Yi Yi's birthday

We gave YiYi a surprise birthday party one saturday in August. We told her we wanted to go over to her house for some card games and we surprised her with a birthday cake! We did play some card games and a round of "monkey" with issy as a monkey chasing for a paper ball. She gave up after a while and chose to watch with mummy from the sofa. They climbed the gate and gave YiYi a headache. I'm sure she's thankful that birthdays are only celebrated once a year! Haha! My girls convinced her that it's going to be a "no-kid" policy for her. Yes, no matter how hard the government tries. No carrot on the stick can be tastier than the taste of freedom to turn off the radio and enjoy the peace. Yes, kids can be noisy or rather they ARE noisy. For me... it has become music to my ears. And their innocent laughters can be really contagious and laughter is still the best medicine.

Say cheese...

   

What a difference a double eyelid make. Don't you think the girls look pretty alike if not for the double eyelids? These two like to stick their face and fingers and teeth to the camera. Although it's still quite unpredictable with the younger girl's tolerance to the camera, I'm happy enough that she is not too resistant to it now. She would usually turn away, walk away or shove you away but now she would smile (if you're really lucky) for the camera or at least hold still for a decent shot of her profile maybe. Anyway the two girls are growing up really fast and well. I'm happy for them. I want to thank God again and always for the these two girls.
 Look at Isabelle's "genuine" smile. That's her best!

My pretty girl

 Isabelle may not have the knockout double eyelids her sister has but she is one lovely girl. She is beautiful in her own ways and in no way is she lacking behind her sister. Both of them are very different and I thank God for the variety He puts in my life. Isabelle is really growing up into a sweet little girl. I love my pretty baby.

A walk with Isabelle

    

Mummy had a walk with isabelle one evening and though it was around the garden, it was so much fun. Isabelle is more accommodating now to the camera. She used to be this cool baby who doesn't look at the camera or pose for a picture. Now she will smile when you point the camera at her and will oblige to a pose with her too. It was never easy taking a picture of her let alone with her but now it's so much easier. So I'm looking forward to many more pretty pictures of this lovely child.  

 

Funny faces

   
I have nothing to do with these! I have never taught my girls how to pose funny faces but they just knew how. Joelle s a natural but isabelle is not far behind. She's super cute actually because hers is an imitation so she's trying to be funny like her sister. That alone makes her super funny already. Look at issy's lower lips and you can still see the two vertical lines that I love so much. She has it since birth. Oh... I love it then, I love it now. They're so... isabelle. 

Boo!

   
Seems like the game of "BOO!" is always a child's favourite. Isabelle likes to play "boo" with us. She will cover her eyes with both hands and wait a couple of seconds before she pulls down her hands with a loud accompanying "BOO!". Sometimes she will even peep through her fingers to see if we are ready to be "booed". HaHa! She's a cute one. I like her style more and more.

 

Pretty hat

  
Joelle brought home a paper plate hat from school today and I thought it looks really pretty. I must admit that I have not thought of this at all. It's really simple to do actually. Just a paper plate and some cut-out flowers. Ah... it gives me some ideas for mummy's school now. We can make "summer" hats with flowers and butterflies and bees or an "autumn" hat with different coloured leaves or even "christmas" hats with snowmen and santa and presents and jingle bells. Wow! The things you can do with a paper plate, glue and some cut-outs! So when's mummy's art school?  

Reading?

   
I'm sure you must have long heard of mummy's school for joelle and all the interesting craft and activities we do during that time. Now I'm starting mummy's school for isabelle too because to my horror one day, she pointed to a rabbit and said "bear"! I was totally taken aback and never really realise how little time and effort I've put in for my younger daughter. Almost two and she's still struggling with these little hard cover books. I felt so ashamed of myself actually. How could I allow myself to fall into this trap? The leave-everything-to-the-maid trap. Mary's leaving the family soon and I'm sure it will be a struggle for isabelle and myself as we try to adapt to life without mary. I give us a month to get everything wrong and upset everyone. But I do hope that we can manage to get out of this desperation as soon as possible and with as little bruise as possible. Two years is long enough to cause some damage to everyone's system. But we'll manage. Meanwhile I better start to spend more time with little issy on books and stuff. We play too much! Too much tickling, hugging, kissing, chasing, swinging, cycling, walking and dancing! Time to do our ABCs and 123s now.

peanut butter jello bread

Peanut Butter and Jello bread should be eaten like that.

Yes this is how isabelle eats her bread and she really likes it. I can't say it's her favorite as she has many favorites. But I can say it's one of her best tea time food. In the past we would serve it to her nicely cut into bite size pieces on her plate. Now she will say "no cut" and will open it (it's usually fold into half), lick it and smile. Well, as long as she's happy to eat her bread and her way of eating it would not cause me too much trouble, by all means. I'm not an uptight mother who bothers with too many restrictions and mannerism. I'm just an ordinary mummy who love to see my children eat. As long as they're eating healthily and heartily, I'm a happy mummy. That's probably the reason I'm still baking and trying out new recipe or using old recipe with new ingredients. Right now I'm still trying desperately to perfect the texture of my cakes. Besides that I'm spending more time standing beside mary as she prepares the family dinner. Soon I'll be the one at the stove all by myself. I think it's time I get myself use to the "heat". Ha!

Innocent no more

Can you imagine this sweet little innocent girl singing such songs?

"Kick your butt, make you fart, all the way to pizza hut"

"You and your boyfriend sitting on the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, kissing kissing ooh lala..."

Yes, you can imagine my FACE when I heard them. I try so hard not to make a mountain out of a molehill. In fact I did not respond extremely negative in her presence. I just ask her if she understood what she's singing about and if they actually sound nice after I explain the meaning to her. She giggles so I guess she knows the songs are not proper. I left it at that and could only pray that they would not get worst. The songs I mean. What do you expect from a bunch of kids in the school bus without the supervision of any teachers. What's more when my kid enjoys the company of boys! 

What image?

Delicious! Yum Yum Yum!

When isabelle enjoys her food, she doesn't really bother about her image. Look at her face with rice sticking on her chin and cheeks. It just doesn't bother her at all. To her, food comes first and image... last. Anyway this girl actually choose food over play unlike her sister who puts play before all else. We were at mcdonalds one lazy afternoon and the girls were playing in the indoor play area when the food came. Isabelle will walk over and say "wah!" and happily go wash her hands and sit in the high chair and eat her fries and tomato sauce whereas joelle will continue to play and come over occasionally for a fries pop into her mouth. So different both of them. I'm still exploring their characteristics and totally enjoying their different personalities. I thank God for this pair of sisters and I thank God they are mine. Everyday would never be that great without anyone of them. Seriously. Despite all my complains.

Chicken rice wrap.

  
One afternoon we were served this plate of plain looking dish for lunch. It smelt nice though like chicken rice. We started eating and were surprised to find pieces of chicken inside the rice. Mary told us it's her new creation and we named it "chicken rice wrap". It was individually customized to our liking. For example, dave preferred meat with bones while the rest of us had breast meat. It was a cool idea, though it could be further improved. I enjoyed the meal but dave didn't quite like it.

Tricia's birthady

Our friends Robin and Priscilla held a party on sunday to celebrate their younger daughter Tricia's first birthday. She is such a charming girl with hair as long as my two year old's. What took isabelle two years took Tricia only one. Anyway their older girl Tiffany, like most older child, stole the limelight during the cake cutting. It almost seems like her birthday! The girls enjoyed themselves.

While joelle mingled with the children, isabelle sat at the table with us enjoying the food. The two of them are just so different. Joelle would hand over her present to Tricia, took a stick of satay and off she goes to join the children at play. Isabelle on the other hand would hand over her present, "wow" at the food as we walk past, sit at the table and just eat. She would only leave the table when there's nothing left that she likes to eat or when we put her down. They're just so different and I love them both. Yes, I like their difference. It makes them... THEM.

Girls are baking!

  
Today is isabelle's maiden baking experience. Mummy decides to get isabelle her very own baking apron and together with joelle, they mess with the flour, the paper cups and each other. Yes, both want to shift the flour, stir the mixture, pour in the eggs, sprinkle the candy bits and lay the paper cups! Besides laying the paper cups, which they do separately on two trays, I have to intervene and make sure they take turns with the other tasks. Isabelle wants to "try" everything but joelle wants to do everything. This first pair-baking almost end up with a time-out for both girls. Thank goodness for mary who keeps isabelle occupied with her own task and not bothering joelle who is handling the more difficult task. At the end of the day, it is quite fun actually to savour the little cupcakes they prepared. They were so thrill to see the cakes getting bigger through the oven window. Though it was a little chaotic at first, it did turn out well. It was a fine experience. And the cupcakes came out very yummy too! With more practice I believe pair-baking can be fun eventually. 

* Notice that I got too busy to take pictures? So only the front and the back. Ha!
   

Out with Issy.

Took isabelle on the MRT to my sister's place one afternoon. Joelle went to the library with my mum earlier and will meet us there later. Mary took some hours off in the afternoon and went about her own errands. So after her nap, isabelle and mummy set off. Isabelle is a nice child to bring out actually. Not that joelle was really difficult but she talks alot and couldn't sit still. Issy on the other hand talks softly and sits nicely. Not for too long though but enough for at least five stations then she wants to get off the train. I have to distract her for the remaining two stations. It's a good ride with her and I'm sure I would take her out myself again! Oh yes, with her new pony tail.

If you can dream

Joelle came back from school one day with a sheet of paper. On it was the lyrics to the Disney Princess song "if you can dream". It was only a day later that I guessed it must have something to do with her year-end concert because on the top left corner of the paper there was a handwritten word "flowers". She confirmed that it was the item for her year-end concert and she IS the flower. I asked her to show me the dance and she said she needed the music so I went online to source for the music. Wow to the internet! I found it, music and all. I played the clip and she started... right from coming out to the stage! She "floated out" with hands stretched out like a bird and said this is a princess and it's played by one of her classmate. She did not sound too soar about not being the princess although she would have loved to be the princess. In fact she even know the dance routine of the princess and she does it with grace and ease. I did wonder a little why she did not get the role of the princess. But then who would be the flowers if everyone wants to be the princess? When the chorus comes she quickly run to "her position" and started doing her routine. What a lovely flower, I thought to myself. She would have been a lovely princess, a lovely star, a lovely bird or even a lovely grass for all that matter. I'm just a typical mummy I guese.  

1st pony tail

Finally we have enough hair for a little pony tail. Isabelle has not gone to a hairdresser since her birth. Yes, it took her almost two years to get this much hair. Really slow but I'm still not worried. It's kind of attractive... her hair... being so brown and fine. Many people marvels at the brownness of her hair. Both girls started off with brown hair but as joelle got older, her hair got darker. Now it's so jet black! That's why there's nothing to worry where hair is concern for young children. Nothing is permanent till they turn seven. Till then, I'm going to enjoy isabelle's soft and fine brown hair. Hmmm... mummy is dashing to the stores now to get her some nice bands for her hair. Joelle's bands are a little too big for her I guess since her hair's so much finer. 

Now let's see if anyone will ask if she's a girl or boy with her hair in a sweet little pony tail.  

GOOD!

GOOD! Finally isabelle can do the "good" sign. She used to stick out her pointer to indicate "good" but now she has learnt to use her thumb instead. Yeah! The development is more evident in her than joelle. Perhaps it's due to the fact that joelle was a consistent learner and hardly disappoint in performance. That made her progress seems subtle. Whereas for isabelle, our slow pace baby, suddenly she seems to know more words, more gestures, more expressions, more signs and more nonsense. It goes "BANG! I'm grown up!". It's almost like overnight she learn to tell you that her name is "isabelle" and not just "belle". She tells you she is two years old with two fingers sticking out too. In the past few months she seems to have mature so much. Even mary thinks so. Her response to people, her understanding of instructions and her many silly excuses just made her a toddler now. She's no longer a baby. She's coming to two years old. Will she enter her terrible twos soon? I pray not. But I'm prepared for the worst from this girl.  

Face painting?

Face painting... 

Isabelle either volunteered or was forced into this face painting activity by her sister. I was working on some urgent office matters and I allowed joelle to play with her make up set. Mary was suppose to be watching them but I guess she too was busy preparing lunch. Midway through my work, isabelle came me and said "mummy look" and I just burst out laughing. Joelle ran in and all three of us couldn't stop laughing at the "art" on issy's face! She's so cute. She actually enjoyed the attention on her face and proudly walked out and asked mary to look. Of course after all the laughing, we had to get all that stuff off her face and it isn't easy at all. Mary and myself cleaned her face many many times before the colours all came out. After which I warned joelle not to do that too often as the paint might harm issy's tender skin. I promised her one day she'll get her own set of body paint for such activities in future. I just hope I won't have to be the volunteer.   

Sports Day 08

Joelle celebrated National cum Sports Day in school on 08/08/08. Beautiful number huh? Her class won the first prize in the sports event and got a set of colour pencils each. Look at how happy they are! Their event is a pair race with hands bonded and they have to pick some triangular blocks with a pair of chopsticks. It must have been a feat for these five year olds. Well, she enjoyed herself tremendously.

Our little miss...

Little miss Chatty and Little miss Clumsy

These are our little misses. They can be so much fun sometimes. Most of the other times, they can be a real hand-full. Usually they will be snatching and scratching and fighting and screaming. But on lucky days, you can catch them laughing and playing and holding each other's hands. Typical siblings I suppose. Maybe I highlight more reality than most parents do. Anyway I'm sure they love each other. Joelle cares for her little sister alot. She doesn't admit it though but she will look for her sister when they are apart and she will hug and carry and console her sister when we punish the naughtier girl. I hope isabelle loves her sister as much as her sister loves her. I'm still praying everyday for their bond to grow stronger. But I'm thankful already for the two of them. I thank the great Lord for showing me the beauty of parenthood and my patience especially. That's something I didn't think I have but I did. Guess that makes me...mummy.

   

AWWA Fun Fair

My father was invited to the AWWA fun fair to perform a stage magic show and since it was for charity, my father contributed another hour of roaming clown balloonist. I think magic is my father's passion as he never really did it for money. Although he needs to earn a living from his shows but to date he has also done many charity shows with various organizations. Regardless of race or religion. Sometimes I wish I could retire like him. At least he's doing something he truly enjoys.

Joelle was invited up on stage during the show as a volunteer. She went up willingly but not smilingly. That's her actually. Like her daddy. Always acting cool. Anyway she's improving with my constant reminder. I hope she can get out of her "act cool" attitude soon. We had alot of fun at the fair with lots of games and activities. Joelle played most of the games and won lots of prizes. Isabelle went for face painting (by the volunteers from the Australian school) with her sister and they each got an insect on their cheek! Joelle got a butterfly and issy a bumble bee. So cute both of them. Oh... and check out the cute Australian boy checking me out too. Hahaha...

As it was a charity event, most of the stalls were run by volunteers and the game prizes and food were donated by either organization or individuals. It was a successful event looking at the faces of the people there. Even on wheelchairs or clutches or supported by their caregivers, these people show more strength than any privileged person. I salute them. I'm glad joelle had the opportunity to see the strength of these children and the unconditional love of their caregivers. In fact she has a classmate on wheelchair since last year and their teacher had explained his condition to the class. That could be the reason why she never stared or looked at them funny.

This was a great event and a very encouraging one for the volunteers and caregivers too. I see God's grace everywhere that day. He works miracles!