Weekend wanderings: An ordinary weekend

We had a lovely weekend, and it felt liberating to be able to go out without having to worry about coughs and medicines and sniffles! It was a perfectly ordinary weekend, one which started with pancakes:

... had some exploration and nature in it:

...and sprinkled with a generous dollop of ice-cream.

It was those ordinary weekends where we went to church, and had to stock up on groceries...

I think we will need 2 trolleys when the boys get bigger.
Right now the amount of food we consume is rather alarming already!

... but was a little special because we treated ourselves to home-made steak.

These ordinary weekends are great. I never realized how precious they were until that month of sickies!

So I'm reminded to celebrate the ordinary, because it means we're all A ok. I hope you had a lovely weekend too?

Wordless Wednesday: My three babies

Some days, the older two like to pretend they are babies:

They place baby's beanie bolster over their tummy, kick their legs in the air and start going "Waawaaawaa" as well as declare "I need patpat!", and give each other pats on the tummy. Its noisy, but hilarious though. But I think it gives baby a headache!

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Wordless Wednesday: Never alone

Occasionally there come moments that are so photo-worthy, you cannot help but snap a photo. However, sometimes, all you have is your old wonky iPhone, but to me, such moments are better captured in a blur photo, then to have no photo at all. 

So this is one of those grainy iPhone shots. Baby J was fretting in the cot, and along came Lil J, who was reading his baby book. So Lil J opened the book (upside down if you notice), and told Baby J a story ("once upon a time, there was a... once upon a time"). Then Junior J came and started reading his book (as you can see, he knows how to actually flip the book with the pages facing baby J, so that he can see the images). And both were reading to the baby, and the baby stopped crying. For a few minutes that is. Enough for me to get whatever I needed to get. I must say I'm enjoying this period before the littlest is old enough to get into fights with the older two!

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Friday Five: This week...

... might just be the last week we are a family of four. This is how life is looking these days:

:: Lots of Lego and Duplo play. The boys recently received a huge tub of Lego from my parents, and they have been messing with the bricks every day.

:: Still figuring out how to wean this lil guy. And learning how to deal with his epic tantrums.

:: I've been finding it hard to cook, since my feet have been getting really puffy from standing up for extended periods of time to do chores/cooking. Doing things at any table/counter gives me a backache since the belly gets in the way. So we've been eating out a lil more often these days, and my MIL has taken over the cooking since yesterday. 

Had a quick dinner at Paul Bakery the other night after my gynae appointment. There's something very comforting about creamy chicken and crunchy fresh bread. 

:: This kid was really excited to use his duck umbrella the other day.

:: The nesting instinct is driving me crazy. I've been on a cleaning/decluttering rampage, but there's still lots to be done. Some time ago, I tackled the junk drawer in the kitchen:

This was when I was half-way through.

And tada! Now we don't need to rummage for stuff anymore.

I've also tackled the storeroom and piles and piles of the kids clothes (It's amazing how two boys can amass so much clothes. I can't imagine how it'll be if we had to add a girl to the mix!), and this nesting thing is going to keep me busy for the next few days. 

December is going to be quite a ride, so I'll be taking a break from running this Friday Five link-up for the rest of this year. Thanks for joining us! 

PS: Thanks also for helping me out with this survey. It's still running, so it'll be nice to know what you think!

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Ordinary October: These two...

... constantly fight. Over toys. Over who gets to drape a blanket over his head. Over a single Duplo block when many others could do. Then there are the days where Junior J instigates his brother to get up to some mischief. And there are times when both are grumpy and whining (which usually coincides with the time that Mama has to cook a meal).

But then, these days, I've been witnessing more and more of these sweet little moments when they are both playing together. Yes, big brother does boss his younger brother about, and sometimes Lil J doesn't like it. But they love to hang around each other. These are the times which I just stand and stare, and savour the moment. 

These days, the boys get quite a few activities laid out for them on trays. This was one of the trays I prepared for Lil J, and I hoped he could sort the straws into the cups by colour.



I guided him a little and left him to it, while Junior J was busy doing his own craftwork. I returned to find that the little one was having some difficulty sorting them by colour, or rather, he just wanted to put all the straws into the same cup. I left him to his own devices (I had to cook lunch), and overheard Junior J guiding his little brother ("no, J, you put the yellow straws in the yellow cup!"), while helping him to put the straws in the correct cups. My heart just swelled up with love for these two.

Then, one minute later, I came back to find Junior J trying to make Lil J put the red straws in the green cup. Turns out he gave up trying to help his brother (since he wouldn't listen!), and decided to confuse him instead.

These two. You never know what's going to happen each day with them. But I guess that's the beauty of staying home!

Simple September: He ain't heavy, he's my son

The hubs usually carries Lil J when we are out. Some days, the big boy also decides he wants some attention and asks to be carried too. Very rarely, it means the hubs tries carrying both! I wonder what will happen if we add baby #3 into the mix...

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Simple September: Our everyday messes

This September, I'm trying to keep blogging simple. A photo a day, a glimpse into our life. Wanna join me?

Some days, the house looks like this. Wait, make this most days. But we do make the kids clean up some of their messes. My mum used to be horrified at the chaos, but is very resigned that our home will never be sparkling clean like hers. Oh well, at least we know the kids are making memories! ;)

Wordless Wednesday: Our boxes are packed

We've been packing (I know, I've probably mentioned it in every post for the past two weeks). And of course, that means loads of boxes and tape. So this is my idea of packing:

I kept losing rolls of tape or the scissors amidst the mess of bubble wrap and stuff.
So I took one of the boys' paper suitcases to hold all the packing materials,
and carried it around with me as I packed.

... but the males in the family have a different idea altogether. Hubby's idea: Packing is easy, just throw it all into boxes, and everything would be fine. They are professional movers after all. (Sorta true, just that it took longer than I expected.)

Junior J's idea of packing: Help yourself to a box, and ensure you tape it up securely with lots of tape after you place your treasured possessions inside. Then declare that you're all packed and ready to go!

And what's inside? One of his dinosaurs, a tomato and egg for the journey, and more play food (which was wrapped in plastic) in the paper bag, in case the tomato and egg were not sufficient for a huge dino appetite. 

He refused to let me open the box, saying I just had to ship it as it is. I took this pic one day during nap time. :p

Baby J's idea of packing: Fit yourself in a box, in case they forget to bring you along for the ride. 

Or if the box doesn't fit, find a bigger one that does. Never mind that you have to share the space with some toys. After all, that's more fun isn't it?

He has been climbing into half-packed boxes and opening up and messing their contents,
so much so I had to tape all my boxes shut, even when I wasn't done!

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How to keep your baby occupied for 20 minutes #2

Ah yes, his first session ever, with paint. He loved it! He left a mess all the way to the bathroom, leaving handprints along the way as I raced him to the bathtub, but we're doing this again, soon!

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How to keep your baby occupied for 20 minutes #1

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