah!)

Talia is still to young to bake but certainly old enough to enjoy a nice breakfast at the club.

Somehow the kids always manage to save their best behaviour for their grandparents!! (wish this could last all day....)