On 7th September, Hubby took Ryan, my niece Ayra & of course, me ... to this year's Army Open House. It was my idea to bring Ayra coz I know she has never been to one of these exhibitions. I remembered many years ago, when we were still childless, we took my two eldest nephews, Syakir & Syafiq to a similar Army Open House. The 2 boys were much younger. This time round, its Ryan's & Ayra's turn, to come close to these military vehicles & equipment.
We took the kids for a quick lunch at (where else) McDonald's & proceeded to the Jurong Camp thereafter. We had to "ditch" our car & ride the shuttle service bus to the Pasir Laba Camp, where the Open House was held this year. Even the ride there seemed exciting to the kids ... haha! It was a pretty warm day too but the kids did not seemed to mind (though I was sweating buckets).
First stop was "Combat World". Why was this station chosen first? It was one of the nearest station where we were dropped off by the bus & the place that I know the kids will love. This is where all the military vehicles - land & air, were "parked" for everyone to admire. Of course, a round of photographs do not do justice to these majestic machines that protect us from harm. The good men & women of the Military (Land, Air & Sea) are often overlooked & taken for granted. We are fortunate in modern Singapore, we are well protected & we do not often see or hear of their hard work, unless something goes wrong.
Being a military wife all these years, I have been exposed to their rigorous training, the sheer dedication & the sacrifices our men in green have to make. Our humble island-home is safe from harm ... because of them. And though I have many grouses about a lot of things in Singapore, we should never doubt that these men in green ... deserve our respect & admiration, for all their hard work & dedication. We should salute them ... instead!
P/S : We all wore red that day. Haha ... that's what we do as a family. We dress in similar colours for the fun of it, for camaraderie & togetherness. Trust me ... its makes life easier when they're all wearing the same colour (especially a bright hue, its makes it much easier to spot in the crowd).
Ayra, with her ever-peace sign in tow ... with my Munchkin, Ryan ... posing alongside the majestic Chinook. 
Inside the Chinook, we can't help but take a snapshot of the kids.
Hubby & the kids take a breather at the tip of the Chinook.
Ryan, showing his Papa, that its time to move on to the next wonder-machine.
Whilst waiting for our turn, Hubby turned the camera on me & the 2 kids.
Ayra, looking all sweet & demure.
All three posed.
Ryan didn't look like a happy camper here. If you can see on the right, the hands of another kid that was behind us (in the queue). Ryan is rather territorial by nature (errm ... just like his Mummy) so whenever he is doing his thing & another kid, "interferes" or budges in, he will show his displeasure by muttering something or he'll give his "lemon-lime-sour look". I tell you, I didn't go out & teach my kid to behave like this but he's really, naturally like that. Not something to "trumpet" about, just his character I guess. Don't know what to make of it, though. I know that it might seem a bit odd to be so territorial about his "personal space" at such a young age but as someone who has similar thoughts, I can't really say that he's doing anything wrong. Its just that as an adult I am more acutely aware of my surroundings & am capable of being tactful & "reign" in my emotions or thoughts. Ryan, at two & a half, is not there yet. So there are times where I have to be the tactful parent & "apologise" on my son's behaviour or when he's being a little bratty .... The things a parent has to do!
See Ryan giving the other kid, the evil eye ... hehe!
Ayra, as a soldier.
Ryan's turn to be the soldier.
They look so obedient here.
Ayra, doesn't forget her peace sign, whilst Ryan hitches a ride.
The three of them inside a Unimog.
Ayra posing as a strong girl.
Ryan, poses as the "small" hero, guarding the vehicle.
Look at my little poser behind!
Ayra, with a very funny pose! So glamour rite?
My son ... looking very serious, like he's really reading from the notebook ... haha!
Auntie & niece pose awhile.
Ryan looking very gleeful.
The three of them pose beside the Apache.
Whilst in the queue for a photo-op in the Apache (which took a loooong hour), Ryan was busying himself, killing the tiny ants on the ground (my little sadist - he loves killing the poor insects).
Snack time for the kiddies. A small part of the cone biscuits got stuck at Ryan's lips & he was trying "valiantly" to lick it off, without much success. He looked rather cute, whilst doing it.
These may look like ants in the sky ... but they are actually 6 parachutist dropping from the sky (from a Chinook). We were lucky to get a glimpse of that!
Finally! Awaiting their turn, next in the Apache.
This cute little girl & her family were in front of us in the queue. She & Ayra started talking & made friends during the short time. She insisted on taking a photo with my lovable niece. Don't they look cute!
My son, giving his best grumpy look ... why? Because the guy that was manning the Apache was leaning too close for his comfort & Ryan ... no like! So it showed on his face. Haha .. my baby is as grumpy as sour grapes!
Still not a happy camper!
Ah! Ryan's best friend, Ms Ayra, saves the day ... he finally has smiles for the camera!
The front of the Apache.
This was a free train ride for the kiddies. They like!
There was a bouncy castle but I didn't allow Ryan to join in as it was rather high, so we let him jump at the tip only.
You can see Ayra enjoying her short stint on the bouncy castle.
Haha ... don't ask me what the kids were doing? I just asked Hubby to snap a pic of the 2 kids, as they were just being their usual "impish-mischevious" selves. Luckily, we were the only ones in the place ... so thats a quiet relief.
Overall, it was a damn tiring afternoon but I'm glad the kids enjoyed themselves. As usual, the lovely sweet Ayra was a great companion. She looked like she throughly enjoyed herself. I wasn't sure that she would like the exhibition, it being Army stuff & all, which most girls don't fancy but it turned out that I think she enjoyed herself more than Ryan did. I guess Ryan still has this phobia of strangers or people touching him (when he's being helped in or out of the exhibits). He's also very wary of new experiences & unsure of a lot of things. Whereas Ayra was extremely gungho & daring to try nearly everything. I'm really glad she enjoyed herself. Maybe we'll go again next time, if Hubby is willing to bring the whole gang again. We'll see.
