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All about Ethan
I made the cake, but it was the kids who helped keep it a secret. We kept it a secret from Daddy for one whole week… 🙂
And Ethan helped it stay a secret right till it was unveiled before Daddy’s eyes!
Happy Birthday Daddy! Hope you had a great birthday! (the kids sure enjoyed the cake though) — hopefully it will be a sign of great things to come for Liverpool this season! Heh Heh… 😀
We took the kids to watch The Smurfs at the cinema last Friday, and boy, were they excited! Hannah sat through the entire movie without getting restless or sleepy, and both kids happily sang the very distinct Smurfs tune together with the Smurfs in the show.
After the show, I explained to Ethan how the individual Smurfs got their respective names.
Me: Ethan, do you know that the Smurfs are all named after their individual character? For example, Brainy Smurf is brainy, Clumsy Smurf is clumsy and Narrator Smurf loves to narrate a story.
Ethan: Oh, okay…and what about the girl Smurf: “Smur-fet-tee”? (He was reading and pronouncing Smurfette the way it was spelt)
Me: The girl Smurf’s name is pronounced as Smurf-fet, Ethan.
Ethan: SMURF-fet. (pauses) So that means she is FAT!
Yesterday, I decided to introduce paint-stamping to the kids, using vegetables. Thanks to my friend’s blog, it had evoked many happy memories of my childhood. I remember as a child, I used to bring lady’s fingers and lotus root to school for art projects and such, and I remember having a good time doing it.
So as I prepared the items, I explained to Ethan and Hannah how vegetables can look pretty too, and then I demonstrated how to make the paint. It was actually edible paint, as I used corn syrup and dropped some food coloring into it. The kids thought it was simply magical 🙂
They mixed the colors and made stamps of different colors, patterns and sizes. They filled up that one piece of mahjong paper with so much color, you’d just had to smile.
And they were so pleased to show Daddy their masterpiece when he came home…it’s still on our balcony, by the way 🙂
We’re all used to hearing the Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe chant, albeit some in different versions from the rest. Do you wanna know how my kids do it? 🙂
Here’s Ethan giving a demo:
And here’s Hannah proving yet again that the power of sibling influence is really strong… 🙂
Just for the record, here’s what they were saying:
Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If it wiggles, let it go!
Mmm mmm mmm…Buffalo..
Eeny, Meeny, Miny, MOE!
This is one of my favorite photos of Ethan with Daddy. Every time I look at this picture, I am thankful for what a big heart my little man has and how much he has grown up way beyond his years.
At an age when most of his peers are so keen on fighting for their toys and always wanting to have their own way, my little boy has, in many instances, shown us that he understands and knows what are the more important things in life.
Just last week, when Daddy was playing with the kids, Daddy had wanted to hug Hannah, but Hannah playfully pushed Daddy away. Daddy was sad and in jest, he mentioned that “Hannah is a naughty girl.” This conversation then ensued.
Ethan: What, Daddy? Why is Hannah naughty?
Daddy: Because she pushed Daddy.
Ethan: Oh…but you can forgive her, right?
Daddy: Oh yes, of course I can…
I am so proud of my boy that he can think of forgiveness in such a situation. Good job, Ethan! 🙂
When it’s time for their showers, my kids sometimes like to choose whom their “showerer” will be; whether it’s Daddy or Mommy.
I’ve finally figured out a surefire way in order to get Daddy to do the showering. 🙂
Here’s how…
I’ve trained them to say this to Daddy:
“Daddy, please shower for me today…because you are the BEST Daddy in the whole world!”
Cheesy, I know, but it works every time 🙂
You would have remembered this darling video a while ago, where Ethan gave Hannah a very loving embrace, while saying “I love you, Hannah!”
It feels just like yesterday and as I look at it, I realize how quickly my kids are growing up! 🙂
Back to the video…Hannah recently reciprocated with this gesture, which is so déjà vu yet so adorable at the same time… 🙂 A perfect display of sisterly love!
Ain’t that precious? 🙂
Just to have a little bit of fun during the Lantern Festival night this year, I took the kids down to our condo’s swimming pool area for a night walk with their lanterns. Both Ethan and Hannah received lanterns from Ah Ma from Ipoh, and these lanterns were battery-operated. Ethan had insisted that I bring along and hold the paper lantern he had made in school too (pictured above), because that one required a tea light candle and he was afraid he would accidentally burn the lantern.
It was a just a very simple walk round the pool area, but despite that the kids enjoyed themselves. I had expected more kids to be around but it was just us.
Stayed for a while in the area, enjoying the cool night air…up until Hannah started poking her whole leg in the water!
We’ll be back next time! Could you see the joy on the kids’ faces even in the dim light? 🙂
What do you think Ethan’s doing?
He asked me for a piece of recycled paper, pencil and color pencils and he said he wanted to write a note. This is what it said:
This evening, Hannah had a small accident in Queensbay Mall. She tried to climb up the escalator as it was riding up and somehow tripped and grazed her shin. Although Daddy was holding her hand, the cut was rather deep and there was slight bleeding.
Ethan was very worried about his sister and kept asking, “Is Hannah okay?” …and when Daddy cleaned up her wound at home, and Hannah didn’t cry much, Ethan commented that Hannah was so brave.
That was when he asked me for some paper to write her a note.
Ain’t he the best brother ever? 🙂
When we told Ethan we were going to AdventureZone once again, he was ecstatic! He had been asking and asking and asking to go back there and he was really really psyched up this time.
Took all of their effort to pose and smile for the camera before I let them run into the play area…
Amazing how much energy these kids possess. They had 2 hours to play in the area, and after what felt like an hour and a half, Pete tells me it’s only been 20 minutes. Thank goodness the entire area was air-conditioned. Hehe.
This time round, Ethan was more adventurous, and loudly proclaimed that he wasn’t afraid to go down the slides now. His favorite was the “Hyperglide Astra Drop” (rainbow) slide, which had a height of 18 feet (5.5 metres) and a length of 50 feet (15.2 metres). This one required the us to use a mat as we slid down. Ethan also tried the “Double Drop” (blue) slide, which had a ball pit exit, and stands 20 feet (6.1 metres) tall and has a length of 48 feet (14.6 metres). The red slide is called the “Demon Drop” slide, and is not for the faint-hearted. It has a vertical drop of 24 feet (7.3 metres) and spans 75 feet (22.9 metres). Pete got on it a couple of times, and I got on just once (because Pete dared me to).
Since Hannah was not old enough to get on the Hyperglide Astra Drop on her own, she would either sit on Pete’s or my lap while we rode on the mats. Ethan would go over and over again, each time gaining more and more confidence. Initially he needed our help to carry the mat up, but in the end, he would carry the mat up by himself.
Here’s a video I took of Ethan riding the Hyperglide Astra Drop all by himself:
And after a two-hour PLUS workout, we headed nearby for a totally satisfying reward: The Rasa Sayang Seafood Buffet Dinner. *burp*
