Evan's 12th Birthday

As usual, the birthday celebration was the Saturday before your birthday (as the 29th was a weekday). As you were turning 12, we agreed on this mustache. 

This time we opted for barbecue (your favourite), but we kept the menu simple. Daddy started preparing earlier, so by the time our guests arrived, most of the food was ready.

Cousins

We found these mustache straws. So suited to the party theme

After dinner, it was time for cake. This year we opted for a new cake shop and the gave us this very unusual candle.

Family picture

And then it was time to open the presents. There was a "mysterious box" which appeared out of nowhere after you got back from robotics class. So obviously, that was the first present you opened.

It came with this message, but I think in your haste to get to the present, you did not bother to read it,

After opening the many layers, you got to the present. 

Ah.. all smiles

And on to the other presents

 And the other highlight of the night was the handmade crossbow which Grampie made for you.

Cousins

This picture taken 3 years ago appeared in my news feed. And coincidentally there was one taken this Chinese New Year too. Look at how you have all grown up:

2015

2018

2018 Chinese New Year

Our Chinese New Year celebration started earlier than usual. We left for Ipoh on Wednesday night so that we were around to help prepare for the reunion dinner feast on Thursday and also for daddy to help around the house with the minor repair works. 

On Thursday morning, we woke up and headed out to buy McDonald's for breakfast. Then all the work began. It was a good thing Mei-mei had her cousins to play with and Ko-ko helped daddy (I think he did anyway... ).

After all the cutting was done, daddy's job continued as the assistant cook in the evening. He had to help stir the many veggies: 

And this is our dinner. Yummy popiah:

The next morning, we were up and it was Chinese New Year. This year the lion dance troupe were supposed to come at 11am, an hour later than usual.. so we didn't have to rush around to get dressed and ready before they arrived. They still came earlier but waited for us to get ready. 

This is the fruit basket prepared for them:

A picture of the two of us

Kids enjoying the show

The final outcome from our fruit basket (I think I took the picture upside down)

Then it was time to give/collect ang pow:

Our yummy mee suah lunch

Mei-mei's lunch was the egg and later also some of the noodles

And ang pow for our two precious roti Ban's

For dinner that evening, we were "challenged" to make a doggy lou sang. Chim Poh had received several samples.. so this was what we came up with:

Our dinner

Time to stir the lou sang

The second day of CNY was spent just enjoying each other's company and eating.

Every night we were treated to fireworks and also the kids had some fun playing with the sparklers and fireworks.
While Ah Kong and Ah Ma headed back to Penang after dinner on the second day of Chinese New Year, we stayed another night before heading home the next afternoon. 

Chinese New Year Celebration in School

As usual, we planned to give teachers some CNY cookies. So over the weekend, we decorated the cards to be given with the cookies.

Writing painstakingly to address the teacher and who it was from

At last.. all cards are ready

Last night, I asked you if you were supposed to wear CNY costume. It was a good thing I asked, or else it would be a mad scramble in the morning to get the dress ready!!

We brought the cookies to be given to teachers this morning. Here's a picture of you posing with the  cookies:

Happy Birthday Grampy

We went back to BM to celebrate grampy's birthday. Our usual birthday-Chinese New Year reunion dinner was only a birthday celebration (as we will be celebrating when your two Ku-ku's and Ah Kim come back) so we took the easy way and opted to dine out. 

I could not get an Indonesian layer cake so we went to buy Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake. They had a promotional mandarin orange flavoured one so we had that as the birthday cake. 

Family picture

Nanna and Grampy with the grandkids

Fallen Big Potato

Ah Ma called me to tell me that you had fallen in school and was bleeding (she said bleeding from the ears.. gave us a fright). I could hear you sobbing in the background. 

And this is what you looked like. I did not know what the extent of the bruising was. So they brought you to Adventist Hospital to have a check. 

It wasn't anything major, luckily. 

Happy Birthday, Ah Ma

Ah Ma's birthday celebration started over the weekend with the whole family going to E&O Hotel for a buffet dinner. 

On the actual day, it coincidentally fell on a public holiday. So Ko-ko woke up earlier to prepare breakfast for her. It was a fried egg served on one of the English muffin which we brought back from Australia. Mei-mei also played a part in buttering the toasted muffin. 

Here are the both of you posing with the breakfast.

In the evening, we had Abigail, Ian, Aunty Amy and Uncle Sin Chuan join us at home for a chicken rice dinner. We shared the two slices of cakes and sang her the birthday song:

Mei-mei also made Ah Ma a handmade birthday card with Hello Kitty stickers which she had already put aside for a few days and kept them safe in Ko-ko's room (she even gave Ah Ma strict instructions not to go into Ko-ko's room!!).

Pie Face

This was Ko-ko's Christmas present from Ashley Kor-kor.. you guys had fun playing:

Monopoly

It was fun, I was the loser both times we played. Of course, Evelyn has yet to grasp the concept "sore loser" as she got upset also when she had less money than Ko-ko (after excluding the biggest loser -- me!)

Visiting Ah Chor

We went back to BM to visit Nanna and Grampy on Saturday. It's been a while since we visited, as we had visitors in December, Nanna was busy with her many functions.. 

This trip back, we also stopped by to visit Ah Chor. Nanna says that she hasn't been feeling well since her fall in Nov. But on the day that we visited, she seemed quite well and tried to talk. You were both very good to sit and cuddle with her, especially Ko-ko who sat longer with her while Mei-mei ran off to play with the toys there. 

I'm glad that we managed to get a picture of you kids with your great-grandma. After all, she's already 90 years old. 

Hello, Entopia

As Natalie Kor-kor and the visitors did not manage to make it to Entopia when they sat on the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus, it was decided that we'd all visit Entopia also. After all, we live here and have never visited since it re-opened. 

Here we are.... it was lovely and despite the crowd (there were many buses parked outside.. from the cruise ships), it didn't feel too congested inside. 

Highlight of the day was to get the butterflies to land on your hand and for mummy to get a picture of them on your hands.

Daddy trying to pass a butterfly to Mei-mei

Ta-da

Ko-ko trying to get the butterfly to walk to his hand

This one opened to show beautiful colors on the back

Nat Kor-kor and Uncle Ollie also trying to get the butterflies

Ta-da.. finally one which lasted long enough for me to take a picture

Then we went inside where it was cooler but the displays there were mainly creepy crawlies. Here is Mei-mei enjoying the "dome" before looking down and seeing the giant cockroaches! She got such a fright (we visibly saw her jump) and ran out of the dome immediately.

There was a chance to hold the scarab beetles which you both took a turn at:

And of course, the obligatory picture with the big bug outside.. but with our visitors instead of mummy and daddy *fuming*

Explosion

Miss Varghese called me at work yesterday saying that you were complaining of a tummy ache. This is the second time this year. Ah Ma had to go pick you up.

So I decided to bring you in to see the doctor. Unfortunately Dr. Mary was on leave. So we went to see Dr. Khaw. He did a check on you and noted that you had a bloated tummy.

When we went home, this was the conversation you had with Ah Kong:

Ah Kong: So? What did the doctor say was wrong?
Evelyn: My tummy has an explosion.
Ah Kong: Explosion?
Evelyn: Yes, explosion.

You told daddy the same thing when he got back that evening. Not sure where you got the word "explosion" from.. but it was so funny. I hope you don't tell your teacher the same thing today!

First Day of School for Evan

You are even luckier than Mei-mei as you had an extra 3 weeks holiday in total as compared to other children. Of course, you know that the Year 6 will be an express course, so fewer holidays for the year up till August.

Orientation was on Saturday where you collected the remaining of your exercise books and got to know the homeroom teachers and new school (at the temporary location for this Fastrack program).

Today, you carried all your books (grumbling that they were so heavy and requested for another bag to split the weight) to school. And when you came back, all you had were the 2 small exercise books (I reckon you forgot to leave them behind in your locker) and a piece of paper. The rest of the books were left behind in school.

You told us that you had some assessments (the principal only mention English assessment) for them to gauge your English, Mandarin and Mathematics. Other than that, you were still getting acquainted to the school such as the activities and also the teachers.

We decided to cater for the food, so you are provided with snacks and lunch including drinks. Easier for me, otherwise how to crack my head daily to pack both meals??

Here's hoping for a great school year for you in the new school and new syllabus. 

First Day of School for Evelyn

Mei-mei is back to school after a long holiday (2 weeks extra than your friends as we left earlier to go to Australia).

I had asked you if you had a preferred Prep teacher and you told me you would like to go to Miss Ong's class. Worried that you may NOT end up in her class, I had to ask you "But it is ok if you got another teacher, right?" and luckily you responded "Yes.. it's ok".

And you ended up in Miss Varghese's class. She's a nice teacher but she doesn't seem to know you at all. Anyway, here's to a great final year in Tadika Rajawali.