Our Favourite Activity

Recently, our girls have learnt how to cycle without their training wheels! And with Josiah being such a natural cyclist (he started being able to cycle on a small cute bicycle last Christmas), we have now found a favourite activity that we can do as a family - cycling!

It is great that there is a nice quiet bend just further down the road from our house, with empty parcels of land all around. It has a fantastically flat and level road that the kids can train and cycle on. Our daily after-dinner activity is to take out the bikes and go cycling. Or at least, we did that before it started turning dark at 6pm! Nowadays it is hard to go cycling after dinner as we eat dinner when the sun sets at 6pm. 

First Day at School!

Today marks the first day of school for Janine who starts Kindergarten (ie. Big School) this year. It is also my very first "child-free" day as all 3 kids are in school! Josiah started attending daycare 2 days a week (Wed & Thurs) this year, while Janelle who started school yesterday is now in Year 2. Surprisingly, today was a tear-free day for ALL of us!

It is an exciting time of the year and we are all very thankful that our 3 kids are settling in well into their classes. Josiah, for a start, was distraught at the thought of going to school (he started 3 weeks' back) and would have to be wrenched from my arms at school. But today is the first time he left for school tear-free and even saying "bye bye mummy!" cheerfully! His teachers were very proud of him and happy to be able to take care of the younger brother of Janelle and Janine, as they were the ones who watched Janelle and Janine grow. 

Janelle and Janine are in classes with their good friends from last year, so all is well and they are happy. I cannot believe I have just sent off my second child to big school already! It is a surreal feeling, but I suppose it will be even more surreal when Josiah, the youngest, goes off to school in a few years' time. For now, I am just so glad that Janine had already done one year in Prep last year so it really made the transition to Kindy so much easier and smoother. 

Recently I have realised why it is tough to send off your child to Kindergarten here - because they are only 5 years of age and starting primary school which is 6 hours of school, 5 days a week! On the other hand, in Singapore, children start Primary 1 only at about 6 or 7 years of age which is quite a bit older than the children here in Australia. Well in either case, I think the most important thing is that children grow up enjoying the learning process and enjoying school. We are looking forward to a great year ahead and here are some photos of our children taken today.

3 kids ready to go off to school!

Josiah at Kidzville and happy to say bye! 

Janine with her kindy teacher, Miss Lee! 

Janine starting her day by colouring with her best friends

New Milestones

Yes! Finally! I have opened the new pack of undies for Josiah! As I opened the pack of undies, I am reminded that we are also entering into a different milestone in his life...

I was told by several mums that boys would take a longer time to toilet-train, but still decided to go ahead with the training as I wanted Josiah to be toilet trained before we head back to Singapore in mid-December. It was tough at first, but I really prayed that God would make this toilet-training experience enjoyable for me! I must say that toilet-training is probably the most-detested part of parenthood - well, at least for me! Really thank God that He answers prayers, even the littlest and most minute of prayers like easy and enjoyable toilet-training for a toddler! 

Josiah has also been enjoying drawing and cutting paper! His favourite thing to draw is balloons (why am I not surprised!). Above is his drawing of balloons - all by himself using different coloured markers to indicate different coloured balloons. 

Pushing the kids' sized trolley cart around the supermarket has got to be the most favourite activity for Josiah! It takes my shopping experience to a whole new level altogether :) He will really miss grocery shopping with Janine next year, since Janine starts 'big school' and will not be home on weekdays. Josiah will be starting daycare twice a week next year. I think he will enjoy it tremendously!

Giving thanks!

This year is nearly over and looking back, I am thankful for this 2nd year of being a full-time stay-at-home-mum. Actually, it cannot be termed as "stay-home-mum" because the truth is, I do not stay home all day! We make two trips daily to and from school - one in the morning to drop Janelle off at school, and another in the afternoon to pick her up from school. In between the school hours, I shop for groceries, run errands, and get some housework done. There is never a boring, stay-home-all-day thing!

I am thankful for our 3 lovely kids who keep us very busy. When Janine starts kindergarten next year, I know that Josiah will definitely miss having his er-jie (ie. second sister) home on Mondays and Tuesdays to play with him! Both Janelle and Janine have settled down very well in school, with Janine being very excited at the prospect of starting kindergarten next year. When I asked her what was it about kindy that she was looking forward to, she said it was the HOMEWORK because she thinks it is fun to do homework!?! Not sure where she got that idea from, but it is a welcoming and innocent perspective to have! I am glad to have spent some time with Janine at home two weekdays a week, because the time will fly by so quickly once she starts kindy!

Josiah still loves his balls, balloons and cars. Sticks and stones are also his favourite. He is such a boy in so many ways - and yet he has caught on several girly activities from his two sisters, like singing, reading books, and drawing. With Janelle and Janine spending most of their free time doodling, drawing and doing craft, it is no wonder that this has rubbed off Josiah. Today he drew a picture all by himself and proudly showed to me saying "Mummy, look!". I must say I am pretty impressed with his balloons drawing! 

Our 3 Js have been enjoying their time helping me with some household chores. Their recent favourite activity is to fill up their little baskets with fallen leaves from our front yard! The challenge would be to see who would be the first to fill up the basket and it is great that they enjoy something that adults would deem as a chore! Both girls also enjoy scrubbing our floor tile grout! I am so glad that they actually enjoy it and can pretend they are Cinderellas scrubbing out our floor!

Birthday Surprises!

This year's 33rd birthday was a special one because of how excited the kids were in celebrating my birthday! Janelle busied herself making cards, drawing, writing and decorating. She would then tie up her masterpieces with a bow or string and present them proudly to me as a birthday gift! Following in her sister's shoes, Janine also enjoyed making cards for me. They made so many cards it would have been sufficient to last me for the next 5 years' worth of birthdays! I love their drawing and writing and I think my girls have got beautiful handwriting 

Josiah's favourite song is currently "Happy Birthday to You" which works out well and he sings it with great gusto! Not to mention, the best part about it is that he gets to blow the candles on the cake. In the whole process, the cake gets sprinkled with some extras (ie. saliva), but I suppose that is part and parcel of being a parent!

Whilst the girls presented me with their beautiful handiwork and cards in the morning, Josiah presented me with his Nutella-stained face and hands! 

2nd Birthday Letter to Josiah

Dear Josiah,

Happy 2nd Birthday to you! In this past one year, you have just grown up so much! Not only are you attempting to imitate whatever your older sisters do, you are also trying to participate in their type of play (much to their distress). Whenever we send or pick your sisters up from school, you will insist on carrying your backpack along, which is really cute. You have matured so quickly!

You are still such a cheerful, cheeky and loud boy. And so so active! What can I say?! When I was pregnant with you I wished that I would have a typical active boy just so I would know how different it is to have a boy compared to a girl. Well, I can only say that my wish came true! Your gross motor and fine motor skills are so advanced - perhaps a little too advanced for your age. You have learnt to jump with two feet off the ground many months back. And now you can open the doors, unbuckle your seatbelt, turn off/on the tap, etc. I believe you will turn out to be my little handyman round the house! You have mastered so many knobs and buttons that even your older sisters have not attempted to touch! 

I thank God for you being such a joy and sunshine in our lives! You are always so easily humoured and entertained, and always giving me the best cuddles and kisses. Now that you have learnt to talk a bit more, the house is never quiet with you around! "Happy Birthday To You" is still your all-time favourite song, and Humpty Dumpty is still undoubtedly your favourite nursery rhyme. You enjoy music and singing and dancing, which is really lovely to watch. 

Right now I am still reveling in the fact that you are a mummy's boy. I know that you will choose me over any other adult, which makes me glad and fulfilled that I made the choice to be a full-time stay-home mum! Not sure how long this would last, but I will just rejoice with the way things are right now. It is nice to have you wake up in the mornings calling for "mummy! mummy!!" at the top of your lungs, and to always keep a look out for me.

I pray that you will grow to learn to love others with the love of Christ, to share toys and belongings, and to be kind and compassionate to all. Bless you my dear son!

love,

mummy

Chocolate ice-cream, please?

Janelle comes running to me, eagerly asking, "Mummy, mummy! Can I have some of the chocolate ice-cream that Josiah had??"

Sounds like a perfectly normal request? Sure. Until..... you realise that you haven't given Josiah any chocolate ice-cream, and that Josiah is supposed to be watching TV with the girls, and that he is now nowhere in sight. 

I call for Josiah and soon he comes toddling down the stairs. True enough, his fingers are covered with some dark brown stuff, and his mouth and chin are smeared with what looks like dark chocolate ice-cream.

Knowing that we have no chocolate or ice-cream within reach, I try to sniff at his fingers to find out what the dark brown stuff is. Unable to pick up any smell, I decide to take him to the basin to have his hands and face washed. It is only then that I realise what this chocolate ice-cream is - SOIL. It feels grainy and matches the description of the one-tonne-load of topsoil we had just bought that was piled in a heap on our front yard.

I can understand that a heap of soil looks inviting enough for a child to want to step on it, climb on top of it, pick it up and throw around, etc. But to eat it?? I would not have imagined! Apparently the heap of soil proved too tempting for Josiah, that he just could not resist tasting it. He probably tried to spit it out, which explains the brown dribble down his chin. I was well-assured after this that the girls did not try bugging me for any more "chocolate ice-cream" after they found out what it really was. Phew! And eeewww!