So we went to the zoo for the N-th time

This has got to be one of the most peculiar child-caring arrangment with the Son. To cut the long story short, we were 'conned' to go to the Zoo - ON OUR OWN - Just the two of us.

But seeing how enthusiastic the son was, I managed to convince every skin cell in my body that the sweltering heat will be worth it. (Mental note: Have to double up the skincare dosage when I go back!)

Jayden is determined to cover every nook and corner of the zoo. He made sure we visited all the animals that he could recognize on the map.

So being a happy kid that day also meant photo perfect for me. *snap snap snap*

To be honest, this is Jayden's first official time in the waterplay. For those who have been to the Zoo with him before would know that the most he would do is get his knees wet. Nothing/nobody touches the hair.

So I'm actually glad that, at the age of 4, he had finally overcome his phobia of water splashing over his head and just be a normal kid and have lots of fun! Next, will be to make him sit on the slide.

We started off the day with me cursing under the sun. But by the end of the day, with the son sleeping peacefully in the car after all the fun, it's evident that spending some family time is immeasurable. :)

On a rather random note, here's wishing everyone a Happy Dragon year in 2012 in abundance of health, wealth and happiness!

His first field trip

It was meant to be a solo trip. I wanted to see if the son could handle an excursion on his own. Yep. It was a hard pill to swallow. My boy has grown up. But a mommy suggested that I go for the first time t get to know his friends better as well.

It was really amusing watch the kids mingle together. When we arrived, the kids were pinching their noses and screaming in unison "Ewww...so smelly!" I only had a thought in my head "How to go army like that?" -_-

I had a shock when I first saw his classmates. Are they really 4 years old?! All of them are so tall!

See? Shortest in the class. *gua gua gua*

Theme of the field trip was Cats Discovery. So we went to this amphitheatre that housed the skins of all kinds of cats - Jaguar, Cheetah, Leopard, Tiger, Lion. And my, I couldn't even tell the difference!

At the end of the day, it wasn't an easy task being a parent volunteer. The weather was atrocious, the kids were running all over the place. You had to make sure your own kid doesn't 'assault' anyone. I even witnessed a parent trying to feed his kid snacks along the way and during class on condition that he sat still. In the end, the rest of the kids were distracted and wanted a share of it. How annoying right!

Overall, it was still a good field trip with the son. I'm sure next time, the boy is ready to go out on his own without his Mommy albeit I'm still not sure if I'm ready to let his hand go.

A little bit of something going on...

Not that we had alot of activities going on but blogging seemed to have taken the back seat when the year approaches to the end.

Just last Nov, we went to the zoo *AGAIN*. But this time with Dewi & family. Jayden simply loves animal watching and so we had to make the parental sacrifice.

Jayden has also started to accept Chloe whom he used to refuse saying hello to much less holding hands now!

And after much encouragement from Celeste, I decided to start baking again. I don't recall scoring badly in my Home Economics classes. Or it could be that I needed more practise now.

We woke up pretty early and brought the ingredients, tools and a very hungry stomach to Celeste's place and started baking.

I made a horrible mistake by putting ONE TABLESPOON of pandan paste when the recipe said one TEASPOON. *smack forehead*

And so my pandan chiffon batter looked like incredible hunk.

Celeste was nice to help me mix the ingredients. Noticed the 'surgery' hands in the photos. She didn't want to get her medicure scratched. Hehehe...

Because I halved all the ingredients thinking I could make 2 chiffon cakes instead of 1. It turned out like a donut - a very hard one too.

So for my first try, it was A FLOP. :(

Being very thoughtful (and perhaps have predicted my failure), Celeste prepared a set of ingredients beforehand and we made a coffee chiffon instead. "Must bring home something mah..." she said. And it did taste very yummy. :)

LC, if you're reading this, please don't laugh at me. :p

And we finally, or rather I, got the Xmas tree up at our place. Both father and son agreed to helped me put up the tree. In the end, Jayden only put up the star while Dylan put up one of the ornaments - it does not count ok! Our 3rd Xmas with the son this year. :)

I simply love the time of this year. Everything is so warm and fuzzy - time for celebrations, reminiscing and also getting fat!

The zoo trip

The last time we went to the zoo, we practically under-estimated the timing, thinking we could cover the itinerary in 2 hours.

So after months of queueing for the unbelievable hot-favourite company family zoo pass, it was finally our turn. The slight drizzle in the morning couldn't stop us either. We were DETERMINED to complete our trip. Of course, not without dragging our victims along - Celeste & family.

It started to rain after the polor feeding show, forcing us to take shelter.

The photos of the boys are simply adorable - if only I had the flash turned on!! :( Ziv warmed up to Jayden almost instantly. Jayden was more interested in Ziv's Barney bag.

The wet weather was starting to dampen our morning mood. So Celeste suggested we take the tram ride to look around. It was not a bad choice indeed as the boys still got to watch some of the animals in between stops.

The rain stopped just in time for the Elephant show. So we hopped back into action!

Obviously, Ziv loves the camera and Jayden just want to watch the show

I am glad we made the trip this time. Previously, Jayden could hardly appreciate the animals or feeding shows as he couldn't relate to them. But now, he can tell me the elephant is peeing when he sees one!

The elephant that drank too much

By lunchtime, we could see the boys were pretty worn out. Jayden usually have his afternoon nap after lunch, but we didn't want them to miss the finale - The water-themed park.

So, I bought TT (Thomas the train) balloons for the boys and it perked them up instantly!

Jayden & Ziv with their TT balloons

After 3 animal shows and lots of tram rides, we were finally heading to the long-awaited water-themed park. I nearly muttered some vulgarities when the sky started to turn dark again. How could it start to rain at our last stop?!?

We hurried ourselves to the park and before I could changed Jayden into his wetsuit, Ziv was already splashing happily without giving a hoot on his bloated diaper. *hehehe*

Ahhh...cool water takes away the heat

Jayden wasn't the least impressed with the water park and kept requesting to "Go back home". That was the 1st time our boy was making a decision for himself! We wondered if it was the thermal suit or we forgot to bring his water pail along.

Overall, it was a great excursion trip with the boys. By the end of it, Jayden was holding hands with Ziv, playing catching and literally shouting "Ziv kor kor" to play along. Ahh...I know I know, he needs a playmate. Maybe I should ask Celeste & family out more often. ;)