For Emma’s fourth birthday this year, she finally decided on a My Little Pony themed cake, and she was also very specific on which three ponies were to be on the top of the cake. I decided to bake her that cake and brought it to school for a very simple (and noisy) celebration with her friends.
Hannah, who did not have to go to school that day, tagged along. Hannah also contributed in another special way, which was to make the pretty rainbow on Emma’s birthday cake.
Many of Emma’s friends asked for the ponies as souvenirs but we had to tell them that they belonged to the birthday girl. We did prepare party packs for the little kids of course. 🙂
Emma had a blast and enjoyed herself very much. Happy, happy birthday my dearest Emma!
Hannah turned 8 in March but I’m only blogging about it now. Yep, ticking off all my items on my long to-do list 🙂
She had a celebration in Adventurezone before but she loves it so much that she wanted a sequel, so her 8th birthday celebration was held there too.
Happy birthday Hannah, and may all your dreams come true!
Note: We fully respect your privacy and understand how and why it is important, so if you see a picture of your child in this post and would prefer for me to blot out his/her face, please email me at joyce.cheah (at) gmail.com and I will do the needful. Thank you.
Ethan turned 11 in January, but I’m only blogging about it now. Better late than never 😛
He was not fussed about his birthday cake and this year, and he decided to have an informal gathering with some of his friends at Break The Code in Gurney Plaza (now no longer operational though). The group was separated into 2 teams who then attempted to solve a series of puzzles and clues in themed rooms.
Everybody had fun and and it was certainly enjoyable for everyone present!
Note: We fully respect your privacy and understand how and why it is important, so if you see a picture of your child in this post and would prefer for me to blot out his/her face, please email me at joyce.cheah (at) gmail.com and I will do the needful. Thank you.
Okay, to be honest, Emma’s first ever concert that I am about to show you pictures from, was held over a month ago. I have been procrastinating for most part, but also because I have been hunting high and low for a video editor that can either mask or add a block label, to no avail.
So I have decided to post this with pictures only.
This was held on a Saturday evening in Emma’s school, and both Ethan and Hannah had to excuse themselves early from catechism classes to attend this event.
I was pleasantly surprised with how natural Emma was on stage, given that I have been told she is rather shy and quiet in school (not at home).
Can you spot Emma?
Don’t you think she looks super adorable in dungarees?
The first performance was a Chinese number where she had to hold a small pink duster as a prop.
The second performance was an English song, where Emma dressed up in a mouse headgear.
Finale: Thumbs up for a splendid performance!
Note: We respect your privacy, so if you see a picture of your child in this post and would prefer for me to blot out his/her face, please email me at joyce.cheah (at) gmail.com and I will do the needful. Thank you.
Our little Emma took part in her first ever Sports Day a few weeks ago. It was such a meaningful event for me because I know she had come a long, long way from the time when she had to be all wrapped up in her onesies to prevent her from scratching herself due to her eczema; and now she has improved so much that she can be dressed in regular clothes and even participate in sports day events!
Emma was part of the group of the school’s youngest children: the Playgroup classes; and of course, it was super adorable to watch them go through their events. Some looked a little blur and some had stage fright, but Emma performed wonderfully….she told me exactly what she had to do and that she had to end her turn with a “high-five” on her friend.
Emma and her classmates had to emulate what the Letterland character Firefighter Fred would do: climb up a “wall”, scramble up a “ladder”, and then “put out a fire” with a water hose.
We really enjoyed the event and don’t you think the kids look exceptionally cute in the firefighter headgear? 🙂
After the event, she received her first-ever medal! Whee!!!
This time, for Sports Day, I also had backup photographers helping me out 🙂
Note: We respect your privacy, so if you see a picture of your child in this post and would prefer for me to blot out his/her face, please email me at joyce.cheah (at) gmail.com and I will do the needful. Thank you.
About 2 weeks back, my little Emma went on her first school trip with her school friends to a local pet store. She had been excitedly waiting for the day and was so looking forward to riding on the bus with all her friends.
The trip went well, and yes, it’s not easy for the teachers taking care of the kids at that age, but all in all, a very memorable experience for the kids.
Sunday May 8 2016 was an important and special day for us as a family, and even more so for Ethan. It was the day he participated in the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the very first time.
Words cannot express my pride for my little boy and the entire celebration touched my heart and soul so very deeply.
The special day also coincided with Mother’s Day this year, so it was a happy celebration all around. Ethan was also selected to give a short speech on behalf of all the first holy communicants, at the end of the celebration. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a clear video of his speech because Emma kept wanting to snatch my phone!
So it has been about a month now that Emma started playschool. We had hesitated starting her off in January because I was not convinced then that she would be okay on her own, what with her skin sensitivities and her itch that could come and go at any time. Plus…she’s still my little baby!!
However as she approached her third birthday, she had shown signs that she was ready for school. She was a very active child, and she was eager to learn and explore. In addition, her skin was under control and she could finally now wear normal toddler clothes. So we decided to start her off in playschool in April.
The first week or so was an orientation week where I could be with her in the class. I was pleasantly surprised that she happily and willingly sat in circle time on her own and ate at snack time on her own from the get go. She was a little bit shy at first but she did not put up a fuss.
She happily played with toys when she had the chance to do so, and even had the opportunity to do some finger painting on the first day itself!
On the third day of school, I told Emma that I would be sitting outside her classroom to wait for her and she was okay with it. From the 5th day onwards, I would walk her to class in the morning and help her settle down, then I would say goodbye with a hug and kiss and she was fine.
Now she greets me with a cheerful happy smile and wave when I pick her up, which is one of my highlights of the day. 🙂
The only problem is that she would want to play in the school playground after school every day, and it is SO hard to pry her from the playground! She is also very gungho, and although initially I was very scared and concerned that she would not be able to maneuver the playground equipment on her own, she is proving me wrong.
So yes, I am definitely happy that she is in a loving, wonderful environment for school, and she is learning lots in terms of socialising and being herself. She also recently started singing and saying some stuff in Chinese, without my prompting her!
At ten years old, my little big man had his first stayover church camp last weekend. Yes, I was freaked out at the idea at first and yes, “worried and concerned” was an understatement when I first learnt it was going to be a stayover camp.
Ethan was super excited about it though; “It’s compulsory, Mommy…”
Well, actually he was a bit disappointed when I told him it was not going to be a “sleep in the tent” kind of camp, but rather in dormitories. But it was going to be an exciting adventure for sure!
Yes, it was part of the journey Ethan was embarking on this year, as he heads towards celebrating his first holy communion in May. Big milestone!
But yeah, I was worried.
Anyway, the day of the camp came. And Daddy complained that I had packed too many things for a one night stay.
We dropped him off at church and a big bus took all the first holy communicants to the church in Balik Pulau for the camp proper.
We decided to attend the evening mass at the church so that we could catch a glimpse of our boy and also to check out the living condition at camp.
No air-conditioning in the rooms and the boys all slept on single mattresses in a room with only the fan on. He looked….HAPPY. And that was all I needed to know.
Fast forward to the following day and we had a short meeting with the camp facilitators at church before the bus brought the kids back to church.
Ethan said he was chatting with his friends till 4 a.m. the night before! When asked if he would go for camp again, he answered yes without hesitation.
My boy is growing up. Most definitely.
I’m eternally grateful that Jesus is guiding the way.
Scrap Credits
Just Being Mom QP Freebie from Kimb’s Designs
Weight
10.5-10.7 kilos
Height/Length
Not measured.
Teeth
Full set of 20 milk teeth now. 🙂
Developmental Milestones
Emma is finally, FINALLY jumping! …. as in both feet are lifted off the ground when she jumps 🙂
Very determined to get what she wants and go where she wants.
Has a great sense of humor and laughs a lot, either to herself or with her siblings.
Loves singing and dancing. Her current favorites are: the theme songs from Tayo the Little Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, ABCs, the Crocodile Song (a.k.a. Row Row Row your Boat), and Mr Sun (where she also does the actions)
Food and Feeding
Emma is eating well, and on top of that she is ever willing to feed herself. “I wanna feed myself” or “Let me feed myself” are her favorite phrases at mealtime, in addition to “I want more more noodles”…..
She love fruits which is always a good thing. 🙂 And she can finish 1 bowl of rice by herself!
I’m attempting to wean her from the breast now that I notice she is drinking less breast milk. I’m using my tried-and-tested bitter gourd juice method, and it is progressing well, so we shall see.
Toilet Training
I’ve started with the Potty Training Sticker Reward Chart for Emma. I told her that for every time she peepees in the potty, she will get 1 sticker and for every poopoo in the potty, she will get 2 stickers. She has so far gotten 1 sticker, and we keep reminding her that she will get to choose a toy when she hits 20.
I’m not really pushing it though, just want her to be ready so potty training will be a breeze.
UPDATE
Emma will start school soon, so that’s a major milestone for her. She enjoys reading the “Barney and Baby Bop goes to School” book with me, so hopefully the experience will be a wonderful one, filled with many cherished memories ahead.
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