Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts

Monday, September 01, 2008

Kristin's 3!


This post is somewhat over-due. 

Here's what happened on the 22nd of August: 

We celebrated Kristin's 3rd birthday while we're still on our road trip. So far, Kristin had only one birthday celebration in our own home. 

When she turned one, we had a bible study group meeting at a friend's place. So we brought a cake and the birthday girl over.

Her second birthday was a special one. It was just Daddy, Mommy, Bryan and the birthday girl. A quiet, but definitely a meaningful one. Still, I think she'd like a loud part any time. 

We celebrated her third birthday in a holiday chalet in Ruegen. Kristin's definitely going places because next year, her party venue will change again! 

Kristin woke up in the morning and told me that she wanted to have 3 pink candles on a pink cake. Yes, I did order a pink cake, sort of, a strawberry cream cake. But I wasn't too sure about the candles. Thank goodness that the baker knew it was girlie cake so he also provided pink candles for us that night. 

Nothing extraordinary happened, no one cried this time. :) But she did say something that made both Alan and myself feel a little guilty. 

"Yay! I'll be 3 and it's my birthday. That means I can sit on the big chair and everyone will sing me the birthday song!"

Yep, the picture of Bryan's birthday party at the indoor playground was playing in our mind. 
But sorry girl, there will not be a big birthday party for you this year. We try to be fair and equal, but sometimes life isn't always the case. What we can promise you is a party like Bryan's when you turn 5. Bryan didn't have a big birthday bash until he was 5 anyway, although his first birthday was much more elaborate since we were back home in Singapore among family, relatives and friends. 



We love you, Kristin! 


Kristin's pink cake more than 50% of the cake is PINK!


On Kristin's request: I want to have pink ice-cream with chocolate. 


A tearless cake-cutting... :) 

Friday, August 08, 2008

cake-cutting..

Well, we all know that brownies have sticky, chewy tops.
So this plastic knife wouldn't cut through, lest you think my son was really "sawing" the cake!  


Anyway, you might have noticed by now who couldn't wait to sink her teeth into the brownies! 

Thursday, August 07, 2008

clips redeeming or not...

Bryan was given strict instructions to let Kristin blow out all candles. 


This girl just can't wait for her birthday to come... 
She just told me today during dinner, "And Mommy, for my birthday too? You will bake a cake? Make my birthday come tomorrow, ok?" I replied, "But Daddy won't be home yet. He'll be home for your birthday." She said, "Oh! Ok."

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Bryan's 5!

Yes, he is.
Unfortunately, Daddy is travelling. So this was a quiet affair tonight after dinner.
Here are some photos and video clips for you, Daddy!

The cake:



Kids helping to decorate the cake:



The happy Birthday Boy with his little sister:



Mommy and kids:


The birthday song (Take 1):



The birthday song (Take 2):

This is taking a long time to upload. Have been trying from 10pm - 1am.
Take 2 will follow. Well, you'd have guessed it anyway. A more peaceful take of the birthday song. :)

Friday, June 13, 2008

happy handprints!


This was something I wanted to do with Bryan since I read ky's blog 4.5 months ago. I asked her for permission to reproduce the idea when Bryan's birthday draws nearer.

Bryan's a summer baby, but by August most of his friends would have either left for the States or would have been off on vacation. So everything is in fast-forward. We're planning a big 5 bash for him in an indoor playground on Saturday in 2 weeks. And the fun starts now with the DIY invites. Besides, it's a great way to have a pair of handprints for keepsake since we all know how fast children grow.



Of course, it will not be fair if Kristin hadn't tried her hand at handprinting too...

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Camping in a Farm in Billingshausen




Over the Pentecost weekend, we had the most amazing spring weather, about 24-5 deg C warm and the sky was clear and blue.
We were indeed very fortunate that Alan's college friend invited us over to his farm to celebrate his birthday. And the kids had their first farm stay, first-time on a horseback, first time pitching a tent, first bonfire, first-time watching the beautiful night sky filled with stars while snuggling up in a sleeping bag... they had a blast!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

happy birthday, mommy!


Well, I didn't quite remember it's Mommy's birthday, had she not reminded me last night.

It's school holiday this whole week, so Kristin and I got to follow her around wherever she goes. We even went to the gym with her yesterday! After that, she took us to our favourite Japanese restaurant for lunch. But I wasn't very good - Basically, I talked too loudly with my friend Daria that the waitress had to come by to tell us to pipe down. Didn't know why. Guess those men in clothes like Daddy's weren't too happy seeing us in the restaurant. Kristin was pretty good - so Mommy said. She finished all her food!

So what did we do today?
By the time I woke up this morning, Daddy was already gone. I think Mommy said he was working in Switzerland today. Oh yes, I've been in Switzerland before. It's nice. We saw alot of mountains, cows and lakes. But it was a very very long drive. Can't remember what we were doing in the car. But Mom and Dad weren't too happy. I never knew why they were always in such bad mood. I just wanted to listen to my favourite song. It's called "Fly Birdie Fly!" It's on CD 3, Track 19. I just wanted to listen to it again and again. But Mom said no. I think she said something about the navigation system going down if I kept asking for the song again and again. Funny... oh, but it did happen once and we had no maps in the car. We got lost, you know.

Oh yes... Daddy was gone. We got up late. Mommy was very tired. I think we had a very long day yesterday. We went and watched a funny show. There was a lot of singing. Couldn't understand what the people were singing. But at the end of the show it was very funny. Kristin and I had a good time laughing because the people threw cake at each other.

Anyway, Mommy complained that she had pain all over. And she said it was her birthday and that we should let her rest. So Kristin and I decided to play a little in the playroom. Then we got into a fight. She destroyed my lego flying garage for cars. I was screaming at her. And then Mommy came in and said it was her worst birthday ever. Next we were barred from playing. Kristin started looking at Mommy dolefully and asked to watch some DVDs. I wanted to watch Magic School Bus but she always wanted to watch Elmo. Mommy made a funny noise and then we both agreed that Kristin would choose for the first DVD and I would choose the second one.
So we got to watch something. Yay!

Then we had breakfast, I think. We had toasts. My favourite food! Yummy! It's strawberry cream cheese with Gelbwurst sandwiches. I can eat those sandwiches everyday! Mmmmmh!
After that I got to watch my Magic School Bus.

Mommy said we had to get ready even before the DVD ended. Anyway, Kristin had already switched off the TV, although I could still hear the Magic School Bus song on the radio.
Then Mommy finally said we had to go or the ducks would be sleeping by the time we get to the duck pond. Hmmm, I thought I heard her say we would be feeding ducks. Yay, we hadn't done that for the longest time. We finally got into the car and Mommy drove past our school and then she said something about going to the supermarket first. I couldn't understand why we had to go to the supermarket first when she said it was already going to rain and the sky did look grey.

Anyway, Kristin and I love to go to the BIG supermarket. By the way, I just learnt that the name is spelled R-E-W-E. We love this place because it has a funny machine that takes in plastic bottles. I love throwing bottles in there and hearing the crushing noises. It's the coolest thing ever! And this place has got cars as shopping carts! But Mommy said no, we couldn't have two cars today. Anyway, Kristin and I thought it was fun to run about, until Kristin fell down and went sliding on the slippery floor and then Mommy said we couldn't run there and it wasn't a playground. You know, she always says that when we go somewhere fun like the mall, supermarket... But it's so boring when you cannot run, you know!

We finally filled out our basket and then Mommy said we had to hide the basket somewhere and something about going back to the car quickly and that she forgot her purse. Mommy doesn't have a good memory, you know. She always forgets things. She always forgets to pack candy for me as snacks in school. And she always forgets to give me juice for lunch. She also always forgets to bring Kristin and me to the playground. She said once, she only had a brain as big as a peanut. I told her the stegosaurus had a much bigger brain than she did because it's the size of a walnut. And she said I was a smart boy! :)

Then we went back to the cash desk and checked out our basket of food. We were pretty happy that we could go to the duck pond now. But Mommy stopped at the bakery and said she wanted some doughnuts and asked if we wanted some too. I said, yeah. But wait, there were chocolate muffins. "Oh, Mommy, could we have some chocolate muffins instead? You know we never eat them at home!" So Mommy bought a doughnut for herself and a muffin each for Kristin and me.
And yes, we finally got into the car and Mommy drove us to the duck pond. It's near our school, you know. I told Mommy I could lead us there. It's easy and I know the way. And then she said something about not running and bicycles running us down. You know, that never happened to us. I wonder why she always says things that don't happen.

At the duck pond, Mommy gave us each a bag of bread. But there were only two ducks at the pond. Mommy said we came too late coz the ducks were all taking afternoon naps already.
Then I told her we could go to the other side of the pond. I saw more ducks there. Another 4 more. So I told her, "See, we're not too late. There are so many more ducks here." (Mommy: Yeah, right!) I finished my feed in no time. I asked Kristin to share some of hers with me. But she said no. You know, she never shares anything with me, although Mommy said it was very generous of her the other day when she gave me some of her cheese crackers. And that I should be nice to her too and thank her for sharing with me.

Then we walked to a bench, sat down, had our snacks. Kristin and I had muffins and Mom had a doughnut. The ducks were waddling towards us. Mom told us not to give the ducks our muffins. Then she finished her doughnut and told us it was time we should go. That it was getting too cold and the sky looked like it was going to rain. We then walked another way back to the car. I told Mom I could show her how because I know the duck pond very well. The teachers in school like to bring us here when the sun is out.

When we got into the car, Mom told Kristin not to fall asleep. Then we drove and went past our home. I told Mom that we missed our turn, but she said we had to go to her gym to return a DVD. I asked her what DVD it was and why we didn't get to watch it. And she said it was some scary movie. You know, she likes to watch scary stuffs, esp on her computer. By the time we reached the Daddy's office garage, Kristin was already sleeping. Mommy put her in the buggy and we went to return the DVD. Then Mommy said we still had some time. So we went to the market to look at some plants. I was so excited. I hadn't gone to the market for such a long time. She said we could buy some strawberry plants and plant them on our balcony. We looked for a very long time and Mom finally found the strawberry plants in one corner. Then she said we weren't going to buy them today because she wouldn't have time to plant them today and by the time we came back from Munich the plants would have already died since no one would be here to water them. Sigh, what a disappointment.

Then she got a call from Dad and said we had to hurry home. By the time we got to the garage, Kristin was awake again. I told her she missed the strawberry plants in the market. And then she started whining to Mom that she wanted to eat strawberries. Mommy turned around and gave me a long hard stare. I was quite scared and kept quiet all the way till we got home.

When we got home, I asked Dad why he was back so early if he went to Switzerland to work today. I remembered we drove for a long time. By the time we got to Switzerland it was already dark. And by the time we got back home in Frankfurt, it was dark too. And it's still so bright and Daddy was already home, so early!

Then I saw Dad giving Mommy a kiss and a bunch of flowers. This was the first time I saw Daddy giving Mommy flowers. Usually, Mommy would buy flowers for herself. And then she would ask me if I would buy flowers for her when I made money next time. I said, Of course!
Anyway, I didn't have anything to give to Mommy. So I told her, I love you, Mom! And then Kristin came up and hugged her and said that she loved her too. You know, she always copies me.

We went to this cow place near our home for dinner. I don't like that place but Dad said I would get a toy if I finished my dinner. I finished my dinner real quick tonight but the waitress forgot to give me the toy until we were about to leave. It was pretty cool, it's like a torch, but Daddy said it was a reading lamp and that I could clip to my book when I read in my room at night. I asked if I could bring it to Munich tomorrow. He said yes. Kristin got a bottle of bubbles. I asked her if she would share with me. She said no. You see, she doesn't share anything with me!
Then Dad said no one but he would blow the bubbles. Kristin and I were having so much fun popping the bubbles, until Mom said we had to go and that it was raining. O yes, it finally rained. Remember she said it was going to rain at the duck pond. But it only rained now.

When we got home we had ice-cream as cake for Mommy. Dad said her favourite was Strawberry Cheesecake flavour from Haagen Dazs. But I said my favourite was chocolate flavour. Then Dad said it wasn't my birthday. Yes, he's right. Anyway, I thought strawberry cheesecake tasted quite good. I think I will eat it again. :)

Then Daddy said it was very very late already and he put Kristin and me to bed. Before I went to sleep, I asked Mommy if it was her best birthday ever. She said yes!
I smiled and said good-night!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

what comes after February?

When I picked Bryan up, I could see the envy on his face. It's his good friend Ryan's birthday today. But my son wished that he didn't have to wait so long to celebrate his birthday too.

He asked me, what comes after February?
I said, March. (I know where this question will lead us to.)
After March?
It's April.
After April?
That will be May.
After May?
Then it will be June.
What about after June?
July.
And what's after July?
It will be August!
Sigh... I still need to wait so long before my birthday comes. Sigh... sigh! Why can't it just be tomorrow?!

I think we all went through that phase when we just couldn't wait for our birthdays to come.

Anyway, he's feeling very happy again when he wrapped up Ryan's present all by himself. He made his good friend a card too. Guess learning to give is just as important as learning to receive.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

happy 2nd birthday!



Yeah, our little Kristin turned two today!

She was extremely thrilled to be the star tonight. Not long ago, we celebrated Bryan's birthday, which will be backdated in the August posts plus the shots from summer vacation - the next project (as soon as the kids start school in September, I promise). Kor-kor's birthday then was like rehearsal ground for her. She immediately knew where to sit once the cake was placed on the table after tonight's dinner, and shouted possessively, "Mine! Mine!", while she fended her cake with waving arms, making sure that no one would take her seat! Yap... the terrible twos/threes stage has been staying with my family for a long time. My children are 2 years and 18 days apart! My sanity, o good luck!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

happy birthday, Bryan!

Yay! You turn 4 today.

Of course, you're a big boy now.

You can dress yourself, put on your own shoes, feed yourself, although you still prefer Mommy or Daddy to do these things for you.

And from last doctor's assessment, we all know that your motor skills are pretty well-developed. Hopping, jumping, skipping, walking backward or sideways certainly doesn't prove to be of any problem to you, and you sure are confident at scaling heights at the next playground.

You never fail to impress me with your language skills and your talent in singing songs with words you make up out of the blue. And of course, all the silly sounds that you make as you attempt to learn phonics each day really send me off laughing.

Though you can't really read yet (other than the two words "zoo" and "buzz" you know), you've been reading to me Chicken in the City every night out of sheer memory skill.

Now that you're a big boy, be sure to leave all those crying fits behind you. Believe me, the past weeks have been nothing but a torture to me. The construction site in our backyard is not helping in keeping it down, and you whine and cry just about the moment you open your eyes and every 3-4 hours in the night. Those 5 hours that you spent in the summer camp for the last two weeks were peace for me and what's still keeping me sane.

So no more crying in the new year, please. Let's do more grown-up stuffs together. What do you say, wii play? Ok? :)

Monday, August 28, 2006

aug 22 - Kristin's one!


We had a little celebration for Kristin at our home group tonight. Not many little guests, just mainly Daddy and Mommy's church friends in Frankfurt.
It was a truffle chocolate cake - first taste of alcohol already???
We later realised that we didn't take a family photo with the cake at all. So we got Kristin a second cake that weekend and decided to keep it strictly to family only. Only one grandparent was around... compared with Bryan's 1st birthday, this one was a very quiet one.

Friday, August 04, 2006

present from daddy and mommy


Daddy and Mommy couldn't figure out what to get him... We owe you a present, son...
But we thought a day at the amusement park would be fun. And yes, it was.

yeah, i'm three!


This wasn't exactly an immediate family affair. My parents-in-law were around, my mother was around. Pity that my father couldn't be here or Bryan would have been even happier...

This wasn't a big birthday bash either... compared with his 1st and 2nd Birthday parties, this was certainly a quiet one. But it's one where Bryan's most expressive - check out those facial expressions... pity that he didn't have the big extended family to celebrate this special day with him this year.


Sunday, April 16, 2006

my birthday...

Thanks Alan for the wonderful strawberry cream cake! It still tastes as yummy as six years ago when you first baked it for me!!! And now, you've got a little helper - Bryan!:)
Kristin, the best birthday present for Mommy is SLEEP! When will I get that from you? Can't you see how tired I am here?