The last week of the year

It has been a busy week, with holiday breaks in between. I think most people took some time off, just so dapat extra long stretch of unwind time. So did we. Let's recap what happened..

[note : this could be a long post]

25 December
Started the day with a day out with the girls - Caza, Ina, Kay, Een, Niko. Ogy was MIA, thus our target for a whole 7 is still elusive. Had a great lunch at Pavillion's Tony Roma's - big portion!! (note to self : next time share please). Niko ngelat.. dia bagi semua orang dia punya food and thus food dia habes dulu. Lepas Zohor, waited for Hubby n kids to pick me up before we headed for Boe's daughters' birthday. It was great too that I got to meet up with Orang Kampung.. albeit just a few of them.

26 December

Took the day off, although hangin jugak kejap as Hubby still had some meeting to attend in the morning. After friday prayers, went for my long awaited retail theraphy session at OU. haha! Had a good outing at M&S, bought a pretty black dress for A, Hubby bought new shoes and I guess our biggest buy that day was this. Ada orang tu dah target, 15kgs in 6 months time. Go! Go!

Tapi lepas tu, pegi Ikan0 pulak. Boleh? Shop for the girls' clothes at Brands 0utlet. *sigh* it's always so nice to shop for the girls.

27 December

Was a bit of a relaxing day, apart from Amir's wedding and travelling to Puchong for a sleepover.

28 December

Headed for Aquaria after a pancake breakfast. We got there around 11ish, and the queue to enter was already so long. But I have to say, the staff of Aquaria is really professional and courteous. Top class. The kids had fun, Aliah got freaked out by the spiders. Jannah loved all the fishes although she was a bit afraid of the dark ambience. We spent about 2 hours in there. From there we moved to Summit, pasal nak carik PS2 and GBA punya games. Hubby lah ni, he got tired of Aliah wanting to play games on his phone. But susah la skarang ni nak carik PS2 and GBA punya games. Everything is either PSP, Wii or Xbox. Tapi borong jugak some DVDs dah alang2 kat situ. :)

Petang tu bebudak terjun swimming pool. A is a water baby. No problems whatsoever. She can put on her arm bands and terus terjun dalam pool. J however is still afraid of the pool. Cuma the last 10 mins je dia cam OK sket. And no one else can touch her in the pool except for Mommy, alang Papa dia pon kena marah kalau cuba pegang dia. Haha!

Malam tu, went out for a drive to Sunway. Checked out the lights. Cantek. Aliah made us pusing 3x kat situ. Haha. Even Jannah loved it too.

29 December

Everyone was still tired from yesterday's outing that we stayed home. Wanted to go out for lunch but J decided she wanted to catch up on her sleep and proceeded to sleep for 3 half hours stretch! Impressive. Haha. Penat sangat la tu. The evening the girls went for another round of terjun in the pool. This time J was a bit better and even allowed me to dip her in the pool.

30 December

Back to work. (insert sound of discontent here - haha)
That night, we got some good news during the company's dinner. Wohoo.. Alhamdulillah. Tengoklah Aliah, budak pompuan lain sume buat butterfly ke star ke ape ke.. dia naaaak jugak Spiderman. Tsk.

31 December

Another work day, walaupon hakikatnya semua yang keje (ada la 3-4 kerat) pon macam tak keje jugak. Haha. Finally got to watch Chihuahua that night. And suprisingly, the malls wasn't that packed. Hmm...

A new year is up ahead. This year went by so fast I think. And next year is going to be another challenging year. Am grateful for all that I have now, but at the same time I know there's a lot more to strive for.

To all, Selamat Tahun Baru Hijrah and Masehi!

Letting Go

My baby girl slept away from home for the 1st time yesterday. Our trips to Bali doesn't count - this is her first sleep over at TokMi without us, Anik and Jannah. Actually, it's more of us being in the house and her not being there that bothered us.

So yeah, last night on the way home.. her Papa (and me obviously) was already missing her. And when we got home, it was different. Usually she's the one fussing about this and that.

Anyway, before we left Mama's earlier.. when she insisted that she doesn't want to go home with us, I pretended to cry and say I'm going to miss her and all that lah.. She stroked my face and kissed me and said "It's ok Mommy, I'll call you later ok?"
*aawww man, when did she grow up so fast??*

At about 10, true to her word.. she insisted to her TokMi that she has to call me.. so we talked for a while and she told me she's OK and that she was going to sleep with her TokMi.

*sigh*

Her Papa was saying, how are we ever going to let her go? Boarding school? (yes, he was already thinking that far - sib baik dia tak cakap pasal getting married!)

You take good care of your children, only to let them go when they grow up.. hmmm.

Tagged II

Terberkenan pulak nak buat tag si Reyna nih..

Name : Nana
Sisters : none, erm.. 1 lah, if you consider my dad's anak angkat
Brothers : 3, or is it 4 then? hmm.. coz said adik angkat has a brother too
Shoe size : 5
Height : 5'1"
Where do you live : BBBangi

Have you ever been on a plane : yes
Swam in the ocean : yes
Fallen asleep at school : most definitely
Broken someone's heart : i think so
Fell off your chair : i don't think so
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call : eons and eons ago
Saved e-mails : i still have emails from 10 years ago, does this count?
What is your room like : not big enough for my liking, can't fit my walk-in wardrobe.. haha!
What’s right beside you: on the right, my mouse. on the left, my earphones
What is the last thing you ate : M&Ms from yesterday's kenduri

Ever had...
Chicken pox : yes
Sore throat : ada ke orang yang tak pernah sore throat?
Stitches : 2 girls, c-sect - go figure!
Broken nose : no

Do you...
Believe in love at first sight : no

Who was/were...
The last person you danced with : Aliah, doing one of my silly dances
Last made you smile : Jannah, this morning for trying to pry my eyes open to wake me up
You last yelled at : one of the nephews/nieces yesterday for not sharing

Today did you...
Talk to someone you like : obviously, kids and Hubby
Kissed anyone : kids and Hubby again obviously
Get sick : of what? haha..
Talk to an ex : yes
Miss someone : not really

Who do you really hate: hypocrites, lots of them around
Do you like your hand-writing : not anymore!
Are your toe nails painted : no

Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in : heh? what kind of a question is this?
What color shirt are you wearing now : currently wearing my Raya orange kebaya
Are you a friendly person : i highly doubt it

Do you have any pets : used to, cats and rabbits
Do you sleep with the TV on: only if I'm outstation alone in the hotel
What are you doing right now : trying not to fall asleep
Can you handle the truth : most of the time
Are you closer to your mother or father : both, in different ways

Do you eat healthy : haha.. i don't think so
Do you still have pictures of you and your ex : yes, in a box under the staircase

If you're having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to : define bad day.. heh.. most likely i'll sleep it of

Are you loud or quiet most of the time : depends, i used to be quite loud but not anymore i think
Are you confident : generally so

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1.doing 1st year NCUK
2.and then moved to UTP after they decided not to send us overseas
3.failing miserably at having a long distance relationship
4.mending a broken heart
5.on a rebound


5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1.settle all the loans hutang piutang segala
2.find the perfect house
3.get myself a beemer
4.spend and spend on my loved ones
5.give back to society

5 of my bad habits:
1.get riled up easily
2.spending waaayy too much - haha
3.never return missed calls
4.can't stop playing games
5.take for granted things which i know i shouldn't

5 places I've lived/living:
1.Kg Tunku
2.K Terengganu
3.Tronoh
4.Bintulu
5.BBBangi

Tagged

I was tagged eons back by Ogy.. sorry ye mate!

1.3 bad habits
- procrastinate
- moody
- irritated easily

2. 3 dislikes
- hypocrites
- mengada people
- slimy reptiles

3. 3 favourite songs
- Sempurna
- Hey There Delilah
- Hanging by a Moment

4. 3 nicknames given by others…
- Kecik
- Nana
- Ariesha

5. 3 favourite phrases
- Oh Man
- Wowwish
-- obviously these are from the kids

6. 3 words describing the person who tagged you
- sweet
- good listener
- mate

7. 3 things you plan to do after you’re done with this tagging…
- solat
- blog hop
- read up tender specs

39 years

That's how long my parents have been married.

Amazing.

I just hope my marriage will last as long.

By watching them, I know it is all about yin and yang, give and take, forgive and forget, expressing and listening. Easier said than done kan?



note : in J Picoult's book Mercy, it was said that any marriage is never 50-50, it is either 60-40 or 70-30. What do you think?

p/s : The cake is from Mamachak - as usual. Yummylicious choc moist... =)

Alex & Melvin

These pictures are too cute not to be posted.. :)

Aliah's latest quirks :


if she's negotiating about TV watching "kejaaap je, 5 minutes ok?"

when she doesn't get what she wants "hmmph, tak nak kawan."

right now, she's having fun with her cousins watching CicakMan. haha! her Papa is going to faint when he hears about this.


Jannah's latest cute phrases :

she went to my room and said "Mommy, aa yuuu?" (Mommy, where are you?)

when she's picking up a ball or something "Gotit, gotit" (I got it, I got it)

I just realised.. the giraffe is called Melman.. not Melvin! tsk..

Yesterday's Outing

So we did go to the zoo.. and *sigh*. As much as I want to say it was worth the rm15 entrance fee for adults, it wasn't. It would have been more worth it to fork out the extra 11 bucks and go to A.qua.ria. Or traveled all the way down to Melaka and go to their zoo or even to the A.Famosa. They just really need to do something about the zoo. Even the show wasn't *that* entertaining.

I have to start of this post by saying I am officially raising mall rats. Tsk.

Aliah was probably happy about the prospect of both parents not working yesterday, more so than the fact that we were going to the zoo. So yeah, she was quite ecstatic about the elephants and the giraffe, and the deers, and the train ride. Apart from those animals, she just wanted to move along. Heh.

Jannah on the other hand, had her blur-no-mood demeanor on for most of the day. You got a bit of hope at the monkeys area. And that was it. But then, the moment we stepped into the car, wah.. she got so happy and couldn't stop talking all the way.

tsk. I think Anik had more fun there compared to Jannah. Haha! (She even bought a keychain at the gift shop)

We we there for about 3 hours, leaving about 4ish right before it started raining.

Then we, oh scratch that, I decided we should probably make the most of the day and head indoors to a mall. (At least Hubby could go scout around for that exercise machine he wants - alasan je la kan! Haha). And this is why I say my kids are mall rats. As soon as we got to the parking area of MV, Aliah was excited beyond description. Non stop chatter, telling us of the places she wanted to go to and what she wanted to do (her Papa by this point was already rolling his eyes). Even Jannah showed more excitement on her face. Although she did throw up at the parking lot. So that could have been the reason for her better mood.

Since Christmas is around the corner, we got to be jakun over the nice decor they have. Aliah even insist on photos. Oh, sangat posing ok amek gambar skarang.


Had a really nice late lunch early dinner at Rak.Thai. Went to Toys'r'us and let Aliah ogled on all the cool toys she wants (Ultraman, Power Rangers, Thomas, even Ben10 walaupon tak pernah tgk kat TV - can someone please tell me am I raising a girl or a boy?) Hubby did go look for that exercise machine and has set his eyes on one that seemed to be good, even for me. We're probably going again next week to decide.

We left about 9ish, sent Yon home and by the time we reached Bangi the girls were tired and fast asleep.

All in all, I'd say it was a good day.

oh.. we finally saw Jannah's 2 new molars. I think that has been the cause of her moodiness for the past week.
opps.. have to edit that, not 2 molars.. but 4 molars!

In a Hibernate Mode

Decembers are always a slow month.

Everyone wants to finish their annual leave, go away for vacation. And honestly, I've been so out of it lately my brain dah almost jadi bengap. Seriously!

Tsk.

And I've not done a kids update for so long now.

Tsk.

So much for blogging for *that* reason.

Before I forget *again*, I'd better just put up their latest stats now.

Aliah : still at 13.5kgs, and is 1cm short of a meter tall now. (that's 99cm for you slow pokes - haha)
Jannah : also still at 9 ~ 9.5kgs, and has only gained 1cm since the last time (making her 78cm now)


******

So, Eid Adha was a really quiet affair. We went back to Kuantan anticipating Mak Ngah would probably be sad seeing that 3 of her sisters are away for Hajj. And she was extremely happy we made an effort to come back.

It rained for the whole 42 hours we were there. Jannah got really cranky (she was cranky even before that - she had the fever and cold - but got crankier while we were there) because she couldn't go out to see all her favourite animals. Hell I got cranky too being coped up in the house. To make it more interesting, we were left without electricity on Sunday and pagi Raya there was no water. It was raining bagai nak rak, but we didn't have water. How ironic is that?

*******

We're thinking of taking the kids to the zoo tomorrow, either that or Aquaria. But Aquaria is expensive lah. Zoo it is then, unless it rains. Hmm..

Yummeh Food

I was inspired to write this post based on my conversation with Hubby yesterday. We were thinking of all the wonderful food places we go to and we've sum it up to a few..

Nasi Lemak Mak Wanjor - for the delish nasi lemak obviously! Yummy-ier than NLA. Price is reasonable too, problem would be parking coz it is after all in Kg Baru.

Restoren Berjaya - typical Chinese food shop, it soo stands out against the posh Bangsar surrounding. They have lovely wantans and mee curry and nasi padang.

Sushi Zenmai - we HAVE to go here every month for our sushi fix. Haha! Most frequented outlet would be in Gardens coz of the convenience. Makan lepas tu layan movie. Great date combo. ;) Please try the Zenmai Sushi Salad, the dressing is really different.

Kampachi - err.. ni setahun sekali boleh la kot pegi. Of course sangat sedap, juga sangat mahal lah kan.

Wendy's - this is our new fast food love. Although their problem is they don't have that many outlets around yet.

Delicious - the name says it all lah. Each time we go there we try different stuff and we have yet to be dissappointed. My favourite is the 3 cheese bread thing.

Closer to home (in Bangi that is) we have,

Pizza San Fransisco - love their olive gamber and their mushroom bruschetta. and their options of drinks.

Restoran Amir - this one bias lah because my friend - Amir Imran - owns it. We like the breakfast option here. So we'd go after bringing the kids to the park.

Others that make it into the list,

Paddingtons House of Pancake
Chilli's
Rak Thai
Restoran Belanga

Notice how they all are in MV? Well, what to do.. we love going there. Haha!

So, what's your favourite food place?

Yin Yang

Aliah loves Elmo and Mickey, Jannah loves Barney and Tigger & Pooh.
Aliah is a picky eater, Jannah loves food!
Aliah is a lefty, Jannah is a righty.
Aliah whines to Papa, Jannah prefers to do that with Mommy.
Aliah is a creature of structure, Jannah hentam sajalah.
They both have curly wurly hair though.

Jannah is small built, Aliah is big-boned.
Jannah is boisterous, Aliah is dainty.
Jannah has a permanent pout, Aliah is always smiling.
Jannah is a late riser, the later the better. Aliah is an early riser, the earlier the better.
Jannah sleeps late of course, Aliah is out by 9.
They both don't like their daytime nap though.

But Mommy loves you two just the same.

At Times Like This

at times like this, we need to stop and take a closer look at our priorities.

Learning Something New

Got this from ParentCenter.com

Your child is endlessly curious — maybe you'll learn something, too.

Your child is so enthusiastic — maybe some of that energy will rub off on you.

Your child is forgiving — no matter what happens today, you can count on a 3-year-old to start tomorrow with a fresh outlook and ready smile.

Your child sees the world with wonder.

Can't help but feel the true-ness of this. Aliah is all the above and so much more. Yesterday we came home with a Happy Meal MotoMoto and she was sooo extremely happy about it. I was telling Hubby earlier when we were at McDs, if I was her I would probably sulk and pout that we went to McDs without her. But all she did was hug and kiss me and her Papa over and over and over again.

Historical Day

Today will be marked down in history as the day Jannah said (for the first time), the ever elusive word "Mommy".

And she did it perfectly, no "Mimi" or "Mama" but right to the point "Mommy?". A bit like asking if she got it right. Hehehe..

Yaayy for Jannah!

To blog or not to blog

I've no mood to edit the pictures.

I've no mood to write about the trip.

I've no mood to look up BabyCenter.com for Aliah's and Jannah's updates.

*sigh*

how la?

...

and I just noticed that I would normally blog on a Tuesday.. hmm.. why is that?

ok lah, I'll post up the pictures in the FB. so go there and check it out.

Welcome Home

That's what they said to us upon checking in. And in a way, it was true. It was fun and yet relaxing, it was what we needed.

I've got a million and one things to do right now, so a proper post and even picture uploading is just not possible.

I hope I will get to write about the trip.. hahaha! kang dah lama, citer pon jadi basi.

Yippe!!!

Notice the side bar

<<<<< <<

Alamak, budget arrow lari la pulak.







<<<<<<<<

Haa.. that's better. So, we're off.

And this year, I've got not guilt trip. I know they'll be fine. In fact, Aliah is loving the fact that she gets to sleep at TokMi's for a looonggg time.

However, I do know that I will miss these two.. *sigh*

See you when we get back!

p/s : yes, we are going to Bali again. and no, we do not get tired of it even though we've been there twice. and yes, we will go again next year.. insyaAllah. hahaha! over kan.. belom pegi dah plan tahun depan.

Cerita Ceriti

Cerita 1

Pada hujung minggu lalu, saya dengan bangganya telah berjaya memasak untuk menjamu kawan - kawan yang ingin datang beraya. Saya masak roasted chicken, sotong goreng, sambal terong (lagi!) dan sup cendawan. Suami saya pula menyediakan signature dish beliau, lasagna. Kawan baik saya telah membawa macaroni ronggeng. Terima kasih Caza! Penat hokeh nak masak.

Alkisah, tak ramai pon yang datang. Tapi saya tak kisah. Sebab saya puas hati makanan yang saya masak habis licin. Sedap lah kot saya masak tu? Hahaha! Terima kasih kenkawan yang datang. Tahun depan rumah korang pulak ye. Kepada kenkawan yang tak datang, rugi lah korang!

Lalu, hari Ahad menjadi hari malas sedunia.


Cerita 2

Semalam, cadangannya nak keluar berdua-duaan dengan suami tersayang. (ecewah!) Tapi cadangannya lah. Nak buat macamana, dalam perjalanan kereta sulung kami merajuk. Iyelah, sejak dua menjak ni kami asyik membawa adiknya yang debab itu sahaja berjalan. Almaklum, adiknya jimat. Isi RM10 boleh jalan sampai 140km. Banyak tu boleh save!

Berbalik kepada cerita, pening juga kepala memikir. Siapa lah yang nak jadi rescuer nih? Hari pon dah beransur gelap. Akhirnya, ayahbonda jua yang menyahut seruan SOS. Sementara menanti ayahbonda tiba, kami pon berjalan - jalan lah disekitar.

Sempat lah solat Maghrib di masjid. Sesat la juga sebentar nak cari jalan masuk. Itu lah kan, tak pernah nak masuk masjid tu.

Setengah jam kemudian, ayahbonda pon sampai. Sambil - sambil tu memang kena bebel la kan. Dah tau bateri tu nazak, kenapa tak ditukarnya? Jangan pandang saya, bab - bab automotif diluar bidang kuasa saya. Heheh..

Nasib baik ada ayahbonda yang dekat, yang boleh menolong. Dah tua - tua bangka ni pon mengadu hal dekat diorang jugak kan? Haih.. Tapi yang pasti, ayahbonda memang best!


Setelah semuanya selamat, udahnya cadangan dating berubah dari berdua.. kepada berlima. Haa.. macamana boleh jadi lima? Pasal Abang pon join sama. Tengoklah dia buat muka comel tuh. Makan Nasi Lemak Mak Wanjor pon sodap! Hehehe...


















[credit gambar : E66 ku yang baru! heheh.. ]

Mood Gone

I need my mood! As in NEED. Failing to find it would result in not able to finish up the damn tender. Isk.

Kenapa lah time raya jugak yang banyak tender? Last year pon sama.

I miss my kids, and I know they miss me too. *sigh*

Can't wait for the break.. 2 more weeks nana.. just 2 more weeks.

Oh.. just for the sake of it.. attach herewith.. please find our Raya picture taken over the weekend. Jannah was too tired by this time and nothing could wake her up. Tapinya, tak sampai pon 15 minutes after that dah bangun dengan segar bugar nya. Haha!

Post Raya

Penat weh beraya!

Ni tak abes lagi nih.. there are more relatives to visit. And the hordes of open house to go to.

Somehow Jannah bloomed during Raya. And Aliah learned to be more independent.

Let's talk about Aliah first.

Suprisingly she managed to stay up for the house to house Takbir, coming home only at 1am. Way after Mommy has gone to Lala-land. Even her Papa seemed more tired than her. And the next morning she woke up at 6 without a fuss.

She dotes on her cousin Aishah, wants to go wherever Aishah went. Pagi Raya tu when Aishah left for Sg Petani she cried buckets. Konon sedeh gila la "my best friend Aishah is gone". Sheesh! When we went for the Raya rounds, she wanted to ride with her Pak Long coz that's where Aishah was.

And oh how she loves berjalan for Raya. When I tell her we're going for jalan - jalan raya, her question to me would be "Are we going to jalan or in the car?" Haha! She loved the fact that she got to actually jalan (walk) for Raya whilst we were in Kuantan.

Jannah pulak.. well, she's 15 months already! And they say at 15 months they just bloom. And Jannah did! She was still a bit clingy during Raya but sometimes if no one paid too much attention to her, she could just explore on her own.

If told to salam, she'd give a flying kiss first. If you hulur ang pow, she'd take the ang pow first before salam-ing you. And because everyone has been kissing her on her cheeks, she knows too that after salam she'd sua her cheek to you. Haha!

While we were in Kuantan, she was most happiest if we let her roam outside. She'd check out the flowers (foweshh in Jannah-speak), look for the chicken (which she calls birds), see the fishes and points to cats.

And from her milestone chart she can already : play with balls, scribbles (we let her use the doodle), runs, say "shh", combine 2 words like "papa bosh (box)" and "nak up". And she's also achieved her 16 month milestone by switching to only 1 nap a day (sometimes no nap at all!).

Weekend ni beraya lagi. *sigh*

New Toy?

I loike.. :D

Raya Tag

Got this tag from Loly.

Berapa pasang baju raya anda tahun ini dan kaler apakah?
Due to the fact that I like to kumpul kain sampai time raya baru pegi tailor, I have 5 pairs this year. Colours vary from blue to pink (!). I've got matching ones in blue and purple with my daughters. And the family colour theme this year is peachy on my side of the family and purple on Hubby's side of the family.

Apakah makanan raya tradisional kegemaran anda?
My nenek's rendang paru. And my uncle's ketupat palas. Both of which I don't get to enjoy anymore because nenek's passed away in 1998 and my uncle will be in Doha this raya. Although I must say, Mama is attempting rendang paru this year (nyum! even thinking of it makes me hungry) and Kak Eita would be doing some ketupat palas. Yeah!

Apakah biskut raya kegemaran anda?
When we were small, we used to visit my mom's cousin and she baked the most yummylicious brownie-like candy. I've never seen it anywhere else. Note to self : must get the recipe from her. Apart from that, our fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies. Have to say, it takes longer to bake it than to finish it. Haha!

Berapa banyak duit raya anda dapat n spend untuk bagi kepada budak-budak?
Sejak kerja, tak pernah dapat duit raya dah. Haha!

Because I have like 40 cousins on my mom's side and we normally meet all of them during 1st Raya in Kg Baru, you can imagine lah berapa banyak kena set aside. What more now, the cousins my age have gotten married and have kids of their own. That's not even looking at the numbers from Hubby's side.

Apakah aktiviti malam raya korang?
Malam raya in Kg Tunku is never a quiet affair. After iftar, the women will be busy in the kitchen preparing the dishes / kueh to be served to the house-to-house takbir entourage of men and children. Dulu, before they pecahkan into small groups we sometime had to wait up until midnight before they reach our house. Now, it's more organised and plus the perk of Papa being the ketua kumpulan they would normally converge at our house first.

Tsk.. somehow thinking about that makes me sad. Coz starting from next year we will have to start a new tradition for malam raya.

Salam Aidilfitri

Ramadhan is nearing its end. By iftar today, we would have completed 26 days of fasting. By the end of the day, the city would start to be less busy and more quiet. Everyone will be headed back to their respective kampungs. Our office will close for a whole week, thus today is the last day of work. Best kan? Hehe.. Tak tolak AL pulak tu.

We will be in PJ / KL for the Eid. Petang 1st Raya baru gerak balik ke Kuantan. It would be quite significant because this will be the last raya in Kg. Tunku. So much so that all my brothers beraya in KL first this year. Next year, raya would be in Bangi since Mama & Papa have already sold this house. *sigh*

The kids have yet to understand the significance of Eid. Aliah likes the fact that she gets to play bunga api, all the festive cards that we send and receive but that's about it. And I would think she can understand about duit raya. Jannah is still very oblivious to all this.

Anyway, here's wishing everyone a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Maaf Zahir Batin.

Drive safe, have fun and see you again after the raya break.

-nana, herman, aliah & jannah

Aliah Updates..

[edited @ 1235hrs]

She is 3 years, 8 months, 1 week & 3 days old according to the Lilypie today.

She can be a chatterbox if she wants to, but she can still play quietly on her own too.

She dotes on her baby sister and declares that Jannah's not a baby anymore because she can go down the slide by herself. But the other day she contradicted herself when I was scolding Jannah for touching the wire cables. She said to me,"Mommy, that's not very nice. Jannah's a little baby. She cannot talk yet." (meaning J doesn't understand what's right and what's wrong)

The past couple of days we let her play with some sparklers (read : bunga api). So as soon as the day turns to night, she'll get really happy and bouncy as in really go boing-boing. "Is it night time yet Mommy? Can we play with api?" (she can't comprehend where the bunga part comes from, so she just calls it api)

She still loves to draw, play the guitar, watch TV, but most of all she loves playing computer games. And she's quite good at it. She understands the concept, she knows what needs to be done, she's got good motor skills (i.e; hand-eye coordination with the mouse). Most importantly, she's learn to take turns (with me of course.. heheh).

And the other day she suprised me by jumping from a height. I didn't realise at first, but when she insisted I clap my hand for some reason I took notice and figured out it is a big deal for her. She can also throw the ball quite well now. And throw it far, with good aim pulak tu. I honestly thought she would be all dainty and unsportswoman-like but so far she has suprised me.

psstt.. moto sape tuh eh? :D

[edited]
Oh, Uda's comment reminded me of something. She loves cooking. Obviously this one is following right into her Papa's footsteps. She can make her own cheese omelet. Of course, we still have to be around to oversee it but she knows what ingredients she needs and when to put them in. She also boils her own spagetti. And does the spread herself for her bread. Mostly she just loves watching when her Papa cooks.

Most important achievement to date would be the fact that she can write the letter "A" already. Woh. I was suprised. She asked me how it looked like and how to do it, and I just showed her once. And she got it. Mommy was amazed. And somehow she figured out how to do "P" by herself too. Mommy was doubly amazed!

And I think she'll continue to amaze me more...

Marriage 101

On the first day of Ramadhan, we went to the MP.H Ware.house Sale. Apart from the obvious, thrash books (haha!) Hubby bought 2 new cookbooks. And he has been more bersemangat to be in the kitchen ever since. In fact, his first attempt at home made pasta was successful! It was really lembut and the kids loved it! See what I have to go up against here? *sigh* Anyway, that was not the point of this post.

Apart from all those books we also bought this table calendar. It was one of those "365 ways to say I Love You"; one for 1 day of the year. (It was cheap pulak tu - RM10; that was why I bought it in the first place)

This was the entry for 12th September :

When she's upset, go after her.

And aptly, the entry for 13th September was

When he's upset, leave him alone.





Hubby then had 1 very important question..

What happens when both are upset?

Haha!

Betul jugak tu.

Newsflash!

Cik Comey Kiut nih telah berjaya menyebut 1 of the elusive words yesterday. After iftar, she was busy babbling so I thought I'd give it a try and say "Papa". Tetiba dia pon sebut "Pa Pa". Apalagi, semua orang pon excited. Me and Anik and Aliah were all so suprised and excited that she could say it. Lagi la galak dia kan. Hah.. lepas tu.. tak nak berenti..

"Papapapapapappapapapappa"

Sampai lah nak tido pon dia asek trying out that new word.

Out with the Old, In with the New

We stayed home last weekend.

A first for a while now.

And since we were both in the mood, we spring cleaned! Bottom to top. Rearranged stuff.

Whatever stuff that is old and unused we tossed. That didn't sound right. Especially when the next paragraph is talking about clothes. But we did toss out boxes (big and small), them bunga telur and bunga pahar from all those weddings etc etc.

And clothes. Mine, Hubby's and the kids'. Seeing that we have so much more than we can wear. (the fact that I went crazy at Brands Outlet didn't help either). A lot of them are really still in a good condition. Mostly dah kecik. And quite a few I deeply sayang, but rather than watch it left idle I'd rather give it away. Someone will be happy to have it.

Anyway, to keep up with the theme (i.e; in with the new) and because Aliah can really be determined (determined because pagi petang siang malam she will ask about it), we bought this. Its nice, it was reasonably priced and most importantly we needed one. The broken TV is still around, waiting for us to take it for repairs. (anyone knows where I can repair TV in Bangi?) So now dah berkobar nak beli all the nice movies on DVD. Haha!

The ball pool had to go too. Seeing that 4 sides dah bocor and have to be pumped on a daily basis. It was high time to bring out Jannah's best birthday present anyways. Hubby decided to be extra creative and that is what was left from the old ball pool. And as you can see, Aliah lah yang lebih excited over the new car. Hehehe...

On a different note, we will be going on our yearly getaway soon! Wohooo.... Happy Happy Happy!

Aliah's Quirks II

* She talks to her toys now. And herself too. But that also mean she can play by herself.

* It could be my best friend Papa, my best friend Uncle or my best friend Jannah. But never my best friend Mommy.

* She has a certain way of drinking her milk, she'll turn the bottle until the oz marking is facing her. Only then she will start drinking. She's anal that way.

* You also need to have the right bottle with the right cap. Or the same coloured plates and glass and cutlery. She's anal that way too.

* She does not like PHDC that much now, she's moved on to Nick. Much to my dismay! And she watches Ultraman too. Arrghhhh!!

* She insists to have all the same things with Jannah. The other day, we bought her a Do.ra cap. The first thing she ask was "Jannah punya mana?" So now, kalau bawak dia gi kedai.. ada sikit susah. Pasal sume pon kena beli for two. But at least we know she loves her sister and will always think of her. Epitome of Kakakness.

14 month old Baby

[edited 080908; 1130hrs]

Sebenarnya, sangat malas nak buat this monthly update. However, I know that this is the only way I will ever remember when my daughters did what so I have to persevere. Dah la last month dah skip. Tsk..

Comparatively, Jannah's skill sets are much advanced than Aliah was at this age. At this point, I don't know whether to put it as a good thing or a bad thing. Haha! One thing for certain, we have to be extra diligent with her. She still is forever climbing here and there. And has now even graduated to sliding down the slides by herself! Silalah jangan cuba pegang dia, anda akan di halau dan di jerit.

She loves her nursery rhymes and will do the actions accompanying them. Lately she's been joining in on the singing too - the best way she can that is. She would sing the "e-i-e-i-o" on Old MacDonald, she would rhyme the Row Row Your Boat, she'd do the Twinkle Little Star and Itsy Bitsy Spider.

I've noticed that she has this aversion for scary characters from the TV. You know la kan, in cartoons the bad guys are mostly always ugly and scary. So Nickelodeon is mostly out of bounds now, much to Aliah's dismay.

According to BabyCenter.com, her milestones include :

*eats with fingers : definite, kalau makan both hands kena pegang makanan

*empties containers : one of her favourite activity. She does it with glee! No matter how many times Anik clear up their toys it will always be berterabur again.

*points to one body part : she points to her nose and eyes, but after pointing to her nose she will insist on digging it. *sigh*

Tsk.. can't think of what else to write. I had this whole post in my head last night (so what else is new lah kan!).. I'll add on when I remember more.

Oh, I just remembered something. She KNOWS when she has done something wrong. Like yesterday, we were in the kitchen and she accidentally knocked over a tumbler while waving her arms around. Immediately she had that "I'm screwed" look on her face. I didn't even have to say a word, I just looked at her with -that- look of mine and she started mencebik and cried. Haha!

Accomplishment

I feel happy. Contentment kind of happy.

I cooked this week.

And the people who knows me, knows that I very seldom cook. VERY SELDOM. The fact that I have a husband who likes to be in the kitchen more than I do does not help the situation either. So, when the mood strikes, please leave me be and let me cook.

So, just now we had daging stir fry and sayur campor and sambal tumis ikan bilis complete with petai and ayam goreng.

And Hubby finished it all.

The other day, we had sotong goreng tepung and terong sambal and ayam masak kicap.

And he finished it all too.

*me happy now.

*me happy and beaming now.

Fenats

Jannah is at that phase.

Clingy.

Mommy only.

Don't want anyone else if Bibik not around.

And due to that, I have a bad back now.

Aliah had this phase too. But at that time, it was Papa only so I was spared from the ordeal. I guess it's payback time now eh.

She would literally cry buckets and insist on being carried - all the time, if we are anywhere else but home. As soon as she gets into the car, she's back to being the angel everyone knows and loves. *sigh*

I hope she gets over this soon. If not Raya would be one hell of a time for us this year.

Art Time

Aliah wanted some paper yesterday. It has been a while since she took an interest with crayons and such, so I obliged. I am impressed that she can draw a face quite effortlessly now. And - she's ambidextrous. The left picture she drew with her left hand, the right with her right hand. I am not too sure whether she prefers the left hand or right hand. But honestly I am not that bothered. But she did say, "Aliah guna this hand.. sama macam Mommy kan" So, it might be that she's just trying to emulate me.

Ni pulak, while drawing she narrated. "Mommy, do you want me to draw a smiley face or a sad face?" "Sad face", I said. "Ok, look Mommy.. I'm sad because I cannot play with the kompuleter" Iye lah tu. Siap ada tears lagi tau.. berjurai2 air mata. Hahaha!


And apa saja Kakak buat, of course Adik pon nak jugak kan. So this is Jannah's first art attempt. Boleh tahan jugak la strokes dia, cuma we can't leave her alone with any stationery. Abes melukis, masuk mulut. Lukis lagi, masuk mulut. *sigh* Bertuah lah anak aku tu.

The Impromptu Hill Trip

Last weekend, we went to my uncle's new house in Tg Karang. I forgot just how far it is even though its postcode still start from 4****. It took us 2 hours to get there. Penat sey. But food was good, ye la kan.. dah jalan jauh camtu sure lapar! Anyway.. after resting and solat, we decided to make the 2 hour effort worthwhile. Dah jalan jauh-jauh.. we want to make full use of it. Besides, it wasn't like we had much of a choice. Haha. Mama insisted.

Mana lagi nak pegi kan, kalau malam boleh la tengok kelip-kelip.

So we went. 2 cars, ours and Schey's. 6 adults, 2 toddlers and a baby.

Uphill ride was easy. Being a weekend and all, of course la the trains were full. But takdela sampai bersesak and berebut.

So, as we reached the top of the hill.. we were greeted by monkeys. Dozens of monkeys. Big ones, small ones, friendly ones, garang ones. You name it. And I tell you, they are spoilt rotten! Non stop eating. Jenis yang kalau kena campak dalam hutan, tak reti dah nak cari makanan sendiri.

We spend about 15 minutes up there. Contemplating whether we wanted to go check out the museum or not when the next train arrived. 2 trains at one go pulak tu, we figured if we missed this one the next train sure lambat lagi. So we hopped on the 2nd train. And it was a good call. Because we got the driver who was quite mischievious. He was driving the train like it was a roller coaster. Oh sangat blood rush experience!

The downhill ride which should have only been 5 minutes was somehow extended to 10 minutes. He took all the longest route, and when round and round in circles. Haha. It was fun!

Went to a nearby Kopitiam and had some good old roti bakar. Yummeh! All in all, I can say no regrets at all about this little detour. :)