Conversations with Denise

#1 - On the way home, in the car with Daddy.

JX: Will you still love Daddy when Daddy is old like 爷爷?

Denise: But I don't like old people...

Denise (holding JX's hand): I will still love you Daddy.

When JX told me about the conversation, I told him that Denise has began to understand that when people grow old, they will die and go to heaven. So she does not like the idea of us growing old.

#2 - On our way home from dinner.

Denise: Mummy, I don't want you to grow old.

Mummy: But everyone will grow old.

Denise: Ok. And I will see you in heaven right?

Mummy: Yes, we will still see everyone in heaven.

After a pause...

Denise: Can you teach me how to press the numbers on the TV first?

Hahahha.......

Mummy: No worries, by then you will also grow up and be a mummy. You will have to teach your children how to operate the TV.

Denise's 5th Birthday Celebration - Pt 2

On Denise's actual birthday, Dec 27, Aunty Mel bought 4 slices of cakes from TCC for Denise. She came to our place for a short while before going for wake-boarding at Raffles Marina.

Then at night, after service, we went to Swensen's at T2 for dinner with some friends. We managed to convince the Manager that it was Denise's actual birthday without having to produce documentation proof...:) So, Denise had a complimentary Firehouse Happy Birthday Ice-cream...:)

*sorry, no photos to show bcos I took a few with my BB Curve; but have not transferred the photos to my laptop*

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

Captured this shot with our new DCS-H10. Would never be able to capture such a shot with our old FE-230...:p

Heard and read so much about Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, but I was a little disappointed. Guess I was expecting too much...:p It is one of those places where I will visit only once in a blue moon...

Even IMM's waterplay area is more exciting than the one in Jacob Ballas. Haha...

But it's a good place for me to test out our new camera. Good and sharp shots!

New Camera *Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10*

Sold our 1.5 yr old Olympus FE-230 on Ebay...:) With $120 vouchers and $150 cash on hand, we bought our Sony Cyber-shot (semi-pro series) DSC-H10 at a steal!

Free gifts: 2 4G Memory Stick, Carrying Case, Cleaning Kit, Screen protector, Mini-tripod and Sony Digital Workshop course.

Bringing the kids to Jacob Ballas Children's Garden; will have sharp photos to post...:)

Visit to Omni-Theatre

JX brought Denise to Omni-Theatre with KW and Joshua on Sunday. They were showing "The Alps". It is a gripping story of human courage and resilience, The Alps follows a young mountain-climber, John Harlin III, in his journey to the peak of the Eiger, a beautiful yet deadly mountain in the Swiss Alps. Often translated as the Ogre, the Eiger is one of the most perilous mountains in the world. It has claimed countless mountaineers' lives, including John's own father.

In The Alps, John sets out to confront his painful legacy to conquer his fear by conquering the summit of the Eiger. Wow! Talking about confronting your FEAR...

Then we brought the kids for waterplay outside Science Centre. Debbie joined them too!

Lastly, a "kodak" moment with the T-Rex outside Mac...:)

4th Hair Cut

Went to Red Star for dim sum with my mum and step-father on Sunday morning. Chanced upon a hair salon that charges $6 for a hair cut. JX wanted a cut and Denise joined him... In fact, this is Denise's 4th haircut in 5 years...:p

And it only costs us $14 for 3 people!!! Denise-$2 + JX and maid-$6 each...

Hmm....I recently had a haircut at Kimarie for $36....:p

Cupcake Maker

When Denise saw the Cupcake Maker in Taka, she wanted me to buy for her but I refused to. I told her not to buy any toys during Christmas as she will be receiving A LOT of presents. Sure enough, she did not receive one but TWO Cupcake Maker...:p Managed to change one of it to more cupcake ready mix so that she can make more cupcakes...:)

Actually I think I enjoyed the baking more than her...:)

K1 Scrapbook

This is Denise's K1 scrapbook from school. It is a simple summary of what she did in school this year. Next year will be her last year in Pat's Schoolhouse. English teacher, Ms Wendy, will be teaching them again. Apparently, she is both the students and parents' favourite teacher...:)

High School Musical 3 Dance Mat

The first birthday present Denise opened and probably one of her favourite. HSM 3 Dance Mat from Aunty Abi...:)

Notice her braided hair? Barbie Hair Tool....another birthday present!

Denise's 5th Birthday Celebration - Pt 1

Denise's actual birthday falls on the 27th of December. As usual, we celebrated it 2 weeks earlier with her friends. Last year, her birthday present from Aunty Mel (my sister) was a MacDonald Birthday Party. This year, Aunty Mel chartered a Hippo Bus for her...:)

Our beautiful pink bus departed at 1030am. Thank God the weather was good. At certain point, it was a little hot, but overall, the trip was enjoyable.

We opted for the Heritage Tour. Thus the bus brought us past Little India, Kampong Glam and the Padang. After which, the highlight for the children must be the stop-over at MACDONALDS!!!

We had our lunch at Kallang MacDonalds. It was a blessing in disguise that I couldn't book the party room. As the restaurant was not crowded, we managed to have everyone comfortably seated together in the restaurant. Denise had a HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 birthday cake. As I was busy putting the candles, didn't manage to take any pictures of the cake-cutting and birthday song singing. I'm waiting for some kind parents to email them to me....:p

It was not an easy task to want to take a group photo of SO MANY children!!! Well, we tried...

Of course, the most exciting part has to be the opening of presents! Thank you everyone for your generosity! I hope that you have enjoyed the celebration as much as we did...:)

Watching TV

When it comes to Debbie, we are more relaxed in her exposure to TV programs. Caught her watching Fun Song Factory while waiting for us to get ready for church. She was so engrossed and would even waved her hands and sing along...

Visit to the Dragon Kiln

A few months back, Denise school organised an outing to the Guan Huat Dragon Kiln, located off Jalan Bahar.

A little history....
In the early 1980's Singapore still had three Dragon Kilns, Sam Mui Kwang, Thow Kwang and Guan Huat. The latter two remain today, while the former gave way to urbanization.In 2001, this Dragon Kiln was saved through a joint effort.

The Singapore Tourism Board financed and project-managed the restoration of the kiln and roof, the then Ministry of Information & the Arts secured the title deed, and URA gave approval for the site as a pottery park-cum-arts education centre. Other participants were National Heritage Board, the then Land Office, and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.In 2004, Focus Ceramic Services won the tender to run the kiln as a pottery arts centre.

The Guan Huat Dragon Kiln measures 43 metres long, 2.2 metres high and 2.5 metres wide. In the past the dragon kiln was fired fortnightly to meet the demand for latex cups needed by the rubber plantations which surrounded the area around Jalan Bahar. Other wares fired in this kiln included water containers, pipes, flower pots and crockery. Flower pots became very saleable in the early 1970s. Decreasing demands for such wares was the main reason for its closing down.

The children saw pottery demostration and even had a change to do some simple pottery which they can bring home!

Faces Of Denise

Performing In Asia Conference

Denise performed at the Parade of Minstry during the recent Asia Conference. She was the only K1, posing as a primary school student...:) The rest of the children wore their own school uniform. As Pat's Schoolhouse has no uniform, I had to borrow from a friend.

I always think that Denise would look good in Fairfield uniform....:) So, I managed to borrow a set for her...:) Try to spot her wearing yellow and blue at the end of the video!

Self-Feeding

Debbie is 16 months and 2 weeks now. She has started to self-feed. When she was younger, she refused to wear any bib. Ever since she started watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she would allow us to put on the Mickey Mouse bibs we bought for her from Hong Kong Disneyland....:)

Notice how wide she opens her mouth... That helps her to "aim" her spoon directly into her mouth...:)

Swimming Lesson

Denise is getting more confident in the pool now. She can put her head under water and blow bubble. She still has difficulty doing her kicks in the pool. This week, they learnt how to do breaststroke kicks. Hopefully she can start swimming soon...

Sentosa Outing

Went Sentosa with the Chai's and Chng's last Sunday. Perfect weather for a family beach outing! Managed to find a shady spot near the water play area. Showering the children was a challenge though!

Took the opportunity to dress Denise in her *bikini*

Kellyn's 3rd Birthday Party

We celebrated Kellyn's birthday last Saturday. The gals were all dressed up in flowergirl dresses. By the way....all the 4 dresses belong to Denise!

After the celebration, the kids sang and danced to the music of what else, but High School Musical! Even Debbie was celebrating....:p

Birthday Parties

Sep 27, Saturday - Denise attended classmate Joelle's birthday, held at Liquids Cafe (Upper Bukit Timah). The host engaged an entertainer for the party and the children really enjoyed themselves.

One of the games played was to identify the soundtrack from cartoons or movies. Denise was so excited when she knew the answer to a song! Balloon sculptures were also given to all the children.

The birthday cake was an amazing Princess Castle from Cupcake Divinity. It was simply too pretty to be eaten. Every child was given a lunch-box. It contains a burger, a portion of pasta, nuggets, star-shaped fries and a small jelly for dessert...:) It was an awesome party!

Sep 28, Sunday - Brought Debbie to Damian's 1st birthday party held in Pebble Bay's function room. Another cupcake birthday cake!

Denise was not there and this was Debbie's first birthday party. Sorry....no pictures to show Debbie having fun with the toys and balloons!

Conversation With Denise

On the way to Stephanie's grandma's wake...

Mummy: Denise we need to visit Auntie Steph for a while.

Denise: Why?

Mummy: Because Auntie Steph's grandma has gone to heaven, like 外公.

Denise: Oh, now they can be friends.

*Jibbitz* for Denise!

Denise has a pair of shoes from Pumpkin Patch that resembles "Crocs". We visited Vivo last night and couldn't resist buying some Jibbitz for her shoes...:)

And...I always thought "Crocs" are ugly; no matter how comfortable they claimed to be... Well.....couldn't resist buying one for myself when I saw this!

Trip to KL

After JX's SOT graduation, we decided to make a trip to KL with the Songs and Ruth. (In case, you are "wondering" where are my glasses...?!? Well, I went for Lasik! My birthday present from my ever-giving and beloved sister. Thanks Mel!)

3-fold purpose:

1) To take break

2) To visit the Choongs

3) To attend KL Emerge

There were other surprises... They celebrated my 33rd birthday and the kids had a fun morning in the pool...:)

Daddy's SOT Graduation

Minister of the Year!

Best Overall Performance Award (Runner-up)!

DADDY WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

Peyton's 5th Birthday Party

Denise attended a Birthday Party at Fidgets (located at Turf City). It was a huge and definitely child-friendly place. There's a huge cafe for parents to chill out while the children are playing. Bottle and food warmers are provided for parents who need to warm up milk or food for their children. There's even a playpen in the toilet for mothers to leave their babies or toddlers while they go for toilet breaks...... THOUGHTFUL....:)

I was impressed by the hostess! She baked 2 birthday cakes for her children!!! Usual food were catered for the children, i.e.nuggets, pizza, fries, juice...


Definitely a place I will come back again...:)

Batam Mission Trip

JX had to lead a mission team to Batam over the National Day weekend and we packed the entire family over...:)

While JX and Mervyn were busy serving, Jenny (with Christal) and I (with Denise and Debbie) met up with Cindy (with Ryan) and we brought the kids shopping! Everything was cheap cheap cheap..... Even the indoor playground was super-cheap! Only S$2 per 30mins...:)

I managed to "smuggle" the younger children inside...:)

National Day Performance

This year's National Day Celebration in Pat's Schoolhouse was unusual. We had the usual performance by the various levels. Denise was sick for 2 days and missed the rehearsals. However, on the morning itself, her teacher gave her a crash course. She managed to pick up and joined them in both the dance items.

There was a fun fair after the performance. There were free games for the children at the various stations. They have to collect all 7 stamps to redeem a special prize at the end. Prize? A Singapore flag or Singapore flag face tattoo....:)


FREE food were given out too! There were Nasi Lemak, prata, pastries and drinks... It busted the myth that schools always use such events to raise funds....:p Or maybe it is just what I always thought....

New Car Seat For Debbie

Debbie is past 9kg and her legs are already hanging out of her infant car seat. We decided to start looking for a toddler front-facing car seat for her.

We went to a few places, Robinson, Mothercare, Toy R Us.... and were deciding between a few brands... What a headache! Why are there so many different brands? And at such different prices? Aren't they supposed to just strapped the kids down?

Anyway, after watching High School Musical - The Ice Tour, we went to Metro Sale at Expo Hall 2. We finally bought Debbie's car seat!

A black and grey Lucky Baby Spawtee car seat for $169.

Features :
-Suitable for : GRP I/II
-Protection against the side impact
-5 point safety belt lock
-Adjustable to 6 sitting/ sleeping position
-4 safety belt adjustment combinations
-Easy one-hand adjustment
-4 posititons safety belt adjustment

We got it fixed and she happily sat in it throughout our journey home...:)

High School Musical - The Ice Tour

Finally, Aug 6 (Wed) came and Denise was looking forward to 7p.m.... JX drove us to Singapore Expo and we headed straight to check out the merchandise available for sale. As our tickets were free, we decided to buy something for Denise. It turned out that our tickets were Cat 1 tickets (priced at $59.50 each), so my $50 budget for merchandise was way below the savings...:)

So much to buy.... and finally something caught Denise's eyes!

A "T" necklace...:) It's the necklace that Troy gave to Gabriella in HSM 2! She wanted it so badly. After paying, I put it on for her immediately. And during the break, we bought a tub of popcorn to fill our stomach. After the show, we went to Metro Sale at Hall 5 and saw some HSM T-shirts going for just $7 each!!! We bought 2 for her...

Denise was so excited throughout the show! I was busy taking pictures and she was singing away with the performers. We truly enjoyed ourselves! Thanks, friend, for the tickets!

Conversation With Denise

On the way to work this morning...

Denise: "Mummy, are you thinking of 外公?"

Mummy: "Yes, sometimes I think of him. But it's ok, I'll see him again in heaven."

Denise: "But I don't want you to go to heaven."

Mummy: "We'll all go to heaven, one day."

Denise: "When are you going to heaven?"

Mummy: "When I get older and older, not so soon."

Denise: "Yeah!"

New Maid

*This post has nothing to do with the kids....just allow me to commend my new maid*

After my Dad passed away, we took over the maid who was initially employed to help look after him. I was initially apprehensive about having one since I did not have a good experience with the first one we had.

But this one was good. She is hardworking, can cook, gets along with the children and has a heart to serve...:)

Recently she helped me washed a pair of sandals that JX bought for me. Prior to that, 2 of the studs have dropped off. Last Saturday, I was shocked to find that all the studs were intact!

Curioused, I asked her what happened! And she told me she took 2 studs from her T-shirt and placed them on my sandals!!! I was so touched by her gesture. Even though she says it's a T-shirt that is too small for her, I was touched by her kindness...:)

Now the sandals is complete again...:)

Debbie Is Walking!

Denise walked at 9 months! Last Friday, Debbie finally took off at 13 months! She started with 3 steps, then 5, then 10... Finally recharged my camera and managed to take a short video of her walking...:)

I Love Summer

Thank you, 姑姑, for this beautiful outfit from USA! Debbie is still too small to fit into hers.

If you are reading this, Daddy and Mummy would not mind having a free iPhone or handbag from Coach or Kate Spade...:p