Little Miracles · Growing Up

Our Christmas Wish(es)

December 20, 2014 in Ethan, Funny Moments, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | No comments

Yesterday, the kids wanted to take some time to write down their Christmas wishes, or wish list for Santa. When they were done, they each hung it on the Christmas tree. I found their wishes to be…. ummm…amusing! 🙂

Here’s what Hannah wrote:

santawish1

See how detailed and specific she can get? 🙂

And I have no idea where she got that image of an Audrey Hepburn dress!

Here’s what Ethan wrote:

santawish2

Check out wish no. 3!! LOL

Of course, then came the questions:

“Mommy, will Santa Claus be able to come in to our house since we don’t have a chimney?”

“Where do we send our wishes?”

“What if Santa Claus cannot find the stuff in our wish list?”

At one point, Ethan remarked, “Ha, maaaybe….the adults are tricking us! There’s no Santa Claus and the adults will pretend to be Santa Claus and put the presents under the tree! And the same thing happens with the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, and all that…haha!”

Mommy replied, “If that’s the case, then how will the adults get their presents?”

Hannah said, “But the adults don’t WANT presents, right? If they do, then the adults should make a list too!”

Little Cheeky Missy

December 16, 2014 in Emma, Growing Up | No comments

Emma may usually look serious and in deep thought, but lately she has been “coming out of her shell”. She seems happier, more contented and definitely more cheeky. Here are some random shots of Emma…here’s to more happy (and cheeky) days ahead! 🙂

A Flower Named Pointer

December 5, 2014 in Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

When left alone, Hannah will sometimes independently create wonderful masterpieces. She has made several cards, and drawn and painted some pictures.

This is her recently drawn self-portrait. Such a colorful dress, don’t you think? I love the details she has put in, including the hair clip I made for her! 🙂

She has also improved tremendously on her writing and I was pleasantly surprised to be amused by this piece which she scribbled on. Interesting stuff, eh?

I don’t know about you, but I would sure like to meet this flower named Pointer! Sounds like an awesome flower! 🙂

Babies and Tight Spaces

December 1, 2014 in Emma, Funny Moments, Growing Up | No comments

Who knows why babies gravitate towards tight spaces?!

When Emma was in her cruising stage, she used to frequently cruise under our dining table and through a hole in between the legs of the table. Now that she is taller, she realises her head will knock onto the table if she walks under it, she is exploring the small space under our bar stools, and has also successfully and regularly climbed into the tight space between our DVD storage boxes and the wall behind our television.

It’s small enough to fit just her, and actually, don’t you think she looks like the cutest DVD seller ever? 🙂

Let Them Grow!

November 28, 2014 in Emma, Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Parenting | No comments

Remember our Sunflower Growing Competition back in September? Well unfortunately Mommy and Daddy have been disqualified because no mater how many seeds I planted, none grew for us adults. Bummer.

The kids’ sunflower plants, however, have been thriving! Although Hannah’s seed was the last to sprout, it looks like her plant is the tallest among the three now.

We’re just waiting for that first bud to show! 🙂

I’m Just Gonna Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake…!!!

November 26, 2014 in Emma, Funny Moments, Growing Up | No comments

Don’t let my calm demeanor fool you. I may strike you as a quiet and serious child, but I’ve really got the grooves and the moves, baby!

School’s Out!

November 22, 2014 in Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

Hannah had been excitedly waiting for the last day of school on Friday. She even planned what to wear and which hair clip she wanted to put on. Don’t get me wrong…she does enjoy school, but according to her, she enjoys holidays as well. 🙂 (Don’t we all?)

It would be her last day of school in K1 (Kindergarten 1) and next year, she would be in K2 (Kindergarten 2). To celebrate, her class had a party with an early Christmas gift exchange for the kids. Actually, I think she was really looking forward to the gift exchange.

I baked some graham crackers as a last-minute thingy and Hannah and I prepared these little succulents in pots as gifts for her teachers.

I found these cute gift tags which suited the pots, so I downloaded and printed them; and Hannah decorated them.

She helped me arrange the tags in the pot and she insisted on bringing them to class all by herself. I think these make pretty gifts. 🙂

Later, after school, Hannah told me all about the party, what she ate and what she did. Then she told me, “Mommy, today was a great day for me!”

Awww…I just love it when the kids are happy like that. 🙂

Catechism Graduation Ceremony Class of 2014

November 22, 2014 in Christianity, Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

Last Saturday, we attended the Catechism Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2014. Our Ethan had been attending catechism classes every Saturday afternoon for the past year, and this ceremony was just to close the chapter for 2014 before moving forward into 2015 next year.

It was held in the church sanctuary and we were treated to simple performances from each class.

Doesn’t my boy look handsome? 🙂

Anyway, during the ceremony, certificates of achievement were also presented to those who had 100% attendance in catechism, and also those who had great participation in class. I think Ethan wants to aim for the 100% attendance award next year. 🙂

Hannah too, was excitedly watching the entire ceremony. She can’t wait to start catechism next year when she will be in the preschool class.

Twenty Merits Equal a Bronze

November 19, 2014 in Ethan, Growing Up | No comments

Here’s the thing about regular school that homeschooling does not have: Competition; and since the beginning of his school year in August, Ethan has been excitedly reporting to us his progress on accumulating merits whilst in school. Yes, this is something he really really thrives on and gets hims really inspired.

Students are given incentives in the form of house points when they behave well (e.g. showing respect and good manners) or perform well (e.g. good work in assignments). Accumulation of five house points will earn you a merit. Earn 20 merits and you get a Bronze certificate; 40 merits = a Silver certificate, and 60 merits = a Gold certificate.

At one point, he almost got wrongly penalised (a teacher wanted to subtract house points his house points because she mistook him for someone else). Thankfully, his record stayed intact and unscathed.

Every now and then, Ethan would eagerly either tell us that he was currently the front-runner in his class, or that someone else had overtaken him by a few points.

Finally just 2 weeks ago, he hit the 20-merit mark. We could tell he was so very proud of himself 🙂

So last Friday, Emma and I attended the morning celebration assembly where Ethan was presented with his Bronze certificate. What’s more, he was one of four in the first batch this year to get the Bronze certificate.

Way to go, Ethan! Next up: the Silver cert! 🙂

Down Dog Revisited

November 17, 2014 in Emma, Ethan, Exercise, Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

I’m very happy to see all my kids putting in an effort to exercise. Today they will demonstrate how to perform the Down Dog pose. When done correctly, the Down Dog pose will energize the body and calm the mind, and results in an excellent all-over stretch.

To jog your memory, here’s Ethan doing the down dog when he was just 3 years’ old!

Down Dog example #1: Ethan