Little Miracles · November 2012

Fallen Leaves Can Be Fun Too!

November 28, 2012 in Entertainment, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | No comments

It has been slightly more than a week since we arrived in Massachusetts, and I’m pleased to note that the worst of jet lags has been over and done with. In the first couple of days, both kids were “operating” at odd hours; i.e. when one slept, the other was wide awake and vice versa. This had resulted in very tiring days, but now they are more or less accustomed to the time zones, and wake up at appropriate times in the mornings, with no afternoon naps and sleep at about 9p.m. or 10p.m. each night. Trying to get them to sleep earlier though.

However, since our shipment from Malaysia has not arrived because we have not moved into our permanent apartment yet, the kids are mostly entertainment-less in our temporary hotel: no toys, no books. They only have several Lego blocks we brought along and some McDonald’s toys to occupy themselves with.

I could tell they were bored.

So one of the mornings, when it was nice and warm, I decided to take them leaf-hunting, for a simple project I had in mind. It was the tail-end of Fall and the beginning of the cold winter season.

We picked some pretty leaves in golden, red and yellow hues…

The plan was to pick 2-3 leaves each, but we ended up with so many! The pretty leaves were so hard to resist, and the kids had a lot of fun too!

Then I had them write their names on some Christmas cards I had brought along, and also decorate them.

Finally, they added one of the leaves they had collected as a finishing touch, and put it in the envelopes.

Now we just need to find out where the nearest postal office is, or mailbox…so that we can send those cards out! 😀

A Very Long Journey Here But We Made It!

November 22, 2012 in Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting, Vacation | 3 comments

Those who read my personal blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter would have already known that we have touched down safely in Marlborough, Massachusetts, in the United States. This would be our home for the next several months.

I still can’t believe we’re here though. There were many obstacles along the way which we had to overcome, tired though we may be; but we eventually did.

Well, first of all, the packing and shipping was a big rush given the short timeframe, so undeniably, there were many late nights, with insufficient sleep. Our flight out from Penang to Hong Kong on November 17th was at 7:40a.m. in the morning, and we were expecting our cab to arrive at 6:00a.m. With the last minute packup and check of our home before we left, we had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4:00a.m.! I only went to bed at close to 2:00a.m.

Well, we made it to the airport on time though 🙂 – and although the check-in officer took a LOOOOOOOONG time to get our boarding passes ready, we boarded on time and were well on our way to Hong Kong.

Our first connection to Hong Kong was a relatively short one, and the kids were not tired at all initially. Hannah fell asleep towards the end of that flight, but only for a while. The child’s meal served to the kids were excellent, way better than the adults’; in fact a little too much for little tummies to handle.

We only had about 2 hours before our next flight out from Hong Kong to San Francisco, and that precious time was cut short because there were some issues at the transfer counter (we stopped by to request for seats together on our US domestic flights, but wasted time there because the Hong Kong staff could not do anything about it), and also some delays at the security checkpoint.

Long story short, when we arrived at the airport lounge, we only had very little time to relax. However, we still managed to take quick showers (very glad we did because it was invigorating, and we definitely needed that for the next long-haul flight).

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My Little Boy’s Graduation Ceremony

November 16, 2012 in Ethan, Growing Up, Milestones, Parenting | 2 comments

Last Saturday, we attended Ethan’s Graduation Ceremony. It marked the end of his pre-school journey and signifies the beginning of another exciting one.

In a simple ceremony held in his school, it was truly a joy to see so many happy faces, although it rained heavily sometime in the middle of it all. Doesn’t my boy look handsome? 😀

Unfortunately though, little Hannah drifted off into dreamland right before the event proper started. We tried to wake her up but our efforts were futile; she continued sleeping despite the fact that it was hot and a lot of mosquitoes were flying around.

After a short performance by the graduands, the graduating certificate was presented to each of them individually.

The whole ceremony was simple but meaningful at the same time, perhaps Ethan felt a little bit emotional too, just like I did. 😛

There was a mini garden party after that, and while saying our goodbyes, I had to fight back tears (because I’m emotional like that).

Happy Graduation, Ethan Boy!
We are all so very proud of you!

Bringing the “Piggy” to the Bank

November 13, 2012 in Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Milestones, Parenting | 1 comment

Yesterday morning, we squeezed in an important lesson of saving money. Ethan and Hannah both have cute little “piggy banks” given by Ipoh Ah Ma in the shape of an elephant (for Ethan) and a cow (for Hannah), and they have been diligently saving their coins and asking friends and relatives for extra coins to add to their collection.

I thought it was high time I took them to the bank to save their moolah there, since I had been telling them about it for a long while.

Thankfully we only had to wait like 1 minute for our turn, and the kids eagerly handed over their piggy banks to to bank teller for counting. They were delighted to see the coins being poured into a box and then to hear the coins being fed into the coin-counting machine.

We were done in a jiffy and I then returned the empty coin boxes back to them for future savings. 🙂 Definitely a great practical experience for them both! 😀

Here’s their voluntary “silly-face” pose before we left the bank:

A Record Quick Trip to KL and Back

November 12, 2012 in Ethan, Hannah, Vacation | No comments

Last week, we made a really quick getaway to KL on Wednesday afternoon and were back in Penang the following night. We had an important and urgent “mission to accomplish” which was time-sensitive, and that was the only slot we could manage. So it was a tiring trip, but still we managed to squeeze in many happy (and funny) moments.

This was the spectacular view from our room in Traders Hotel. It was a pretty sight to behold, especially at night when we could see colorful fountains at KLCC too.

The hotel arranged for a complimentary sofa bed, complete with bed linens, pillows and blanket for Ethan, and he enjoyed his bed for the night!

I’m so proud of my babies! (well, actually they specifically told me not to call them “babies” anymore, but… :P) Our appointment was at 7:40a.m. and here we are, in the elevator on the way down for our buffet breakfast at the hotel, at 6:30a.m., I tell ya! 😀

Too bad we had to rush through breakfast though…the spread was seriously good! I was especially impressed with a “gluten-free” section too. Maybe next time then…

Safely buckled up in the taxicab.. 🙂

Hannah was the ever-willing model who would gladly pose for me while we were relaxing in the room later that day.

While Daddy worked in the room, we roamed the hotel, including the Sky Bar and Pool area.

All tired out, and resting in the lobby/reception area while Daddy checked us out of Traders.

…but not before a stop at the organizing mecca that is IKEA (even in the slight drizzle…and JAM!!)

A Morning at The Beach

November 11, 2012 in Entertainment, Ethan, Exercise, Hannah | No comments

Last Saturday, I’d planned an informal family photo session with a friend who had so kindly offered her time for us. Unfortunately there was a last minute change of plans and the session was called off.

However, because we had already told the kids we were going to the beach that morning, Pete and I decided to go ahead with the plan anyway. Mommy would have to be the photographer du jour then. 😛

Here are some photos of our day of fun in the sun!