Iggie Express - Sorrie no music - Papi is technologically challenged...

iggie's birthday party!!!!

after discussing and planning out for 2 weeks ... we finally decided to do a themed birthday party for iggie this year ... and guess what is the theme???

POLAR EXPRESS of course!!!

and how does one plan for a theme birthday party when you have only 2 kids (of playing age) and the rest of the guests are ADULTS ???? okay - this one really have to give credit to DADDY ... he surfed the web to look for the train party ideas ... and did all the work on decorating the whole place for the party ....

given that there are only 2 kids .... we can focus the "quality" of the gadgets for the party ... .....

STEP 1: At any train station, you would always have a ticketing counter to get your train tickets ... and here's our little ticketing counter and our very own POLAR EXPRESS TICKETS ... guests have to print out the invitation and exchange for their tickets to be stamped and punched .... (alright - this is a little deviation from the show ... but we needed something for the adults to do and we cant create a BIG Train for him to stand there ... so improvised a little here!!)

STEP 2: TRAINS .... so DADDY created these 2 trains - Thomas and Percy .... looks good dont they .... except when DADDY tried to squeeze himself into one .... he forgot to make one extra large size one for himself .... ha ha ha!!! and along with trains, one must have the train TRACKS ... and DADDY created some really straight train tracks and terminal stations around the garden .... iggie was running along the tracks the whole time and really having a great time!!! and to the parents - that is a good thing - cheap and good and lasting!!!!

STEP 3: Passengers ..... so what do train passengers do on the train ??? they EAT!!! On the left its Godpa and Godma Daphne .... and on the right we have Doctor Godpa & Godma..... in the middle we have the 3 uncles - Uncle Alvin, Uncle Melvin and Uncle SaiKeong..... (looks like everyone is quite happy with the food yah!?)

STEP 4: Birthday Cake ... following the success of the Train Cake for the school party ... i decided to do a similar cake for the party at home ... but given the experience .. the cake will be too sweet for adults' consumption ... so we decided to make a TRAIN CAKE that is only for show!! hahahaha .... so again on sat afternoon for 2 hours i knead, roll, squeeze and made train tracks, christmas tree (though we are in the middle of hot summer), a train conductor (though by the time the picture was taken the figurine had melted) and with iggie's name made out using orea cookies!!! the most expensive thing on this cake .... THE CANDLES .... they were fire truck candles and No 4 candle .... but all the work was definitely worth it .... again with personalised flags of everyone's name on it ...

everyone was a little worried when iggie started to blow the candles ... it was more like the fire hose.... spray of saliva along with each puff .... when we told everyone this cake only for photoshoot and we have a proper kuay lapis for everyone to eat ... a huge sigh of relief and laughter broke out.... ha ha ha!!!

STEP 5: Tank up station for TRAINS ... this was invented only by iggie - he decided the garden hose was good enough as the diesel pump for his trains!!! smart boy with a great imagination!!!!


Finally STEP 6: Happy Birthday Boy .... all this work for my wonderful boy who turns 4 this year .....

pooing time....

alright ... this pose is really familiar to those who saw iggie growing up ... and the brave woman to do that mission - GRANDMA!!!!

Wondering what is this massive task .... its POO Time ....


yes ... many would wonder how tough can it be .. afterall everyone of us do it almost everyday and we think nothing much of it anyway ....



well.... the main difficulty here is getting the child to want to poo at the time you are holding onto him and the potty .... and trying to ensure that the pee doesnt shoot out and the poo goes straight into where its suppose to be ....

of course ... the biggest hurdle -- -- -- -- -- THE WONDERFUL AROMA!!!!!


guess you can tell by now ... who is enjoying the pooing session from the facial expression on grandma and nick nick .... one in pain and the other reliefed ....

so boys... when you grow up ... please ensure you thank grandma for being there to "push" you and "encourage" you with her constant "nnnngggghhh..... nnnngggghhhhh......" and for being the only woman brave enough to sit there with you throughout the smelliest times - watching the "volcano eruptions" and poisonous gas production!!!!

mission impossible .... ???

just one day before school closes for the june holidays, we celebrated iggie's birthday in school ... and of course mummy here asks iggie what birthday cake would you like? ..... here's a list of the cakes in prior years:-

1st year: 3D Zoo Animals Birthday Cake (self-made by Godma Kim)
2nd year: 3D Sports Car Birthday Cake (sponsored by Godma Daphne)
3rd year: 2D Ambulance Birthday Cake (bought by daddy)
4th year : ??????

so here's iggie's reply "i want a train cake with 100 carriages - the longest train cake"

hmmm..... how is that possible? i called a few cake companies and to have 2 carriages alone for a 3D cake would cost me $180!!!! not to think about 100 carriages!!!

so the smart and cost consious mummy decided to be brave and make a train cake ... bargained with iggie and got him to agree to a 20 carriages train cake (one carriage for each child in his class) .....

so mummy here decided to outsource where possible ..... bought the sponge cake from the cake shop, bought all the fondant and decorative stuff and base/box from phoon huat, bought the orea cookies, waffle biscuits, marshmellows, chocolate from NTUC .....

after 2 hours or kneading, rolling, wrapping .... Ta-Da !!!!!

a self-made Train Cake with 23 carraiges (got to get 3 more carriages for the 3 teachers too) ....

each carriage comes with all that sugary stuff and sweets / chocolate decorations... orea cookies for wheels ...... complete with a flag - each child's and teacher's name on it ... PERSONALISED!!!!

not bad huh!? hahahahahahaha .....

was really proud of myself ... in fact so much so that i didnt really care how the cake tasted .... and well - the main thing was not about taste ... its about LOOKS .... and from the picture, i know iggie loves the cake!!!! mission accomplished!!!!

being tired ....

ever wondered how does one look when he is tired???

LEFT - Daddy being tired ....

RIGHT- the one being carred getting tired ....

upon realising one is being photographed .. both suddenly wake up and SMILE .......

first kiss ....

how many of us remember the very first kiss????

well .. i have now a very sweet picture of iggie's first kiss .... and look at that sweet shy smile on meagan ..... dont they look absolutely adorable?!?!

3 handsome men

its been a long silence on this blog ... not because we have grown lazy or tired of writing ... just that our camera was not replaced and we didnt have any recent pictures taken ...

but now we have a new canon ixus ... and these are some great pictures of our little boys ....

here's one of the 3 handsome men ...

now .. some are wondering, will iggie be jealous of nick nick and resent against nick nick .... well a picture says a thousand words... and proof that iggie loves nick nick ... here's a picture of how iggie loves nick nick ... and i always wonder ... with all that squeezing on nick nick ... do the fats on his cheeks get squeezed down to his body or the other way round .... either way the fats are just being squeezed all over!!! hahahaahhaha .....

How can you not be proud?

Iggie is a good boy, we know. How good and how proud can you be of him??? Beyond words. Due to his spectacular fall in JB, his front tooth is damaged. And according to the dentist, there is a need to remove the dead roots. So what does that mean? Root canal treatment.

Yes, a 3 year old boy...going to a dentist...and have root canal treatment. For the uninitaited, root canal treatment means, having the dentist drill a hole into the core of your tooth, and insert a clinical swap to clean the roots. Topping it off after the cleaning, would be filling up the hole with some amalgam. Yes, all these for a 3 year old.

We tried one month ago...without much success. At the very first instance the dentist apparatus entered his mouth, it was the end of the visit. "What is that on the roof, Daddy? What is that on the computer? Is that for drinking?" Iggie went on asking and distracting all, and refuse to let Dr Lam continue his procedure. So Dr Lam advised to just come by a few more visits, so that Iggie will be more familiar with the clinic.

So this trip, we tried again. I mean, Sharon did lots of talking before I came back. But I was not confident at all that it will be successful. I asked Iggie on the way, and he told me that he will NOT let Dr Lam use his apparatus. "I will knock his chair down, if he asks me to open my mouth.." We started the session with me asking the Doc if there are alternatives...let the dead tooth outgrow itself...extraction when it is infected...blah blah. Yeap the start was already below the line...

So with all "optimism", we settled down on the dentist chair. Iggie lying on Daddy. I held his little hands, and look up at the Doc, together with Iggie. "Iggie, open your mouth....look at this, it makes sound...and it has lights...", the Doc tried. But the task at hand was tough, and soon he settled down to extreme concentration, before he plunged into the first drilling....zzznnnnnzzznnnnnznnnnn....and Iggie stayed as still as ever. I am so happy. FOr a good twenty minutes, he stayed so still, when the Doc went through all the procedures, using five out of the ten apparatus he has at his disposal. My brave boy went through the whole episode without breaking a sweat. And...oh I tell you, Dr Lam was soooo very proud of Iggie. He was so impressed, and proclaimed this is the first time it is so successful for a kid, and not to mention a three and half boy.

Of course, it all comes with a price. Not the dental bill, but immediately after walking out of the consultation room, Iggie with his swwwweeeatest voice said," Daddy, so now Iggie can buy TWO Sentosa Express train, right?"

Can I say NO???

bELATED pOSTING

Last week this time, I was back in Singapore, and it was indeed one eventful weekend. Started with a mad rush from office to the airport. I mean, I hinted to my boss a couple of times that I was catching a 2000hr flight, but he was still pondering over the issues, when I stood in his office, and minutes rushing by. I asked for the time, and he replied 1830hrs. I mean, Hong Kong is small, but not soooo small!!! So when I finally managed to squeeze out an answer (to the issue I was discussing with him), I FLED the office at 1850hr. 80 mins before the plane takes off......I made it, just two mins before the official cut-off time....But impossiby, my flight back home was delayed again. So my amazing dash from office to airport was completely in vain. Anyway...I settled early into the plane, and made a point to "preorder" my double servings of dinner...(hehehe). Three and a half hours away, my wife awaits...

The sight of my wife took my breathe away. Is it her hair? Is it her dressing? Is it? Is it? Who cares...all I know is that she is physically in front of me...and we are off to a midnight rendevous. Yes, a first proper outing since months!!!

Alright, the thought and adrenalin rush lasted a good fifteen minutes. We settled nicely into our car, and drove down ECP, before I blurted out:" We are certainly the most clueless couple at the moment. All raring to go...but dunno where to go!!!"

Survival instinct kicked in, and we finally told ourselves...Clarke Quau should not be too bad a place still, for us to go. Oh well, it was certainly a fabulous night...my flight reached at think 1.00am, and we went on to the PUMP for a drink, before rounding off the night with hot (hang-on...your thoughts) chocolate (only).

Short but sweetest night...