Jan's 30th birthday

Yet another wonderful birthday celebration :) I love September :) And I'm thankful for the family that God has blessed me with...

Unfortunately Annette couldn't be in the photo as she was sleeping... which I'm thankful for too :)

Annette's birth story

5 Sep 09 Sat - At the gynae's, head was still quite high (though baby already turned upside-down) so gynae advised that if head did not descend within a week that we should have caesarean because baby was estimated to be quite big and gynae was worried that baby might get stuck half-way if we tried natural delivery.

11 Sep 09 Fri - Head was still high so gynae advised to wait till Wed 16 Sep (estimated due date) for labour signs or else caesarean would be done on Thur 17 Sep.

12 Sep 09 Sat - Celebrated Jie Jie Sammie's birthday at home in mummy's womb

13 Sep 09 Sun - When mummy woke up, she realised she had 'show' (one of the labour signs) so daddy drove Jie Jie to Ye Ye/Nai Nai's house and then sent mummy to the hospital around 8.30 am. Contractions were induced and dilation slowly increased. Gynae decided to try natural delivery. Epidural was administered. And thankfully by God's grace, Annette was successfully 'vacuumed' out around 2 pm.

Sammie's 3rd birthday

Little girls going on three seem to be very interested in Disney Princesses.... or perhaps it's because of peers or parental/media influence I wonder...

so we decided on an 'Under the Sea' birthday for Sammie's 3rd birthday celebration (I think theme birthday parties are real fun! especially the planning!) Sammie wore her Princess Ariel dress that Gu Gu bought (I didn't plan on sewing a mermaid outfit unlike last year's lady bug dress. Not with being back at work and pregnant too.)

As I wasn't sure when I was going to deliver, we just had a simple celebration with a few close relatives and friends especially since we were toggling between 2 dates to hold the party. Catered from Lee Wee & Brothers because the amount of food can be tailored for small groups and we love their honey chicken wings! And their otah is nice too. They were also very efficient even though we only gave 1 day notice. Phew!

And thankfully the cake I baked (bottom half was a brownie cake) and froze (top half was mango sorbet) didn't turn out too bad... and the piping was legible enough... Heh... topped with cute candles and squirter.

Thankfully there was also the school holidays that week so we could go shopping for the party favours (dolphin bubble packs, sea animal wind-up toys and those that can grow in water!!! and pool squirters), balloons etc. So the kids played with bubbles, had tattoos, stuck stickers, decorated hats and watched the movie 'Ariel's beginnings'.

Many thanks to everyone for your presence and presents. especially for turning up even at such late notice! :)

NDP Celebration with friends

Well, we spent National Day slightly different this year. Not that we are super patriotic citizens but it was a good time to unwind and for the kids to have fun and watch the parade. We met up with Carlsen's colleagues from Commonwealth and the kids really had a ball of a time... Sam loved playing with Arinah, Aeowyn and Jessica... :) here are just some shots of them having fun taking photos...

Here is the 8:22 Kodak moment... :) kids were so guai and they complied with what the adults wanted them to do... :) heee... maybe can send in for next year's NDP photo competition...

Celebrating Grandpa's birthday

I know this is really belated but because I am at home these few days, I thought I could update the blog especially for those faithful few who follow it... especially my sis and emma who are in HCM.... Hi Jie!!! Hi Emmamamama!! :)

Well, for Gong Gong's birthday, Uncle Chris and I decided to bring our parents out for dinner. We went for a halal buffet at Sakura (Kent Ridge). Mum and Dad liked it so much, they went there again the following week!! Value for money they say. Well, we had a jolly good time eating away despite the rain that came. Sam was really happy and did the birthday card with Mummy again... :) nice photo and prints pasted on a photo album page. Although during the dinner, I met my school students and got a disturbing call about one of my students in trouble, it was an enjoyable evening. Here is our final group photo as we left...

March school holidays

We were real busy during the March holidays as we were glad to have Sen around (especially when his school trip was cancelled!). We looked around T3 (Sam's and Jan's first time!) while sending off relatives. We also went to the zoo and caught 3 animal shows!(only looked at animals and went to the water park at other times) And attended birthday parties over the weekend.

One of the parties was especially fun! The kids had a lot of fun shooting each other with water guns in a wave pool! Yes there are waves at every hourly interval! We're thinking of having Sammie's birthday party there. :) Fun for kids but a bit more troublesome for the parents though... heh...

For the first time, Sammie didn't get upset or 'choke' when she fell into the water because she must have been having so much fun. This daughter just can't stand water getting into her eyes or streaming down her face. But this was quite an eye-opener and she didn't mind falling even a few times! :)

Even more celebrations!

This time it was my birthday! Didn't plan on having another big celebration... we were still recuperating from Sammie's! So just had a little family outing to Hort Park. Our first time there and we went in the late afternoon so it wasn't hot (most call it the 'hot park') and it wasn't crowded (went on a weekday). We were very glad Carlsen made it home earlier after school.

We found it such a pleasant place! It has nice cosy outdoor areas to sit around in, like gazebos etc. And there are quite a few play areas (1 much smaller than the others). More photos in our Family Album.

The only place we could have dinner at was the Thai restaurant. Didn't expect it to be fine dining but thankfully we brought dinner along for Sammie in case the food was too spicy for her. Wonder if they'll have more eating places there in future... or perhaps we'll have a picnic there... before nightfall...

Had such a nice time out spending my birthday with my little family. How I'm so thankful to the Lord for my darlings and the time I can spend home! :) Please pray for me that I'll make more effort to read God's Word on a daily basis, grow in godliness and demonstrate what it means to trust in Jesus as my everything and depend fully on Him.

More celebrations... but much simpler...

Thought I'd take Sammie out on her actual birthday for a special outing but we took some time to leave the house as Por Por had called all the way from London to wish her happy birthday. But the timing was just nice as Aunty M. called before we were leaving the house and she thought of bringing us out! Yay! So we could go somewhere further since we could get a ride instead of taking public transport to somewhere real near as lunch time was approaching. So we went to Chinese Swimming Club! Hadn't been there in a long while...

Sammie enjoyed looking at the koi in the pond and ate the Asian set lunch, though she got a shock towards the end of her meal when she ate some chilli found in the omelette. There was a really nice swim play area - 'The Great Bubble Reef'! But the midday sun was out so we didn't plan on swimming. Shall go there another time! :) To swim!

The celebration!

Sammie kept breaking out in 'Happy Birthday' the whole of August! [Though when everyone started singing the song to her during the party, she was in shock and didn't sing along.] So since she was so excited about birthdays and vocal about what she likes and loves playing with her friends, we thought we should plan a big birthday bash for her.

Theme - Animal Party Theme since she loves animals, particularly the story about Noah and the Ark. Had party bags with animal-type goodies like crackers, pens, magnets etc. Printed out nametags with animal designs too.

Invitation - An e-book because she loves books and rhymes as well. (was supposed to be a flash document but not sure how to convert it for easier uploading...)


Costume - She decided to dress as a ladybird (not that many girly animal costume ideas). My first time sewing a dress. The last time I sewed anything was in secondary school Home Economics! Though a daunting task, it was pretty exciting. 1 month was just sufficient for me to complete it. It was such an encouragement to see Sammie so excited about the dress while it was in the making... really made the effort worthwhile.

Cake - It would have been cool if I had baked a cake and decorated it with animal marzipan/fondant/icing but I decided to save myself some time, especially since the cake was going to be cut and eaten anyhow! So we ordered the Lemon cheesecake from Secret Recipe and decorated it with the Fisher-Price Ark playset (which was on sale!) which was part of Sammie's present because it became part of her toy collection.

Food - Pattaya Garden is great for catering for smaller numbers. Cooked some no-salt food for the kiddies using animal-shaped cutters. Wanted to arrange the food in animal designs but couldn't find the time to do so. Need to learn to cook more tasty food! :)

Games - Wanted to make balloon animals but realised last minute that we lent our set to a mission team so just had to make do with normal balloons which most toddlers love to play with anyhow. Wanted to show a Sesame Street - Animals Everywhere - video, play some animal games and read some stories but couldn't find the time to slot them in!

And most importantly, the Guests! - Family and friends (babies, toddlers and their parents) whom Sammie comes into contact most often with. Thank you all for your love and care! Thank you for joining in the celebrations and even dressing up too! We thank the Lord for your friendship/kinship and continue to pray for you.

Our little girl's 2!

We thank the Lord always for giving Samantha to us. She has brought us so much joy and sometimes sorrow but yet we're thankful for those learning moments too. Please pray for us as we continue to learn to be godly parents, helping Sammie to grow up to know and love Jesus.

Though Sammie loves to read particularly about Noah and the Ark, the birth of Jesus and when God called Samuel, we pray she'll come to understand how these stories teach us about God and His salvation plan in Jesus, that she come to trust and obey Jesus.

Couple time together

Managed to watch a movie after quite a long while as a birthday gift for Carlsen - Indiana Jones and the Lost Skull. Wanted to pamper ourselves a bit to the Golden Village Gold Class Cinema (since we hardly have time to go out alone as a couple cos we don't want to trouble the grandparents too much to look after Sammie or to disrupt Sammie's routine too much) but had to settle for the usual type because we couldn't find a suitable timing that didn't clash with Sammie's routine.

Had an enjoyable time watching Indie do all the stunts even at his age but the alien theme was rather uninteresting. But nonetheless we had a nice time together while Sammie played at her Ye Ye and Nai Nai's place (whom we're very thankful to God for their help whenever needed). Also invited Carlsen's primary school friends, together with our extended family, to lunch at our place (whom we're also very thankful to God for maintaining the friendships till now).

Though birthdays can seem rather uneventful the older we get, but we're still thankful for the life that God has given and continues to give, till we meet Christ face-to-face.

Chinese New Year

Once again we got to watch a lion dance performance at a relative's place but this time round, Sam was definitely more aware of it. She was attentive during the performance while tightly holding onto me.

It's usually quite a simple affair for us because we don't have that many relatives to visit. So this year we had Carlsen's primary school friends over for tea and board games. We all had fun playing 'Gifttrap', including Sam who played with the game pieces. :)

Another difference from the usual celebrations was to see Sammie putting her hands together and saying 'Gong Xi Gong Xi'! It was such a joy to see her learning to show appreciation to others by saying 'Xie Xie' upon receiving ang baos, and learning to show love to others by wishing them a happy new year. May she learn to love others from her heart as she learns about God's love.

The end of 2007 and the start of 2008

For New Year celebrations, it was lovely meeting up with Carlsen's MEET sups @ Joe and Hui Ching's place. Sammie got to meet new friends while Daddy and Mummy met up with old friends. A pity we don't have a photo with everyone. Jie Jie Jodi was very sweet to lend all her toys readily to the younger mei meis.

Thinking back about the past year, our family has lots to thank God for. Seeing Sammie grow up causes us to be amazed at how powerful God is to give and sustain life, and all the more as Christ rose to life after dying on the Cross. As much as we love Sammie (especially when she's her cute, adorable self), God's love for us, sinful creatures, in sacrificing His Son Jesus for our sake, is all the more unfathomable.

Further prayers:
Carlsen - Thanksgiving for (1) wonderful family for always bringing a smile to my face and being there to support me (2) my current station as a teacher in school (really enjoying it though it is tiring, frustrating etc) Pray for me to (1) grow as a disciple of Jesus, dying to self and living for Him (2) lead the family in all matters (esp spiritually) with godliness (3) to be a good witness at work in sharing God's love to others (4) to have the zeal and energy to serve God's people in church and in FES ministries.

Jan - Thanksgiving for (1) the chance to stay home to teach, bond and see Sammie develop, (2) Carlsen's and grandmas' help to look after Sammie while I'm away for tuition so I can stay in touch with the syllabus and keep my mind alert, (3) Carlsen helping with housework when I'm busy with Sammie, (4) the bible study group coming to our place every week so that I can attend. Pray for (1) discipline to download and listen to sermons regularly (cos not easy to follow on Sundays while in the cry room), (2) patience, love and wisdom to cope with being a wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, tutor, housewife and friend.

Sammie - Thanksgiving for (1) healthy growth and development, (2) lots of love showered by many people; family and friends. Pray for (1) growth towards being more independent, (2) sleeping for longer stretches without being easily awoken, (3) eating bigger meals and more milk to get the nutrition needed for more growth, (4) longer attention span so Mummy doesn't need to wreck her brains to fill my curiosity.

Christmas is about...

Like other festive occasions, we invited our family and friends over for lunch to get together and enjoy each others' company. We also got presents in remembrance of the greatest gift of God sending his Son Jesus, and are thankful for the presents Sammie/we received.

However, may it be more than just this as we celebrate Christmas. For it is not just a day of remembering God's grace but every moment. It is our prayer that our family and friends receive the best gift they could ever get - the knowledge of not just Jesus as a baby, but ultimately that He died on the Cross to save us from our sin so that we can be reconciled to Him, and that He is the King for He rose from the dead, overcoming death. We're thankful that God adopted us in Christ though we were enemies of His. May Sammie grow up knowing this and sharing this good news, even as she starts to learn how to share her toys now.

2nd wedding anniversary

This time round, we decided to spend an afternoon just chilling out at Holland Village Haagen Daz while Carlsen's mum looked after Sammie (cos nights are more difficult to go out as Sammie will wake up if Jan's not around). Had a nice, relaxing time together as a couple, reading and thinking through the passage we used for our wedding (Colossians 3), talking and listening to each other, sharing and praying with each other. It was a good break from our daily routine at home and we've got lots to thank God for - how he's seen us through these 2 years of marriage, helping us to learn to be more loving in serving and forgiving each other even as we bring up Sammie, and for supportive parents.


May God's Word continue to fill our minds and hearts everyday!

1st birthday!

Before we know it, Sammie has turned one! We give thanks to God for creating our little girl and sustaining her this past year (as well as us!) and continue to pray that she will come to faith in Jesus Christ one day and belong to His Kingdom.

We had a simple celebration with a small group of immediate family members and friends. A great big thank you to all who graced us with your presence and presents, and also to those who couldn't make it, for your gifts. Many thanks to Aunty Corrine for booking the function room and getting everything ready, while Sammie was napping.

We also showed a short video of Sammie's past year - it doesn't feature every part of her growth (would really be too long-winded) and this blog already contains quite a bit but there are some new clips which we didn't put up on the blog previously. So just in case you want to catch up on what she has been like for the past year... enjoy! :)

National Day weekend

We would have loved to videotape Sammie waving the national flag but unfortunately we couldn't find the camera everytime she did it! Imagine her holding a plastic flag in each of her hands and waving it around, and us singing "Count on me Singapore"... heh... cute patriotic girl huh?

Anyhow, we enjoyed celebrating Aunty Taits's birthday at Jurong Country Club's Japanese restaurant.








And before that, Sammie joined Jaime in the pool. It was Sammie's 2nd time. Thankfully Daddy was there this time so she enjoyed it much more than her 1st time. It was great that she could see Jaime mei mei splashing around so freely, so she could learn too.

More celebrations

With Ye Ye's birthday to celebrate, we went to a Chinese restaurant at Great World City (sorry Jan can't remember the name).

And Aunty Taits is back in Singapore, so it's more time spent with her, Jaime and her parents, and Mikaela and her parents :) But unfortunately we couldn't get a photo with all the 3 babies together... till next time...

Fathers' Day

We decided to stay over at King's Hotel since we had a voucher and had lunch the next day with the grandparents at the Peranakan buffet the hotel is well-known for. It was a nice time spent, though we had expected the room to be bigger, judging from the info given on the voucher and website.

May-June celebrations

In this past month, we had quite a number of celebrations...

1) Mothers' Day - dinner @ Orchard Hotel. Thought we would win the mother and daughter look-a-like contest, especially with 18 guaranteed votes (as we met Aunty May and her friends there too!) but we didn't....

2) Daddy's birthday was celebrated quietly at Nai Nai and Ye Ye's place over dinner and cake.

3) Lunch @ Vivocity Marche for Aunty PK's birthday.

4) Daddy's friend's wedding @ Pentecost Methodist (where we took a photo of Sammie making a fish face)

Thankfully Sammie was quite cooperative despite her routine being disrupted once in a while and though she was overtired at certain points, we're glad she was still manageable. Had a wonderful time celebrating joyous occasions with family and friends.