lost & found

i recently found 3 old friends on facebook. when i say "old" i really mean "old". they were folks i had known when i was only 19! with no worries in the world or money in the bank. =) then we were all single or at most attached. today, all of us have more lines on our faces & members in our families...

i can't remember why we didn't keep in touch over the years but i don't think that's important anymore. what's important is that we found each other. no more thinking about "what are they doing now? do they still look the same?" now, i have all the answers... =)

i still have 2 uni friends i tried to find on FB but in vain so you know a 'kwek siew puay' or 'angeline chong', tell me! =) each time i have a picnic & lie on the grass to look at the sky, i think of them - the first picnic i've ever had!

jerome turns 3 today!

chuckee cheeses - where a kid can be a kid

prince for the day - he could choose whatever vcd he wanted & stay up late *just for today*

i thank God for blessing me with a wonderful son.

just 3 years ago, i was alone. now, i have you to love & be loved. =)

with the kids, i learnt what it was to really love someone. to cook a serving of prawns & eat none. to give up all my french fries. to clean & wash poop, vomit & pee on dirty bodies & clothes. to sing the same song & read the same story *with the same enthusiasm* for the 1001 th time. =)

to cuddle, hug, kiss, hold & love for a long, long time...

happy birthday, my son.

God needs to wash the cars

this is the way we wash the car, wash the car, wash the car

God made the world in 6 days... then He needed a nap

Whenever Jerome frets about having to take an afternoon nap, we'll sing the Barney song,"Everybody needs a nap..."

After enjoying 2 weeks of the great outdoors, we chilled out indoors today. It rained the whole day today.

I explained to Jerome that God needed to water the plants & the grass.

He thought for a while & said, "God needs to wash the cars too!"

I thought that was just so sweet. =)

freebies :)

WH ooooo...ooooo's that?
thump, thump... vet jerome, "eagle, you have a healthy heart beat."
hmm, there's a tiny crack in your wing here

cost of living here is so high, we are always on the look out for places that are free to visit... this is especially difficult during winter. then we had to find places that are free AND heated...

hence, a trip to the FREE raptor center. it was listed as an attraction on our GPS but the better attraction was that it was free. :)

when we reached our destination, boy! weren't we disappointed... there was no place to park unless we were handicaps. :( the nearest parking garage *lot* was a short walk, in the freezing cold! & with a sleeping little jerald. & parking is very expensive! *it cost about S$3.50 to park for the 1st hr*. we must be mad!

having told jerome that we were going, we could not afford to disappoint him... so began our brisk walk in the freezing cold. there were only 4 raptors on display. a majestic looking bald headed eagle, a falcon, hawk & grumpy vulture. there was a sign that states that he is territorial & for visitors not to cross over the barrier as it distresses him

the fun bit was the kids corner where we tried on puppets, masks & pretended to be vets. :) not a wasted trip after all.

got to go, won't be very "free" if we have to pay the extra minute of parking beyond the first hour... :

FOOD best !

can you tell me how to get to sesame street ?

jerald has no loyalty to either parent, jerome or anything, except food! :(

J started this cheer with the boys if they want food from him. "daddy, daddy, you're the best!" complete with a "yeah!" & raised hands at the end. it's amazing!

with this cheer, he introduced them to the world of chocolates, chips, ice cream, Reese PB cups, JAP seaweed, muruku, chilli tapoica chips & more.

when J offers food, jerald would shout, "dada, BEST!" & when i offer food, it'll be "mama, BEST!"

it's amuses us how fast he switches from J & me & back within a split second.

whether he really means it or not, i still like to make him say,"i love ma ma". =)

city of MN comes alive!

our boys getting ready to go swimming *in summer!*

toay we saw our 1st spring blooms. in fact we saw 2 lots! lovely yellow wildflowers & purple ones too! hooray! spring has finally made its way to us.

J says the city has come alive too!

with the 60F *14C* temperature, the neighborhood has awoken from its winter slumber. people fighting for space to play games, BBQ grills a-sizzling, babes in their hot shorts & tiny tank tops, folks throwing a towel on the grass & reading, lazing in the sun, friends partying on the steps of their apartments,...

a mother & her 2 sons having a strawberry picnic on the front porch watching the squirrels scamper past & birds chirp in the trees above...

i've fallen in love with spring & its subtle touches of beauty.

n guess wat? thunderstorms are expected tomorrow. this is certainly a city of unbelieveable weather. :(

fun in the sun

putting us, regular "car washers" to shame?

yipee, we've been having 5-15 degrees temperature over the last few days. :)

each day, i get bolder & venture further from the comfort & security of our apartment alone with the boys. is this what happens when one gets cooped up too long in winter?

day 1 - took the boys to take out the trash. a short walk to the back of the building. for such a loooong time, there was no need to wear a jacket, long pants & shoes! =) the boys splashed in the muddy puddles of melting snow on the way. i had no heart to stop them.

day 2 - took the boys down to do a mock car wash. with a rice cooker *can't find an empty pail =)* filled with water, 2 sponges & an assortment of toy cars to the car park. they didn't really wash the cars. they were more excited about gettng out of the house & playing with water. we soon progressed to washing "daddy's car". this time, they really gave the body, wheels & doors a nice scrub. =)

day 3 - went for a walk around the apartment. heard birds chirping, jerome *& the man hammering on a neighbor's roof*, another neighbor's dogs "sunbathing" & the first green buds on a plant. gosh, suddenly it feels like spring. =)

day 4 - took the boys to the nearby playground on my own for the first time. it took me twice the time to reach it. somehow there's this sweet tingling feeling of holding both their hands & walking together. *usually J would hold one* & looking at a neighbor's tulips sprouting. he planted them in winter & saw they would sprout in spring. yeah!

they didn't get a chance to play with the slide & all as it was crowded with rowdy elementary *primary sch* kids. they were content to dig in the san with their beach toys & load sand on their monster truck & crawl through the tunnels & climb the steps.

for me, these are my baby steps towards taking them out on my own. =) one day, i hope to be like my friend, driving them to the grocery store, library, mall, lakes & other parks.