Debbie Posing!

Debbie posing here with Regina...:) Debbie is so adorable... Hehe... I am bias...:)

Farewell Lunch - 沈老师

Denise had a new Chinese teacher from Shanghai this year. Recently she discovered a growth in her throat and was advised by her doctor to remove it. She was also advised not to use her voice too much during this season. As a result, she has decided to go back to China in August so that her family can take care of her after the operation.

Today (Jul 24, Friday), the parents organized a farewell lunch for 沈老师. There was a "new" student...Hehhe...Debbie :) See how she was trying to make funny faces like Jaden (the boy sitting beside her).

Everyone brought something. Bee hoon, marshmellow, cocktail jelly, mini-sandwiches, snacks and we brought fruit juice.

The children were having a FUN-time...:)

The mothers had earlier made a scrapbook for both Ms Wendy and 沈老师. It was meant for Teachers' Day. But it was in time as a farewell gift instead.

Every kid wrote something for the teacher and it was so nicely done! Thanks to the group of dedicated mothers in the class! Not sure if it's the same for other classes; but I really like the mothers here. We have somehow become friends; after attending so many birthday parties together...:)

Beatrice, Bryan's mummy, bought a nice strawberry cake for the occasion. She took 16 candles so that every child can place a candle and say their well-wishes to their teacher...:)

The children dedicated a song to her.

Notice the boy behind the teacher? He couldn't stop sobbing for 20mins...:( The mood turned so sad and touching when the teacher started crying too! She even made a personalised photo-frame for every child, it framed up the photo she took individually with every student...

She wrote a note to all the children and parents; apologizing for being "irresponsible" and not being able to see them graduate... Sigh, I felt very sad for her too! I know that she has a passion for teaching and loves the little children very much! As a new teacher in the school, she quickly won over the students in a short time. I wish her all the best and speedy recovery after her operation! And that she can eventually go back to teaching...:)

沈老师，加油!

CG Retreat @ Orchid Country Club

Last Friday, we checked-in at Orchid Country Club for a retreat with Ps. Tan. We booked 5 Deluxe rooms and 1 2-bedroom Suite. The group met at the living room for 4 sessions of sharing by Ps. It was awesome! It was like taking a full 4 course spiritual meal!

Above is the proof that we really had a great time! And Ps. really poured out his revelations!

This was the group that stayed overnight. More came and joined us at night...:)

We drove out for dinner. It was an "ulu" place; opposite Sembawang Country Club. But the food was SUPER delicious! We had cold crab...

Fresh coconut juice...

The best part was the lobster porridge!!! Look at the GIANT bowl above! It's a 10 pax portion and each of us have half a lobster to go with our porridge. The pot above cost $120. And it was already discounted because Brian is a regular there...

Look at the pink bowl; you can compare both the bowls and imagine how big the GIANT bowl was...:)

Didn't managed to talk pictures of the other dishes. We had smoked duck that tasted like beef; yummy! Vege... and other stuff... Will definitely go back again!

After dinner, we went back for a night session till about 11pm. Then we had durians for supper...:) Yes, what else but "mao shan wang". Many of us couldn't sleep; but we just hang around and chit-chat.

The next morning, we had a prayer meeting after breakfast. Finally checked out at 12pm and met again at 530pm for service at Expo. What a retreat! The next time we will be having it overseas.

Denise & Ethan

A friend sent me a photo that Denise took with Ethan in the Suntec Nursery when they were 2 years old. She commented that while Ethan still look pretty much the same, Denise has grown up! This must be what people say "girls mature faster than boys".

Had a chat with a mother recently. She has a 8 years old daughter and I was asking her about parenting a growing gal. I shared with her my concern about Denise wanting to wear dresses, wear high heels, put on makeup etc. She says I should be MORE WORRIED if she only wants to wear pants and hate all the girly stuff...:p

Haha... That's so true! So for now, let the girl be a girl...:)

Denise & Jewel

Denise has a long-time friend; Jewel Quek. These were photos taken when they were 2, 3, 4 and the latest 6 years old. So interesting to see them grow in these photos...:)

Debbie's Hair Clip!

Haha... Managed to clip Debbie's hair....:) But not for long; she is not used to it!

Book of Promise & Reward Chart

Denise is turning 6 this December and I suddenly realised that she has GROWN UP! I mean, she prefers dresses and skirts to pants. And when she wear shorts, she prefers those hot pants...:p

I have been asking myself if I am doing well as a mother. In the area of character development and preparing her to be a "lady"... I wonder if there's anything else I can do better. To "express" her independence, sometimes it gets rather hard to expect her to "do as you are told". It's no longer as easy as "Yes, mummy..."

Anyway, I was praying one day (yes, it got spiritual)... I had an idea of starting a Book of Promise and Reward Chart with her. I started her on writing things she promised me on the book and later bring it out to remind her to keep her promise.

For instance, she wanted to wear her spaghetti-stripped top but I was concerned that she would be cold when she comes to my office. I got her to promise that she will wear her sweater when she visits me. It works! When she came to Suntec, I reminded her what she wrote, and she willingly put on her sweater! That was easy! No arguement or whining....:)

Next came the Reward Chart! I got Denise to write down a list of things/tasks which she will be rewarded for if she does them. And it works!


Thus far, a week now, I have no problem waking Denise up every morning and she will go to bed on her own...:) No fuss and no complaints! For every 10 gold dots she accumulates, she can buy a special gift. To encourage her, Daddy already bought her a set of Magic Colouring Markers from Crayola...:) The 2 blue dots at the bottom... Well, she misbehaved....haha....

Random Photos

Took some random and silly shots with Denise...

Debbie's 2nd Birthday

I LOVE this picture!!!

Debbie turned 2 on July 10th. Like Denise, we celebrated her birthday in the Nursery with her "little friends". I ordered a "Winnie the Pooh" agar-agar for her. Prepared goody bags for her friends... That was a tough job because most of her "little friends" in Nursery are below 1.

Our helper woke up "super" early to cook for the party. We had bee-hoon, chicken curry, sausages, nuggets, chicken fillets etc... Wanted to order food but she offered to cook for the party...:) Yummy....

Many of her friends were there! Denise even dressed up like a fairy...:)

All eyes were on the agar-agar "flowers" and "leaves"... The mummies had to keep removing those little hands while I lighted the candles.

Debbie knew that it was her birthday. She was so eager to blow the candles and cut the cake on her own. Denise had an Elmo cake for her 2nd birthday. Can you spot her? The little gal in the pink jacket.

Debbie is so blessed! She received so many presents; clothes, toys, $$$ and many warm wishes! Thanks for making it special for her!

Brushing Teeth

Debbie has started to learn to brush her own teeth. Like what we did with Denise, we bought First Teeth Baby Toothpaste and a toothbrush for her. Every morning, we will involve her when Denise and I brush our teeth. She started with sucking the toothpaste and after 2 weeks, she has started to brush the front of her teeth...:)

Denise has no problem brushing her teeth in the morning. But sometimes when she is too tired, she will not brush before she goes to bed... One night, she tried to bargain with me...

"Denise, it's time to brush your teeth."

"Mum, I will brush twice tomorrow morning."

*faint* "Ok, then you don't need to eat breakfast and lunch tomorrow, I will feed you 3 times during dinner."

Dad's 1st Death Anniversary

Last year this time, the family was having a hard time shuttling between hospital and home/work. Time flies... It's been a year since my Dad passed away.

I remember that when we admitted Dad to the hospital, he was very weak; couldn't stand and walk on his own. Pastor Tan visited and prayed for him. He received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit! After Pastor left, he insisted on standing up! JX managed to capture a shot of him standing and praying in tongues. This is probably the last shot we have of him, standing upright.

Whenever I miss Dad or feel discouraged, I look at this picture. To me, this is a picture of FAITH!

I've hugged him, kissed him, told him I love him, heard him told me "he is very proud of me", spent great quality time with him, went holidays with him and have told him how proud we are to have a Dad like him... Basically like what people always say... Give flowers when they can still smell it! Our relationship was not always like that. It took us many, many years to work on making it better!

This Father's Day, I thought I would cry buckets but I surprised myself. I did not... Yes, I miss my Dad a GREAT BIG DEAL but there is no sense of regrets towards him...:) I have told him all that I needed and wanted to tell him. And death is easier to accept when you know that he has gone to a better place!

E1R1 - Each 1 Reach 1; who can you reach out to today? Live a life of no regrets! Someone needs to hear you say "I love you", "I appreciate you"... It's never too late!