February was a month of celebration filled with happy moments, milestones and family gatherings. Even though social gatherings and house visits were still limited to five pax, it just meant that we had to celebrate in a more intimate way.
Like I mentioned before, this pandemic has altered the way we celebrate our special days and it might not necessarily be a bad thing. We've learnt that you don't need a big scale event, that parties can be simple and not lavish, that staying home can be fun, that as long as your loved ones are with you, that's more than enough, isn't it?
In this post of "Happiness is...", it's about treasuring the cosy celebrations and reminding ourselves what matters at the end of the day. Love, joy, good health, family - we are truly blessed to have them.
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Firstly, we ushered in the Year of the Tiger and had reunion lunch, dinner and catch ups with our family and friends. It's a different kind of CNY from the past but similar to last year, there weren't any huge gatherings with the extended family but only small group sessions here and there.
It was a bittersweet feeling for me because while it was my first time being a mum of four and holding Ansel on 大年初一, it was also the first time in my 39 years of life that Popo was not here and we could not go to her house to 拜年, to sayang her and to give her a big, warm hug. 婆婆，好想你哦.
Our reunion meal with my parents was a simple steamboat followed by ice cream and a walk in the park. For the first time, we went on a swing together, went to the exercise corner and stepped on a massage trail barefooted. These are the ordinary moments that will leave an extraordinary impression and lasting memories in our hearts, right?
CNY lasts for 15 days and so our fun continued over the weekends. Check out our gigantic unicorn float? It has been lying around since Angel's unicorn party two years ago so we took it out and gave it a good pump. It is so big that it fits three kids, haha.
They had a jolly good time as they climbed on board, fell over and did so repeatedly. They also loved playing Ice and Water with my Dad in the small pool and I know I'm gonna miss such simple, fun days when they are much bigger.
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We also made our way to River Safari because it is one of our favourite places to visit. I loved the CNY decor they had at the entrances, they were so pretty and perfect for a photo backdrop.
Seeing the animals up close always excites the kids and that is why we choose to be Friends of Wildlife year after year. While the baby had some one-on-one time with the hubby, I took the older three on the Amazon Quest boat ride because they love it lots.
Huat ah! Lao Yusheng is one of my favourite parts of CNY so we did it more than once with the family. It was so yummy and more than the taste, it was about being together as a family when you lao and say well wishes for each other.
初二 was my father-in-law's 70th birthday so we held a celebration for him at home. I love this shot of my parents and in-laws and hope they will always be able to get along well and talk about anything under the sun.
Life at home goes on which means there are endless chores lying in wait every day. Sometimes, the cooking, washing, cleaning, butt washing, wiping, vacuuming and fetching of kids really wears me out but it's the smiles on their faces that make it all worthwhile. 身为全职妈妈，能天天照顾好你们，这是我的福气。
Time to play! We started a Family Games Night where we come together to play games like Win, Lose or Draw, Hangman, Wordle, Taboo, Pictionary, Connect 4, Spot It, Monopoly Deal and more. The kids each get to choose what they want and even though they sometimes bicker or that the baby messes things up, I think this is a good tradition to have and hope it will be here to stay.
The baby of the family turned one this month and even though I spend every minute of his growing up with him, I still wonder where did all the time go! Haha. 太快了!
After 12 years, our Maclaren buggy which has been used by all the elder siblings finally gave way. I remembered we bought it for $250 back in 2009 and for it to last till now after following us in all our travel in Europe and Asia, I think we made it worth its while. So this lucky baby gets a new stroller for his birthday!
We went shopping for a new one but I was glad I took my time to decide because there happened to be an online baby sale and we snagged an old model Peg Perego stroller for just over $150. It even comes with a brand new Maclaren seat liner. Good deal! Woohoo.
So far, he seems to love it and slept in it the first day we went out. We got him a steering toy so he can pretend to drive and he finds it fun! The siblings said it is such a cosy seat and they wanna sit inside and be pushed around too. Haha. Oh well, all of your had your turn already when you were little.
I like to bring the kids out and to admit, I am lazy to cook every day too. So we still love going to McDonald's once in a while to have some nuggets and fries or to the food court to have mee hoon kuey and cai png.
The boys love going on kiddy rides - usually stationary ones - when we are out and it's lovely seeing the two brothers laugh and bond. Asher keeps saying his Didi is the cutest boy ever and it warms my heart knowing that they have each other.
Valentine's Day falls in the month of February and while I was surprised to see that the hubby remembered and bought a humidifier for the house and back massager for me, I was equally surprised to see these handwritten love notes from the kids! Awww, so much love, so much heart. I will happily be your Valentine's till one day you find the love of your life. Thank you for being so sweet, my dears!
I have to say it was a busy, busy month for me and one that got me crafting and coming up with creative ideas once more. Why? Well, because we were gonna have a party at home to celebrate Ansel turning one! Woohoo.
Since his current favourite song is Baby Shark, I decided to make it a Baby Shark themed party and went hunting for materials and game props for the big day.
I shall share more about the party in another detailed post but here are some sneak peeks. The kids and I took charge of the DIY decorations and we had a fun time making them together.
Here is how our wall looks in the end! All printed, painted, cut, pasted and done on our own. Even the bubble letters 'Ansel' were hand drawn too, nice right? Stay tuned for more sharing.
So this precious boy of mine is now a toddler and I find that hard to believe because it seemed like yesterday when he came into the world. Time flies so much, especially when our kids are young, and it only reminds me to cherish the years ahead before my kids move away to homes of their own.
You are so blessed and so loved, dear Ansel. It's awesome growing up in a big family and having so many elder siblings who dote on you and protect you. I hope you enjoyed your party as much they did, hee. We had a blast!
All in all, it was such an exciting month for us and one which was filled with family bliss, warm hugs and fun times.
When we were at the pool, the big girl used pebbles to spell out this word and pulled me over to take a look. I think it is the most important word of all and one which we ought to be deeply grateful for.
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