Bicycling at Taman Jaya recreational park (10 June)

Vrrrroommmm... Vrrrooommmmm!!
She traded this smile for an ice cream - which I still owe her! (It's very difficult to get her to smile for the camera so I had to resort to desperate measures)
Look, look!! A fish! But err... it's dead. Compare this to the numerous koi fishes aggressively fighting for food at the Seremban CityPark... see how toxic the water here can be?
Victoria in action! She looovvvveess her bike! Even if she's just circling around our porch
The two of them... raring to go!!
And for the record, after this 45 minutes cycling episode at the park, the two kids ate DOUBLE their normal portions during dinner time!

First time roller skating

We have been making progress during Vic's holiday despite the us falling sick now and then. There are always checklists/things-to-do for Vic when it comes to her school holidays. So far, we have achieved a few, namely:

1. Staying over at Popo Gong Gong's house (5-7 June)
2. Going to IKEA although more for my work (8 June)
3. Bicyling at Taman Jaya recreational park (10 June)
4. Missed two birthday parties but attended one as a princess (11 June)
5. Ate home made burger (13 June)...

... and roller skating yesterday morning! I got a few friends and their parents together yesterday morning and we geared up at Skateline shop then headed to TTDI park where the lesson was conducted. It was just a beginner's class, more for the kids to try out roller skating.

Vic has been telling me that she wants to try roller skating for some time now, off and on whenever she sees someone roller skates. At the shop, she's cool about gearing up, with all the helmet, knee and elbow shields and skates. The skates were meant to be tight but she did not complain.

For the first lesson, we learnt to crawl, stand up and get down, SLAP (skate Safe, skate Legal, skate Alert, skate Polite) and many other terms and styles of skating. We were even quizzed and evaluated! Vic was attentive and although we didn't get to walking or actual skating, but we all had fun. Truly an experience even for myself as this is the first time for me too! : ) However, not many pictures of Vic in action as I was skating as well.

After the lesson, Vic tells me she really really REALLY likes skating... Ahh, but what an expensive sport! She wants to learn drums and now skates. How to support? Haha...

Too many illnesses!

Victoria
Two weekends ago (on the 28th May) Victoria was hospitalized for food poisoning. She started vomitting middle of the night at 430am, and after the 3rd vomit, hubby decided to bring her to see the nearest 24hour GP to get some medication. The doc gave her a suppository to stop the vomitting. (This is all dejavu to us)

Of all times, this is just the worse timing as Mama had to prepare for her operation and could not come up to help us, and Popo Gong Gong had relatives coming up from Johor to stay at their house. But thank God that Popo sacrificed and took the train up to watch and accompany Vic in the hospital, giving Daddy the much needed break as he had been up since 430am. I stayed home to be with William, and msg-ed for emergency part time maid service to disinfect the house.

Through prayers, Vic recovered very fast and was discharged the next day. We are just so happy to have her back, as it will definitely be tough to juggle work, Vic in the hospital, grandparents back in Sban, William at home... between just hubby and myself.

For the record, this is the 8th time collectively that we have admitted our kids to hospital. The service is far from commentable and need improvement, especially in the emergency ward. I have so many complimentary jugs and toiletries from the hospital that I have given most away and hope to have no more.

Daddy
After Vic healed, daddy is unwell the past one week for almost every part of his body - tearing and blurring eyes, body ache, old corn on the sole of the feet that grew back and sore throat.

William
William developed mild diarrhea on Wednesday night - pasty and just once. The next day he had twice with a gap of 6 hours.

This morning I woke up to something very foul next to me, and knew through my drowsy state that it was William who "berak"ed and was sleeping next to us. But to my shock and horror, my precious bedsheet also got stained. Thank God for mattress protector!

So hubby and I got into action to clean and change William's diapers and bedsheets. Brought William to our paed, and he said William's stomach sounds fine and probably this is just indigestion and prescribed probiotics and lactose-free milk. The paed also followed up on William's coughing. He's still on the Seretide puff and Flixonase aqueous nasal spray twice a day and to wean off the anti histamine this weekend. William has definitely improved, but this medication will take another 3 weeks to completely wean off. Prior to this, Singulair didn't work on William.

Myself
I came down with body ache and headache two days ago, but popped myself one paracetamol which I had to break into four small pieces (I'm lousy with medicine - glad the kids didn't inherit this from me) and I guess the fact that you know you have to work and kids to care for, tells the body there's no way it can fall sick! So I'm still in action, phew!

Allergies - the battle continues
As for the allergies, Vic's countdown has started since the last check up in May, if all is well, she will be able to start eating foods with eggs and yeast next May! : ) As for William, the allergist doctor tested him for dustmite and confirmed our suspicion.

What do I say from all these? Two years ago, I broke down and ask "Why?" Maybe now I'm more immune or less idealistic, and I say, "OK, let's do what we need to do" and we commit the rest to God.

Celebrating my 23rd birthday...

Last Sunday hubby celebrated my birthday a day before the actual day, just the two of us, and my loverboy, William. Our girl was having her long awaited holiday back in Seremban staying with Popo GongGong.

We ate at one of my favourite restaurant, Paddington House of Pancakes, where you can find up to 100 (or more) pancakes from around the world. They come in different forms, like pannekoek, galettes, blintzes, kartofelpuffer, dollars, etc and you can have a meal made out of pancakes, dessert pancakes... all yummylicious! This is one place, I tell my hubs, I wouldn't mind being a kitchen helper if only I can learn their secrets. Ahh, but reality hits me that I have two kids to care for, and so... my ambition of stealing pancake secrets will have to wait.

Back to last Sunday. So this is what I had. The Texas.


And he had this, the Mexican. William went straight for the chips and ate any other thing.

And this was the surprise pretty pancake ice cream... err cake? Check out the spelling. Notice any mistake? But I thought this is so cool. : )

And of course, one with boy boy.

And on the actual day, 7th June, we went back to Seremban to visit Mama Yeh Yeh and Taipo as well as bring the little princess back to PJ. And of course, we had a dinner to celebrate my birthday, this time with Popo Gong Gong, Yee Yee, Grace, Andrew and the four of us.

Ordered a simple 5 course dinner at Lucky Palace (I love their newly renovated premise) comprising of succulent big butter prawns, steam chicken in a bucket, vege, braised taufu with minced pork and steam fish fillets in soya sauce. Here are some pictures...






... oops, and did I say I was celebrating my 23rd birthday? Kidding. My face can't lie unfortunately.

Books can be interesting too

Ah, what a relieve.

When William was a baby, I tried reading to him. Not even five seconds and this boy closed the book and turned away. After a few separate attempts, I gave up.

Books to him was only interesting when he is sitted in the car. He'd go through the pages himself, and sometimes that puts him to sleep too. : )

Now that he is two, I can't remember exactly how but we just took out a book, "The Three Little Pigs" one day, and he took to it.

Got addicted, is more like it.

Just like the sister when she was 3, William kept asking me to read the same story every night, every afternoon and sometimes morning. Aiyo, I read until I get so bored with the story. He calls it the "Huff puff" storybook.

Even Vic wants me to change story. Then I took her Hansel & Gretal out, and they both enjoyed the story tremendously. The latter is more of Victoria's level, but he seemed to enjoy the story too, and likes to turn to the page with the evil witch's face.

Hubs think since we have so many story books which we bought for Vic, we should not just limit him to the Three Little Pigs. Oh, how I agree! So we convinced him to read other books, and now his story telling time includes all of the books below. Plus, of course, the Children's Bible Story now and then.

So this cycle has started again. Every time before nap or sleeping time, it's story time.

William growing up...

This is William taking out his shoes this afternoon. The first time he did it all by himself, I was so impressed but didn't have a camera in hand. I asked him if he needed help (his sandal comes with two velcro on each shoe) and he answered, "No"

This afternoon after I took him down from the car, I told him to take off his shoes by himself, hoping to "catch him in action" again. Sure enough... here are a couple of pictures to show my boy boy and his growing independence.



But as he grows, he now becomes more territorial (are all boys like this?), refusing to share his favourite toys. Poor Vic, who has been so generous to share her old tricycle, favourite helmet, books and other toys with little brother, is now being rejected and sometimes bullied.

The moment she gets on the tricycle or touches any of his favourite toys, William comes rushing towards her, holds on to the back of the tricycle to stop her from cycling... or grabs all his toys back.

That's bad behaviour, and totally unacceptable, young man!

It's not just his sister who gets treated this way. When he is with other kids, he does the same. At first I thought he was quite cute by hugging all his toys and then saying, "..tousshhh" (that means, don't touch!) but now although I think he's still cute, I'm starting to worry if this may be a big problem when he goes to school.

Oh, and Vic says to her brother, "If you behave this way, William... no girls will want to marry you!"

Hahahahaha...

Last day of school: Wild Wild West Party

Yeeeehaawwww!!! Yesterday was the last day of school for the first semester and Vic is soooo looking forward to this day because as usual, she has a list of things to achieve over the 2 weeks holidays.

After being hospitalised last weekend due to food poisoning and missing school for 3 days including her field trip to High 5 bread factory, she was eager to go back to school to see her friends. On Thursday after picking her up from school, she immediately told me that she didn't have to wear her uniform the next day.

This is Vic's first school party that she really dressed up so sportingly. We rented the whole set as I was too busy and lazy to come out with any. Admittedly, I am not much of a creative person either.

Moody as usual and slow to start during breakfast. Cow girl having her oat meal :)

Howdy mates!! This little cow girl won Best Dressed in her class. Her full gear includes the cowboy hat, checked long sleeve, cow boy leather-like pants with side frills, vest, red bandana, plastic gun complete with the holder.
One with her teacher, Catrienna

And another with a few more friends
A quick glance in the school hall
One with her good friends... Vic, Josephine and Abigail. Apparently Faith the fourth girl in the group, has already started her holidays

The cow girls have to sanitize their hands too!

Cow girl had a long day... (pretending to be) tired and dragging her horse... oops, I mean, bag.
Hhhmm... wonder what's inside? Posing with her Best Dressed present

Vic showing her present to William... a Mickey Mouse sticker set and a coin collection box