It's been a long long while....

It's been a very very long while since I've update this blog with a post... hah...I enjoy reading other people's blogs but a tad lazy to update mine! Well, 2009 has been a pretty busy year for us.. Celine's started school and adapting very well to it. Olivia's easing into her role as big sister in school with ease... and I'm loving it that my kids are growing up! though it could be a bit too fast. Before I know it, they'll be all grown up already ! 

Well, I've been rather busy as my sister, mom and I have started a little business of ours... something that we love to craft and design... do visit us here if you're a tad curious about what I've been up to. 

Till my next post, which I hope that wouldn't be too long... Happy Belated Mother's Day and Happy Father's Day in advance. 

updates updates updates

ya ya I know... it's been a long time since my last update... that seems to be my trend anyway huh... Life's been quite busy these past couple of months... I've lost a maid... been maidless for a couple of months before Catherine came along...and she's definitely been a great help and God sent :) Both Olivia and Celine have also been keeping me busy.. Celine's been pestering us to send her school, having following mummy to school everyday to pick Olivia up... yes, she's due to go to school next year...but she's a tad reluctant to be toilet trained.
These last couple of months have also been a trying time in terms of work and my spiritual walk with God. This year itself has been a year of breakthroughs to a certain extent.. I've seen God's hand very clearly in my own life as well as my families... and am always reminded that God's great, merciful and full of love and grace.
ah..but I've also accomplished some long overdue projects such as the picture frames on the wall - yes.. I've put photos in them finally :) and I've also filled up another photo frame...
and we're going on another trip soon :) so...till the next update.. and I promise that it would not take that long... :)

Olivia's belated 4th birthday post

Olivia turned 4 on the 29 June 2008. How fast time flies. She's now a talkative, independent, cheerful and cute but sometimes stubborn endearing little girl. She's rather responsible when it comes to doing her homework, but there are times when the 4-year old habits and behaviour overules that!
She had a few rounds of birthday celebrations ie blowing out the candles on various cakes... 3 I think to be exact :) Her final celebration was with her friends in Juara Cerdik and they had a blast!
As you can tell, we're celebrating like back to back birthdays starting from Elvin's in the mid-June, followed by Olivia and then Celine. It's all within 6 weeks and sometimes, I don't even have time to think of what exactly I want to be done for their birthday celebrations... looks like I have to start planning waaay ahead.. :)

I'll post some photos in my next post... in the mean time, Olivia has started with the phrase "Are we there yet" whilst on road trips.... urgh...

Happy Birthday Celine

Happy Birthday Celine!! She turns 2 today... she has definitely brought our family lots of laughter, joy and love. She's really cute and together with Olivia, they definitely remind us of God's grace and love.

We celebrated her birthday earlier on.. and yesterday, we brought her for a haircut.. she looks rather different... and I shall post her pictures up later... but for the mean time, Happy Birthday Celine... May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly and continue to keep you close to Him...

Long overdue updates....

It's been a long long time since I've updated my blog. I must admit.. I love reading other people's entries but dread to write mine as I always think that my entries are not exciting or interesting enough... but will always remind myself that af the end of the day, these entries serve as a reminder or rather like an online journal. :)

Much has happened since my last entry... Olivia is growing up quickly, easing into her big sister role effortlessly. Celine is fast catching up on the art of communication - she speaks rather well that I keep forgetting that she is not yet 2! Both of them are definitely a source of joy for the entire family.. including the extended families.

In March, we went for a family holiday with another family to Krabi, Thailand. It was very fun. We stayed at the Pakasai Resort, which was around the corner of Ao Nang beach. It was very nice and cozy... The kids had a ball of a time with Brendan & Bryan who came along with their family. It was a very laid back holiday for us. No stress to do this and that but merely enjoying time with the kids and spending time with friends. We spent time at the beach and the pool, explored Krabi town and ate Thai food.. :) We even had cheap and yummy Thai desserts! At the end of the trip, we all came back a bit sunburnt, except for Celine, who only turned a tad red... and Celine knew how to say "I want to go for holiday...with Brendan".. :)




In May, Elvin and I went for our first trip without the kids to exotic Turkey. It was stunning and beautiful. The country is just so deep with history and beautiful sites. What made it even better was that we had a really really good tour guide, he was just fantastic - his knowledge was really really awesome and he made history sound so so interesting. I would definitely recommend you make Turkey one of your holiday destinations, if you can stomach bland and unappetizing food for 10 days. :) We missed the kids terribly... and they us too. A big thanks to Mummy for helping to watch them for the 10 days that we were away.

We also had a family photo shoot on Mother’s day at Lake Gardens with Jenny Sun. The world is really small, whilst I was looking greedily at the photos that she features on her blogsite, little do I know that she actually knows Yen and Jon. We had a great time that day and the weather was very kind to us. Most of all, we had lots of fun! I’ll post the pictures once I’ve gotten them on me.

More stuff to post up next… coming up will be my posts on birthdays as the birthday season of our family has started J Stay tuned.

Nintendo Wii anyone?

Elvin and I are not very much into playing video games... we'd much rather be spending time with the kids, friends or our extended family. So, as a Christmas present to ourselves, we bought a Nintendo Wii...and we've been having fund with it as a family every since. I played till my arms ached...definitely a sign that I'm old and so out of shape! But it wasn't just me, hahaha, everyone else except for Elvin and Olivia... :) One of my resolutions this year was to exercise, thus far, I've only been exercising with the Wii... playing tennis and golf. Anyone who has played the Wii will be able to attest to the fact that u can indeed break a sweat by playing...

Anyhow, my remark to Elvin was : "Buying the Wii is better than buying a new car!" The whole family can definitely enjoy it... young or old.

Bali and Ipoh Trip

I went to Bali last month for my first overseas company trip. It was great and I had a lot of fun. I guess also the company helps - some of my colleagues are great people to travel with. We visited some temples, saw some obese monkeys, ate a lot, had cheap pedicures and manicures, shopped a lot and got a sunburn too! It was really fabulous shopping coz most of the things were cheap. I managed to buy a dress for RM14... so that's really cheap. :) On in all, I had a blast and it was a good break from work and an additional plus was having some "me" time to myself!

When I was in Bali enjoying myself, my kids, Olivia and Celine, were having a blast at their paternal grandparent's home in Ipoh. This marked the first time both girls went away without us, their parents. And I'm proud to say that they definitely did better than me when I was their age! The gals spent about 4 days in Ipoh and definitely gave their grandparents some additional strands of white hair! :) But I'm sure they all had a blast.

Here are some pics from my Bali trip as well as a slightly updated photo of the girls....

Tis the season to be sick

Yup, my 2 gals have been sick. They've been ill for about 2 weeks already... Poor Celine got the worst of it. She's just been diagnosed with bronchitis!! Poor thing. Wheezing, coughing and lots of plehgm. Have been praying that she will get well soon. Thank God that Olivia's recovering quite nicely.

To make matters worse, Celine fell down yesterday and knocked the back of her head... there's a big "baluku" there. Am praying that the swelling will go down and that she's fine too.

Oh well, just a quick update.... on the gals... here's a recent picture of Celine.. with her hair pinned up.

Happy Belated Birthday Celine and Ee ee!

Happy Belated Birthday to 2 of my favourite gals - Celine (my fei fei) and Yen (my sister). They both have something else in common besides celebrating their birthdays in the month of July - they're both chubby!! (for Yen - she was chubby when she was young.. sorry dear.. coudln't resist).

Celine turned 1 on 14 July. How fast time flies... and she is definitely a very steady toddler at the age of 1. Following fast in the footsteps of her sister, Olivia, who started walking at the age of 11 months and was also very steady when she celebrated her first birthday. We had a small celebration at home and Celine had an Elmo 3D cake to celebrate her turning 1. The cake was definitely a hit amongst the other kids at the party, as they all couldn't resist Elmo's charm.

Ee ee aka Yen celebrated her birthday 3 days later. We went for a sumptious Japanese dinner at Subang. The food was good and we were definitely stuffed! This time, instead of the usual birthday cake, I decided to get her cupcakes to make up a cake. (okay.. if I don't explain this well, I'll try to upload the pics later). It was a hit! Yen totally loved it.. and since then, it's kinda been like a trend, whereby we order cupcakes for everybody's birthdays.

ANyways, thought that I'd get a blog entry on this two joyous occasions. Maybe the Lord continue to bless both of you abundantly in everything that u do.

Happy 3rd Birthday Olivia!!!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Olivia, Happy Birthday to you.

Yes, today my little Princess Olivia turns 3! How exicting. I took a good long look at her before I went to sleep last night and felt nostalgic. How much has my little girl grown! How different from the first time that I laid eyes on her.

She has definitely progressed into a bundle full of energy and joy. Everyone is entertained by her adult-like gestures and comments. (though I have to admit that handling her can be rather trying at times). But she definitely makes up for it by showing her tender loving side.

We've organised a big birthday bash for her tomorrow with her friends. Will fill you guys in on that. In the meantime, happy birthday my dear girl. May the Lord continue to keep you under His wing and bless you abundantly in your many years to come.

Parents Teachers Day

I recently went for my first Parents Teachers Day last Saturday at Olivia's kindie. Itwas rather interesting - my dad teased me about it totally. (I think that secretly he's proud and couldn't contain it but he tried very hard to play it cool).

Olivia's progess report? - Well, all was alright except that I've got to work on her restlessness and short attention span. Well, what do u expect from a 3-year old but guess, if she doesn't sit down and listen, she doesn't get to learn so much. Anyone who has seen her would know that getting her to sit down for long periods of time would be rather challenging. But, mummy has to be persistent and patient. Guess, this is the part, where u realise that bringing up a child is totally challenging and scary. and I think at times, I just reflect and feel really guilty for being not so great at this "mom" role. Sigh....

Anyhow, will have to think of ways to catch her attention.... if anyone of you have any bright ideas, please give me a buzz or drop me a line!...

Bible Verses

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" ~ John 14:6

That was the verse that Olivia blurted out when we were doing our weekly grocery shopping at Giant on Sunday. I didn't hear her very clearly the first time and asked her to repeat it a couple of times for me and she did just that with clear precision. Excited that she quoted her first bible verse, I quickly called Elvin and asked her to repeat it. And she did!

I'm so excited that my daughter is going through this phase of her life where she just soaks up everything like a sponge (though it might work against me). It's just amazing to see her come back and say things that she learnt in school, or even imitate her teachers in school. Yes, we started sending her to Juara Cerdik since January this year and it's been delightful for her I think. She's just learning so much.

On top of that, mommy is also learning bible verses and children songs from her too. Now that I've heard her say that verse so many times, it's kinda stuck in my head too! Great stuff.

Exciting times for us too.....will update more in due course.

8 Months ole...

Celine, aka fat fat... is 8 months old today. Time sure flies. She's teething now. Her 2 bottom teeth have sprouted out and now it's time for the top 2! she's been biting me more than Olivia used too... and whenever I shout out in pain, she'll let go and look at me with this "mummy, what r u yelling about?" look and then proceed to give me a grin. Talk about being cheeky! Wonder who she gets that from.

Meanwhile, I've switched jobs and am much happier now, although office is like in town... but it's alright. Olivia, meanwhile, has started school and is adjusting very well to it. I think she secretly loves it although she refuses to admit it out loud.

Okay.. this is just a short post... just to update everyone... will be back with more.. (yah yah.. I know that's what I always say).

Celine...

Celine will be turning 4 months next week... how time flies.. That little girl of mine is really growing up. Okay, maybe some will argue that she's not really that little.. my dear darling younger daughter weighs about 7.3kgs! Talk about gaining weight. Even her paeditrician was suprised to see her healthy weight gain.

She's becoming even more adorable by the day and it really warms my heart to see her give me a toothless grin or smile. She can even laugh out loud! That happens when Elvin plays with her.

Even more heartwarming is the fact that her sister, Olivia, dotes on her. A funny incident happened on Sunday whilst we were at Mid Valley having lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Sitting at a booth, there was space on the seat to put Celine down, so Elvin did just that after carrying her for a while. Olivia, being the big che-che that she is, got a little frantic looking for her sister who was no where in sight. She went " Where's may may?", "Where's may may", "Where's may may" with each following question being said in a higher pitch than the other. We decided to allay her fears by telling her that Celine was actually lying down on the seat. But no after seeing her squirm for a few seconds!

Yah.. I'l try to update u guys soon with pics of Celine.. I know lots of ppl haven't been able to catch a glimpse of her yet... soon guys and gals.. soon..

It's been a long long time

Yes yes I know... it's been a long long time since I last blogged... Daddy has been saying to me "how come there are no new posts on your blog?" I must admit that I've been really busy and having two kids have really kept me on my toes... work has also been rather hectic... okay okay.. no excuses. But hey I'm back!

The past 3 months have been absolutely amazing, trying, hectic, tiring all into one. Baby Celine was born on 14th July 2006 at 7:46 pm..weighing 2.93kg. Time has quickly flew by and now she's almost turning 3 months.. she's a chubby one that girl. I'll be putting up pictures of her soon. Just need to get some stuff installed on my computer.

Olivia's been adjusting well to having a sister around and growing into the role of "che che" or big sister rather nicely. SHe's rather protective over her sister. Loves to hug and kiss her. And is very adamant that someone picks Celine up whenver she cries! I didn't think that she would adjust so well.. but she did. Kudos Olivia!

Breastfeeding has been a challenge as I've been travelling ever since I got back to work. Sadly, Celine has now got to take a mixture of formula and breast milk as my milk bank is gone.. Yup.. that huge supply of stored milk (to those who saw it) is all gone... :( Nonetheless, I'm still persevering and continuing to breastfeed her as long as I can.

Other than that, live's been rather interesting with so many adjustments to make.. new maid, new routine but I guess we're settling in quite nicely..

Alrighty then.. will be back with more updates later...

Happy Belated Birthday Olivia

Olivia turned 2 last week. Had wanted to blog about it but time just got ahead of me. She had a terrific day... went to 1 Utama twice in a day! She definitely enjoyed herself to bits. Time sure flies and she's so different from the time I first laid eyes on her 2 years ago.

She has definitely brought about joy, happiness and laughter to everyone around her.

Happy birthday sweetie. May God continue to bless you abundantly in your years ahead.

Hey there

It's really been a while since I updated my blog.... and I think that the next time would be quite sometime away too... I'm already into my 36th week of pregnancy - after this week, it could be anytime that I pop. Pregnancy this time is different from the last - I haven't really gotten much water retention except for my nose - but it's really less this time. Baby is also kicking harder this time around and perhaps due to age.. I'm feeling more aches and pains everywhere!

Olivia is turning 2 next week... how time flies... she's not so much of an Elmo monster now but a TV monster! One of her greater achievements was to sit through the movie "Over the Hedge" in a cinema... chomping down other ppl's popcorn! I was totally impressed... and so was Elvin.. She's such a cutie... Little Miss Chatterbox... She has definitely grown... so quickly! And soon she will be an elder sister! So much responsibility for a 2 year old....

I definitely am looking forward to Baby's arrival but with that also comes some apprehension wondering whether I would be able to cope... anyhow.. by hook or by crook I have to. Praying very hard for good help as my new maid is coming soon....

Have to sign off now... got to finish up as much stuff as I can before I go off..... till my next update..

Elmo Monster

Olivia was never really interested in television and I didn't want to give her such an early headstart. Recently, I thought to myself, why not buy her a Sesame Street DVD and see whether she would like it or not. Lo and behold, she not only liked it, she totally LOVED it!!! And her fav character of all times is ELMO.

Since then, she has become obsessed with Elmo and would want to watch it over and over again. And lately, when the session has ended and the credits are rolling, she would burst into tears, choked with emotion that ELmo session has ended. Arghs... what have we created? an Elmo monster.

She now has a repetoire of Sesame street DVDs and that is her prized collection. She has a couple of favourites and would insist on watching them over and over again. She has however, learnt quite a fair bit of words and dance moves from the DVDs. She knows that C is for Cookie.

When she watches Elmo, nothing else matters. This obsession has also led to her finally liking soft toys, which in the past she has shown no interest in whatsoever. Her favourite soft toys are ELmo (of course!) and a ladybug (whom she has aptly named bug bug).

So, anyone who is interested in rekindling their childhood memories can always drop by my place to have a session with Olivia and Elmo. Just give me a buzz first!

Updates....

I've been really busy for the past few months as u can tell from the lack of blogging. I've noticed that I haven't written about my pregnancy this time around. Let me just give some udpates. I'm feeling okay. In fact, i'm starting to feel abit big now and starting to worry whether water retention will set in or whether my nose will grow really big like it did the last time around! :O

I'm now in my 25 week, which translates into about 6 months and a week. Feeling okay. Getting more tired at times especially when I've got to run after Olivia! Sometimes, just doing something simple like bathing her can be an uphill battle for me. Bathed her on Saturday night and Elvin asked me why do I seem like I just came out of battle after her bath!

Went for my check-up last Saturday and it was not an APril Fool's joke - I managed to see the doctor within the hour!! Isn't that commendable? Some ppl might think what's the big deal, but to me, it was a big deal as I used to get upset and had to wait for a very long time during my past gynae visits! Baby is growing well and weighs about 665gms now. Might not be much but baby manages to pack very strong kicks and punches! Doctor has scanned but is still hesistant to make a 100% commitment on whether it is a girl. Yes, it looks like baby is a she! I've got no problems with that although a lot of ppl have asked me whether I'm disappointed. My answer to them is that I'm just happy and grateful that baby is healthy and normal. Does not matter whether it is a boy or a girl. In this case, baby can inherit all of Olivia's pink stuff! and believe me when I say Olivia has loads of clothes!

We still haven't manage to decide on a name yet, English name that is. We already have a Chinese name in mind. Somehow it's tough this time around. Unlike when we already had a name for Olivia when I was 3 months pregnant! Wish us luck.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to have baby in my arms. Though I'm not too sure how I'll cope with two kids then. Praying very hard indeed. Will update more on baby as the pregnancy progresses.

Heartwarming.....

Hah.. I had lunch today with my ex-colleagues whom I miss quite a bit since our friendship has transcended beyond the boundaries of just being colleagues. Met them at KLCC to have lunch, thus I had to take the LRT there. It was lunch time and the LRT was kinda packed... so I had to stand..sob sob..with my big belly and all... when we came to the first stop, some ppl who were sitting got off and I tried to get to a seat but alas those seats were snapped up by some young guys!!!! Can u imagine it? They didn't have the decency to give me their seat and the irony of it all was that they were just sitting opposite the sticker that encouraged you to give up your seat to an old person, a pregnant woman, someone with a baby... and I do believe that I fall under that category! Not that I needed to sit down or anything but it would have been good for them to have offered me their seat! Bah... Chivalry is definitely dead for some ppl.

Now u must be wondering why am I complaining when the title of my entry is "Heartwarming". Well, on my way back to the office, I took the LRT again. As soon as I got on, this lady immediately got up and offered me her seat. I was really very touched and thanked her profusely. It is definitely better to sit down after lunch as I felt heavier. ANyhow, kudos to the lady. May God bless her for her kind gesture. This was definitely the heartwarming bit and just to show that sometimes guys can just be either really dense or unfeeling! Hmpph!!!

ANyhow, TGIF.... have a good weekend everyone... We're having a doctor's visit tomorrow afternoon... how exciting!