Our little performer - in photos

Dancing to "Ballin' the Jack" - Dance Concert

Singing "I belong" by Princess Sofia

Love her emotions here!

Dancing to "Lollipop" - CSTD TTA examinations

Hair and makeup ready

With her Lollipop dance buddy Tiffany

Earned her TTA badge! 

Much love and thanks to their favourite teacher Jocelyn

Dancing to "Try Everything" from Zootopia

Dancing at the NKF Charity Dinner

Quarter 1 2018 - Amanda's crazy schedule

It has just been one quarter into the year but oh boy, what a pack one we have had! While everyone else eased slowly into the new year after all the December festivities and year end celebrations, our schedule just got increasingly busier and crazier. This time it mostly revolved around Amanda, our little dancer.

In just one quarter, she had multiple performances to prepare for.

1) Jan 07 - Her piano recital

2) Jan 20 - Ballet concert

3) Feb 13 - Singing auditions

4) Feb 25 - Singing competition

5) Mar 15- TTA mock exams

6) Mar 18 - Popstar concert

7) Mar 23 - TTA exams

These were on top of all her regular dance practises and with every performance, there were multiple stage and full dress rehearsals. At one point in time, she was either dancing or singing for up to 6 days a week, with multiple sessions a day. We were amazed she could remember all the different dance choreographies and songs.  In addition to these, this quarter she also joined her dance school's competition troupe which meant an additional dance lesson on a weekday evening.

And just when we thought we could have a breather after most of her concerts and exams were over, we were told her dance group was to perform in the upcoming NKF charity dinner in April, which again meant additional dance practises this month.

I'm not complaining though, as I love dance and seeing her perform. The scheduling got quite crazy at its peak, and I was rushing from work to her preschool to rehearsals, but it was worth it seeing her progress. At times like this, I am thankful that I had a job with flexible working hours!

Weekends should be made of this

On a whim, while lazing in bed a couple of nights back, we decided we were in need of a staycation and voila, here we are! 

Perhaps still recovering from the year end festive mood which was followed quickly by the Chinese New Year holidays, I think the husband and I were never quite ready to face the pressures of work yet again, as we entered this new year. Just two months in, and our body, mind and soul were already begging for some mind-soothing greenery and chillax time by the pool. And as luck would have it, we managed to find a date this week at Sofitel Sentosa which suited our schedule. 

Speaking of schedule - with the new year, we had a new routine; this time as Wayne switched to the morning session in Primary 2. While Wayne had no problems adjusting to the early hours, I totally underestimated the impact it would have on me. It took me the whole of January to finally adjust to waking up at 615am and not fall asleep once the clock struck two in the afternoon. And then, it took me half of February to find the right balance between cooking dinner, collecting dinner from my in-laws and squeezing some exercise into my schedule. 

It’s coming to the end of February now, and finally, I think we are doing pretty well in terms of scheduling. I’ve changed my working hours knocking off at 4pm these days, been polishing my cooking skills thrice a week, leveling up my yoga practice through 7am classes once or twice a week, and have rescheduled the kids classes such that we now have almost the whole of Saturday and  more of Sunday free. I really like this new found schedule, more so than previously, as we now can plan more ad-hoc activities over the weekend as a family rather than rushing the kids for classes. And surprisingly, I am also starting to enjoy my early mornings a lot more. I get more time with the kids in the evenings, pick Amanda up from pre-school earlier and feel a lot more balanced being able to cook, exercise and still find time for precious me-time in the form of massages, hair washes, manicures,  books, magazines and the like, mostly during work lunch hours. 

The last two days have been rejuvenating; a short stay but we managed to squeeze in lots of fun without it being tiring. It was raining most of the time, and so when there was a short burst of sunshine in the morning on the second day, the kids wasted no time jumping into the pool. Looking forward to more of such family moments this year! 

Rapunzel, no more

Amanda had her second haircut (ever) last weekend. Excluding her fringe which has been regularly snipped when she was much younger, we have only trimmed the back of her hair that once. It has grown so long that it had reached her butt, and it's no wonder that she often says she is Rapunzel. 

Whenever we bring Wayne for a cut at Uncle Ben's place, I would always ask Amanda if she would like to cut hers too. Her answer has always been a resounding no. So we never forced her and to be honest, I loved the way her hair curled at the ends (those were baby curls) and I couldn't bear to have them trimmed off. Neither could Ben. When we finally had to cut her hair, Ben was shaking his head as he snipped. He shared my heartache looking at those locks gone. 

Well I was half expecting Amanda to cry and throw a tantrum at the salon but true to her unpredictable character, she breezed through the entire haircut with nary a whine. In fact, she seemed happy.  Even Ben's assistant who have seen her refuse a haircut many times before was surprised and asked what made her change her mind. I did ask her after that and her reply was "because I really really wanted the biscuit." Ah ha, not so surprising then.. We did promise her the Milo and biscuit which was always served to Wayne when he has his haircut. I should have known. 

So four years of those long mane cut short now, with those curls forever gone. Ben said those curls were from birth and once snipped, they were gone forever. 

All of a sudden, with those bangs, she looks so much more babyish. While I still prefer her in her long fringe, it's nice to have a change once in a while. 

When we got home that day after her haircut, she was playing in her room when she stopped and asked me, "Mommy do I look pretty in my short hair?".

Of course you do sweetie. You'll always be beautiful.  

Moving to bamboo....

New set of bamboo dinnerware for the kids. 

So. Pretty. 

Birthday blessings

Each year, on the kids birthday, I scramble to put together a simple party, for both sides of our family to come together and celebrate the birthday boy/girl turning a year older. This year was no exception, we had one for Wayne at Open Farm Community and one for Amanda at our home (realising home parties are still the best). 

Birthdays are great not just for the parties, but for the fact that all our attention is focused on the birthday boy/girl on their birthdays. For most days of the year, we just go about our daily routine, often not even realising what we are actually doing (maybe just me), but on these two days.. their birthdays.. I get that bit sentimental. I pause to recall their first birthday, their second, third and so on. I recall how tiny they once were, how they looked when they were still chubby and all their funny moments. I shower them with love and they get away with almost anything just for that day. Unspoken rule - no scoldings allowed on birthdays. I find myself thinking how I can be a better mommy to them. How I can be more patient, more loving, more fun.. And the list goes on. 

It's nice to just steal moments from our day in and out of hecticness, even if it's just for a few minutes, to remind myself how blessed I am to have this two little ones with me. And for them to feel extra special on this day as everyone comes together to celebrate with them. 

Big families are great ain't it - just imagine the number of presents they received on that one occasion! Too many, I always say. Especially when they don't just buy one toy for them, but multiple!!!! Vivien broke the record by getting Amanda 7 (what 7!?) different toys for her fourth birthday, when she could have gotten one, spoiling Amanda to the max. How blessed they are, thank you yeye, nainai, ah-por, ah-por kheng, uncle J, auntie Jen, grandpa, grandma, da-yi, uncle terry, san-yi, uncle Ken and yiyi for doting on the kids so much. 

Here are some photos of Amanda turning four in July.