Our Christmas Tradition

Two years ago, we started the tradition of giving back to the community during Christmas. Because the Santa Run for Wishes we were involved in was scheduled to happen a long month ago, we wore our race t-shirts again during our Christmas lights tour down Orchard Road as a reminder of what we did.

The race packs included one-for-one vouchers for Swensen's ice-cream buffet and so I thought it appropriate that we started off our night indulging in sweet treats to sugar-charge up our bodies. LOL It was like a dream come true for the children!

The street performances were already starting after dinner. I'm really thankful that we decided to watch them first instead of admiring the light decorations because we could only enjoy two of them before it began to rain cats and dogs. 

We hid from the thunderstorm at Paragon's Toys R Us. The kids entertained themselves with the available scooters and toy strollers and us bored parents resorted to taking selfies and having "sword-fights" to pass the time. :P After which, I exchanged notes for a dozen of coins so that the children could binge on kiddy rides, something of a rare delightful occasion to them. 

It was getting relatively late and we were trying to grab a cab home when we realised that the traffic jams were worse than normal due to the downpour. The taxi queue was also unbelievably long. What a blessing to then discover that the rain had finally diminished to a feathery drizzle!

Since we didn't manage to see much of the Christmas lights before, we took the opportunity to take the MRT home instead and in doing so, get to enjoy the decorations on our way to the train station. Furthermore, we had ended our stay at Paragon with a hearty supper of wholesome broths at Soup Spoon, so the kids had enough energy for the especially extended tour which pushed past midnight.

It was amazing how this trip downtown has tested the physical limits of the entire family. In the first place, it was an extremely early start to the day because we had something on in the morning too. Yet, I found the children to be exceptionally well-behaved despite the rigors and I truly enjoyed the evening out with them. Praise God for sustaining us! Here's wishing everyone a blessed Christmas and may we continue to spread the joy of our Saviour's birth.

Keepsake

Joram just outgrew his yellow baby bag. It has been a tight squeeze ever since we added a notebook and colour pencil case for him to bring out. However, it was still considered a low priority issue because the bag was not damaged. Thus, we didn't try to upgrade for him till now. His aunt just bought him a new bag for Christmas. 

After transferring the contents, I was about to put the old bag up for donation when I realised that this is probably the only other non-furniture/toy item which all four children have used, some for a longer period than others. The other item was a pair of yellow overalls which I posted about a while back. (You can read about it HERE.)

In the end, I decided to wash the bag and keep it together with the overalls as souvenirs from their babyhood. I wonder if they'll last till my first grandchild is born to be useful once again... *wistful*

The Final Frontier

The last time we were at IKEA Smaland, Joram was not allowed to enter the playground because he was an inch short of 90cm when he took off his shoes. We had to deal with his profound disappointment for the rest of the day since we told him that he could go in because he has already been using the EZ-link card from the time he was the right height, with shoes on, a few months before the trip.

Can you guess which one is Joram's? :P

Fast forward half a year, Joram can finally enter the play area there! *applause* I nearly had tears in my eyes when I saw all four of my kids go inside together. My baby is rapidly growing up, much to my delight. He is now able to fully enjoy all our outings because he understands so much more than before. He has gained confidence and can do so many things he didn't dare do in the past. No longer confined to the stroller, he is right at home with his older siblings having fun. 

My heart was warmed when I saw the sparkle in his eyes during our trip down to the Land Transport Gallery this school holiday. He was utterly excited running from one installation to the next. Gone was the stranger anxiety from his younger days as he happily chatted with our tour guide.

His favourite vehicle by far.

Got the bus bell
as a souvenir.
He kept pressing it
all the way home!

Used to be afraid of getting wet, Joram had always got to sit out on water play. The poor timid boy would have been relegated to the sidelines, watching the older ones squeal and laugh in their games. The recent trip to the IMM rooftop water park saw him overcome his aversion and join in the exhilaration after half an hour of coaxing. The rest is history. 

Approaching with caution

This is so much fun!

Furniture Upgrade

I have replaced the blue Mammut round table and chairs with these. As the younger two start to do more pencil-work, the shaky play table is no longer viable and they fight over disturbing each other's work. Thus, I have to say goodbye to those pieces of furniture that have endured since the firstborn's era. I chose this particular set because it is relatively cheap. I didn't want to spend much because it'll only be a couple more years before the younger two go primary school and upgrade to regular-sized study tables like their older siblings. 

At first, I bought the set with one table and 2 chairs but I felt that it might be a tight squeeze for them to share the table. Yet, I'm unwilling to purchase two sets of furniture and the silly thing is they don't sell them separately. However, God has the best timing. As it happens, a fellow church-mate was giving away their IKEA table. (Probably because their matching chairs were broken.)

Now they can have their own tables. God knows best indeed!

At the same time, I have revamped the reading corner. I was constantly appalled by the terrible postures the kids find themselves in while lounging on the mattress as they read. It has gone from bad to worse despite daily reminders. Enough is enough! Sure hope that these armchairs will help...

P/S: The kids actually spotted these new colours and asked for them last year but I thought that it would be such a hassle to assemble all four armchairs so I said no back then. I was right, cos my shoulders are still aching from the exertion of putting them together yesterday! LOL

BEFORE
(And this is after telling them to stop slouching!)

AFTER