What We Love About Christmas : Giving!

Last year this time, I was caught with a newborn baby and had no time to get delightful Christmas gifts. Thankfully a friend of mine had given a shout out of some toy fair going on, in September if I didn't remember wrongly, and I had gotten presents in advance. All I had to do was run out to get some gift wrappers. But armed with a barely two-month-old, I was hardly in the mood for Christmas.
This year, I decided that things are going to be different - Christmas is my favourite holiday - I'm not going to be caught in the last-minute-mad-rush-to-get-some-gifts among throngs of equally hectic shoppers. I don't get a kick out of dashing around to buy presents, I don't enjoy such adrenaline rush, no thank you. So I started preparing early so that I can just sit back and enjoy the festivities with my loved ones during Christmas. Here, I have completed 70% of wrapping the Christmas presents I'm gonna dish out. That makes for a sense of accomplishment in me, and you can say I'm a control freak. I enjoy doing things when I'm not rushed, that's just me when I can have the choice. If I have some extra time on my hands, I'll get going with some handmade cards as well!

And Jovan is One!

In the twinking of an eye, my precious Jovan has turned one!
Just a week before his birthday, Jovan ran a pretty high fever for 7 consecutive days. It was then that George and I decided to call off the birthday party. We could have gone ahead, giving Jovan a few days' buffer but no, we wanted to let our boy recover thoroughly since his immunity is down. After all, first birthdays are more memorable for the parents than the child, and a cosy family celebration will mean more to the star than a full scale party. So we have no regrets. So long the boy's happy.
<3 Nov 2013> And he is. Ah ma bought him his first pair of sandals.

Jovan's smiles make everything worth it.

 
Affordable and pretty cupcakes! I kept the toppers for future use ;p

A lovely family portrait.

Happy birthday my baby. May you always be healthy and happy. 

Papa and Mommy and the whole wide world ♥ loves ♥ you!

(Well, mommy's exaggerated a little on the whole wide world thing, but essentially it means we wanna give you all the love we can!)  

Jurong Lookout Tower

In the western part of Singapore, there is another hidden gem waiting to be discovered......
Well, yes and no. In my opinion this is a nice open space for children to run around a little, and have some fresh air, not literally (if you consider air coming from industrious Jurong Island fresh). But oh well, the kids get to see an open sky and feel the breeze anyway.  
It's kinda hard for me to explain where this is so you can read about it here. I just know that it is near to the Jurong Bird Park. We were there for dinner, so we thought to let the kids run about at the top of the tower before our meal, since it wasn't crowded. There is a decent Hilltop Japanese and Indonesia Restaurant that we like to go as a family, you just need a ride to make going easier. 
Photo credit to wikipedia

<5 Feb 2013>

 

Fun @VivoCity on National Day

VivoCity is quite a nice place for a walk with the kids (and for me, definitely love the shopping I can steal when I have spare hands to help with my kiddos).

If you are the type of parent that don't mind bringing your kids to Toy"R"Us, you can spend a long time in there while your better half runs for some quick errands. That said, it takes skill to escape unscathed from a mega toy store. Notice I said "escape", it's either we emerged as the loser at the counter paying for a purchase our kid "persuaded" us to buy, or we exit as quick as we can before the kid detects something amiss.

Jae loves outdoor water play and they have one of those in VivoCity but I'm not a big fan of public playgrounds without all kids getting proper sanitisation, so it's a no-no with me. Poor Jaeden. But Mommy rules.

We discovered the train ride which is termed "Mini Express" for little children. Shoppers can hop onto the Mini Express available at $6 per ride. Children who are below 90cm in height must be accompanied by an adult. For Jaeden's age, he wasn't chargeable, so good for us! Through this ride, he understood what trains are because he can put a picture to it and an experience to back up his understanding, though it's not a real train. I'm happy that the boy's happy.

<9 Aug 2013>

Kinda hard to get a perfect picture with the kiddos sometimes. We usually go......keep your smile, keep it there......and snap! the second the kiddos look toward the camera.

Kodak Moment: Tigger Gets Dedicated?

<17 Aug 2013> Tigger Jovan @Baby Dedication

Photo credit to chcsg

Our baby being prayed for.

Can you spot Tigger Jovan?

Kodak Moment: Tables are for heavy cheeks

<3 Aug 2013> "Mommy, I've discovered another use for tables."

Kodak Moments: And We Are Brothers

<17 Jun 2013> "And we are brothers"