DD is Drawing!

I was beginning to think that maybe DD wasn't interested in drawing, because she had almost never attempted to draw anything. So it came as a big surprise when DD suddenly picked up a pen two weeks after her third birthday and started drawing. So far, she has mainly been drawing "Mummy and Caelynn standing beside Mummy" (in her words!). Here are her first few drawings:

Note that the black spots that she drew on my face aren't pimples. According to DD, those are mosquito bites on my face. I found it really funny that her first few drawings all had people with mosquito bites. I guess it reflects the "mozzie season" that we are having here in Singapore due to intense heat coupled with heavy rains every other day!


In the picture of me below, she talks about how it was very windy, hence my hair was being blown around. OK, I guess this is her impression of me - that I have messy hair most of the time!


Here's another drawing of me with DD. Thankfully, I only have one mosquito bite on my face this time. Hang on! Maybe that black dot wasn't meant to be a mosquite bite. Maybe she was drawing that nasty pimple I've had on my chin for a while. I'll have to ask her tomorrow!


And the drawing below is the most surprising drawing of the lot. Here, she draws 3 of her friends and they are "all falling down". OK, I wonder where she got that idea from! And I wonder who her 3 friends are!

Lucky Cats!

In the past few weeks since DD turned 3 years old, she has been hitting one milestone after another. :) My baby is growing up! OK, this is not exactly a milestone in itself, but after 3 years (ok, only 2 years if you consider the fact that we were away for a year with no cats!), DD has finally plucked up enough courage to touch the cats. Previously, she would not touch the cats with her bare hands and would not even want to sit beside a cat. But since last week, she has been stroking and playing with the cats everyday! Lucky cats! I don't think they have had so much love and attention ever since DS was born 5 years ago.

Bungling Mummy and Chocolate Milk

DS and DD got a rare treat yesterday - chocolate milk (as requested by DD at the supermarket earlier in the day). But I was wondering why they were not drinking it up as quickly as they usually do, when DS said, "Mummy, this chocolate milk doesn't taste nice!". On closer inspection of the milk, I realised I had bought them coffee-flavoured milk instead! Argh!

DD then said, "I LIKE coffee!". ARRGGGHHH!!!

DD Turns 3!!!

It's so hard to believe that my tiny (literally!) baby...


... is now a stylish (haha!) 3 year old.


DD asked for a Spongebob birthday cake as she is always so tickled by his antics on the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon show. Here, the kids are helping to put up the decorations.


Yep, Spongebob table cover and lots and lots of Spongebobs!


Everyone enjoying the food. :) We had yummy satay from City Satay, curries from Golden Pillow, and mee siam cooked by our domestic helper, amongst other foods.


The moment DD had been waiting all week for. :) Here we are, cameras ready and getting the kids in position to sing the birthday song.


Singing the birthday song. The look on DD's face was precious. :) She was so pleased!


DD knew just what to do after we had finished singing the birthday song. Afterall, she had attended so many birthday parties with DS. :) Look at her puffed cheeks!


Taking a break from eating their cake to show mummy their chocolate-covered fingers and teeth!


Since it was National Day, the kids had to get their National Day tattoo! They were all happily in the queue waiting for their turn.


Tatts! DS and DD showing off their tattoos with Power Ranger poses.


Sweet cousin Jovita showing us her tattoo.


DD favorite present - the one her brother gave her! :)

DD's Birthday Cake 2010

I'm devoting an entire post to talk about DD's birthday cake because DS helped to design it! The wonderful and ever-patient Chef Lim at The Line, Shangri-La helped bring the design to fruition. Below is DS's drawing of the side view of the cake. The top of the cake will have a picture of Spongebob, which DD chose. DS had originally wanted purple icing lining the bottom part of the side of the cake but Chef Lim says the icing will slide down the cake over time. DS also wanted cookies in the shape of stars placed along the side of the cake but due to the weight of the cookies, this wasn't ideal as the cookies will move downwards too. Instead, Chef Lim lined the side of the cake with star-shaped chocolate, which was thin and light enough to stay put at the side without migrating south. Chef Lim was kind enough to promise that he will incorporate as much of DS's design onto the top of DD's birthday cake.


Ta-dah! The end product. Notice the grey stripe with colorful crosses just below the words "Happy Birthday"? It looks exactly like how DS drew it in his design above. And the row of "stars" above Spongebob's head? There are 7 "stars" in exactly the same shape as how DS drew it. And the colors of the "stars" are in the same order of colors as what DS had in his drawing too! Finally, notice the thick stripe of reddish icing behind Spongebob. It was probably difficult to get the same tone of purple like what DS had in his drawing, but look at the blue lines! DS had them in his drawing too. Needless to say, DS was thrilled to have his design included in DD's birthday cake. We can't thank Chef Lim enough! And the chocolate mousse cake tasted so delicious!!!


Lastly, the side view of the cake showing the chocolate stars! :)

Sibling Cooperation

Now that DD is almost 3 years old and knows all about snatching and rushing for the same toys that her brother is playing with, or simply being quite good at standing her ground when her brother is trying to prise a toy away from her, I find that my job description as a mum has expanded yet again. I am now also a referee, and I find myself having to be a referee at least a few times a day. I've been reading up about how to set ground rules, how to prevent sibling rivalry and promote bonding and love between my 2 children. Of course, it is inevitable that there will be disagreements and "fights", but I hope that at the end of the day, the kids will love and take care of each other. I came across this article on API (Attachment Parenting International) and found it quite useful. I hope that I can remember to use some of the tips in this article, especially when the kids are a bit older.

Sibling Cooperation

Recipe Alert: BBQ Crockpot Chicken

The person whom I got this recipe from called it "Fussy Baby Chicken", meaning, if you've got a fussy baby due to teething or whatever, use this recipe!

Preparation Time: Less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
- Whole chicken or your favorite chicken parts (I usually use drumsticks, thighs or wings)
- Whole bottle/jar of BBQ sauce (or less depending on how much chicken you use, but the BBQ sauce should cover all the chicken well)

Cook on low all day. That's it!!! It's so easy, it's unbelievable!!! :)