ourlittledarlings

Dining outing at MBLM

2012-02-17T01:59:00.000+08:00

This weekend we are having a dinner gathering as Brandon and Family is moving to Shanghai next week..we decided on Marina Bay Link Mall's Paradise Inn as its not crowded and the shopping mall and open area on the surface is spacious for the kids to run around freely..

Seeing how they enjoyed themselves makes this place the right choice..the open area in between MBFC and The Sail is windy with a nice view of the Marina Reservoir waterfront..the elders relaxing on the bench, walking on the foot reflex pebbles while the kids had a hell of a time running on the grass patch..they must have covered every blade of grass tonight..especially Raphael and Yvette who have endless energy..

Taekwondo lesson for Raphael

2012-02-17T01:47:00.000+08:00

Raphael has been to many enrichment class, mainly for fun learning on Sundays..Kindermusik, Julia Gabriel, I can Read and the latest is Taewkondo!!

We noticed that he likes to imitate kungfu fighting and Taekwondo seems cool hor..also it can help him to lose some weight..so we decide to bring him to a trial session last Sun at Goldhill Centre.

He seems to like the class and the activities..he is able to concentrate and observe the teachings by the instructor..we are still considering whether to sign up for this lesson as we are afraid he will get bored of it..but its been a week and whenever we sound him out about Taekwondo, he is still excited and enthusiatic..guess we will sign up soon..

We are really showing favourism for Raphael..inorder to let him take up TKD, we opt to give up Kindermusik for Gabriel as Daddy is complaining that the weekend is getting too tiring with enrichment lesson for both..so in the end..Raphael wins..

Raphael doing the Lion Dance

2012-02-06T00:56:00.005+08:00

Raphael loves lion dance ever since he sees it up close during Grandpa Teo's stall opening in ABC market close to a year back..with CNY coming this year, we sees more such Lion Dance events around us and he started to remember the drums beat and imitate the dancing actions..he will use play around covering himself with blankets and dance to his own "dong dong qiang qiang"..

Over the weekend we went to Chinatown to immerse in the post CNY atmostphere and also to shop for a real lion dance head gear for him..managed to get one that fits him and the rest is History haha...

see the videos of him dancing along to the dong dong qiang music and see the way he "takes" the angpow from Ah Gong..hope this dance of his will lead to Grandpa Teo's stall having roaring business in the year of Dragon..

below video is a must watch..

seee how raphael collects the angpow while lion dancing..

he sure looks like a "Pro" haha.

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Misc Videos of the boys

2012-02-01T01:46:00.000+08:00

The video below is showing Gabriel is one with temper and no longer the little baby who allows us to dictate his movement..he used to be obedient and allows us to bath him and clothe him without much fuss..but recently he is not willing to get out of the bath tub and will hold on to it when we try to carry him out..

Since watching Ip man on TV on CNY, Raphael has been "practising" Kungfu, imitating Ip man..he will demonstrate his shadowless hands and kick his legs..his taekwando trial class starts in Feb..hope he likes it..

Raphael's dress code

2012-02-01T01:36:00.001+08:00

Granny Phay and Yuli (Domestic Helper) has trouble remembering what uniform Raphael is supposed to wear and so we came up with this simple chart to paste on the fridge door..this is what we will do as parents once we have kids haha..it makes dressing him up for school everyday FUN!

Gabriel 1YO Actual Day

2012-02-01T01:32:00.000+08:00

26th Jan 2012 is Gabriel's actual 1YO birthday..Daddy and mummy took leave to celebrate this special day and we had the whole day planned..from treating Gabriel to Mac Breakfast, to Raphael's dental appointment..

After sending Rapahel to school, we tag along to peek at him outside the school..seeing him so settled taking bus and independent in school really convinces us that he is no longer a helpless baby but a confident little boy..

next we went to Mac for breakfast and Gabriel had his hotcakes..after that its Gabriel's swimming time at Sengkang Swimming complex..the pool is almost empty as expected on a weekday morning..the water is oooh soooo cold..but Gabriel is well protected in his Konfidence baby warmer suit..he enjoyed himself exploring the pool on his float and had a great time as we can see in the pictures..

soon we had to fetch Raphael from school and its the 4th day of CNY and the students all wore traditional clothes..we spotted Yvettte jie jie and took some nice photos of the 2 close cousins together..

the last stop is to Novena Medical Center for Raphael's dental appt..he is soo cool on having his teeth checked and cavity filled up..no sign of fear at all and he can even banter with the Dentist, a nice young Doctor whom Raphael feels comfortable with..

As Gabriel's red spots and rashes on his face still persist till today, we decided to not wait to let him grown out of it as some Doctors advise..we googled online and found a Specialist in Paediatrician Dermatology in the same medical center and just walked in and got a slot..on close examination, the Doctor says Gabriel is not suffering from eczema as diagnosed by our 2 regular PD..he is infact having Neo Natal Acne which the steroid based cream for eczema like fucicort and physiogel will worsen his condition..we are given a vitamin A based cream and to stop using all others..the Doctor took Gabriel's photograph and says "His face will be all smooth and nice in 3 months time!" yeah..if this is really going to work, the specialist visit is definitely worth it..

After a long day out, we packed 1 slice of chocolate pistachio from Cedele to celebrate with Gabriel and this marks the end of a fun filled, productive and hectic tiring day.

Our Big breakfast with hotcakes for gabriel

Swimming time

Gabriel enjoying himself under the water curtain

water slide pose

Raphael kor kor with his classmate

Raphael and Yvette in matching color

Visit to Dentist to patch up a cavity

Our Birthday baby

Happy 1YO Gabriel!

The spiderboys

Singing Mari Kita Majula Singapura

2012-02-01T00:58:00.001+08:00

Realised Raphael has been singing the national anthem on his own..on asking him, he told us that he learned it from school..the teacher told us that they sing the anthem every alternate days and its good that he is singing it as it shows Raphael is paying attention to happenings in class.

He is also very discipline in class according to teacher..he is totally toilet trained and as he dont eat the food given in class, we let him pack a peanut butter sandwich which he brought along to school..and he is able to keep it until recess time before he eats it..

If at home, he will never have the discipline and will insist to eat his favourite food immediately..

Video of Raphael singing National Anthem

2012 CNY Celebrations

2012-01-29T00:42:00.048+08:00

CNY Eve

As usual, we will have our 1st reunion meal (lunch) at Grandpa Teo's house before going to Grandpa Phay's for Dinner on CNY eve..This CNY eve is also very close to Gabriel's 1YO..
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Gong Xi Fa Cai !
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Gabriel collecting his 1st Ang Pow for CNY
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Daddy with Ang Pows for the kids
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Ye Ye's current Favourite Grandson..

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1st Day of CNY

We started the 1st day of CNY early..1st stop is to Grandpa Teo's house before going to Daddy's side for the whole day.
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Gabriel Bai Nian to Grandpa Teo
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Raphael is the God Of Fortune..see the wads of $$$ in his pocket
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Bai Nian to Grandpa and Grandma Phay
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Caleb our laughing "buddha"
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Yuli and Gabriel..her 1st CNY celebrations with the family..capable domestic help
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Bai Nian to Great Grandma Lucy
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Raphael's retro hairstyle

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2nd Day of CNY

Our 1st stop is to Great Grandpa house to bai nian to him before going to the "ritual" luncheon at Punggol where we can witness a gathering of massive scale of the PHAY side of the family..
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Gabriel visit to Great Grandpa from Mummy's side
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Lunch Gathering at Grand Uncle place at Punggol\Sengkang
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Tossing of Yu Sheng
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Tossss for good luck
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The kids sitting on the same stairs which Daddy's generation used to sit on 20 years back
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The kids, even pushing chairs also seems soo fun
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The choo choo train
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all crowd to see cartoon..

Home CNY Decorations

2012-01-29T00:30:00.000+08:00

The CNY decorations for this year is LIVE plants to complement our usual couplets..Daddy went out in the middle of the night on the eve eve of CNY to buy these plants..and its the family's usual practice to go to the nursery at Heartland Mall past midnight of CNY eve to grab some last min kumquat..this year is a bit lonely, just daddy and grandpa Phay..

This cost $9

CNY must have, Yin Liu

This small bamboo cost $13

This Orchid cost $108

Gabriel's 1YO Celebration

2012-01-19T22:23:00.003+08:00

We celebrated Gabriel's 1YO on the 15th Jan, which is 1 week earlier than his actual day due to the upcoming CNY..

Initially wanted to keep it simple and small, just immediate family..somehow it just expanded to include more relatives :)

Mummy spent alot of effort on the decorations as she dont want to "shortchange" Gabriel, as Raphael's 1YO was an elaborate affair..We got a pinata (dunno spell correct?) and luckily Daddy checked..as its empty and needs us to fill it up with goodies..mummy tot it comes filled with goodies..

Video - Gabriel's cake cutting session

the 5 little phays!

Simple but delicious cake from 4 leaves

The kids getting ready to pull the pinata

Big Blocks - Gabriel's Birthday present

2012-01-19T21:49:00.000+08:00

We bought big blocks for Gabriel's birthday present as we notice that Raphael also enjoys building his own creations using the smaller legos..so we hope they will both enjoy playing the bigger version, as its also "safer" due to no small parts which Gabriel tends to put things in his mouth.

So far, we have built a small house and use the blanket as the roof..raphael loves it and will treat it as his house and sleep in it for the night.

Big Blocks!

busy putting the blocks in place

in the midst of building his house

The end product..a house without a roof

What Raphael learn in school after 1st week

2012-01-10T00:43:00.000+08:00

Raphael's 1st week in school has been very smooth..he gets on the bus willingly daily and enjoys the journey to school..he is also beginning to share with us what he does in school..from what we found out, he seems not to like the food serve (as expected) and will bear the hunger until he is home and demands for his fav food like rice with gravy or instant noodles..

On the 3rd day back from school, Granny realised that Raphael is pamperless..on asking, he said the teacher removed his pamper and he needs to inform the teacher if he needs to go toilet..he is taking it well and when we wanted to let him wear pamper due to the long journey to school, he actually declined and tells us no classmates wear pamper also :)

We will let him relieve himself at home before sending him off on the bus for the 40mins ride to school..

Below are 2 videos of mummy asking Raphael to share with us what does he do in class and he gladly shares his good student pledge and good morning song..listen to the pledge and see how many can you understand..

Good Student Pledge

1. Can you beat your friend? NO

2. Can you say "excuse me"? NO - he meant to say "Excuse me excuse me and push your way infront..

3. Can you make all the toys ......? Can? Cannot

4. Then can make the ??? broken? Cannot

5. Can make cat the fish?? ? ? ?

6. Can make the fish die? Cannot

7. Can make the the my things? Cannot

8. Can make my guitar? No

9. Can make my CD? No

Singing Good Morning to Mummy becomes Happy Birthday song

Raphael starts Nursery

2012-01-03T23:33:00.002+08:00

2012 is the year Raphael starts his nursery..its special because it marks many 1st for all of us..especially him..its the 1st time he will take the bus alone to and from school..its the 1st time he is attending a full 3 hours lesson away from home..its the 1st time he will be going to school without his pampers..

He is very sure of himself and boards the bus with mummy accompanying him..when he reached school, he also disembark with confidence and took the steps up to school..all seems well..he seems confident and comfortable..but its still too early to tell as daddy and mummy is with him throughout for the 1st 2 days of orientation..

when the teachers ask them to hold hands and walk in pairs, he actually holds one of the girl's hand on his left..while still looking out to hold the girl's hand on his right..a real casanova..

as its orientation day, the lesson is short and light..after registration and attendance taking, they are led into their class (Joy B) followed by playground time..next its some dance and move before going back to classroom for story telling and drawing time..this marks the end of his 1st day..

While on the bus back home, he tells mummy he is sooo hungry and request for food..seems the short 1 hour at school used up quite alot of his energy haha..

in his uniform..and insist on bringing his toys along.

the bus arriving in school compound

raphael disembarking by himself

he seems confident and alights without fuss

walking confidently towards the stairs leading to the school

sitting amongst his fellow classmates

playground time

toilet training..

Mummy and Raphael's new hairdo

2012-01-03T23:30:00.000+08:00

new year new look..Mummy is starting the new year with a stunning new short hairdo which fits her face perfectly..Daddy has been telling her to try out a shorter hairstlye for ages..but Mummy is always "conservative" and prefer the safer option of shoulder length..Rapheal also had his hair trimmed so that it will grow out nicely for CNY..

Mummy's new cropped style..looks good!!

nice hairstyle..short and cool..

deep in tot...why is my hair soo short?

December Happenings in the Phay Family

2012-01-03T23:24:00.000+08:00

Xmas Eve - Brandon's house at Boon Keng Citview

This year's Xmas eve dinner is hosted at Brandon's house..for food, we ordered Turkey, Cherry glazed ham, choco log cake from GoodWoodPark hotel..supplemented by Granny Phay's kueh pie tie, chicken curry and dessserts of Ben and Jerry ice cream

the many presents under Brandon's tree

The main course of the night

Brandon and Gabriel..decked out in Orange

Bennett and Grandpa Phay

Bennett and Yvonne

Daddy and Mummy

Granny Phay and Caleb

The 2 cheeky ones..Raphael and Yvette

Cool as ice Ian

Our Dark Choco log cake

Ian opening his presents

Yvette opening her share

Raphael reading the card to see if the present belongs to him?

Caleb opening his present..

Gabriel feeding Granny Phay?

New Year Eve gathering at Hougang House

New Years eve dinner is held at Grandpa Phay's house in Hougang as there is a big common area outside the flat for grilling..we prepared beef, salmon belly and other good stuffs for this small group BBQ session..

Brandon and Bennett demonstrating how to use camera angle to achieve slimmer face without double chin

Yvonne and Serene

Yati and Yuli, our helpers

Yvette act cute pose

Act cool pose

Act cool pose 2

the kids pretending a big bad wolf is chasing them

yvette and rapahel acting angry

relaxing in the living room couch

Adrian and Serene

Sharon and Ken

Cadence's 4th Birthday

2012-01-03T22:45:00.000+08:00

We are invited to Cadence's 4th Birthday celebration on 1st Jan 2012..she is truly the BIG sister amongst all..There are cupcake decoration and handicraft for the kids to hands on..followed by cake cutting and goodie bags for all to bring home..

Biking along Seragoon Park Connector

2011-12-22T21:45:00.002+08:00

The weather is cool and sky is clear..so Daddy decides to get their butts off the couch and head for a ride with Raphael along Serangoon Park Connector..the route is smooth and all the connecting bridges are open, so we are able to ride across the rivers with ease without needing to cross the various road junctions along the route.

Along the way, father and son had a good time enjoying the scenery and breeze..Raphael is asking tons of questions and Daddy tried his best to answer..Daddy also tried to arouse his interest in nature by asking him questions of the plants and animals we see along the route.

1/2 way into the cycling, Raphael got a bit bored and requested to jog..yes..jogging..so daddy locked the 2 bicycles to a lamp post and had a short jog with Raphael..

We took a good 1hr to complete the 3km route to the new dining enclave in Punggol where daddy bought a nice cool ice milo to reward Raphael for enduring the ride..

the ride back is more challenging for both Daddy and Raphael..For Raphael, he is starting to complain of tired legs and on many occassion "threatens" to give up..Daddy on the other hand needs to slow down up to a stage its hard to balance on the bike to match Raphael's speed.

Seeing that Raphael is actually persevering and continuing riding admist his claims of tiredness, Daddy also carried on encouraging him and we finally made our way back to our starting point..

Well Done Raphael!!

Taking a break while sheltering from the drizzle

Our rides..

Pond Fishing With Godpa Bennett

2011-12-22T00:35:00.001+08:00

Godpa bennett is back from Canada for a 2 weeks break to spend the Xmas and New Year with the family..Daddy is also clearing his 7 days consecutive leave..so godpa "jio" Daddy to go Pasir Ris for pond fishing..

Daddy is never a fan of fishing under the sun, but still he accompanied Godpa there to see him "feed" the fish and also do some brotherly catch up..

Our reward after 6 hours of sun tanning and constantly throwing new feeds into the pond? we caught a single fish as shown for our dinner at Hougang house tonight.

Gabriel's 2nd Haircut

2011-12-22T00:27:00.000+08:00

Its been 6 months since his last haircut and we been puting off the next as we feels his hair is not that long..however recently Granny Phay has been telling us Gabriel seems uncomfortable as he tend to scratch his ears which is partial covered by his hair..and many people mistook little Gabiel for a girl..so we finally brought him to Junior league at Vivo..unlike his 1st cut when he is 4 month old, this time he is more aware of the surrounding and kicks up a fuss, making it difficult to trim his hair..after close to 30mins of struggling, we are finally done..we are not really satisfied with his haircut but think this is the "best" considering his constant struggling..

Next time we will go to either Curly and Spike or Supercuts at NEX as the stylist there are more "skillful" and have deft scissor skills..JL uses more electric shaver which makes Gabriel really uncomfortable..

before, his sides are covering his ears

see how long they are..always being mistaken for a girl.

New boyish hairstyle

Gabriel and his many HATS

2011-12-22T00:14:00.000+08:00

Gabriel is close to 11 months old and we are starting to reuse those old but still new clothes of Raphael..he is wearing a 12-18mths polo-T at 11 months old..guess he is another heavy weight boy who always wears 1-2 size bigger..

today we sat him on the bed and took many shots of him in different hats...he looks ooh sooo cute..

Raphael is recovering from HFMD

2011-12-17T13:32:00.000+08:00

Raphael slept for 15 hours from 5pm Fri to 8am Sat..mummy managed to feed him milk 3 times last night which is good news as he is accepting food..he woke up looking fresh and energetic..he is back to his naughty ways..

although we misses his bubbly self, but now with him singing, shouting, bullying Gabriel again..we actually miss those few days when he is "mute" due to ulcers in his mouth.

in 2 days time, he will be officially classified as non-carrier and just in time for Xmas celebrations!!

Raphael after waking up from a marathon 15hrs sleep and he seems to have recovered.

Our new TV in the Living Room

2011-12-14T09:55:00.001+08:00

Our house is 5 years old..and electronics are meant to last not beyond that haha..our plasma in the living room although is still watchable, has fine green speckles when displaying dark scenes..its very distracting especially when watching soccer..this Toshiba 42" Plasma cost us $3199 5 years back..thats alot of money hor..but thats the price back then..

With the new developments and mass productions, 3D, HD, LED, SMART TV are the norms when we consider new TVs..for a 42" and below set, the price is actually competitive where we can get a Samsung 42" LED, HD, SMART TV at less than $1000..but once it goes beyond 42", eg. 50-55", the price can easily double or triple depending on the options..

So when Daddy chanced upon this LG 50" Plasma 3D model 50PW450 while window shopping, he was immediately attracted by the price..why Plasma? well its all down to the price..the latest plasma are not as high power consumption, the panel is slimmer, it has 3D functions and most importantly is the price of $999..can you imagine a made in Korea LG 50" at $999.

Still he deliberated for close to 2 weeks before commiting the purchase..at time of writing, he is at home eagerly awaiting the delivery of our new 3D TV..cant wait to watch this weekend's BPL in 3D.

Too bad the kids cannot experience this 3D viewing as its not recommended for them under 5 years old..still with 50" wide, the viewing experience will definitely be alot better

The connection diagram drawn up by daddy to interconnect

all the entertainement system in the living room

Raphael is down with HFMD

2011-12-14T09:41:00.002+08:00

Monday 12th Dec 2012, Raphael is officially a HFMD carrier as confirmed by Dr Anthony from ABC clinic in Hougang..he is running a fever the night before and in the morning, we saw some ulcers underneath his lips..we initially thot that it could because he bit his lips..but we are prepared that he is likely to have HFMD..Daddy never thought that Raphael will get this as HFMD although is common, but its still alien to Daddy..have never heard of this when he is young..maybe its called a different medical terms 30 years back..
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its going to be a "long" and tiring next 5-7 days as we nurse this little boy back to health..he has no blisters on his mouth, palm or feet which is a blessing..the only discomfort is his many ulcers in his mouth and bout of fever throughout the day..as expected, he demands more attention and kicks up a fuss whenever he is in discomfort..

as advised by Doctor, we can feel free to give him ice cold drinks, ice creams etc...as he will reject normal food due to the ulcers..he seems to understand this and will request for ice cream as late as 11pm!!..we can only oblige as he really didnt eat much for the day..need to take extra care to rinse his mouth after such to keep it clean so that it will heals faster..even this is a challenge as he will cry and not allow us to rinse his mouth..

Hope the kids get well soon so that Xmas celebration will be a bang!!
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Videos of Raphael saying how painful is his mouth affected by ulcers

Daddy's office Xmas Children Event

2011-12-13T01:14:00.002+08:00

Daddy's office organised an Children Xmas party last Fri on the 9th Dec and Mummy took off to bring raphael here..he is excited yet shy when he sees so many other kids..we tried our hands on the cookie decoration and also took part in the BINGO game..Raphael is sooo disappointed when his numbers just couldnt form a line..seeeing him soo disappointed is soo funny haha..
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When its time for collecting the present from Santa claus, he tried to squeeze his way in but its just too crowded and he cant make get his present..until Daddy comes over and carry him forward..when he receives the present from Santa, he is beaming with pride and joy..as u can see in the picture that he took with the santa.

With Auntie Anna and Angelica

enjoying the floss candy?

trying his hand on the cookie decoration

getting ready for the game of BINGO

he is disappointed that he cant get a line

posing with his present

he is soo proud to be posing with Santa

Gabriel is crawling on all fours

2011-12-07T21:24:00.001+08:00

Cant pinpoint an exact date..but its approximately at 9 months that he is able to crawl forward and ard 91/2 months that he started to crawl on all fours..he is also able to sit up from a lying down position with ease..he can also push himself to a sitting position while crawling. Its normal to see his head pop out of the room when we leave him by himself even for just a min to get something from the kitchen.

He knows how to Hi-Five sometimes back..recently he learns how to clap..we are still teaching him how to pankiss..

He is a little garbage bin..so far we cant think of anything that we feed him that he rejects..last night we tried Durian and as expected, he loves it..

Granny Phay's Birthday

2011-12-07T02:10:00.000+08:00

We celebrated Granny Phay's 60-1=59 years young birthday today on 4th Dec, 1 day earlier as its a sunday and all are gathered at home..Daddy is tasked to buy the cake and we tot we are sure to get a nice whole cake at pine garden at amk..alas, all whole cake are sold out and its raining cats and dogs..so we had to make do with a jigsaw puzzle substitute (a mixture of 8 quarter slice)..and we dun have a small candle..so we use a big white one haha..really "boh sim" hor haha..but no one minds as we gathered round to sing birthday song and eat the slices..so many different flavours to choose from..

the best part is on the next day which is granny's actual day..daddy and mummy took leave..intending to bring her out for a pedicure and a nice lunch..but to their "horror"..granny called them in the morning to request to go play mahjong instead as she says thats what she enjoyed most...so we relented and let the birthday lady do as her wish..

next year will be her BIG birthday..60!!

singing happy birthday song

Jigsaw cake

Isabelle's Birthday - Apple3group

2011-12-07T01:55:00.000+08:00

Its 4th Dec and we are invited to celebrate Isabelle's 3rd Birthday at her house..we are greeted by the giant banner and a house full of guest..there are many big kor kor and jie jie in the house and raphael seems to enjoy the attention they put on him..they showed him around the house and they chit chat like they known each other for ages..

When we ask Raphael to take a picture with the birthday girl, he is lazy to stand up and so the 3 kids lie down on the floor to take a group (apple3playmates)..soo cute..

We left the party with 2 bags of goodies from the little birthday girl..Thanks for inviting us over Isabelle and daddy and mummy.. :)

the giant banner that greeted us

raphael enjoying himself playing with all the kor kor and jie jie

lying down on the floor to take a group photo

Happy Birthday Isabelle!!

Our Home Sweet Home - Rearrangement

2011-12-01T00:17:00.002+08:00

this post is by daddy, for daddy and dedicated to daddy..so that he can look at the house even when he is not at home..all the time and effort put into creating his dream home..working with limited budget..always on the lookout for new additions to the home (furnitures or furnishing)..

our "modern" kitchen design that is already 5 years old..it doesnt look too outdated yet..wonder in 5 years time will it still look "IN"

our entrance area..or foyer as some call it..its an empty area just from the entrance to the living where we shifted our dining cum pool table to give it a new lease of life..it no longer hides under the dining top..and its a full time pool table now..raphael will play with every now and then..no longer a white elephant.

our living room..juggling between having more seats while keeping it less cluttered..

2011 Xmas Tree..we had this same tree and design for 4 years..spend a small fortune on it with the decorations..recoup all the outlay as it lasts us for the 5th year and counting.

new look dining area with the round table and classic look chairs..after 5 years of putting up with the pool table convert dining top which makes eating on the table awkward, we can at last sit down comfortably to have a meal at home..

view of the dining room looking into the living

the simple bar area with a customised moveable counter

our polished black fridge in the living room, making cold drinks and chocolate easily available when relaxing in the living room..this is our "Cold Storage"

our "7-11" shelf where all our favourite chips and biscuits are displayed for ease of choice

Raphael and Yvette's moments

2011-11-29T02:09:00.000+08:00

We are celebrating Grandma Lucy's birthday at Hougang house..Grandma Phay cooked up a feast complete with orh ngee for dessert..the kids also had a good time playing together, and we managed to capture some candid moments of raphael and yvette :)

Granny Lucy blowing her candle.

Our beautiful yvette, always serious and proper looking

standing besides Raphael the clown..she frowns..

seeing raphael's making a fool, she goes OMG! and covers her face

she is slowly converted and tries to act funny too..

acting cute

this is them..acting "angry"..what a different interpretation of ANGRY

Raphael hugging his big sister.

Yvette is converted..she also becomes a clown

Visit to Punggol Beach

2011-11-29T01:53:00.000+08:00

with all the hype about Punggol 21..the opening of the waterfront and punggol promenade..daddy bought raphael down to punggol beach on this bright sunny afternoon for sand play..but sad to say punggol beach still has a long way to go before it can be compared to East coast or even Pasir Ris for its sand quality..

the beach is "smelly" and the water is not exactly clean..the sand is coarse, feels slimy at some patches and littered with broken glass..managed to find a cleaner area for rapahel to build his sand castle, not to disappoint as he has been looking forward to sand play since morning..initially thought that with the revamped punggol area which is being touted as a up and coming recreational area, the place will be sandy and clean for family..guess we will still need to travel furthur to East coast park or even Sentosa to really enjoy quality sand..

Playing Pool at home

2011-11-29T01:43:00.000+08:00

now that our pool table is always "open" as its no longer our dining table, raphael will try his putting skills almost every night when we got home..he even tries to teach daddy how to play..telling daddy that he needs to align the number on the ball to the cue etc..buay tahan this little imp..if this goes on, in no time he will be a expert pool player haha

when Daddy is not home

2011-11-26T01:45:00.000+08:00

Daddy has been strict with raphael on his snacking at home..reason being we have a rack full of snacks..a fridge full of drinks..if we dont restrict raphael, he can eat non stop of his favourite chips etc..

this night when daddy needs to work late..Grandpa Phay ferries them back to our house and upon entering..he looked around to check if Daddy is waiting at home..when he confirmed Daddy is not home yet..he turns around to face mummy and says " Mummy, Daddy is not home..we can drink chocolate milk and eat calbee..we can eat alot before daddy comes home"

this is not the 1st time and mummy observes how happy he is to occassionally raid the snacks bar at home when daddy is away..even when daddy is out to throw rubbish, he will also try his luck by requesting milo etc from mummy..

he is really cheeky and always on the lookout when he is home alone with mummy to start his raid on the snacks.

Yvette's School Performance

2011-11-26T01:35:00.001+08:00

this post is of Yvette practising and performing at her year end school event..she is dancing to the song "Nobody" by wondergirls..see the video of her practising at home..she look soo engrossed when dancing..

she promises to show all in the family and especially her Daddy when he is back this Dec..

lets give her a round of applause.

the 1st 2 view of of her school actual day performance

Below 2 videos are her practising at home

Nov 2011 HK trip Day 3-4

2011-11-26T01:24:00.000+08:00

We spend the last 2 days of our trip in away from Disney land..we checkout and proceeded to take the Disney Line Mrt to tung chung where the big shopping mall citygate (lotsa factory outlet) is located..we didnt shop though, instead we made our way to the cable car station Ngong Ping 360 to ride the cable car to Lantau Island to see the Big buddha..

Raphael is not afraid of the height and kept talking away during the journey..we "descend" the mountain ard noon and went back to collect our luggage and took a cab to our hotel in HK island..the journey is long due to jam..by the time we checkin, its already late noon and did nothing much due to rain..we met up with Osbert, Daphane, David, Stella and Martin for dinner before grabbing some grocery back to hotel..heard from the guys that rain is predicted for the next 2 days..sian..

although the weather is fine for the next 2 days we spend in HK, we didnt managed to shop or explore much as we found that that its tiring and tedious to bring 2 kids and a pram around in HK..most of the stations have no escalator and the lift took ages and are usually full..

also the pavements not very spacious and with the mountain people mountain sea at every streets, lane and shopping centre..we didnt have the mood to shop..guess HK city is not very conducive with kids tagging along..we have a better experience years back when we came as a couple where we walked and walked..see and see..the tradional sides of HK..with kids, we tend to "hide" in shopping centers which is no different from Singapore haha..

on the last day, daddy actually felt "relieved" to leave HK..its not that we dun like the place..but as tourist with 2 young kids..we felt we should have just stayed in Disneyland..and we will defintely be back again..Just to DisneyLand as Raphael loves it..

Nov 2011 HK trip Day 2

2011-11-26T00:54:00.000+08:00

Our 2nd day in Disneyland started with a Magical breakfast with the characters in the Enchanted Garden Restaurant where we get to mingle and take photos with all of Raphael's favourite characters..Mummy is soo busy looking out for them while daddy is busy tucking into the buffet spread..

the experience is good as it wasnt very crowded (maybe due to weekday) and the characters have ample time to go round all the tables..raphael even had multiple encounters with Pluto and goofy..maybe due they are "less popular" haha..

after breakfast, we made our way to the park for another fun fill day for raphael where we tried out most of the rides and 2 shows followed by the parade..we can really sense the happiness of raphael everyday in the park..surrounded by all his favourite things..(the next 2 days spend in HK island is a nightmare haha..he seems to miss Disneyland and didnt enjoy the rest of the trip outside Disney)

In the evening we made our way back to hotel to checkout the indoor swimming pool (its gorgeous!!)..the interior is so classic and we had the whole pool to ourselves..there are infant and kids swim jackets that we let the kids tried on and they are able to float on their own..

the day ends with a Dinner with Vincent and Family, thanks to them for making the effort to fetch us to and fro the Hotel and the nice dinner at a Restaurant specialising in traditional "village" cuisine.

the garden view of the hotel

Raphael's mickey mouse breakfast

the 1st character we met in the restaurant

Gabriel and goofy

Raphael is soo happy to take picture with goofy

the star of the all the attraction, MICKEY mouse!

Raphael beaming away with Pluto

Family photo with Mickey the mouse

the well trimmed maze garden

Raphael enjoying the teacup

we spotted Stitch along the way

the parade where all the characters performed

the beautiful indoor pool

gabriel floating by himself

raphael floating on his own too

Dinner with Vincent and Family

Nov 2011 HK Trip

2011-11-23T09:58:00.000+08:00

We left for the airport by 5.45am and raphael seems to be aware of the adventure ahead..he is wide awake and excitedly pulling his own luggage along..the trip using Tiger Airways is overall pleasant with no delay..onboard..raphael ordered chips to munch on and that keeps him happy for the 4 hrs flight..

we reached HK Disneyland at 1pm, too early to check-in..so we made our way to Disney park, taking the convenient and comfortable free coach service from the hotel to the park in 3-5mins time..

On entering the park, we observed how Raphael's face LIGHT UP on seeing so many "magical" characters, buildings and train..this already makes the $$ and effort for the trip all worthy..

As its a tuesday, the park is not too packed..most of the attractions takes 10-15mins of queueing..the weather is sunny with cooling breeze..we had some unhappy experience with queue cutting by others but guess its just different culture..cutting our queue is fine, but pushing and brushing against us, especially Gabriel is not..

we spend a good 6 hours ending with a fantastic fireworks display before making our way back to check-in at the hotel and rest for the night..this marks the end of our day 1

Woke up early to catch the flight

Daddy with Gabriel in 1 row of seats

mummy with raphael, feasting

we arrived in HK Disneyland!!

picture with the 2 most famous mouse..Mickey and Minnie

see how happy, excited and proud raphael is

spotted Donald and Daisy in 1 corner of the park..

his Pluto hat from the many nice souvenier shops

the fantasyland castle..

posing with Pluto..one of raphael's fav character

the fantasy castle in the night

our hotel room entrance area..love the beautiful carpet

our room for the next 2 day..its clean and comfortable..and very nice deco.

Gabriel at 10 months old

2011-11-15T01:20:00.001+08:00

Gabriel is starting to salivate again..its due to 2 more teeth growing..he salivates soo much that his clothes is always wet and "smelly" near the collar..he is able to support himself from lying to sitting position..since last week, we have started encouraging him to stand and let him support his own weight on his feet..he enjoys standing inside his playpen and we can keep him quiet just by doing this when we need to get busy haha..

he also enjoys swimming, or rather playing with water..he is not afraid of the water and will attempt to paddle himself in the water..

His vocal is also getting more recognisable..Daadaaa..mumm mumm...and he can wave goodbye when prompted..we also notice that Raphael is starting to be more accepting and even protective of Gabriel..he will "snatch" gabriel's toy back from caleb..he is behaving like a big Kor Kor in the family..

Gabriel is turning ONE soon..his big bash will be on the 26th Jan, Lunar 初四..since we cant celebrate after the actual day, the next choice will be on the 21st Jan, which is ooohh soo near CNY..guess the celebration will be mixed with CNY mood haha..since its the start of the looong weekend..

Enjoying himself in the swimming pool...

massage before his swim

swimming at baby spa..

standing inside his playpen

We are off to HK DisneyLand

2011-11-14T22:57:00.001+08:00

Its our long awaited family getaway to HongKong this week..this has been planned since Sept and its a slow 2 month wait..baggage packed..passport checked..We are going to eat, shop and enjoy oursleves at Disney HK for 2 days to let Raphael have his fill of fun..

Raphael's Interpretation

2011-11-13T11:30:00.003+08:00

Some classic from Raphael.

He has been eating alot of snacks like potato chips and so mummy tells him to drink more water. Guess his reply. He says he will drink alot of water. Milo. HL milk. Yakult. Apple juice. We are telling him to drink more plain water and he interpret himself drinking his favorite drinks haha.

He is also very diplomatic. Like mummy. We gave him some winter melon drink and he took a sip and when we ask him if he like it. He says "YES". We ask him if he wants more. He says "NO". Where got ppl like something but wants no more of it haha. This trait is very much like mummy.

We are running late for his Sunday I Can Read class and when wr reach the mall, there is no lots on the lower floor. Circling the carpark Raphael commented. Why is there no space. Daddy tells him it's due to him making a fuss at home and delays us that's why no more parking lots. At this point he tells daddy. It's because you drive too slow that's why no parking lots. Daddy and mummy is speechless. Being told off by Raphael this little imp.

Remaking of Dining room - Part 2

2011-11-12T18:08:00.000+08:00

The new dining set is in place and we managed to find a new place for the pool table in the house..not bad ye..our patio area, which used to be empty is the new home for the pool table..its not too squeeze, still have ample space to walk in and out of the house..the most important is that we get to keep the pool table..

the dining room looks classier and also more spacious..we replaced the 1m x 2m pool table with a 136cm diameter dining table..its looks not too bad..infact daddy think it looks great..at last we can have a proper dining table for those rare meals at home..

Daddy even got a carpet just to complete the new dining room look..we are all set for Xmas, New Year and CNY!!

the new dining room look..complete with a soft silky carpet

the pool table dont look out of place here..we lost abit of space

but at least the pool table stays in the house haha

Remaking of Dining room

2011-11-09T00:54:00.000+08:00

this is a hard decision to make for daddy..this beautiful pool table has been with us for 5 years..but daddy is starting to "hate" it..reason? the unconducive height for dining..as its a pool table convert to dining, the height is higher than your typical dining table, so our elbow cant rest comfortably on it..

secondly, although its fun and "unique" to have a pool table at home, but counting back to the number of times we actually open the table to play is miserable..even when hosting gathering at home, the table serves it purpose to display food rather than open for a game of pool..

lastly, maybe daddy is "tired" of the home decor after 5 years and its time for a change..mummy is reluctant to give it up and offers reason like raphael is starting to play, its cool to have a pool table at home..but guess daddy's mind is made up and soon we will have posting of the re-arrangement of the dining room..daddy is slowly realising his dream dining the 2nd round..

our elegant and classic dining table

it opens up to a maroon pool table

Xmas Tree 2011

2011-11-03T01:31:00.000+08:00

Raphael is 3 1/2 years old this year and he is looking forward to setting up the Xmas tree..so on 2nd nov, daddy decided to bring the tree out although its still close to 2 months before xmas..as we are putting on the decorations, raphael sings to himself xmas song.."jingle bells..jingle bells..hmmm hmm hmm hmmm"

within 1 hour, the tree is up and lighted..sitting at a nice corner in the house..Its officially Xmas mood in the family!!

Halloween 2011 Party!

2011-11-03T01:26:00.000+08:00

The April\May 2008 babies Halloween gathering this year is at our house..we have close to 20 adults and 10 children and the kids really had a great time dressed in their costumes and role playing..Policeman, Batman, Superman, Snow White, Woody, Pirate and the ooh soo cute pumpkin..

Raphael willingly shared his room, his cars collection in his "garage" and all the guns in his "armoury"..almost every boy had a gun to play with..the "music" from all the kids playing was deafening..Its amazing how much space we have in our house haha..

This gathering sets the mood for more to come with Xmas, New Years and CNY round the corner..its officially Holiday mood until CNY lor! Xmas tree coming up next at a new location in our house..the old location is occupied by Daddy's 2 nice armchair..

Gabriel's 1st Swim

2011-10-27T00:17:00.000+08:00

its deepavali holiday and we planned a visit to Auntie Anna's house to let the kids swim..this request is from raphael and he has been looking forward to this since auntie anna "invited" him weeks back haha..this is also gabriel's 1st swim in an open pool and we are also eagerly looking forward to it..him wearing his konfidence warma swimsuit..

the sky opens up just as raphael changed into his swimsuit and you cannot imagine how dissapointed he looks, at the raindrops falling..the rain ceases after 30mins and his eyes lighted up and drag us down to the pool..the water is lukewarm and comfortable after the rain and gabriel took to the water with joy..

he loves to stretch out to touch the water from his float and when we took him out, the actually attempts to "swim" by flapping his hand and legs..seems to be a 2nd nature to him, maybe he is reminiscing those days in mummy's womb..

the tempting blue pool

his disappointed look when it rains

gabriel in his float

raphael and gabriel enjoying the swim

mummy and grabiel, his 1st swim

handsome raphael..camera angle trick..he looks slimmer

asking him to pose, his cheeky face

gabriel enjoying himself lots

Aug 2011 Impact Model Portfolio

2011-10-21T21:20:00.000+08:00

finally managed to read the pictures from the CD we received from impact model last month for the photo shoot that raphael did in Aug 2011..compared to the 1st few shoot, he is more compose now and also allows the makeup artiste to do a full makeup for him..the only "downside" is that he seriously needs to diet haha..looks soo round and chubby..more cute than handsome..

click HERE to see the whole range of pictures

Goodbye Charmaine

2011-10-21T21:08:00.000+08:00

its been close to 2 years since we came to learn about this little girl's fight with cancer at such a young age..learnt from the blog that she has passed away today..although we dont know her personally, but from following this blog, we can "feel" the pain the parent of this little girl, her family and of course little charmaine herself....its really heart wrenching to read of her brother Jase's pain at losing his sister..may Lord bless this little soul and her family thru this diffifult time

Gabriel Kindermusik trial

2011-10-17T00:19:00.001+08:00

Gabriel attending his 1st kindermusik trial class at tanglin mall..time seems to fly as daddy remember not long back we are taking raphael here for lesson every sunday..since then he has moved onto julia gabriel and IcanRead..its gabriel's turn to experience kindermusik before starting him at 1YO..mummy says "whatever raphael has, Gabriel will have also"

feedback from mummy is that Gabriel enjoys the lesson

settling down on the carpet floor
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Gabriel's friends
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oops..accident happens as he is pushed onto the floor
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Gabriel's Jan Baby Gathering

2011-10-17T00:09:00.002+08:00

Children's day gathering organised by Gabriel's Jan\Feb 2011 mummies non profit organisation haha...heard the turnout that day is close to 100 people..the event held at Changi NSRCC was a success with the kids, especially raphael enjoying themselves.

after the event, we brought raphael to the kids pool to cool down and he had a splashing time playing with some newfound friends..one of the little girl like raphael so much that he even planted a kiss on raphael's cheek haha..

Evelyn's Wedding

2011-10-17T00:03:00.001+08:00

Its "auntie" Evelyn wedding day and Mummy is one of the "sister" although she is not young and also a mother of 2 kids liao haha..but nevermind..ginger is still old one better..Daddy also tag along to boost the "girls" side power and we reached the bride's house early by 740am to start the preparation of the 满清四大酷刑，酸甜苦辣。

Mummy's task of preparing the sweet torture turns out to be soo palatable that it taste like ribena honey..guess the bride snatching party will end the event on a sweet note.

the HOT stuff
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the 6 "sisters"
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the groom succeeded in "snatching" the bride
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arrival at the groom's house
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the lambchop sisters
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daddy and raphael at the dinner reception
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Ian's 2nd Birthday

2011-10-16T23:55:00.001+08:00

Ian's 2nd actual birthday fell on a monday and we didnt make it to celebrate with him..godma yvonne whatsapp us some shots of Ian enjoying his simple birthday celebration..

Edwin (JinLun) Wedding

2011-10-16T23:53:00.000+08:00

Its Edwin (JinLun)'s BIG day with the wedding dinner hosted at QianXi restaurant in balestier civil service club..the turnout from granny phay's side is good and metup with cousins and their kids..the food is good with generous portions per dishes..the dinner ended at 11pm and luckily tom is a Sunday.

Marchin aisle

the lifesize poster of the couple at the reception

sneak a shot from their photo album

1st marchin of the couple

the cousins' kids..from left 1st and 2nd are Lawrence's and rightmost is bernie's

these 2 are bernie's princess

Grandma Phay..whats with the V sign?

Grandpa phay with Gabriel

Gabriel at 8 months old

2011-10-12T08:50:00.003+08:00

Gabriel's 5th and 6th teeth are growing and causes him to run a fever..but he has been a good boy and didnt create any fuss..His blabbering is starting to make sense..Dddaaa...Mmmmm..he actually makes such distinctive sound when he sees Daddy and Mummy..

He loves to blow saliva when he sees Grandpa, and will smiles sweeeeetly when he sees Daddy..he is a daddy boy unlike Raphael who is a mummy boy..

The similiarities in looks between the 2 boys is still showing at 8 months old..Raphael still will "beat" Gabriel if he accidentally touches him..but apart from that, he will show his affection for Didi..Once when Gabriel is crying, Raphael hugs him and he immediately stop crying knowing Korkor sayang him..

Grandma Phay jokingly tell Raphael that she will beat Gabriel if he is naughty..Raphael walks towards her, presses his forhead against hers and said to her in a serious tone "my brother is still young, you cannot beat him ah!"

Our 1st visit to the Singapore Flyer

2011-10-10T10:26:00.000+08:00

we been taking the ECP home every time we visit Raphael's maternal grandparents or VivoCity..every time we passes by the Flyer, he will make a request to ride on the flyer..we always tells him "next time" and that "time" has been more than 6 months in waiting..

on a day when we both took leave, we decide realise his "wish" and brought him to the Flyer..Daddy always thought the price should be reasonable, esp on a weekeday and we being Singaporeans..on seeing the price..OMG..its close to $80 after promo for a 30min (1st 10min and last 10min nothing much to see) ride..

For our Darling, we proceeded to part with our hard earned $$ and board the cabin..we shared the cabin with 4 other japanese tourist and had plenty of space..Raphael walked round the cabin and took in the views..he is not afraid of heights and lean close to the glass panels, looking down as we ascend..Daddy is afraid of heights and stayed close to the center of the cabin most of the time..

The round trip is surprisingly fast and its over without us feeling its a 30mins ride..the view is good but will be better once the marina gardens landscape is completed..will we be back? guess not unless Gabriel made the same request haha..

Caleb's 1st Independent Walk

2011-10-09T11:18:00.000+08:00

its 8th Oct 2011, caleb is approx 15mths old and early in the morning we received a Whatsapp video from brandon..words like amazing, cool followed by the video of ?..?...?

Caleb's 1st walk..he started walking without support all of a sudden..he must have been practicing this in private, waiting for an opportunity to show the world his new found skills..

Congrats Caleb on his 1st maor milestone..congrats Tua Pek and Tua Um on having 1 more worry..of him falling down..this is parent..worry he dunno how to walk, worry he fall down when he walk..worry he have girlfren at young age..worry when he has no girlfren at marriageable age..

Yvette turns 4 !

2011-10-05T22:57:00.000+08:00

saturday 1st Oct is yvette's 4th birthday..she made a request to go to the beach and we all coordinated to make it together at ECP..the sky opens up in the morning and drizzles till early noon near our house..by 1pm the rain stops and we decided to make the trip to ECP, hoping the weather is fine over at the east..

to everybody's relief, the weather is great in ECP and the kids enjoyed themselves..the birthday girl busies herself with building her sand castle, Ian keeps yvette company while caleb throws sand everywhere..anywhere..at daddy, at yati, in the air and on his HEAD..omg...

Raphael? he is busy "protecting" his sand tools from everyone..only allowing daddy and yuli touch..we spend about 1 1/2 hrs there under the sun before packing up for dinner and ice cream at airport swensens..

mummy yvonne is happy to make yvette's day at the beach

see caleb's headful of sand..

water training or torturing by daddy brandon?

raphael with his precious sand tools..

the 2 mountain with castle at its peak..yvette and Ian's 2 hr effort

singing happy birthday song with an swensen's firehouse

the kids pretending to lick the "lollipop", Ian is licking a real one

raphael giving a cheeky face while yvette licks the "lollipop"

the 2 kids sharing a "lollipop", they are 2 great actors

Raphael's apple 3 class photo

2011-10-03T23:31:00.000+08:00

its raphael's apple tree class photo taking session for 2008 children..this is the 3 years old gang of sengkang compassvale street apple tree..although raphael stopped his lesson, but we still brought him here today for the commemorative class photo :)

outside class, lining up to go in

spot the policeman..the BIGGEST in the class

"official" class photo..all kids looking infront

something interesting on their left

Uncle Andrew's Daughter full month

2011-10-03T23:26:00.000+08:00

We attended Uncle andrew's princess full month celebration, welcoming new addition to mummy's poly gang..look at that head of dark fluffy hair...sooo cute..mummy was commenting she looks so much like her Daddy..we left real early before mummy's other friend came as Raphael is throwing tantrums and simply un-controllable..cya again little princess

Fun things about the kids

2011-09-24T10:01:00.003+08:00

This is a video taken during our recent kukup trip..raphael is singing and ian is dancing..they are enjoying the attention as you can see..Ian will put the mic down when raphael finishes and clap his hand..look at how they dance..bending their legs..

he loves his role play as a policeman..daddy customised a belt with many accessories like walkie talkie and handcuff for him, which he is soo proud of

he can barely fit into this chair

below are videos of grandson bullying grandpa and kor kor bullying didi..weapon? SALIVA!!

Ice cream making lesson

2011-09-19T02:08:00.000+08:00

mummy got a "good" deal online for an ice cream making lesson for raphael at Orchard Central last saturday..daddy managed to finish work and picked them up before rushing down for the lesson..raphael seems uncomfortable throughout the lesson and demands daddy to stay besides him..looking at his expression, he must be feeling blue then haha..no smiles at all, except an occasion cheeky look..

after making the ice cream, he actually finish the cup of ice cream himself to the last drop..

looks bored haha

his friends megan and rayden sitting opposite chatting away

cheeky look

really looking bored..

pouring full cream milk into a zip lock bag

put the mixture of sugar, vanilla essence and milk into a tub of ice with salt and SHAKE!

the mixture starting to solidify after a few minutes of hard shaking

the finished product - selfmade ice cream

after makeup...looks more appetising

posing as a group with their certificate

KidzPlay at NEX

2011-09-19T01:57:00.000+08:00

on the roof level 4R of NEX mall is this wonder$free water play area open daily from 11am for kids..we saw it few weeks back and finally get a chance to bring raphael here..we are here to catch Smurf the movie with raphael and had he had a splashing good time before the movie..

as we reach there at 11am, the place is still empty and he had the whole place to himself..apart from the water guns which are faulty, the place is relatively fun with most of the water play in good condition..definitely more fun than jacob ballas children garden as it has more features..

Disney Show at MBS

2011-09-19T01:49:00.000+08:00

its the day for mickey mouse show at marina bay sands..we reached there early to explore the area around Sands like Olympic walk and also the many many levels of the shopping arcade before the show..

resting at the foot of singa lion

looking forward to a brighter future with Singa Lion

Salute Officer Raphael

raphael doing his march past.

wearing his mickey mouse hat..all ready for the show

the back of this mickey hat..so cute with the body dangling

night view of the riverfront from MBS

Gabriel's JWT Trial

2011-09-19T01:38:00.001+08:00

Gabriel is 7 months old and steady enough to start lessons like JWT and kindermusik..below are him enjoying himself in the trial class in JWT..sundays are again going to be busy for daddy and mummy..

the 2 kids "bullying" each other

gabriel's buddy in the class

the hotdog boat

Dear God..let me be a babe magnet..like kor kor

see me stand..sooo proud face

trying to crawl infront to reach his toy

laughing heartily..this is Gabriel

something very very interesting up there?

Till we meet again..Godpa Bennett

2011-09-19T01:28:00.002+08:00

Bon voyage Godpa Bennett..2 weeks passes in a flash and cya in December!! remember my presents and chocolates..Yvette and Ian didnt send godpa off as they will cry..so raphael becomes the representative
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Family Kukup trip

2011-09-19T01:21:00.000+08:00

its been a loong time since the whole family went on a trip..the last time was about 21 years back when daddy is only 12 years old..this kukup trip is fully sponsored by granny phay to gather all her kids, inlaws and grandkids together..its a short 2D1N trip to this laidback "fishing" village to getaway from the city and enjoy some karaoke and mahjong..

1st stop at a famous abalone noodle shop in JB

the sponsor and her ladies gang

raphael entertaining himself with some engineering wonder

raphael cant wait to have his milk..on the steps of our chalet

lazing on a hammock by the sea..

raphael and Ian singing karaoke..raphael singing, ian dancing..

sumptous dinner spread..all inclusive..the BBQ are delicious

guess their relations

the 1st Family..tua pek and tua umm and Caleb boy

fireworks is legal here..

yvette and ian birthday 2011

2011-09-19T01:13:00.000+08:00

Yvette and Ian are both born in the same month of Oct..this year, as Godpa Bennett is going back to canada in Sept, so the kids celebrated their birthday early together..after the event, they collected sooo many presents that raphael had a busy time helping them open one by one..

And our thick skinned and innocent raphael kept asking godma.."where is my present" countless time and by the end of the day..he also got a "present" for his effort from godpa and godma..:)

the 2 different character's cake

thomas train for Ian

the busy parents..

dora for the princess

dora theme for yvette

Gabriel's 1st Photoshoot

2011-09-04T07:50:00.000+08:00

We took out a casual photo shoot package with Foto U and had unlimited shots for a full 1 1/2 hrs..here are all the fun and cute shots of the family, especially Gabriel..

Lunar 7th Month - Do you believe - Part II

2011-08-31T22:17:00.000+08:00

Lady in white..

We brought Raphael to his sunday I can read lesson at Rivervale Mall..her favourite teacher is Miss Cindy (wore black that day)..dropping him off, we proceeded to do our sunday grocery shopping etc..when its time to pick him up, the same cheerful, cheeky boy appeared at the door just on the dot haha..wearing his own shoes. We happily wanted to proceed with the days activities when Mummy remembered that we need to inform the Teacher that raphael will be missing his next week's lesson and need to make up..we U-turn back to look for teacher cindy.

Speaking to her, she related below to mummy which she observed earlier in the class

Raphael in class he keep saying there are 2 teacher - in actual fact only one teacher in black tee. He say there is another in white color 白色衣服的老师..He tell the teacher Cindy there is one more in class and he request to go toilet twice.

Both time he told the helper Aunty that 白色衣服的老师 want to bring him go buy curry puff. The 2nd time he went he even want to go off saying that fellow in white wan bring him go buy now. Really freak us out. Could it be his own imagination as he wants to eat curry puff haha..

Freak the teacher n tt Aunty out

Lascal - Buggy Board

2011-08-30T21:43:00.004+08:00

We have been eyeing this lascal buggy board for ages..we have been 1/2 hearted about it, partly due to the price tag and the tot of lugging on more "baggage" around..but with Raphael constantly contending with Gabriel for the stroller, we decided to get it with a $20 robinson voucher..it cost SGD 129 retail price..

Immediately after gettting it, Daddy fixed it all within 20mins and its looking good so far...it fits well on the Maclaren XT, removing the board when folding the pram is a breeze too..Raphael is very excited whenever we take the pram out..he will insist that we fix the board on and eagerly "jump" onboard..the only downside so far seem to be the navigation part when Raphael is standing on the board..the twist and turn is needs more effort and the navigation angle increases..no longer can we make sharp turns with the buggy board bearing Raphael's full weight..

Guess we just need to get use to the manouvering with this extra weight..apart from this, the buggy board is really useful when Raphael complains of his legs aching..Gabriel no longer needs to give up his comfy seat and Mummy no longer needs to carry Gabriel or sometimes Raphael in her pupsik..

Lets hope Raphael wont get bored of this buggy anytime soon..

The stylo looking buggy board

Raphael resting on the board when he is tired of walking

its like his personal chair when we are out shopping

New found life - pool table

2011-08-30T13:50:00.000+08:00

The pool table is 5 years old and apart from the initial few months of moving into our house where we will play it often, the number of times when we open it during the last 4 years is rare..Daddy was even considering to sell it and get a proper dining table..

but last week, raphael suddenly request to play pool..he is soo serious that he will acede to all our request to eat, bath etc before we allow him to play..

he is very "serious" when he is playing and will insist on his own playing style when daddy tried to coach him the correct position etc..to him, so long as the ball goes into the hole..he dun care how he do it..after dinner he will request that we open the table to let him play..

Gabriel? we just let him sit on the table and pose lor..

putting the ball in position

taking aim

taking it seriously

good stance..

Gabriel look handsome for the camera

messing with the balls

Visit from auntie Kirti and hubby

2011-08-30T13:39:00.000+08:00

Daddy's colleague from India office came visiting and we had a great day out with Auntie Kirti and her hubby at Raffles place and Clarke Quay..for drinks we actually went to Hooters..the hot hot american chain who are famous for their waitress haha..the weather is sweltering hot and humid but its surprisingly cool under the restaurant's shelter where we had snacks and beer..Raphael is hooked on apple juice and will request for it whenver we dine out..

also, we dont know where he got this food combination from, he will also request to have Ham & Cheese salmon, although we know he will never eat such food..he kept repeating he wants ham and cheese salmon..

Auntie Kirti simply loves the boys and Uncle Sushil enjoys chatting with Raphael..raphael also enjoys their company although in the later part of the day, he started to throw tantrum due to tiredness, uncle sushil still managed to keep him entertained as we make our way back to Raffles place..

Thanks Auntie Kirti and Uncle Sushil for the great day out and the chocolates for the boys

Auntie Kirti and Hubby with Gabriel

Outside Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM)

many expressions of raphael in the restaurant

Updates on the boys

2011-08-19T12:53:00.001+08:00

Gabriel at close to 7 months old..he is a cheerful and easy going boy..smiles for anyone..everyone..even when he is awake, he will lie quitely on the bed and not make noise to wake mummy up unless he is hungry..he is currently Grandma and Grandpa's favourite Darling..

Raphael at 3 years 3 months..standing at 102cm and weighs 20kg...he is certainly heavy weight haha..he is starting to use more English in his daily conversation..partly due to his I can read lesson and partly due to hims spending more time with our English speaking domestic helper..Daddy and mummy also made effort to converse in English..all these small little contribution helps..these pics are taken during his impact modelling portfolio photoshoot..he is soo vain he even allows the full makeup on his face..

Raphael loves to sing and dance..its almost like second nature to him...watch him sing and dance in this video