Picnic dinner

Daddy came home one evening and said "it's windy today. Let's fly a kite" and so we pack our dinner and mat and head to the open field in SK. There were already many kites in the sky, many people on their mats and many cars packed along the road. This is our first picnic dinner and the girls enjoyed it so much. It's the idea of eating their dinner outdoor that entice them to finish their dinner so fast, way faster than when they ate at the dinner table. It's a nice idea and I do hope we would do that some time again.

Goodie bags for school

It's that time of the year again... joelle's birthday. As it falls on teacher's day, every year, we have been distributing goodie bags to her classmates days before. Last year, the children got a little whiteboard, cereals (mummy's favourite item for goodie bags) and stickers. I'm not a fan of candies and chocolates in goodie bags for young children. Joelle would surrender (usually) hers whenever she received those items. This year they will get a toothbrush, cereals (yes, again) and hankie for the girls and stickers for the boys. To think about it, joelle has distributed goodie bags for five years (she started playgroup at 18 months). I can't remember if I had taken picture of each and every one. What I can remember is joelle's excitement when preparing the bags with me. My firstborn is turning six very soon... time flies.

YiYi and KuKu Birthdays

August is the month of birthday celebrations. We celebrated my sister's and brother's birthdays on sunday 16 August with a home-made banana cake and some cake-in-a-cup from emicakes. Two birthday celebrations in one day! The girls are the happiest!

Mummy's lunch #13

Since I got some fish paste and fresh liver from the market this morning, I decided that we should have that for lunch. I mixed the fish paste with shredded carrots and some minced pork. No salt needed as the paste itself is pretty salty. The liver was quickly fried with onions and garlic so it would still be soft and tender. Vegetables as usual and a melon to complement.

Post National Day @ the park again

The girls had so much fun at the park that they pestered daddy to take them there again the next day. This time we chose to cycle and it was very tiring as the sun was shinning fiercely and there were hardly any breeze. It was a hot day and very uncomfortable compared to the weather we enjoyed the day before.

The girls could barely open their eyes and I should have got some shades for them and perhaps a hat for isabelle. Next time, we will remember to take along some shades and hats.

I like these shots of daddy and his girl. Very rare and natural. This time we remembered the bread.

The blue sky and white clouds combination that day was brilliant for photo-taking and I can't help but take a lot of low angle shots.

Joelle's bike had a punctured tire at the end of the day and daddy was thinking of 'upgrading' her bicycle soon. As usual, we head to the coffee shop for our dose of pratas and tosais. What a healthy way of spending the holidays (minus the prata).

National Day @ SK Riverside Park

The girls spent National Day at the new SK riverside park. The last time we were there, there were hardly anybody. Now there are skaters, bikers, joggers and even dogs. Joelle chose to roller blade while isabelle chose to ride the skate scooter. Mummy and grandma walked.

Water breaks were frequent and a must for us. It was a breezy day but still pretty sunny so it's important to keep hydrated.

We did not prepare any bread for feeding the fishes but a kind couple gave the girls a few slices and they had so much fun at the pond. It's a great place for the girls to run around (safely) and get tired out for the night. They slept early and soundly and that's why we would be back often.

Mummy's lunch #12

Another fabulous lunch. Pumpkin-boiled rice can be very tasty because pumpkins are usually very sweet. This is also the first time I tried giving them salads (uncooked). They took it in largely for the coleslaw sauce.

Here is sweet little isabelle saying her grace.
"... thank you Lord for the food we eat..."

My girls

We attended a cousin's (dave's) ROM on 8 August and the girls picked their own dresses. Yes, including the almost three year old isabelle. She is now into big dresses that could allow her to spin around and dance. And mind you it must spin big and wide. So if anyone wants to get her a dress, remember this. Joelle wore a really pretty dress. Ivory with beads at the edges. A very simple yet elegant dress. We have to thank isabelle's Godma for the dresses. Thank God for Godparents. Come to think of it... I do not have any Godchild.

Daddy and his princesses. Isabelle as always, doesn't look into the camera when taking photographs. I'm so blessed to have these people as my family. They're so funny and I love them so very much. I may have changed quite a bit over time (because of them) but I'm happy and I'm not losing myself. And that's very important because if you change for the sake of others and lose yourself, then they are not good changes. Whatever it is, trust in the good Lord. God knows what's best for me and I trust Him. This is what He gave me and I will treasure.

My six weeks old nephew, Gerrick is looking a little like his father now. Oh... the size, the smell, the cuddle... is making me feel the pain of not having any more children. I guess if I do have any regrets, it would be this (not having four children). If I have this mentality when I was younger, I would have gotten married at 28 (as initially planned), have my first child at 29, my second at 31, third at 33 and last at 35. Then again, with my blood disorder condition, I doubt I could, even if I walk that "schedule" then. Anyway, God knows what's best for me and I should trust Him. He gave me two beautiful and healthy girls and I'm eternally grateful.

Did I mention isabelle likes to dance like a ballerina? Look at her toes and look at how happy she made her grandfather.

"ToTo-dire"

Isabelle: mummy, you want to play toto-die-year? (toto pronounced like the lottery)
Mummy: huh?
Mary: (mopping the floor) it's crocodile.

Isabelle never fails to invent new words with her unbelievable pronunciation. It's funny (at this age) but I'm sure it will get worrying soon.

Ice cream treat...

for a sunny afternoon.
The girls are only allowed to have ice cream treats on fridays and they would look forward to it. Fridays are special to the girls especially joelle. That's the day she could bunk in with us on our bed. She likes sleeping in with mummy and would beg for a bonus (which could be any day mummy fancies) night when mummy sleeps in her room and on her bed. Usually it would be a very warm night so mummy would sleep with the girls in their air-con room. Isabelle is welcome to share mummy's bed too on saturdays but she would almost always end up asking to return to her bed after awhile. However she would want mummy to sleep on her bed whenever she feels like it.

The Chans out swimming

It was daddy's off day so we decided on a swim at the nearby swimming complex. As usual the water was freezing cold and I'm not exaggerating. It was so cold, I could not even convince myself to go in further than my waist. The girls were wild with excitement and they took the water slide many times and in many different ways. Joelle did a twist while issy did a back slide. It was tiring just watching them play. Thank God for daddy, who was guiding and watching them. I was watching them too, through the lens of the camera. =P

Joelle on the slide. She's the more predictable one. Less adventurous.

Isabelle on the slide. She's the one with the "I'm scared" expression most of the time but also the one who tried the more fanciful stunts. If I did not stop her, she would have gone head down first!

Our favourite joint after a good swim. We simply enjoy the prata, roti tissue and marsala tosai. Reasonably priced and best of all, made fresh.

Mummy's lunch #11

It's been a while since I last made lunch for the girls. Here's a simple one which the girls enjoy. I'm thankful that they like capsicums because they are such wonderful vegetable to use. Colourful and nutritious. Lately I'm into mixing minced meat (pork, beef and chicken) with tofu and chopped vegetables (those they do not really fancy). The patty always turn out great and welcomed.

When good friends get together...

I stole a half day recently to meet with my best friend and enjoy some child-free hours. We head to sentosa and stole into the marina collection to drool at the luxury homes of the rich. We chatted for hours over tea and enjoyed the coolest breeze and serenity at the marina. It was a fantastic way to spend time with a great friend.

Outdoor heated pool

If my girls ever grow up and complains that they were deprived, please remind them of this outdoor heated swimming session. Mummy used to have a big inflatable pool in our balcony when I was younger but it was filled with cold water then. We still had so much fun. Mummy bought the girls an inflatable pool some time back and they had countless pool time in the bathroom. However it is a sunny afternoon today and I thought it's a good time to enjoy some outdoor pool time but the water in our nearest pool is too cold for comfort so I decided to bring heated water out so they can enjoy themselves for a longer time and I can convince myself they would not catch a cold. It took me about four pails of water to fill that pool and they had about an hour worth of playtime. They were very happy and slept very well that night.