Bible Verse of the Day

First Official Day at School for the Kids

January 4, 2013 in Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah, Milestones, Parenting | 1 comment

My precious kids make me even more proud of them each and every day, and this week was no different.  This was a very eventful week for all of us, especially for Ethan and Hannah.   After more than a month since we moved here, the kids are finally officially starting school!

It had been a rollercoaster of obstacles we had faced in getting the paperwork and submission sorted out, especially in Ethan’s case, but we’re glad it’s finally completed and Ethan and Hannah were so excited to be going to school at last. 🙂

On Wednesday morning, after much persuasion, Hannah woke up bright and early and got ready for school.  She would be in the pre-kindergarten (pre-K) class, and she was really looking forward to it.  There was no hesitation from her at all when we arrived at her classroom, and she immediately hung up her bag and jacket and joined her class (but not before she gave Mommy a big HUG and KISS).

I then took Ethan to his elementary school to submit the last of the paperwork needed.  There were some delays due to the long year-end holidays, but thankfully, we managed to get everything done and sorted out that morning.  Ethan would be in 1st Grade. 🙂

Before we left the elementary school, we met with the one of the English language specialists in the school.  It was her job to assess foreign students on their English language proficiency via a simple assessment test on English reading, writing and comprehension.  We were with her for about half an hour and Ethan did really well on his test. 🙂  The English language specialist said that he reads very well and that he would be placed in an appropriate level.

I then confirmed that Ethan’s official first day of school would be on Friday, and he was to arrive by 8:45a.m., where his teacher would meet him at the front office and then take him to class.

On Thursday, Hannah went to school as usual and Ethan and I stayed home.  Ethan did tell me that he was a little bit nervous about his first day of school the following day, but he was also excited to be meeting new friends.  I reassured him that it was normal to be a little nervous, but he could always ask his teacher if he needed any help.

Fast forward to Friday, and we thankfully managed to get the kids up and ready by 8:05a.m.!

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How We Built a Snowman – Part 2 of 2

January 3, 2013 in Ethan, Exercise, Funny Moments, Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

After our “snowhill but no snowman” incident the other day, the kids had been pestering us to take them snowman-building again.

“Mommy, is the snow wet enough today to build a snowman?”

“Can we PLEASE go and build a snowman today?  I don’t mind building it in the dark!”

So on New Year’s Day morning, we promised the kids we would get our snowman built provided they got up early enough and that it was sunny.

And this would be me, giving them a headstart and a hand in the snowman-building project:

It’s hard work, and a very good workout! 🙂  Just imagine, your body needs to work extra hard to fight off the cold (especially when the wind starts blowing) and also, you need to keep rolling and patting the snowballs to make it larger and larger for the snowman, all the time making sure the snowballs stay intact and that the snowman doesn’t topple over!

The kids again enjoyed every moment of their time in the snow.  They had fun rolling the snowballs around and watching them grow bigger and bigger…and now, they also had Daddy to throw snowballs at!

After some really hard work and teamwork, we began to see the snowman take shape…

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How We Built A Snowman – Part 1 of 2

January 2, 2013 in Ethan, Exercise, Funny Moments, Growing Up, Hannah | No comments

Several days ago, when I figured there was snow thick enough to build a snowman, and the sun was out, I took the kids out for our snowman project.  The kids were, of course, more than eager to put on their winter jackets and get started.

We found a nice spot just outside our home, and before I knew it, the kids were already busy making snow angels!

 

Unfortunately though, the snow was too hard and dry for snowman-making.  We just could not pat it into balls.  All we got were big chunks of brittle ice.  The kids called them “icebergs”!

However, we still had a lot of fun building a snow hill, and playing with snow…

 

Yes, we had a blast…and some of us threw snow too!

I had to persuade the kids to come on indoors because my ears were starting to freeze!

We ended up with a nice little snow hill, which became a really smooth snow hill when it began to snow heavily a couple of days later.

The kids asked for hot Milo after our activity, which is always a nice comforting way to warm their tummies after a cold outing.

Our “Somewhat” White Christmas

December 29, 2012 in Celebrations, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting, What's Cooking | No comments

 

Okay, I admit I had been singing “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…” for the weeks leading up to Christmas, and according to the weather forecast, it was supposed to start snowing at about the time Santa was making his rounds, i.e. Christmas eve.

When I woke up on Christmas morning, I realized that the weather forecast was correct.  There was a light sprinkling of snow to greet us, but it didn’t last long as it stopped snowing later that afternoon.  It was only on the night of Boxing Day that the snow started, coincidentally as we were making our way home from our grocery shopping.  Later that night, I even saw snow ploughs clearing inches of snow from the driveway right outside our apartment.

Anyway, we stayed in the whole day on Christmas and we really had a great time.  It was warm and cozy indoors and we just wanted to relax and enjoy Christmas.

I woke up in the morning to get lunch ready for us, and Ethan was up very soon after.  He exclaimed in surprise and sheer joy as he saw all the presents lying by the fireplace, waiting to be opened.  This year, it was the first time Ethan and Hannah really really expected presents from Santa.  Maybe because this year we have an actual chimney and fireplace in our house..haha.  Ethan and Hannah were also very concerned about Santa hurting himself that Christmas eve when he came down the chimney, so they had made extra sure that we turned off the fireplace by midnight.

So “Santa’s elves” were kept busy on Christmas eve getting the presents ready for Ethan and Hannah.  We got them presents from “Santa”  (the pink-wrapped ones) and also presents from Daddy and Mommy.  It was tricky getting them the presents as surprise ones; one of us had to sneakily make a speedy purchase, and then make a dash for the car to load the goodies in the trunk.  Obviously the one who isn’t 7 months preggers was the one doing the running to the car. 😛

They also each had letters written to Santa, and on Christmas eve, Ethan noticed the letters were still lying around the house, so Daddy had to quickly go to the “office” to send the letters to the North Pole. LOL

The moment Ethan saw the presents, he told Hannah about it, and she immediately woke up.  They were very eager to open their presents, and when they did, all we could get were these rather blur shots with our phone.

Yes, they were still in their jammies.. 🙂

After that, they busied themselves with the presents as I got lunch ready.  It was past 2pm when we had lunch, because the roast turkey takes at least 3 hours to be ready.

We hung out at home the whole of Christmas and the kids were only more than happy because they got the chance to play with their new toys!

The One Where The Kids Went to School

December 21, 2012 in Ethan, Growing Up, Hannah | 1 comment

…well, not exactly.  After visiting a couple of childcare centers, we’d decided to arrange for a trial session for Hannah at a nearby center, about 3 minutes’ drive away.

Since I had an appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound scheduled, we decided to conveniently schedule the trial session on that same morning.  This childcare center had a before/after school program for kids in elementary school too, so Ethan got to have a trial there as well.  Worked out so well for us because we didn’t think kids running around in the ultrasound room would be at all welcome.

So anyway, the childcare center director decided that Hannah would be most suitable in the pre-K class, although age-wise, she should be in a younger class, i.e. preschool.  This was because Hannah would turn 4 very soon, and most of the kids in pre-K had just turned 4 or about to turn 4 soon too.  In addition, the pre-K class was a much smaller group compared to preschool, and it would work out in Hannah’s favor too, because she can be quite shy in large groups initially.

As for Ethan, since all the elementary students were in school at that time, they were still not at this childcare center.  So Ethan spent his time in the Kindergarten class, which is something like K2 in Malaysia.  He got on pretty well, and before I left, I peeked into his class and saw him raising his hand, volunteering to answer a question!  How’s that for confidence, eh?

Anyway, the kids were there for about 3.5 hours, and when we came back to pick them up, we were surprised to find Hannah taking a nap on a little mattress, as were most of the other kids in her class.  Ethan was ready to go, and even had a little time to feed the pet guinea pig in the school.

I could tell the kids had fun.  The center director told us they both did very well, and were participative and there were no problems at all.

Hannah brought back her artwork, and couldn’t stop talking about them.

Ethan told me he learnt some Spanish that day, painted a rainbow sky picture (which was still drying) and wrote a sentence.

We’ve more or less confirmed that Hannah will be going to this pre-K class, and as for Ethan, he will be going to a nearby elementary school in 1st Grade.  We’re getting the registration submission all sorted out and hopefully they can begin schooling soon.

Snow: Work and Play

December 5, 2012 in Ethan, Exercise, Hannah, Milestones, Parenting, Vacation | No comments

When life gives you lemons, go make some lemonade, so the saying goes.  And when life gives you snow, you smile, and make work seem like play!

Last Saturday morning, we awoke to a blanket of snow covering the landscape.  The weather forecast had been true to the dot and it had snowed through the night.  In fact, it was still snowing in the morning, and inevitably, our car was also covered with snow.

It was a good thing though that Pete had switched our initial minivan to a medium-sized car, so there wasn’t so much snow to clear off the car, but Ethan and Hannah were only more than willing to help!  It was a brand new experience for them, and c’mon, which kid would pass on an opportunity to play with snow?

The snow has all melted since that day, and the weather is slightly warmer now (i.e. 10-12ºC), however we have been told by the locals that it typically does not snow till January.  Would we be looking at colder days and nights ahead?  Would the kids have enough snow for a snowman?  Will we be having a white Christmas this year?

Only time will tell… 🙂

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:

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