Monday, June 29, 2015

Two tales of bird poop

So yesterday, we saw this on our car window.

Poop

Tale #1
J: (pointing to poop) Mommy, look bird shit
Me: Mmm.
J: MOMMY!
Me: Mmm?
J: It's A! Like my name! j-A-k-e!
Me: yes! (laughs)

Tale #2
K: (looking at poop) Mommy, how are you going to clean it off?
Me: Use water and clean it off
K: …. how did the bird shit on the window? Did he stand like that? (moves into a semi-horizontal position)
Me: What? 
K: Is it the bird stand on the window like that? (moves into horizontal stance again)
Me: OH! No, the bird pooped while flying above the car and it dropped on the window.
K: Ooooh…
(HAHAHAHAHA)

Bird-on-window (feet on window)

Friday, June 26, 2015

Mishmash of the June school holidays

Just so we knew that we did spend our time somewhat fruitfully, here's a compilation of our time across June. 


Fire station visit! With the Tsengs.
Pole dancer K (hah)
Firefighter J
Don't be fooled by their faces. It was a great time that we had. 
Chance bump into our little friends
Hangout by the pool with J before she left the country
As part of my extended weekend, my heart swells watching the kids
do normal stuff while I watch them #justbecause

Fun in watching them do silly things like walk about with winter-gear on their heads.
And that's J with his "luggage" going off on a holiday #mykidsarebornjetsetters

Friday night shenanigans - I get to go out and have drinks to celebrate
H's birthday
While this obviously happy boy was chaperoned by the husband
going to sight some robots
BEEEEG ROBOTTTT

Saturday at the beach
While the boy and I commuted via public transport belatedly
Love, love, love beach life
Our 015 family
Lucky kids go to Sentosa - again! - with 奶奶.
It's their second outing this month with her. The first here.
Wheeeeeeee
A happy decadent Monday night where the husband cooked for me

Someone has a fall. That's his souvenir.
Getting prepped for school to re-start - hers.
Getting prepped for school to re-start - his.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Happy Father's Day

A girl who knows her father well #hooyah

Why I love my Daddy?
#hooyah

So quickly, it's been a year since last Father's Day.


J-A-K-E

My baby writes his name for the first time! 

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Lazy Saturday afternoon

After a morning of detox post last night's shenanigans, I felt more balanced. And as I lay in bed reading my book and just enjoying the moment, I look down the bed and give thanks as I count my blessings with these two cuties 


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

An unexpected extended weekend

So while we were going about with our lives, I had been suffering due to a muscle pull in my back. It started innocently enough, on Saturday morning when I did a video workout at home. That whole day that we were out, I felt a niggling pull at my tailbone and I even told the husband "I think I overdid my ab exercises this morning cos my tailbone hurts". It was bearable and I thought the ache will go away, like a post-exercise kinda ache... except it didn't. That night, I felt uncomfortable as the pain throbbed in my lower back and the next day (Sunday), I was pretty bedridden. I relinquished all marketing duties to the helper and sought the mother to help. I managed to hobble around still, but was most comfortable lying down and so I did that practically the whole day. I headed to see a doctor and was diagnosed with a muscle strain and besides given muscle relaxants to help manage the pain, I was advised to lie down to not put further pressure on the back. So that was my lazy Sunday. I watched a ton of TV as the husband took the kids out in the PM to visit the sports hub before the SEA Games closed off. 

Due to this injury, I have been out of action at work for three days (today is my third). It's been extremely restful due to little choice and I really am so mindful and wary that our body is a shrine and nothing can be taken for granted. A regular exercise session that I've been doing for months; one wrong movement(s) and here I am - not in a good state. I've been inactive the past few days and am totally earning a temporary title of a "couch potato"; or perhaps "mattress potato" is more apt as I lie down horizontally on the mattress, not even able to sit up on the couch.

While it's been very luxurious, the kids think I'm extreme boring and I've been over-indulgent in my snacking - not a good idea since I'm inactive! It's as if I'm on a pseudo holiday, pigging away and lounging around. I've sat up to attend to work but every time I do so, I need to lie back down to 're-adjust' the sore back because I just feel this tenderness in my lower back. And the over-eating is making me feel very lethargic and I really need to get well soon and regain my regular lifestyle! The good news is that each day, I feel less sore and I can sit up for longer periods of time - but I think a full recovery may be at least another few days.

So, one major perk of being home is being able to be with the little munchkins all day long. Here are some random snippets of them of our day with them yesterday (since they were out for most of the day on Monday).

I hear mutterings and as I peek open my half-asleep eyes, this boy was
lounging on the balcony having a monologue.

I then thought I heard him again (I dozed off) but it was so quiet
I had to sneak to the end of the bed and there he was - trying to fix a diaper onto the "baby"

Painting time
Project Gingerbread man
They found the Superman cape and of course, he had to be Superman

We managed a 3-bus-stop-ride to the library

Nap

I cannot explain why watching them nap brings such quiet joy to me. It's as if they are immortalised in this moment, etched in my brain as the little beings that they are, so vulnerable and how I am able to protect them in our home. I love observing their features, hearing their quiet breathing; and when I kiss them they usually shift and I smile as I see them rub their noses as my hair probably tickled them.

And that's how our day goes; doing something, nothing, anything and I've picked up so much growth in them. They fight and shout too much; are so impatient but when they do play together - creating games to play with each other; making up rhymes and silly things that kids say - it's hilarious.

My babies are so big already, and I know I sound wistful as I say it but it's because I do feel exactly that.

As I come to this last day of my unexpectedly long weekend, I am treasuring the regular time I have with them babies; because nothing beats just being together.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

A day out with 奶奶

It's the second third week of the school holidays and on this Monday, the favourite 奶奶 took leave to bring the kiddos out #luckythem

Beyond excited

First on the agenda, something that's been in the pipelines for ages, they went high up.

CABLE CAR RIDE!
Random sightings at Sentosa
Tiger attack

As if the above was not a treat enough, they also went to catch the all-time favourite Hi5!

Happy children

They ended their excursioin in the late afternoon, where both kids collapsed into deep naps after being out for the whole day.

"Tanika" and "Stevie"

They even got souvenirs! K was twirling around in her new dress all evening and J went about the house proclaiming "call me Stevie" - after his favourite Hi5 character of all time.

I'm so thankful that when I am unable to do too much with them due to work and now an injury, they are well taken care of and spoilt by the grandparents.

Happy holidays!

Friday, June 12, 2015

Perfect start to the weekend

Cool night, so cold I put on socks, red wine for two, some snacks in my messy cosy home #perfect 

Hello, weekend 


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Morning sightings

After yesterday's surprise sighting of the independent little boy, I peeked into the room today and was expectant of what I'd see (sorry for the bad pic)

Boy rolling on his sister's bed
Talking

I was careful not to make noise so they knew I was there, and it pleased me to see them being with each other and not shouting at each other.

Later on, over breakfast, I asked them what they were talking about. The conversation went like this:

Me: What did J ask you just now, cheche?
K: I forgot.
J: I remember! I ask you about the tennis!
K: Oh yah.

So, 'tennis' is this toy that the boy has been eyeing. He asked me to buy it for him yesterday, but I told him I needed to consider and I laid down some terms.

  1. He needs to find out how much it is 
  2. He needs to be responsible and keep the toy properly ("but Mommy what if don't have the plastic?")
  3. He needs to share this toy with his sister 

Let's see if he is responsible and aware of these set of instructions I gave to him. 

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Baby no more

Every morning, when I awake, and if the kids are successfully in their own rooms still (sometimes, one or both of them creep into our rooms some time in the still of the night. But that's a separate story altogether) I always peep in to take a look at them when I wake up. 

Most days, they are asleep and so angelic-looking that it always makes me smile and say a 'thank you' for the lovely life I have. This morning, I peeked in and this was what I saw:



Dressing himself
This little man was quietly doing his own thing, changing out of his pyjamas and trying to pull his shirt on. I ran off to grab the phone to snap this pic, and it really made me smile; not just my mouth but my whole heart was smiling. No fuss, no cries, just him silently changing as it is something he wants to do - my not-so-little-still-little Mr Independent. 

It's not as if I did not know he was growing each day, not as if I had not already been lamenting at how quickly the kids grow; but this is just a poignant and sweet sight to witness and document as it is one of those awwww moments of my little man.

Noddty

Noddty

So, not new news that J can be quite a rascal. But to see this note, so innocently, probably angrily placed on the table for us to see - is highly amusing, touching and amazing all-in-one.

The girl has also been into writing lately, which to me, is a great sign of her confidence - or at least desire - to want to write which is something close to my heart (along with reading) so I'm very proud of her. I do hope her interest in reading and writing is sustained for the rest of her life… but I digress.

Oh, little K, you are so cute and adorable beyond words. It's so lovely to see their strong personalities emerging even more each day. 

#lovenotes

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Hello June holidays: super duper busy weekend

So we kicked off our first weekend of the June holidays filled with activities. 

On Friday evening, we headed out for a tapau-dinner to visit a girlfriend. I had a chill time, and the kids did too just running about the home, watching youtube videos and running about touching this-and-thats.

Pina Colada gurl

Saturday morning, I clocked my morning run; then kick-started the day with breakfast with the kids early; followed by time at the mall running about for two hours. 

My coffee boy
In that time, I accomplished 3 birthday gifts - very productive. We then headed for play at a friend's baby's party where the kids spent 3 fun hours jumping up and down on the jumping castle + devouring popcorn #funtimes

After 3 hours...
K.O.
Sleeping angels
Not wanting to wake them up, I just rested in the car, tick-tocking away



We finished the evening with dinner at Mom's and went to the airport past 10pm to fetch the husband who came home after a week of being away. Yay!

Sunday was wet - but I fit in some exercise, then headed out for lunch at Spruce.

Happy birthday to C!
After lunch, we spent the afternoon buying beef, and eating durians! Followed by dinner at the MIL's and it felt like such a long time since I vegetated at home.

Ah boy with his new toy truck
Ah girl with her jigsaw (blocked)

We spent the weekend evenings watching the SEA games that's going on now; and the kids had a fun time - as us - cheering team Singapore. Inspired by the exercise..

Doing sit-ups HAHA.

After the kids went to bed, the husband and I stayed up a bit more to watch TV together and to also catch up and I was so happy to cuddle him - it's always nice to have him home. 

And that, wrapped up our busy-bee weekend. I've got the next weekend all planned too - hooray!