Braving the slide

Being timid, it has taken a long time for Jayna to dare attempt the slide and an even longer time to get accustomed enough to do it without tears.

This is the first time I've been able to record Jayna coming down the slide by herself without crying in the process or at the end. Usually, she could only do it once before she lost her nerves to repeat it for the camera. Today, she could re-enact for me to video it down. Yay!

Early Reunion Lunch

This year, my parents decided not to hold the reunion lunch at their place on the eve of CNY. They wanted to eat at a vegetarian restaurant on the second floor of Quality Hotel and booked a date 2 weeks before the actual day so as not to clash with the CNY crowd. It was kinda weird to be dressed in CNY clothes so early but we did it anyway to give the occasion the festive mood it deserves.

The kids checking out the fan I brought along.

Trying to take a picture with the kids
but they were moving around too much.

I think my Dad was disappointed that Jayna refused to be carried by him at his birthday celebration, so he pointedly sat beside her during the lunch. For 2 whole hours, my Dad tried to bond with her by chatting and entertaining her with things on the table, even bribing her with ice-cream!!! (Thankfully, I stopped him just in time... Phew!) All his hard work paid off when Jayna finally allowed him to carry her after we left the place. Well done, Dad!

Jayna and her maternal grandad

Joash and his maternal grandma
(Note: They were both crewing their food
when this picture was taken. LOL)

Walking hand-in-hand out of the restaurant.

Our Family Shot
(As usual, the kids looked gloomy. Haiz...)

Photo of the extended family

Here's a video of the children
playing catching in the restaurant.

2 New Teeth

Jayna's teeth do not grow in an organized manner, unlike her brother's. I'm not sure why there's a gap between the teeth... Perhaps it's a reflection of her unpredictable personality?

And the only way I knew when the teeth came out was when I felt it during teeth brushing. For Joash, it was usually marked by unexplainable fussiness. But when it comes to Jayna, one can never be sure since she's fussy almost ALL the time.

The New Drums

On Joash's second birthday, his aunt bought him a drum kit. However, since the box says that it's suitable for 3 years and above, we decided to keep it in the store room till he's of age to appreciate it better.

Over the weekend, Joash went into the store room and somehow noticed the box for the first time. What better time to open up his present from long ago? It took me a while longer than I thought to set it up but after it was done, he simply loved it! He even told his Daddy when Joshua came home that he liked the drums very much!

He looks like a pro already!

Joash: "This is so much fun!"

Jayna, on the other hand, seems at a loss...
Looks like the piano is more her thing.
(Click here to see the post about it.)

Any suggestions for drums lessons or piano lessons for toddlers???

Science Centre

Last weekend, Joash saw the water works at the science centre when we made our way from the Sakura restaurant to the car after the birthday lunch for my FIL. He refused to leave and kept crying to go into the park. I tried to explain to him that we needed to pay to get in and we did not bring the swim suit or any other things necessary for water-play. He was very upset and we had to drag him to the car screaming. I promised him that we would come back to play with the water some day. So today is the day I kept my promise.

So many buttons for us to press!
*delirious joy*

Joash: "Mummy, what's inside?"
Jayna: "The steps are just nice for me to sit on."

My head on the platter!?!
(The kids were very amused by this)

Daddy helping out the son

Having my very own slice of fun. *grin*

Joash was happy when I
showed him how it was done.


Jayna was interested in the strangest things:
The air vent?!?!?

This was what captured their attention for the longest time.

Finally we made our way to the water works to Joash's delight. Sadly, Jayna was so timid that she refused to leave our arms the entire time! Sigh... All she did was simply look at her brother play with forlorn eyes.

Wondering how the tornado works...

Throwing the ball into the bigger tornado tub


Lining them up one by one

All the balls "waiting" to plunge
into the pool with a push from Joash!


Watching her brother play


Contented with a mere ball in her hand

CNY Decor

I've always been lukewarm about CNY decorations since we don't usually have anyone visit us at our place during this traditional season. Most likely, we'll be spending our time visiting our elders and relatives instead. However, I've been seized by a sudden spirit of carpe diem and decided that I'll do something special this time just for the fun of it.

Lovely chinese knots to hang at our doors


A different knot for the bookshelves

I saw this cute lion tissue box cover
while I passed by NTUC and I simply
couldn't resist getting it!

Decor at our door

This typical CNY word tells us the story of Genesis.
Happiness or blessing (福) is what the first person (一 口 )
Adam found in the garden (田) of Eden with God (礻).

It was tough getting a matching set of cushion covers and table cloth the same color scheme (red and black) as the chandelier decoration which was the only thing that was left of the past CNYs. Thankfully I found something suitable eventually but it was a little more expensive than I would have liked. But I figured I'll reuse the decor for many years to come anyway so I'll treat it as an investment. I wonder if anyone will bother visiting our home during CNY afterall... :P

4 years of Love

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by having a hot dinner date at a super "atas" Jap restaurant Kuriya Penthouse on top of Orchard Central without the kids.

All dressed up and ready to go!

We arrived half an hour early to take some photos at the roof garden. It was because of the rooftop which led us to discover the restaurant during our previous trip to this building a few months ago.

DIY couple shot

The beautiful city scenery

The luscious greenery

It was cloudy, cool and windy.
I loved the weather!!!

At the entrance

We were given a welcome drink each
before we were seated at our table.

At our table with a nice view

The complimentary appetizer

The absolutely delicious scallops

This is the famous Japanese Wagyu Beef which costed us a hundred buck for a mere 5 pieces of meat! We both widened out eyes in disbelief simultaneously the moment we saw how small the serving was. The taste and texture was not as heavenly as we thought and we totally regretted spending the money on it.

The "legendary" beef

The miso soup that came with the beef
(Too salty for my taste)

The foi gras was so rich that just
a bite was enough to satiate us.

A complimentary surprise
from the restaurant

The Lord has blessed us
with a beautiful relationship.
(We're a perfect match for each other!)

We eventually bought our dream wedding bands
as part of the celebration.