Celebrations

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My Mother’s Day Gift

May 8, 2011 in Celebrations, Ethan, Parenting | No comments

Last Friday, when Ethan came back from school, he told me he had a Mother’s Day gift for me in a little brown baggy, but I was not allowed to open it until Sunday, because it had to be a surprise. I asked him if I had to keep it in the fridge, but he said no.

However, just to be on the safe side, I asked him to show it to Daddy and then Daddy can decide if it needs to be refrigerated. Well, turns out it did.

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Ethan did drop *hints* here and there, so I had more or less guessed what it was…so when I opened the baggy this morning, it wasn’t really a surprise to me,…well, the only surprising thing was the star sprinkles on top of the blueberry muffin. Nevertheless, regardless of whether it was a surprise or not, I was more touched by the effort he put in and the genuine excitement and pride he felt when I told him I LOVED it. It was a gift from the heart, with words that he wrote all by himself and it was really yummy too (I shared it with both Ethan and Hannah)…

Happy Mommy’s Day to me, and to all the lovely mothers out there too! Take the day off if you can…you so deserve it!

Hannah turns TWO!

March 15, 2011 in Celebrations, Growing Up, Hannah, Milestones | 5 comments

On March 2nd 2011, my little princess Hannah turned TWO. As usual, I was again left in wonderment at where the time had flown. It seemed like just yesterday that I held her as a wee babe in my arms, and now she has blossomed into a little toddler, all geared up for the terrible twos.

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We went out for a family dinner at Friday’s for the simple reason that the kids love the food and service, also because they provide “birthday song singing” plus a slice of complimentary birthday cake/dessert.

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And how old are you today, Hannah? 🙂

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Oh yeah, she couldn’t stop doing that…it was like she “knew” we were celebrating her 2nd birthday that day…

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The staff at Friday’s asked Ethan if he’d wanted to sing Hannah a birthday song, using the salt shaker as a pretend mic, but in the end he had a bit of a stage fright.

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Hannah…looking on in awe at the birthday dessert that was presented to her.

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She blew out the candle perfectly! She’s a professional now, I’d say! 🙂

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…and she couldn’t wait to dig in!

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Haha…she also insisted on *cutting* the cake!

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And when we got back home, after the kids were bathed and dressed in their jammies, it was time for presents! Here’s Ethan giving Hannah an extra loving big brother hug, while presenting her with a present from him.

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Hannah screamed in delight when she saw what it was, and she exclaimed, “Baby Bop!!!”

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After that, she peeled open the present Daddy and Mommy gave her excitedly.

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And discovered a *new friend*: a baby doll! I finally found a doll which is age-appropriate for her and which she absolutely adores!

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Happy Birthday Hannah!

Did you catch me on TV yet?

March 10, 2011 in Celebrations, Hannah | 1 comment

After seeing Ethan Koko’s face on the Playhouse Disney Birthday Book in January, I wanted SO SO much to be on the birthday book too. And just a few days ago, my dream came true and I really couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it! I wasn’t just featured on the birthday book, I appear FIRST in the set too!

Woohooo!!! I’ve been elevated to celebrity status,…even if it’s just for this month.. 🙂

Hannah’s Birthday Celebration in Penang

March 7, 2011 in Celebrations, Ethan, Hannah, Milestones | 3 comments

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Slightly more than a week away from Hannah’s actual 2nd birthday, we had a very simple lunch gathering/celebration in Penang. We chose to have the lunch at the Chinese Recreational Club. It was actually my first time having lunch there, with rice and dishes. I had been there before, but it was for a wedding course dinner.

The kids were very excited (as they usually are) and Ethan (more than Hannah LOL!) was looking forward to celebrating his sister’s birthday.

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Also, another reason for the excitement was that Ah Kong and Ah Ma from Ipoh came all the way to Penang to join in the fun and celebrations.

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Took me some time to coax her into this gorgeous dress her Daddy bought her, but she was sweet-talked into it when I told her it was going to make her VERY pretty! 🙂 She had wanted to wear sandals at first too, but we managed to persuade her into her Mary Janes. Don’t you think Hannah looks adorable? 🙂

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After our very satisfying and delicious lunch, we had a cake-cutting ceremony (we ordered a cheese cake this time round, and everyone had seconds!). Hannah again proudly showed off her perfect blowing-out-the-candle skill, and enjoyed the cake and the attention.

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…and she was also extra eager to cut the cake:

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Ethan also had *other* attractions besides the food. Anyone and everyone who has an iPhone or iPad is immediately Ethan’s best friend, and on that day he was best buds with Tuah Kim Poh (with her iPad) and Uncle Yao (with his iPhone):

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Of course, Hannah was not distracted at all, and preferred to enjoy her yummy birthday cake!

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Celebrating Hannah’s birthday in KL

February 23, 2011 in Celebrations, Food & Feeding, Hannah, Milestones | 5 comments

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Although it would have been a good 2 weeks more before Hannah officially turns two, we decided to have a birthday celebration for her in KL anyway. This would also make it easier for the “Klang Valley” folks to attend the celebration. And besides, we were planning a short vacation to KL anyways…one of the reasons being to visit that mecca of storage and organization solutions… 🙂

I was looking for a kid-friendly place to have the lunch celebration, and decided on Marmalade in Bangsar Village II. I’d read great reviews about this restaurant which offers healthy and delicious food and was looking forward to having lunch there. Reservations were made like 2 days before the event, and we were very pleased with experience.

The restaurant was abuzz with activity, and as we walked in, who should we bump into but Paik Ling and her family! Good to meet her again after such a long time, and I was amazed by how much her boys have grown!

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And here, we have some random shots taken at lunch:

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Ethan *telling* us what he thinks of his Oreo milkshake.

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Enjoying Spaghetti Carbonara (for the first time!)

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Hannah: Love that dress you’re wearing, darlin’….where did you get it from?
Caitlynn: Ooohhh yes, I got it on sale at the *Princess Mall* last month!

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Contented in Pauline Korkor/Godma’s arms…

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Special yummy cookie treat for the birthday girl! Unfortunately neither Ethan nor Hannah wanted to eat it. Ethan said, “Mommy, if we eat it, the face will say, ‘Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!'”
So Mommy had to eat it all on her own…

And what about the food at Marmalade? I was in full blogger mode that day, as I tried to capture as many shots of the food as possible… For starters, we had Healthy Nachos, topped with delicious minced beef and melting cheese…really good, especially with the three different dips: guacamole, salsa and sour cream!

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We also ordered a plate of fries served with aioli. Surprisingly, Ethan was very adventurous, and loved the aioli dip (maybe because it didn’t have such a strong garlic taste as expected)! Fries were done to perfection, not too oily and not too soggy. Just the way I like it.

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Of course, the kids’ meals arrived first: Spaghetti Bolognese and Spaghetti Carbonara.

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Hannah didn’t want to eat much (perhaps she was excited about her birthday?), but Ethan ate quite a lot…maybe cuz he wanted to go play in the kids’ play area (which I must say is a welcome addition to any restaurant). I was pretty surprised he was willing to try the Spaghetti Carbonara that day too 🙂

Drinks we ordered: Day Starter on the left and Paw Paw Passion (Papaya milkshake) on the right.

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Sounds of Havana: a very colorful salad, which tasted absolutely delicious…and of course, healthy to boot! 🙂

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I had to order the Spaghetti Pesto with Chicken , which was highly recommended by Rinnah. And I was glad I did. The spaghetti was served perfectly al dente, and the combination of herbs and flavors infused into the pasta was simply sublime.

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Hubbs ordered his all-time favorite, the Spaghetti Aglio Olio. Almost everyone who tasted it said it was better than that Italian restaurant we like to frequent in KL. Maybe because the aglio olio here is cooked in a more oriental way. Me? I love both versions! Yeah, I’m a pasta freak 🙂

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Moroccan Lamb Shank for the lamb lovers…the lamb was tender and very flavorful. I didn’t try the brown rice served with it though, but those who did said it was done just right, and didn’t taste anything like brown rice should…whatever that meant. LOL

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And finally, we ordered a plate of the Turkey Ham, Bacon and Mushroom Quiche. I was incredibly grateful I had space in my tummy for this dish, because it was SO good! Had been ages since I had quiche, so I relished and cherished every morsel.

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So after lunch, we headed back to Pauline’s house for cake cutting and presents. This was the cake I baked for Hannah. We brought it all the way from Penang, with me holding on to it in the car and then setting up the fondant pieces before the birthday song was sung.

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The ribbons at the side of the cake were not there initially. I had to use them to salvage the cake the night before because it was falling apart. Find out how I saved the cake here.

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Hannah’s surprised expression was priceless as she saw her favorite character on her cake: Baby Bop. We had kept the cake a secret from her all this time. I had shown the cake decorations to Ethan but everytime Hannah was within earshot of us, he would cheekily say, “Hannah – nothing!! hehehe…”

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Ethan asked Hannah to say hi to Baby Bop, to which she happily said, “Hi Baby Bop!”, while waving her hand.

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Hannah was smiling all the way when we sang her the Happy Birthday song. She even knew how to blow out the candle on cue, without getting saliva all over the cake! Everyone was SO impressed 🙂

The boys tried to *help* her to cut the cake…

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…but ultimately, the birthday girl got to do the honors…

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Busy opening presents…

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…and being “creative” in using the presents…

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** I don’t have the heart to throw out the Baby Bop figurine yet. Just the other day, Hannah asked to let her “touch Baby Bop”. SIGH.

Chinese New Year…and (more) Birthday Celebrations

February 17, 2011 in Celebrations, Ethan, Milestones | 1 comment

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Our recent Chinese New Year celebration was nothing short of exciting. As is usually the case, this year saw us travelling from Penang to Taiping on the eve, then to Ipoh on the 1st day, and then back to Taiping for a pit stop before heading back to Penang on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year.

Some picture-snapping moments from Taiping…

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Kor Kor with Ethan and Hannah…

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3-Pek-Kong (a.k.a. Granduncle Albert) with the kids…

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…and with Taiping Ah Ma…

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Photo session continued in Ipoh… with Ipoh Ah Ma…

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And with both Ipoh Ah Kong and Ah Ma:

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…and of course, with Mommy 🙂

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We took the opportunity to have a simple birthday celebration for Ethan in Ipoh while we were there too. He requested for a really really simple chocolate cake with white wordings (yes, he was THAT specific!)

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And since cousin Collin was celebrating his birthday around the same time too, we decided to do a dual birthday celebration!

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Talk about a major cake overdose! 😛 Obviously the kids didn’t mind…here they are, patiently waiting for me to cut the cake and serve them.

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And then it was presents time! Gift exchanges are so much fun when accompanied by hugs and love!

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We arrived back in Penang on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, which coincides with Ethan’s Chinese birthday (he was born on the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year). We had yet another birthday celebration for Ethan, this time at home. And since we could not get a freshly made cake from any cake shop we inquired from, and also, it was too late to bake a cake for him, Daddy very creatively volunteered to shape the cake we used during the Ipoh celebration into something new (perhaps he’d been watching too much of Top Chef!)…and voila! Looks a bit like a piece from a jigsaw, if you ask me…

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Dinner was pizza delivered to our doorstep, on top of the cookies and mandarin oranges we had at home. And here’s how you should eat a slice of pizza!

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Happy New Year everyone! Hope the Year of the Rabbit will bring you boundless joy and blessings!

Ethan turns FIVE!

February 11, 2011 in Celebrations, Entertainment, Ethan, Exercise, Hannah, Parenting | 4 comments

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My little boy turned FIVE on January 31st recently. And I still can’t believe how much he has grown! I look at pictures of him from a year ago, and the difference is so vast! He has grown physically, mentally and spiritually, and I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of him.

I could tell he was really looking forward to turning five. Before, he refers to himself as a “medium boy” but he tells us that once he turns five, he is a “BIG boy” 🙂

So where did we take our big boy for his birthday? After we picked him up from school, we went to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants for lunch as a family. Then we headed to Golden Sands Hotel in Batu Ferringhi, where there was a kids activity center called AdventureZone. Admission was only RM20++ per child (since it was a weekday), and adults need not pay if accompanying the kids.

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AdventureZone had something like an obstacle course for the kids, and gigantic slides that were NOT for the faint-hearted. See how scary those slides looked? We only went on the colorful one and the blue one.

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For Hannah, there was a little play area specially designed for kids aged 4 and below.

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But of course, she wanted to do whatever her brother did…

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Actually we were allowed a duration of 2 hours in AdventureZone, but the kids were very reluctant to leave…in the end, we left after spending about 2.5 hours there.

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AdventureZone certainly tired us all out, for not only were the kids exhausted, we adults also had a good workout chasing after the kids. Errr…. well maybe it was just the adults who were exhausted…

One thing’s for sure though, we sure worked up a HUGE appetite and we headed for dinner at Chili’s in Gurney Plaza.

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Birthday boy making like a “moose” when I asked him to pose for a picture…

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And how old are you now, Ethan?

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Because it was his birthday, Ethan was given a complimentary chocolate brownie sundae, complete with a candle, and the crew sang him a birthday song too!

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And then later that night, he opened up his presents from us.

This one’s from Hannah…

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…and this one’s from Daddy and Mommy. We gave him something he had been hinting he wanted for the past month. Ethan is very interested in all things planets, outer space, solar system, and the Earth. And his expression was simply priceless when he unwrapped the gift from us.

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“Wow!!! It’s the PLANET thing!!!” 🙂

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Happy Birthday Ethan! You’re a BIG boy at 5 now! 🙂

Ethan’s Birthday Celebration in School

February 8, 2011 in Celebrations, Ethan, Milestones | No comments

The day Ethan had been looking forward to finally arrived. We had wanted to have his birthday celebration in school on his actual birthday on January 31st, but one of his teachers would not be around then, so we decided to have it the Friday before his birthday, i.e. on the 28th.

This time round, we bought the party gift packs well in advance, and I already had them packed up days before the event. Ethan had wanted a Mickey Mouse themed party, so we got stationery sets according to theme and placed them in party packs. Ethan wanted party hats too, so we got some to match as well.

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There was a reason we didn’t put any edibles in the party pack. All the candies, chocolates and sweets were going into this piñata!

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I spent days (and nights) making this piñata, and yes…Ethan specifically wanted to have one at his celebration. Initially I planned on making a piñata where the kids would take turns to hit it till it broke, but decided instead on making a pull-string piñata. It was a less violent alternative to the piñata game, and the kids would not be *tormented* by the fact that they were hitting their favorite characters on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse…(well, that and also because my balloon piñata burst the first time I set it up. LOL)

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Anyway, this Mickey Mouse birthday cake pull-string piñata had a trapdoor underneath the bottom layer, and I fixed the ribbons in such a way that only one ribbon would open the trapdoor, releasing all the goodies.

I managed to keep the piñata a surprise from Ethan until the day of his birthday celebration, and he was thrilled to see it that morning. Made my day when he exclaimed that he really loved the piñata, and that it was beautiful! 🙂

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So Pete and I arrived in his school and brought all the stuff up to his classroom. First his teacher requested Ethan to pass the party hats round.

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And then it was birthday cake time. Ethan had also spelled out exactly how he wanted his cake, and this year, it was my utmost pleasure to be able to bake and make the cake for him.

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As soon as the cake was put on the table, 21 pairs of little feet rushed to the table to take a look at the cake.

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And someone’s party hat very nearly fell into the cake…

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We sang Happy Birthday in English, Mandarin and BM, and then Ethan blew the candle and cut the cake.

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I was so touched when a few kids came to ask me for second helpings of the cake 🙂

Every child that is celebrating his/her birthday will get to sit in the teacher’s chair and give out party packs, and that’s exactly what Ethan got to do. Look how happy he is…

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The final part of the birthday celebration was the piñata game. Daddy had to stand on a chair and hold it up for the entire duration of the game. After the teacher had explained the rules, the kids each took turns to pull on a ribbon.

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And here’s the one who managed to yank open the trap door!

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Unfortunately somehow the candy and goodies got stuck in the trapdoor and I had to manually jiggle it so everything would tumble down.

And as soon as the goodies came tumbling down, sheer havoc ensued as all the kids rushed to claim whatever they could get.

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Here’s Ethan with whatever goodies he could get…

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… and the piñata that (thankfully) stayed intact during the game, finally fell apart when the party was over!

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My brother’s on TV…again!!!

January 24, 2011 in Celebrations, Entertainment, Ethan, Hannah | No comments

For the past few weeks, Mommy has been diligently plonking herself in front of the television at certain times during the day, holding her camera in front of it, in the hope of recording a video with Ethan Koko’s face in it. Mommy said that Ethan Koko’s face appears on the Playhouse Disney Birthday Book for January, and what’s more it’s his 2nd time so far! Apparently he appeared on the birthday book last year too!

The thing is…even though we know he has been chosen, we do not know exactly when his picture will show up. So Mommy has to get ready the camera every time the Birthday Book comes on. And we have been told to try to keep as quiet as possible when that happens…

But you know me…I couldn’t help myself when I saw my brother’s face on TV. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited, right? Yes, that’s my voice you hear when Ethan Koko’s face appeared…and errr….I *thought* the other girl looked like me…heh heh…well, a girl can dream, can’t she?

And yeah, Mommy FINALLY managed to record the video…I think it had something to do with me sitting on her lap while she was recording it. 🙂

Awww….how I wish I could be on TV too!!!! 🙂

Our Christmas in Pictures

January 8, 2011 in Celebrations, Ethan, Hannah, What's Cooking | 2 comments

Every holiday season is a perfect reason to stuff ourselves silly with food, no? Well, it’s a reasonable *excuse*, if you ask me… 🙂

In any case, we certainly utilized that *reason* to its max during the Christmas that just passed. We kicked off the eating marathon on Christmas eve itself. With a scrumptious Chinese course lunch at Starview in New World Park, everyone had a hearty meal and happy tummies could be seen everywhere!

One of my favorites from lunch: Peking Duck served in 2 ways: sandwiched between soft and fluffy mantous AND served in shredded salad form in pie-tees.

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Baby abalones cooked to perfection, and served on a bed of broccoli:

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And the prawn dish:

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Ethan and Hannah got to meet up with their cousins, Jonathan and Phoebe. While the kids were packed with boundless energy and had fun running around, chasing each other inside and outside the restaurant, the adults had to take turns supervising them…which was a good thing too, as it certainly aided the process of food digestion and calorie burning…

Pretty gals in a row…

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And just as the food from lunch was about to be completely digested, it was time for dinner. We had a simple gathering at Pete’s brother’s (Patrick’s) place, where the food was served buffet-style (kinda).

Jiu hoo char made by Paul, Pete’s brother, and my humble attempt at fried beehoon:

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Chicken rendang from Eng Ee:

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..and my chicken curry, which I’m a little sorry to say, was a tad too oily…

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Then it was time to unveil the big bird we ordered from Victoria Station:

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Yummy yummy…with lots of gravy! We kept the turkey leftovers to make turkey sandwiches, and up till today, there’s still some of that turkey in my fridge! I’m planning to enlist my Mum’s help to make kiam chye boey in a few days’ time 🙂

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While the grown-ups had dinner, the kids busied themselves having fun with the toys…

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And then the inevitable came…it was time to unwrap the presents:

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Technically, it was still a day early, but the kids were all too impatient to bother…never mind, they’ll have another gift-unwrapping session on Christmas Day itself!

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*****

On Christmas morning, we miraculously made in on time to church at 9a.m. Ordinarily, getting to church at 10a.m. was already a daunting task for us. It must have been a Christmas miracle! 🙂

Anyway, after church, we did a light breakfast at Kayu…yup, we had roti canai for breakfast! Haven’t done that in donkey years!

Waiting for our food to be served…

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Doesn’t Hannah look adorable in a girly-girl dress?

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Okay, Ethan…you look adorable too! 🙂

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After breakfast, we resumed our gift-unwrapping session, this time at a different venue… OUR HOME!! 🙂

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We gave Ethan and Hannah each a toy car garage set. Very very cool…and yes, it will definitely take up more space in our humble home, but at least they won’t fight over it…(well that’s what we think.. :P)

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Merry and Blessed Christmas everyone!

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