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Gong Xi Fai Cai - CNY 2010

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger!

















Oh gosh, was it almost 6 months ago since we/I last blogged!!! Will try to update with some photos soon.... akan datang....

Nat and his big business......

........ in the toilet.

Nat used to want someone to talk to him while he did his "big business". He will talk non-stop about everything under the sun. But just last week, he told Ben to wait outside the toilet and he called out to him when he was finished.

We were puzzled so we asked him why and his reply was "Because my poo poo very smelly!". Its very true and we used to endure the smell and still chat with him happily in the toilet…

Has our boy grown up and become considerate?

What's even more interesting in the past few days was when he was heading to the toilet to poo, he closed the door and said girls cannot see him, only boys. Growing up quickly already!

Nat and his hand-made Father's Day card

We are pretty satisfied with Nat's academic progress (not that we are pressuring him or anything like that). He will be turning 4 years old in 2 months time and he is now able to recognise and write most of the alphabetical letters. He is also able to write all the numbers and do very simple addition.

The school started with some simple story book reading last year and he was able to read with the help of the pictures. And this year, I noticed that he was able to read full short sentences and recognise simple words without the help of pictures. He is also able to spell simple words like "cow, egg, duck, boy, cat" and of course his name. I guess learning phonics helps too.

For Father's Day, I helped Nat to make a card for Daddy (usually he will bring home something he made in school but as he was away on holiday there was none). I drew the (ugly) flower and Nat coloured it. I spelled to him the words and he wrote it out all by himself! Not a fantastic card but it is made with love.

Oh yes, he can sing and speak in Mandarin! Something that we are really glad of. He speaks English to us and switches to mandarin when he speaks to my mother.

We are not those "Kiasu" parents (we hope) and have no intention to send him for any enrichment lessons, but we are planning to enroll him for music lessons as he enjoys singing and music.

What a fruitful day...

.... I had today.

Went to Ikea's Sale this morning with Ben and had breakfast there. Drove to town and ran 4 errands and managed to return home after lunch at Joo Chiat.

As the sun was out, we went for a swim and brought Nic for his first dip in the pool. I think he enjoyed himself as he was kicking his legs and splashing water all over us.

Went for foot reflexology and back massage thereafter and finished just on time to pick Nat up from school.

Now waiting for Nic to finish his dinner and we are heading out for dinner. BBQ stingray and mussels I hope as I suddenly got the craving for it!

Check out Nicodemus's 2 front teeth!

Love those cute little teeth. But it is painful when he bites!

Nic is now 8 months old. Let's check out his developmental milestones.

• Crawling - Checked
• Sitting - Checked
• Babbles - Checked
• Waves Goodbye - Checked
• Clapping of Hands - Checked... when he is in the mood
• Feeding himself - Checked... able to pick up biscuits and put it in his mouth
• Imitates sounds - Checked... Screams together with Nat. He also pretended to cough when someone coughs!!
• Standing - Slight, attempts to stand with support

Last but not least, knows how to recognise daddy and mummy as he smiles when he sees us. Priceless.

Back from Gold Coast, Australia.....

...... without H1N1....... Heh.....

Went for holiday in GC with Nat, my sister, Katherine and her 2 boys, Luke and Matthias. Pity Ben could not join us as he had just started his new job.

It was one of the most worrisome holidays that I've ever planned. Firstly, I worried that Kat and I could manage 3 active boys and secondly the H1N1 virus which was spreading like wildfire in Australia. Till the last minute, we were still checking the news to make sure that the Gold Coast was not badly affected. The boys were looking forward to the trip and so off we went. Of course, we got ready our hand sanitizers, anti-bacterial wipes and masks, just in case!

12 Jun, Day 1

Our flight was at 11.30pm, an overnight flight arriving in Brisbane at 9am local time. The flight was uneventful and I was glad that the boys had a good few hours of sleep.

13 Jun, Day 2 Circle on Cavill @ Surfers Paradise

We checked into our apartment, Circle on Cavill which overlooked the ocean. We decided to book a 2 bedroom apartment so that we could look after each other and also cook to minimise our expenditure. The apartment was spacious and the boys had a great time running around and soaking in the spa tub! And the rate was reasonable too.

Train ride from Brisbane Airport to the apartment

The stunning view from the 44th floor of our apartment

Living Room & Balcony

Bedroom

Lunch was fish and chips at one of the restaurants downstairs. They had everything there, from supermarkets and retail shops to pubs and restaurants just seconds away from where we stay.

Here are the cousins posing for a photo while waiting for their lunch

Ice-cream at Baskin Robbins. It was very cold that night. And it was fun fighting to share the cup of ice cream. I did not want the boys to have too much just in case they develop a cough.

14 Jun, Day 3 @ Dreamworld

We found out that we could take their express public bus shuttle to the theme parks which was so much cheaper than the door to door private shuttle which we planned to book. And the bus stop was just across from our apartment.

While waiting for the bus.

Do we look like twins? The stewardess on the flight asked if we were.

Dreamworld

Checking out the height limit

With SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star (I think)

As Katherine was not keen on the thrill rides, it was left to me to accompany Luke and Matt for them (ok, it was those mild to average ones). The last time I sat on these rides was more than 10 years ago at Magic Mountain in the USA!

And of course the kiddy rides with Nat.

Nat enjoyed the bumper cars the most. We went at least 3 times.

Luke and Matt enjoyed the water rides but not Nat as he got wet. Fortunately we brought along extra clothes.

By the way, I sat on this ride alone. It was pretty scary as it went round 360 degrees....

The boys. I personally like this photo

Matt, Luke, Kat and Dora

Nat and moi

Kat and me

15 Jun, Day 4 @ Paradise Country Farm

Heard from Kat that Luke and Matt enjoyed the farm most. They fed the kangaroos, the sheep, and the goats. Cuddled the Koala, milked the cows and played with the sheep dogs. Kat was also invited up on stage to for sheep shearing!

16 Jun, Day 5 @ Movie World

Can you believe that it was my first time watching a 4D movie? I enjoyed the short screening of Shrek but not Nat (as usual, he covered his ears throughout the 15min screening).

Nat recognized most of the characters but dared not go near them as he was afraid of their make up and big costumes.

Batman (Nat's Daddy's favourite!!)

Flash Gordon and friend with us

Scooby-Doo and friends

Shrek.

Some fun rides

Last but not least the Star Parade at Main Street

While the boys enjoyed the theme parks, getting close and personal with the animals and running and rolling around at the beach, Kat and I had our fair share of fun. We enjoyed each other's company, seeing how the boys were having fun, the weather and of course, the Korean hotplate that we had for 3 nights consecutively at Uno Korean Restaurant just downstairs from our apartment!

Kept forgetting to take a photo of the food until the last night when we were half way through! Imagine how delicious it was that we could not wait to tuck in immediately once served.

17 Jun, Day 6 @ Whale Watching & Surfers Paradise

We woke up early to go whale watching today. Fortunately the wharf where we were supposed to board the cruise boat was just opposite our apartment.

Having a cup of hot coffee before setting off

We cruised along the Nerang River where the homes of the rich and famous are.

Instead of the usual yacht, this house had a helicopter!!

As it was only the beginning of the whale watching season, we only caught sight of a dolphin and a few humpback whales. We did not take any photo as I told Kat that we should just enjoy the moment instead of getting too caught up in taking photos. We did manage to take a video clip of one of the whale doing a tail slap as though it was waving "goodbye".

As it was only a half day tour, they boys asked to go to the beach again (yes, they had been there twice already) after lunch.

Surfers Paradise

Nat. One of my favourite photos

The boys rolling about in the sand

Luke chasing after a seagull

I admired the patience of the surfers, waiting for the right wave to come which sometimes can take more than 20mins

We had an ice-cream each since it was the last day there.

Gold Coast has never been on my list of holiday destinations. But after this trip, I will put it on my list as it was really a good and fun place to bring the children. We sure did enjoy ourselves, and Nat did not even want to come back!!