UPDATE, UPDATE!

If you haven't heard by now, I've been busy "at work" on my new 365 blog.

I initially  thought it would be a great failure but I am pleasantly surprised that I am newly energised by all that daily blogging. I guess the 365-element allowed me the freedom to write up short updates & updating the blog with simple-oh-so-lame pictures of our daily lives.

It is actually refreshing & it does force me to be creative & look at things in a different perspective. I may not update everyday but I do try to re-tell the daily activities that we do all week. It really has been a renewed feeling!

That brings me to this blog .....

I don't know if I want to keep up this blog coz it really is so back-logged with stuff from the last quarter of 2009 till about August 2010 when I started the 365 blog. It is so over-due that it its duly embarrassing! But I know in my heart that the stories need to be told, the photos needed to be published. As I always say, I blog mainly for Ryan's (future) memories & of course my sanity! I don't know if Ryan will even bother to read the blog in the future or think about the effort (& tears) that I put in to keep the blog alive & well. It really is an open diary from me ... to my beloved son.

I don't know, we'll see ...

Anyhoo, do drop by for old news if you're vaguely interested. I will also try to update the long (draggy, mushy) stuff here, as the 365 blog is supposed to be short & sweet.

I will try, folks!

Meanwhile, take care & smile always, peeps!

POUTS & TANTRUMS

Looking at these photos, I can't recall what transpired (haha ... am I just getting old & my memory is failing me or its just too many tantrum-throwing that I can't recall them all). I caught many grumpy looks & even some hand-pointing. Not a pretty picture I tell you but nonetheless important to etch in memory.

We all love to think that our children are perfect little angels. The reality is ... they are NOT! My Ryan ain't no angel, I am the first in line to admit that. He sometimes throws tantrums or gives me sour-grumpy looks when he doesn't get his way. But that does not mean that I let him get away with it! No siree!

I am one of those parent that would rather reprimand my own child when he misbehaves than let someone else do the scolding. I am aghast at rude & bad behaviour, especially from children. I also don't understand when parents can just sit back & let their kids say whatever they want, do whatever they want! Does that make it ok? ... just because the parents choose to keep quiet & let the ugly behaviour transpire? I think not! I may not be able to teach other people's children some manners but I'll be damned if my child takes after that bad behaviour. I think I need to speak up more if I want Ryan to grow up to be a respectable man. Shouldn't we teach our children from young? Shouldn't we protect our kids from being bullied? Do we sit back & say nothing ... or do we speak up ... for our kid's sake?

Ryan may not be the best behaved child nor the most gracious, but it is very important to me that he learns to be nice, courteous & honourable.

Now ... if only he would learn to share his things ... that would be good, no?

Still looking sweet here ...

Sour, angry!

Hey! Stop gritting your teeth & stop pointing, boy!

SO PEACEFUL

Don't all kids look peaceful when they sleep?

The only time that my Ryan can be quiet & still .... is when he sleeps. He's so hyper-active & talkative that sometimes its hard to keep up with him. Try spending a day with this small boy & you'll understand why me & Hubby tire easily these days (of course it doesn't help that we are cranky old folks).

I love to see my son sleep (& rested). It means that I can now have some semblance of peace & quiet ... even if its for a while ...

I love you baby, sweet dreams!

HOW I EAT

Wanna see how Ryan eats his favourite egg prata?

Wanna see how he "tortures" his Daddy ... after eating said eggy prata?

Well, I'm gonna show you anyway!

See what I go through ... on an almost daily basis.

Some days are good, some days are are. not. so. good.

But everyday ... with my boy ... is a blessing!

Prata ... here I come!

Ryan : Let's see how many poses I can come out with.

A LOVING KISS FOR MUMMY

As anyone would have noticed, I don't have a lot of pictures of myself on the blog. Why? Just don't like being photographed, that's all. So when gems like these turn up, I can't help putting them up here for others myself ... to see treasure.

A loving kiss from my angel, Ryan ... captured perfectly by Hubby!

Goes to show that even if we were waiting for our prata to be ready, we can get some touching  pics for memories.

Aww ... so sweet!

So blurry ... but still so loving & cute!

The (sometimes) photographer of the day.

HAPPY SCHOOL DAYS

Ryan has been going to a playgroup for more than eight months now (since the start of the year 2010). The initial stage wasn't a pretty picture but now he's been enjoying his daily school trips. Sometimes I try to snap pics of him before he embarks for that daily 2 hour session.

Why ... you might ask ... take photos of Ryan getting ready to go to school? Well, isn't going to school ... a rite of passage for every child?! So there! Hehe ....

See ... what I'm faced with every day ....

P/S : The logo of his school has been smudged/erased from the photos. Didn't want to put them out in the blog - confidential issues & all. Just so if you were wondering ... if his uniform was bleached or something. Nope!

SAY CHEESE ...

Recently, I've cultivated a rather "bad habit" of snapping photos of my son (under our humble block) ... whilst waiting for Hubby to get the car from the carpark. He'll say to me "Mummy, I say cheese". Yep, my son is so prone to my trigger-happy ways that whenever he sense a photo opportunity for me, he will remind his Mummy to snap away by saying the secret-code words : "SAY CHEESE".

If you think about it ... it's quite funny ... haha, to me anyway!

Ok, here are some random photos I've taken recently.

Nothing significant about them ... just Ryan acting out some of his moves & poses, that's all (he's full of them, these days!).

He loves this blue T-Rex (dinosaur) T-shirt. 

Ryan is soooo much into Ben 10 these days. Here he is twirling his Omnitrix, pretending he's Ben ... haha!

OF SPIDERS, SNAKES & CREEPY CRAWLIES

Do all boys love creepy crawlies?! I was under the impression that they all do. Evidently, my Hubby said "No, not all boys love insects & other creepy crawlies. Don't know why Ryan likes them".

So when my boy recently displayed a keen interest in things that make my hair stand on ends (yucks! I can't stand insects), I was willing to overlook my sheer & utter disgust of all things insect ... just to humour my kid.

Isn't that what we call ... love? ... hehe!

For a while now, there has been a small black spider that lived in our toilet (haha ... yep you read that right!). She has since made herself very comfortable in our loo. How did I know that it was a female spider? Well, she has since reproduced 2 baby spiders. Ryan just adore his pet(-roam-free)-spiders. Every morning he will never fail to greet them "Good morning, Spider!" before he starts his morning shower for school. Yep, that's the innocence of a 3 year old. Lately, the Mummy spider seem to have gone AWOL. My boy has been asking me - "Where's Mummy spider?" Errm ... I just don't have the heart to tell him that she might be dead. I don't think spiders got a long life span. Now that she spawned offsprings, she can go to Spider Heaven peacefully. Amen!

I don't so much love spiders but I was brought up not to kill or harm them. So this mum taught her son the same. So now Ryan just loves spiders too ... well, only the small ones (he's still petrified of huge spiders like tarantulas). He's also into snakes, ladybugs, snails, butterflies, etc.

So whenever we come across a bookstore, I will never fail to drop in to see if they have affordable books on sale. I've always loved reading so I am not at all aghast at spending a small fortune to encourage my son to read & explore his current interests. If snakes & spiders are what he likes right now ... that's what I am willing to encourage him on.

Busy showing his Daddy the finer points in insect study ... whilst waiting for our breakfast prata to be ready.

Ryan : Daddy, come read my book with me!

ANOTHER MONTHLY BIRTH-DAY?

Yep! You read that right!

If you have been reading this blog, ahem ... rather diligently, you might have seen some "oh-so-lame" yet rather impor-tant cake-blowing sessions that we have for our family ... well, it's just for the naughty munchkin (haha! not for the adults).

Yep, just like most kids his age, my Ryan enjoys blowing birthday candles. Errm ... not so much eating the cake though. Ryan seems to dislike any sort of cake these days ... I really don't know why. So this time round, I had this "brilliant" idea to buy a sugar-glazed donut instead. Donuts (among other things) are his new favourites, especially ones topped with chocolate or chocolate sprinkles.

Let's not forget the lone candle!

Smile for the camera!

A single blow will do it!

Will we still do this monthly cake-blowing-thingy in the future? I think we will. As long as Ryan still loves it & enjoys blowing the cartoon-decorated-cake, we will still humour him, with a candle. I think its just a simple act to show to our kid ... that we love him! That every month we spent with him ... is worth celebrating! And although its rather lame for most people, we still do it! I admit that we don't do it every single month ... due to forgetfulness & busy-busy days, but when we decide to do it, we usually celebrate it with little fanfare ... just that lone candle & cake for my angel, Ryan.

How do you celebrate the joy ... your kid brings to you? It may not be that cake or donut or eclair (or presents?), but I am sure every one of us have our own way to commemorate the happiness our children bring to our lives. I know me & Hubby will still keep on doing it, for as long as we can.

MY TWO PRECIOUS BOYS !

The title says it all, ya!

They are both oh so precious to me ... but I'm sometimes ... their harshest critic, & at times ... push them the hardest.

Why do we do that?

Why are we the worst critics, of the ones we love most?

I guess its because we want only the best for them, nothing less! I am far more guilty of that, than most people would like to admit. I know I have to be strong ... & let them make their own mistakes, some-times. I know that its better to be loving & supportive than be destructive verbally but most times, its hard for me.

"Hold thy tongue ... & let love show you the way."

HERE WE GO AGAIN ...

Dear loved ones,

It's a public holiday today (we get to drive) but we were at home the entire day, rotting away (we usually don't). Ermm .... what was wrong?? Well, my poor baby, Ryan is down with high fever (once again!) since Wednesday & hasn't recovered yet. He's (so) frequently falling sick these days ... that my heart skips-many-a-beat (not in the good-excited way, ok!) whenever he has a slight temperature!

Dear God, please make my baby better ... he's had a tough couple of months recently & just when he's over the bend ... he falls sick again. Poor thing! I'm sometimes so tired & drained but I am very relieved that Hubby is around to help me these couple of months. As much as I grumble (& nag), I'm very glad & extremely grateful to have his love, support & helping hands, during these tough times.

Why you might wonder am I on the blog yakking away, all of a sudden? Errm ... Hubby finally starts on his 2nd job today. Whilst his 1st job is more on an adhoc basis & doesn't bring money in all the time, Hubby had to take on a 2nd job that feeds the family, regularly. Unfortunately, the 2nd job entails long hours & regular night shifts. There are times that I wonder ... whether we did the right thing? .... Hubby left his old job for so many reasons. Our current situation might never make us millionaires, heck it might not even make his old pay but all I can say is that - there's no turning back now!

Whatever may come,
Whatever will be ...
We will face it together, as a family.

We will stay strong,
We will be resilient,
We will stand united,
We will defy the naysayers,
We will make it ... no matter what!
Heck! There's no other damn way ....!

Its sometimes hard to stay positive. Its sometimes hard to be super-duper optimistic ... but we have to try the best that we can. We have chosen this path for our family & we will be moving forward, not backwards, damn it! Deep in my heart, I really do believe that we made the right decision ... but there are times, when even the strongest supporter (muah!) has lingering-doubts of her own.

I may not know a lot of things ... but the one thing that I am sure of is this - Ryan just loves having his Daddy around the home, all day long! During the pass six months or so, these 2 guys have built a bond so strong that recently Ryan sprouted this priceless gem :

Ryan : Daddy, go where?

Me : Daddy, go work, darling.

(I sometimes tell Ryan that his Daddy is working, when he's out of the home like attending courses or running some errands for the day. I know its 'cruel' but its just easier that way. When his Daddy's home, he will ... never fail, to ask again).

Ryan : Daddy, go where?

Hubby : Daddy, go work.

Ryan : No! Daddy dun go work, (sometimes he will also say : Mummy, dun go work, too ... haha!)

Hubby : Daddy, have to go to work darling.

Ryan : Daddy, dun go work. Daddy, stay at home. I go work!

(Oh! how I wish that was true! Especially ... when you are much older & get to read this blog entry, I will hold you to your word, my little angel)!

If you ask Hubby whether leaving his job was worth it, just to hear those precious words from his only son, he'll probably give you a resounding Y-E-S! The 2 boys have forged a relationship so strong that its so endearing & heartfelt, its such a fulfillment that brings so much joy, in Hubby's eyes. That alone ... makes everything worth it!

Your kid is only 3 (years old) once, for when that (certain) age passed ... you will never, ever get it back! Spending precious time with his son, has made it all worthwhile. We may never have riches, we may never be rich, heck ... we may never have a lot of money ... but the one thing that we have is a close-knitted family that is full of love & devotion. Nothing can buy that!

If it means that we have to eat home-cooked meals everyday, shop less, buy less, own less ... then so be it! At least, we have each other. Coz if we were to die tomorrow, we will have died with less regrets, coz we spent those precious & priceless moments with our son. He will always know that we love him so much & everything that we do is for him, alone. He will never have to question our love for him, he will always know that we will do everything within our power to give him a wonderful, stable & loving environment. He will always be loved & he will always know that we love him. That will never ever change!

I will try to blog more frequently & upload some photos real soon, to get everyone up to speed ... on all the on-goings these pass couple of months. Till then .... stay strong everyone!

Always, Lynn.

RYAN ... LOOKING COOL

Here's a recent pic of Ryan trying to act cool. He's wearing his latest acquisition ... a rather cool pair of black shades from Daiso, no less. Yep! you can still look as cool as a cucumber ... for a measly 2 bucks, haha!

A MOVIE PASS GIFT

My lovable niece, Ayra had her birthday earlier in the month (have lots of pics from the birthday party but will post later). Yep, she turned a grand old age of seven ... hehe! As per our usual family tradition, we let the kids give gifts for whoever's birthday it is, in our big family & its no different this time. Instead of buying another "oh-so-lame" gift for Miss Ayra, I thought it would be a swell idea to give her a movie pass instead, as a gift from her cousin, Ryan (besides what do you buy a girl, who has everything? Oh BTW, we also gave her 2 pink OP T-shirts). We offered to bring her to a movie of her choice & of course we will join her during the show. My dad decided to join us too. So the five of us had a movie date on Thursday.

Luckily, Hubby had the idea of buying the movie tickets the night before coz when we arrived on Thursday, an hour or so before the movie ... it was jammed packed! I guess since we don't really go to the movies these days, I was slightly overwhelmed by the school-holidays crowd. I guess as my kid is pretty young, I wasn't used to the idea of bringing my kid out during the school holidays. With Ryan, we have the luxury to bring him out almost anytime & because playgroup is just two hours a day, we still had plenty of room to maneuver our routine.

What did we end up watching? Errm .... "Alice in Wonderland". Well, I can tell you that ... it wouldn't have been my 1st choice ... Hubby tried to recommend (rather unsuccessfully) "The Green Zone" (which my Dad supported too) but I was thinking of "How To Train Your Dragon" ... but we had to respect the birthday girl's choice - Wonderland, it is! We chose the two adjoined couple (or lover's) seats in the back row, as I presume that the kids would want to huddle together. Errm ... they did, only for the first ten minutes of the show. By then my kid, wanted to squeeze with us ... oh well, more room for my niece & my dad, I guess.

Ryan did surprisingly well this time .... w-e-l-l, for a three year old. He did not grab onto me like a frightened koala bear (unlike the first 2 movies we went to). He didn't keep pestering me to "go outside" or saying that its dark or "scary", infact other that wanting to change positions - sitting on me, sitting on Hubby, sitting in between us, etc. he did pretty ok. He did not talk very loudly, nor did he kick or shout, neither were there temper tantrums or arguments with his cousin. The 2 kids did disagree on the small white blanket that I brought along (just in case it got cold) which it did - they were both pulling at the blanket & no one wanted to give in. In the end, I removed Ryan & let Ayra have the blankie. I didn't want any meltdowns during the movie. I gave Ryan the Thomas the train jacket (a hand-me-down from my friend, Lisa) to cover his bare feet (yep, he insisted on removing his sandals earlier).

As per my kid's usual antics, he brushed the jacket away, soon after & didn't missed covering his feet at all. Sigh ... sometimes I wonder why he gets into petty disagreements with Ayra ... is it coz he only wants things done H-I-S way? Sometimes I feel he's just being a normal (well adjusted but mischievous) kid. Sometimes I think he's just being bratty & refuse to share. Sometimes I think he's just testing my very-limited patience. Sometimes I think he's just being himself. Sometimes I think ... I should just let it go ... & let Ryan be a kid & figure things out for himself. Yes, my kid has major "ownership issues" - in other words ... Ryan can be a tad stingy, ok ok ... he can be bl**dy stingy (most of the times). It can be rather embarrassing & sometimes it makes me want to hide my face but I do try (very hard) to teach my kid that he has to share & be more accommodating, especially to loved ones, family & friends. I am sad to report that Ryan can be ultra possessive with his stuff & very rarely likes to share anything. Is it a single child syndrome? Is it my fault? Is it just his nature? Sigh ... I'm still working on it. I hope everyone around him ... can understand that Ryan means no malice or ill-will, its just who he is right now ... but I hope to change that in the near future.

Overall. the movie was a success. I guess its in Ryan's blood to enjoy movies (eventually) as both his parents are real movie freaks. What was surprising was that the popcorn and drinks ended up being more expensive than the ticket price! A single movie ticket on a weekday, paid by Nets was $6.00/per person. The popcorn combo of a large popcorn & two drinks were $7.80 (I had to add 30 cents to change one of the drinks to an Ice Lemon Tea). I tried to get a cheaper alternative of just the popcorn but the guy at the counter told me that a large popcorn would cost me $7.00 & adding 80 cents will get me 2 medium drinks. I think that its a no-brainer, I took the combo. Hubby was upset with me for spending so much on the popcorn combo ... duh! I told him "I did the best I could" ... to be thrifty but sometimes its just not possible! Luckily the tickets were relatively cheap so it kinda offset the "luxury" of the popcorn. Ironically, everyone enjoyed the popcorn ... including the thrifty Hubby. Oh well you win some, you lose some!

I hope my sweet Ayra enjoyed herself!

S IT NEW YEAR'S EVE ... ALREADY?

Oh my God! Where did 2009 go? Has it been a year already? It really went by lightning fast! I can recall nearly a year ago, (when) we just celebrated Ryan's 2nd birthday ... & soon we will be celebrating his 3rd! Oh my gosh! I can't believe that my boy is turning three (very) soon. Ok, so he's still small-sized ... but he's been making great steps forward (more on his developments in an another entry).
As I look back on 2009, I feel rather tired ... & a tinge of sadness. It has been a very trying year for me (& my family) but I know I have a whole lot to be thankful for. Eventhough life has been pretty damn tough for us this year, we are still together, alive & kicking! We made it through (barely) ... but I am glad we are still here, stronger than ever! Although 2010, is expected to be (yet) another tough year for us, with Hubby changing jobs & money being tight ... I pray, that we will make it through. I hope God is looking out for us ... protecting us. I hope He senses our (urgent) needs & I hope He will shower us with His Grace & Blessings. I pray for my family's happiness & health, I pray for enough funds to feed, clothe, & shelter us. I pray for a better life ahead ...
I realised although December is nearly over, I still have a lot of back-log to clear & even more pictures to upload. I haven't even blogged about my birthday nor our short trip to KL. I am quite bogged down with stuff these days. With what ... you might ask? Errm, with stuff ... haha!

With hubby at home these past few weeks (he's clearing his annual leave), I have been busy feeding both him & my boy. I tell you ... cooking & cleaning up, 3 times a day (plus the usual mundane daily chores) .... is no joke! Just when you finish one meal, you have to start preparing the next meal. Of course, you also have to figure out the next day's menu. Also the grocery shopping that goes with all the cooking ... errm, hey its no fun at all! I wonder how some people do it?! I really thought it would be a total breeze for me (as I have definitely been cooking more these days) to prepare & cook everyday but I have to admit .... its been damn tiring! Not to mention the endless menu that I have to think up ... so that the family won't get bored eating the same old thing everyday. Trying to think up the various ways to make (boring) chicken wings extremely delicious is extremely ... taxing, to say the least! Trying to keep things simple (easy) & under budget is also a given, knowing that we have to tighten our belts pretty soon.
Arrgh! I pray that God will keep me sane, during these trying times ....


If I don't get the chance to meet everyone ... just wanted to wish ... one & all - Happy New Year! May 2010 bring better times ahead - lots of luck, love & health. Stay safe & treasure your loved ones!

A POSE LIKE NO OTHER

Just wanted to get this photo up. Its so DAMN cute! ... I think it deserves a page of its own. Haha! My Ryan comes up with the weirdest of poses, this is only but one of many, he has created thus far.

Is this kid made for better things ... or what? With a personality like that, only the stars are impossible, ya?

MY SON IS TURNING 3 ... NEXT MONTH!

Yes, in about a month's time, my little boy will be turning 3! Wow! How time flies! It was not long ago that I gave birth to that tiny bundle. Okay, so he was cut from my stomach ... but who wants to argue with me, on that!

Ryan, being Ryan ... was an unexpected Gift from God, as he was definitely unplanned. We waited for a child for the longest time ... so we definitely, did not see him coming. He came in our 9th year of marriage ... a long time for most married couples. Eventhough he was conceived naturally, Ryan did not want to come into this world without some "excitement" & fanfare - he was a "drama" prince, even when he was born. Not only did he gave me an emergency C-sect ... (no, no not blaming him ... just stating a fact ya!), he "wanted" to stay in hospital, for the next 11 days of his new life. Not being able to bring my baby back home with me (from my hospital stay) ... was one of the saddest thing in my life, then (guess I was having some post-natal blues). Most Mummies get to bring their baby home with them, when they leave ... nope, I wasn't one of them.

Today, almost 35 months have passed (that's nearly three years) ... yep, just one more month to go, before Ryan reaches a monumental, 3 years of age. As I look forward to having a mini celebration for Ryan (with my extended family), I am both happy & full of emotions ... when I look back on three years worth of memories ... all in photographs. When I look at them pictures, I am filled with much happiness ... for I am really thrilled that I managed to get a lot of Ryan's early growing up years, in print. I never regretted being the trigger-happy Mama coz how else am I gonna get gems of my little boy growing up.

Looking at the many photos, I can also see how both me & Hubby have grown to be parents, when for many years we had gotten used to just the two of us. Changing our lives & growing into better people (I hope), Ryan's birth & presence has turned us into better human beings. We are still learning, we are still trying, we are still experimenting ... & yet we have learnt so much & there is still much to learn!

I knew Hubby would make a wonderful Father ... & I was right! From the first day that his son was born, Steven has been a very hands-on Daddy. Sometimes he seems to revel in doing the most mundane thing for his boy. He enjoys changing his son (yep, he does poopy diapers too), giving Ryan a shower, washing the car (with sonny boy in tow) ... or even simple things like bringing his boy for a round-about trip on a bus ... just because! (Ryan just loves bus rides). I can see that he loves his son too .... very very much. I think we always tend to forget the Daddies in the rearing of the children. A lot of fathers think that being a good father is bringing home the (big) bacon. Nope, I beg to differ! Being a good father is spending precious quality time with your child ..... doing the most mundane thing. I can see that Hubby is becoming a better father each day. It touches my heart ... always!

Ryan has given me so much to be thankful for ... because of him, I was able to become a Mother. Although, we would have loved to have a second child with us, I guess God knew what's best for us, as a family. There are times that I wished for a playmate & sibling for my boy but there are times that I feel that we shouldn't tempt Fate. God has blessed us with one healthy child ... we are eternally grateful & blessed.

Mummy & Papa, love you Ryan! Hope you will enjoy your small birthday party next month. Eventhough we can't throw you a huge celebration, we hope you will have fond memories of your 3rd birthday when you are older. *Kiss Kiss!*

I wanted to put up some pics of Ryan on the monumental years of his life. Here it goes ...

His newborn photo (still in the hospital). See the sharp nose & rose-bud red lips. Well, the sharpness is gone (I guess courtesy of Mummmy's genes & flat nose, arrgh! should have had Daddy's sharper nose). His lips are still pink but no longer red ... oh well! He's still as cute as a button!

On the morning that he turned 1! So cute rite?! Ryan is one of the happiest child I have ever met. He's always happy & smiling.

Looking cute!

On the day that he turned 2! I took him for a train ride to the mall. He loved it!

Having his favourite Egg Prata. Yummy! See how Ryan's grown ... now he can feed himself, no need for Mummy to help (ya, rite ... as if! Mummy still feeds him ok!)

Oh Barney! How I love thee!

Oooooh! Mummy let me sit on a super big bike. Sweeeeet! It must be because its my birthday!

(These following pics were also taken in 2009). Another of his favourite bike ride. Acting cheeky, as usual.

Giving me one of my model-like pose (acting cool & not smiling), I seem to get a few of these poses lately ....

(This was taken in late November 09, whilst kite-flying). See how my boy has grown ... he plays with his own kite now (with a LOT of help from Daddy, no less).

When I look at these photos, I can't help but feel ... how my boy has grown over the years. From a helpless little thing, all wrapped up in a blanket ... to a gregarious toddler that has boundless energy. And although Ryan drives me up the wall, sometimes ... with his many antics, its his "nonsense" that makes me love him even more. There's no one like my Ryan & though he tests my patience (many times in a day), although he "grates" on my nerves, although he makes me angry (a lot of times) ... I love him, more than anything in the world.

I finally know what a Mother's love feel like. I am a Mummy now ... & although I have a lot to learn, I am trying to learn from my mistakes ... every single day. Although I am not the best Mummy, I will always, always, always ... do my best for Ryan. I love him ... more & more each day. He gives me so much joy & happiness, I have a lot to be thankful for. Even if I die tomorrow, I would die contented ... for I've finally known (& felt) a child's love for his Mother. And although I would miss Ryan (oh so much) if I die ... I feel blessed to have given birth to him & having had the time to be his Mum. Does that make sense to you? Haha .... I'm being nonsensical, I guess!

A VERY FUN SWIM!

P. S : I did a short write-up here, the other time. So here's the long version of it, hehe! This post is very long & full of cute pics (taken in mid Oct 09). You've been warned, people!

Ryan loves to swim. Ok, he doesn't so much swims, but he waddles happily in the baby pool & he splashes water all around. Yep, that's Ryan's version of swimming. He's beginning to enjoy it more these days so we try to indulge him ... sometimes. He still hates water being splashed on his head or face but that's a small "issue" to him. If being slightly wet means, he gets to splash around like a fish-wannabe & he gets to have fun with his playmates around the pool, he very well takes it like a "small" man ... haha!

I had to repeat the two cute pics in the short post, as they were too cute, not to! Ain't these 2, cuties? Ok, I'm biased coz I am related to them ... but they are really very cute, ya?

My two little cuties, getting ready to jump into the pool.

All together now .... aawwww!!!

Ayra has her 1st (head) dip in the pool.

Look at my wonder girl, jumping with joy! I'm surprised that I got such an "active" shot, in mid-air no less. It's either I'm getting better at getting candid photos or I'm just fast with my fingers, haha!

A splashing good time!

Ryan no like being splashed ... but that doesn't stop his cousin from doing it, haha!

I want to go there, Papa!

More splashes, for little Ryan.

I splash too ... but no one gets wet. I wonder why?

He looks kinda cute here.

Hubby, contemplating about life ... whilst his boy stands around.

What a happy girl, she is! Ayra is always so full of life, I'm very thankful that she's a big part of our lives! What will we ever do, without her ....?

Dunno what the kids were doing but they both had the same hand movements ... haha!

I'm over here Kakak ... come & catch me!

Hubby, repositioning his boy's new goggles, which we bought not because Ryan puts his head underwater (nope, he'll never do that). Its coz I got the idea that since Ryan hates water in his eyes, a pair of goggle would help greatly. Yep! it did! He was as happy as peaches. As expected, at first he felt weird using it but later on he kept saying he wanted to wear his "specks" ... haha!

Ayra trying to hide behind tiny Ryan ... errm, its not working, my dear.

Look at my hand Papa.

Wait here Papa, while I go & check things out.

Ryan looking into the water ... whilst (in the corner) Hubby's legs enjoy a short tan.

Hey! I can see my hand.

My little pinky model, strikes a rather "sexy" pose.

More adjustments, as Ryan tends to get water in his goggles.

Here's Ayra asking me to snap pics of her, bobbing her head in & out of the water.

Ayra : Ryan, here's my lovely armpit ... you wanna show me yours too?

Ryan : Errm ... no thanks, Kakak.

Ayra striking another mode-ly pose. She comes up with the cutest of poses, it makes me wonder if she's made for the runway ... haha!

Look at me! I'm doing the wet hair look. Hey ... where's Ryan? You think he wants to join me too?

Ryan : Arrrgggghhhh! I'm the sea monster!

Ayra : Aiyah! You don't scare me, little one!

Come on everyone ... wave your legs in the air!

Some splashes!

Hubby chuckling at his son.

Another cute pic!

Ayra doing her peace sign on Ryan. Haha ... my boy no like!

OK, its time to rest a while.

Trying to look super cool ... (Notice the by-now wet, bulging diapers in his swim suit ... haha!)

Hubby must have ... just been splashed by Ayra & Ryan ... haha!

Look at my girl ... looking dainty, for the camera!

Errmmm .... where did everyone go???

Another sweet pose from my niece. She was the digicam's best model that day ... hehe!

Ayra : This is how you swim, Ryan.

Ayra : I need a short break!

Ryan : Ok lah! Hey ... whose board is this? Can I borrow it?

On the left, a young boy joins us ... for a splashing good time.

After a good splash, Hubby had to clean his glasses.

As Hubby adjusts Ryan's goggles, yet again ... our young friend strikes a conversation with the pretty Miss, in pink.

Ayra : Are you still taking our photos?

Errm ... is this the pangs of puppy love, we see? Two youngsters ... just sitting around ... acting rather shy ...

Our young friend ... looks rather adoringly at Ms Ayra (if I must say so).

Ryan, seems to be the "in-between-third-party" ... as the two youngins sat around.

Just having a small chat ... not that Ryan understands any of it.

Ayra : Let me catch you! (Side note : Ayra was always trying to hug & give Ryan kisses when her new friend tried to chat her up ... dunno why? Maybe she was feeling very conscious & felt weird ... that another boy was paying attention to her, someone that's not her cousins or her own set of friends, maybe).

See our young friend ... always (stealing) glances at my sweet niece? Aahh! Is this admiration ... or just an innocent look?

Ryan, having a splashing good time ... sitting on his Daddy!

More wild splashes!

Ayra ... going for a short swim. (She's not really swimming though ... her feet's touching the floor. And I thought she was really swimming ... haha!)

Doesn't my boy look contented, having his Papa as a cushion ... as he splashes merrily away!

Hey! Where did Papa go?

A last chat up, before we go.

After a quick clean up & shower, Ryan insisted on stopping by the small, deserted playground. Oh well, why not?

As my two kiddies swing away, the little boy on the other swing looks on wearily ... haha! We had to "spoil" his peace, as we joined in on the playground.

Now its Kakak's turn to swing!

All tired now ... waiting for the feeder service to arrive.

What a fun day!!!

I had to mention 2 things about this day though. First, about the young friend we made in the pool. I think it was quite obvious (to me anyway) that he kinda "liked" my niece. Must have found my adorable niece quite an attractive beauty (because she is!). I guess its been a long time since I've seen (openly) such innocent puppy "love" or crush. He was just trying to chat her up & it was all rather innocent. I don't think he even knew its a simple "crush". I guess even at a young age, its inevitable that you feel a liking or admiration for the opposite sex. I guess its all sweet & innocent ... just to see. I don't remember liking anyone when I was soo young but its pretty amusing to see innocent & sweet admiration from a person that holds no hidden agenda or motive. I even overheard him asking Ayra (among other things) ... "Do you come here every Saturday?" Awww .... if that's not puppy love ... than at least its just an invitation to be ... just friends, I guess. Well, for his info. no .... we don't come here every Saturday, just that Saturday ... hehe!

The other thing was .... how late we got home that night! We took the feeder service to IMM (for a simple dinner) coz we parked our car (on a per entry basis) & decided to leave the vehicle there. Since trying to find a parking space in IMM during makan time, was extremely irritating ... we thought it would be wise to leave our car at the club & take the feeder bus instead. NOT! The stupid feeder bus was supposed to make pick-ups at the same drop-off point, every roundabout but as we waited & waited & waited ... for more than 1 & a half stinking hour, I can tell you that the bus did not come! So there we were at 8 + at night, two adults & two kids, all tired & ready to go home ... waiting like stupid goons! Meanwhile other bus passengers (at the public bus stop) came & went .... I was getting really pissed off at having to stand for more than an hour, when I pestered Hubby to just take a cab or something. Finally, Hubby could tell that I was nearing boiling point & the kids were dead tired .... so he walked all the way to the club. Why am I not surprised, when Hubby finally arrived, he said that the feeder bus was parked leisurely at the bay of the club. Arrggh! I was beyond pissed! We wasted close to 2 bl**dy hours of our time, for nothing! Ok, blame us for believing people can be reliable & keep to the (feeder) schedule. Trust us to be so trusting & gullible! - there's no next time, I tell you! By the time we sent Ayra home & reached our own place, Ryan & his parents were damn exhausted!

It was a really fun day! Too bad it had to end on a rather sour note! But if you asked the kids ... it was a damn good day! Oh well! Lesson learnt .... never depend on a fedeer service. Just walk if you have to, ya!