This year is so fun, so much play on words - 牛 year, ox-picious, pr-ox-perous year, bull bull 高升!
We started the dressing up early this year as Yu's school cele happened on Monday instead of Thursday. He kept reminding me over the weekend to get grapes for him to bring to school for the cele. I also dug out costumes from AhMa a few years back. I realised Kai had never worn it - his set didn't look like it had been ironed by helper; AhMa's ironing is that much better hoho!
Happy boy in matching clothes and shoes
Kai and Yang wore theirs on Thursday - Kai couldn't fit into the red pants; Yang was wearing Kai's pants :p
I was wearing a polo tee with cats on them - eat the rat and bring in the ox? Hoho!
No picture of myself that day so show my bah kwa and cheese sandwich for breakfast instead
I was on a call at work when Yang's teacher called me - no sign of helper at early dismissal! Turned out there was a huge jam at Tanglin CC. She ended up 30 min late. And coz the kids were saying they knew the way home, the poor teacher stayed with them until helper arrived! I wrote a note to thank her that afternoon...
Picked up Yu later than expected due to work. But he was happy to go home earlier than usual so all's well! I sat them down for a quick lesson on LNY before tea break - I decided that this year, they should all hold oranges to 拜年 instead of just collecting red packets!
Sito went straight from work to Mum's place. I waited for the kids to pick up their toys before leaving. Kind of just in time for dinner!
Lohei with abalone - kids flipped the salad with chopsticks but they ate only the crunchies
Tucked into the meatballs first!
The full reunion dinner spread - I had so many prawns! (That's Yang's hand :p)
Kids had their own table
Ice cream for dessert!
Yang through the orange....
Sito and I were pretty tired but the kids were not! We promised them that they could sleep at any time they wished on LNY eve so they really stayed up... We watched Kungfu Panda which they liked and then Kungfu Monster which was kind of nice coz of the cute monster. Also snacked quite a bit!
Yu surprised us by munching on sunflower seed!
Yu earlier: 瓜子 is for hamsters! My teacher told me...
Mama: We can also eat 瓜子
Mama after above picture: So is 瓜子 just for hamsters?
Yu: No... *munch munch*
Wefie with the two sitting next to/on me
Papa had to do some work...
Kai went down but refused to move to his bed; then Yu also went down
I carried Yu back to his bed and then held Yang in my arms - he quite quickly fell asleep! Then Sito carried Kai back. This is probably the last year he could be carried back to his bed... So heavy!
Sito and I also knocked out after that... Long weekend ahead!
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the kids woke real early just past 6 am *.* I lazed in as much as I could before I had to get to them.... When they were ready, they took turns to give me oranges and collect their red packets. Forgot to get them to do the same for Sito coz they were watching TV when Sito was out of the shower and after that, we were gone!
Trying to take a selfie when big boy came in to hug me :)
We're very colourful this year!
And check out the decor behind us! I was gathering them to make lanterns the last weekend. I only knew how to make the big lantern behind Yang. But Kai taught us how to make small ones which are cuter. We made six to hang up :) Yang made a little book which is stuck on the TB just above Sito's shoulder. Yu made a wand (?!) that is below the big lantern - not too clear from picture though.
First and only stop for LNY Day 1: AhMa 家 - must play a bit before going up
Preparing what to say while in the lift :p
Gigantic cup of bubble tea!
I was surprised that the bubble tea shop was opened though maybe I shouldn't be coz I saw boxes of cups when I passed by Koi when bringing Yu home the day before. Sito also found many places open by LNY Day 2. Quite unlike our childhood and even early adulthood when many shops would be closed. The shops which are open are not just those run by or targeting non-Chinese. We put this down to a few reasons:
1. Many more foreigners in Singapore to run the shops
2. COVID - need the business plus many foreigners stuck in Singapore
3. Sadly, erosion of traditions - less visiting, more business...
Due to a miscomm that we would be there from lunch instead of for lunch, we ended up staying for dinner. I can't remember what the kids did but Sito and I took naps. Too tired!! I tried to read up on various stuff but gosh, so hard without my glasses...
Also did such bo liao things :p
Yang loved bah kwa!
This year, Mum brought out the table they had reunion dinner on - for snacks! Gosh, how the boys loved it! I just let them eat freely. Happens once a year!
Wanted to collapse but there was Kungfu Panda 2 so they stayed up until 9 pm
Discovering their red packets on Day 2 morning after a breakfast of bah kwa sandwich :p
Us :)
My hub and babes in the same shirt!
First stop: Mother's place where Yu had lots of "hypnotising candy" haha!!!
"Which hypnotising candy should I have?"
And Yang had so many packets of 旺旺!
This one too - I had to stop Mother from refilling the box!
Yu didn't want to go into his car seat so Sito took him to our second and final stop of the day by train. Mother joined us in the car instead and became my GPS in Hokkien coz she couldn't say left and right correctly in Mandarin, hoho!
He struck up his fingers as I took the picture - good poser!
He helped himself while the last dish was in the oven...
The full spread - a mix of familiar and new dishes
Only six adults this time due to COVID restrictions
Kai came over to ask maths questions
We kept the kids busy when the adults ate quickly :p
This year, we didn't bring helper out at all coz no space in this car for a sixth person. But it turned out fine coz the kids are all older this year. I'm very happy :)
拜年 was after lunch as AhYee was cooking when we got there
Yu is very good with LNY greetings! Think he learnt in school. Yang did well too and I find it cute when he hummed LNY songs at home :) Kai needed practising... When we took a turn to the old preschool on our way to reunion dinner, I told them how their Chinese suffered there due to the profile of the children there. Kai said he is a Chinese boy so he didn't like that school - what a change from his "I'm an English boy!"
Sito brought them to the playground shortly after lunch. Yu had been wanting to go to AhYee's place the whole year coz he remembered (a) plenty of snacks, and (b) the playground. They had a great time! I had a great time chatting with AhYee and Mother too.
Dozed off just before we got back
But he woke to watch his brothers play Nintendo :p Sito and I left them there while we took a much needed nap. We woke just before dinner time, refreshed!
Dinner was Macs, yeah! Everyone was happy. Kai even said I kept my promise of giving him burger. Thank goodness I didn't tell him it was supposed to be Day 1 coz he was super unhappy that he couldn't play Nintendo on Day 1 when I told him he could *.*
Sunday, we were back to regular programming which happened to be Mum's place. The kids watched Kungfu Panda again :p
Monday has been fun so far! It's a school holiday for Kai and Yang so I took leave. I had wanted to go up Bukit Timah Summit but coz Yu wanted to skip school (!) and join us, I decided on somewhere nearer and flatter...
But first, breakfast! I order toast for Yang and milo for them before getting four kosong and one egg pratas. Kai and Yu devoured three kosong pratas with curry while Yang had a bit of my kosong, kosong. Then Kai and Yu wanted more so I got two more kosong. Uncle pointed to them when I took my food, "Your kids?" Yup!
But ended up, Yu didn't take more and Kai had only half a prata. Guess who had the rest *.*
Prata is serious
So is toast
Somehow, Yu knocked over half a cup of milo. I wanted to bring them home instead of going to the park, which was within walking distance of the hawker centre. But Yu decided he could deal with wet pants. So off we went in search of the park!
Found it!
Yang happened to have a bit of nosebleeding at that point. Maybe it's all the heaty food coz Kai had some too on Wednesday.
We found the playground very quickly!
And we were the only ones there! Yang said he wished more children were there... I think after a few trips to the "hurt my knee" playground near our place, they met some kids and had fun playing with them.
Yu fell off a short ladder on his first attempt up. Probably slipped due to the sand. Poor boy... I had to support him the next few times before he finally dared to go up on his own.
The two older kids went up this climbing frame and posed for me :)
The sand here is quite clean - they had fun playing with sand even without any tools
The poses on this thing are super cool!
My champions!
Just nice for three :)
They said they had fun :)
We then went to the fitness corner for a short while before leaving the park. Leaving the park took us some time as I decided to walk along the park instead of walking through the housing estate. We emerged on the opposite side of the hawker centre, near the exit from BKE, just a few steps from the bus stop.
We didn't go home immediately though. Went to top up Kai's ezlink card and got a hot fudge sundae to share before going back. All of us had a shower to rid ourselves of sand and grime! Then they went to play Nintendo while I spent an hour at my laptop - was clearing some work on whatsapp at the playground as well, sian...
Coz we had so much food, I didn't bother with lunch :p Placed a plate of bah kwa pieces in front of them, and Yang and Yu finished them off! Kai only had something to eat during tea time but he didn't realise he didn't have lunch until I told him. Not hungry!
The neighbours were playing LNY music, live. So nice but they just stopped. Kind of marks the end of the long LNY weekend?
