Friday, May 30, 2008

Migration

We have outgrown this blog... so we are now here:

www.journallingthejourney.blogspot.com

Come and visit!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Farewells

This will probably be our final post from Claremont.

We are in the final stretch.

We have spent the last two days saying goodbye. Me to the women at bible study, J and E to their teachers at school. It has been an emotional time, but how I thank God for the friends we have made here, some of whom have become family to us. They make it incredibly hard for us to leave and they will always have a special place in our hearts.

Slightly more than a year ago, a few youth from our home church in Singapore sent us off with a song. I heard the song again, quite by chance. As we pack up in our final few days here, it feels like we have come full circle.

We have had the time of our life.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

For Moments Like These

My favourite Mom moments:

1. When J tells me, periodically throughout the day, "Mom, I love you", sometimes accompanied by a kiss. I will never tire of hearing it. (Not to be outdone, E echoes him now. All the better for me.)

2. When E climbs into bed with me in the morning, snuggles into the crook of my arm and pulls my arm to wrap it around herself. She fills a space I didn't know was there before.

3. When J tells me, "Mom, I want to marry you next time"; he gets upset if I tell him he can't. He'll figure it out soon enough, so I don't burst his bubble anymore.

4. When J and E put K's and my shoes on, and in so doing take on our personas as well. J calls E Fiona or honey. And E calls J ah-nee kor.

5. When the kids join in our good-night prayers. Last night, J thanked God for Target, seeing toys and watching the train. All I could make out from E (who insists on praying lying face-down on the floor) was "Peeh God..... (then she mumbles for a couple of minutes!)". I trust that God will figure out her baby talk!

Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Mother's Day Ad

This has been my favourite Mother's Day ad that I've seen on TV so far...



For my second favourite, click here.

Friday, May 9, 2008

New Haircut...

...complete with red highlights, to match his jazzy red Lightning McQueen shirt. J was really upset when I washed his hair during bath-time. But I want to show my friends, he said.


Waking up

The kids usually make their way over to our bed when they wake up in the morning. This has really been one of the best things from this past year: having the time to cosy up and snuggle in bed with them in the mornings.

Just before they got up and stumbled into our bed today, I woke up from a bad dream. There was a blue and green snake involved (bearing a startling resemblance to J's toy snake!), which eventually imploded, but it sure got my heart racing.

After J was in bed next to me, I told him that I had had a bad dream. (He has bad dreams of his own regularly, so I thought: good chance to show him that he wasn't the only one.) In reply, J reached his hand under the covers, and patted and rubbed my arm to sayang me.

I sure felt a lot better after that.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

California Dude

What sprouts forth from the mouth of my little California dude:

Cool!
You betcha!
Definitely not!
Totally!
No way, Jose!
See you later, alligator! (This sometimes to random adults...)
I'm a cowboy! Hee-hah! Hee-hah!

Asking the Important Question


As K steps out of the bath today, J asks, "Daddy, did you wash behind your ears?".

On The Seventh Day

All The Saints Join In - (from Ps. 148)

Praise Him, praise Him from the heavens
Praise Him in the heights up above
Praise Him all of His angels
Praise Him all of His heavenly hosts

Oh praise Him oh you sun and moon
And all of you shining stars
Praise Him from above
Oh praise Him oh you highest heaven
Together with one mighty voice
Praise the name of the Lord
Praise Him, praise Him from the earth here below
Praise Him, all creatures and storm winds that blow
Praise Him, you mountains that tower so high
Praise Him, you oceans so deep far and wide

Oh praise Him, praise Him all you kings
You princes and rulers of earth
Praise Him with all power
Oh praise Him, both young and the old
Together with one mighty voice
Praise the name of the Lord

All the saints join in, all the saints join in,
Singing this heavenly song
All the saints join in, all the saints join in,
Shouting creations song

Tommy Walker WeMobile Music ©Copyright 05 CCLI #4556370




Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I have a princess... and a knight

In what was probably our penultimate trip to Disneyland yesterday, E (completely of her own accord) asked for a 'princess dress'. "Me, pin-ceh dheh", all the while tugging at her own shirt to try to get it off.

We've managed a whole year of not buying any Disney merchandise, so I gave in and allowed J and E one buy each yesterday.

So E picked out a Cinderella gown, replete with poofy sleeves, a glittery bodice and a poofy organza skirt. It cost US$65! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), there was only one piece left and it had a bit of thread (glittery, of course) coming off already, so we had to look for an alternative. She passed on the Jasmine and Snow White princess gowns, and eventually settled on this pared-down (cheaper!) Belle gown.

We tried it on for size while still in the shop and I couldn't get it off after that. I had to put her on the cashier counter for the man to scan the price tag. She would only deign to take it off when she wanted to be unencumbered while playing with J's buy, a Disney racer track.

Once she has her princess dress on, she loves twirling and twirling around to get the full poofy skirt effect. I don't know where she gets it from - I hated all things frilly when I was young.

On a sidenote, J says he'll be the knight to mei-mei's princess and will rescue her from the dragon.