Gardens by the Bay

Hendrik’s first school outing for 2013 was held last 18 April 2013, at Gardens by the Bay. Daddy went with him and together they joined Hendrik's classmates, friends, and teachers as they explore the sights and sounds of Singapore’s biggest and newest park.

Gardens by the Bay covers 250 acres of reclaimed land in Central Singapore that aims to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.

~ Hendrik and his K1 classmates listening to the sound of the crickets ~

~ with classmate Chloe laughing and enjoying their conversation while taking a rest at a shelter ~

~ busy fulfilling his work sheet: looking and checking out the different kinds of leaves ~

~ turning the handle to hear the sound of the hornbill ~

~ having a snack with classmate Jonathan while strolling ~

~ curious Kindergarten kids in awe upon seeing the crawling worm(s) on the ground ~

~ @ the Dragonfly boardwalk ~

~ with classmate Anselm and the pre-nursery girls taking a rest on one of the many animal-shaped benches located all over the park ~

~ jump shot with the "super trees" as the background ~

~ chit chatting with friends while waiting for the bus to arrive ~

~ taking a photo with his K1 classmates before leaving the park ~

From Daddy and Hendrik’s stories when they came home from the outing, it seemed it was a tiring, but fun bonding day for father and son.

~~~ end ~~~

2013 Semester 1 Assessment

As I was busy attending to Hendrik's newborn baby brother, Fyodor, it was Daddy's turn to go to Hendrik's parent-teacher meeting at Sunbeam Kindergarten for his K1 Semester 1 Assessment last 17 May 2013.

Sharing some of the snapshots from Hendrik's school profile: 

"Hendrik is advanced and possesses good motor skills in almost all the aspects. He is a confident boy and is able to complete all the obstacles during gym. Hendrik enjoys outdoor and gym activities. When playing at the playground, Hendrik expresses his joy and is not afraid to be himself to have fun. Ball games, balancing games is a breeze for Hendrik."

"Hendrik tries the different activities at the learning corners and enjoys them especially the constructive toys where he is able to build and create all sorts of things.

Hendrik is a bright and diligent boy who is able to read and communicate in good English. He does his work well and shows understanding of the concepts taught. He does his work whole heartedly and they are often neat and beautiful. Hendrik is able to read and recognize sight words. He has good phonics and knows the beginning sounds of all letters and is good in blending them. Hendrik listens attentively to stories and discussions. He pays attention in class."

"Hendrik is able to hold his writing tools between the first two fingers and thumb firmly. He is efficient in using a pair of scissors during art and craft and produces very neat handwriting in his work. He is able to complete his writing task and does basic self-help skills independently. Keep it up, Hendrik!"

"Hendrik first draws his house in details before he starts building them with different materials such as straws and papers... He is able to express his experiences through his drawings."

"Hendrik participates actively in singing as well as reciting the rhymes during music appreciation lessons. He is able to follow and dramatise the actions. However, he is (a) shy to be in the limelight when asked to step out to perform and prefers to be among the audience."

"A curious and observant Hendrik exclaimed as he observed the worms feeding on the leaves... Hendrik was able to record his observations and is excited about exploring and discovering."

"Hendrik is good with his number and number words. He is a fast thinker.

Hendrik is able to grasp math concept skills and the concept of numbers."

"Hendrik enjoys birthday celebrations.

Hendrik is a well-mannered boy and interacts well with his friend. You can hear him chatting heartily among his group of friends. He follows instructions in daily routines such as lining up and getting ready, trying to be the first one in line. He makes a good monitor when given tasks, he is able to carry it out professionally such as leading the class up to the classroom, making sure they are in line etc. Hendrik loves being praised and tries to [be] better. =) He cooperates with adult's requests and directions most of the time. Good job Hendrik!"

Translation: "When Hendrik was studying the children's songs he memorized them. Even though he may not fully understand the meaning, but he still study hard. He likes to participate in reading presentation. He is a child who is willing to learn. ~

~~~ end ~~~

Big Brother

When I was still pregnant with Fyodor, Joseph and I would always tell and remind Hendrik that he should be a good big brother. We would always tell him that he should take good care of Fyodor when Fyodor comes out from Mommy's tummy. We would always tell him that he should play with, talk with and be Fyodor's best buddy. It was heartwarming to see Hendrik voluntarily hugging my tummy and whispering "I love you" to Fyodor. He told us that he will let Fyodor play with his favorite toy Cars and his Legos. Even when Fyodor was still in the womb we can see that Hendrik will be an awesome brother to his sibling. 

Hendrik also agreed to give up his crib/bed so that Fyodor can use it. In fact, before we got him a new bed, he willingly slept on the floor with just a mattress for a couple of days when we brought Fyodor home from the hospital.

~ Mommy's little helper ~

Hendrik was also tired during the first week when Fyodor came home as he was also up at night taking care of his baby brother. Even when we urged him to just sleep, he would still get up from bed when he hear Fyodor's cry. He wanted to know what was going on. When Fyodor cries, he gets worried, gently taps Fyodor, consoles and tells him not to cry because Mommy is there. He became Mommy's "little helper". He helped change nappies at night by getting the wipes and new diapers and throwing the soiled nappy in the rubbish.

~ big brother ~

As the days passed, Hendrik is slowly getting accustomed to taking care of Fyodor in his own little way. When I am not beside Fyodor, like when I am in the laundry area or bathroom, Hendrik would help me look after him. Hendrik would try his best to put the pacifier in Fyodor's mouth when Fyodor is looking for it. He would call me when he cannot make Fyodor stop crying.

When we go out, he also makes it a point and it's like a responsibility for him to push Fyodor's stroller when we are outside.

 ~ @ Ikea, Tampines ~

~ on the way to McDo for an early morning breaky ~

Hendrik hugs and kisses Fyodor always. He talks to Fyodor and tells him that he loves him. He even tries his best to minimize his noise when he is playing in the room when Fyodor is sleeping in order not to disturb his baby brother.

~ sibling love ~

It is such a blessing and I am very grateful to have Hendrik who loves his brother. I am very proud of him for embracing responsibility and effectively performing it at such a very young age. Keep it up mi love! 

I cannot wait for the time to see them grow up and I hope and pray that they will be the best buddies ever!  =)

~~~ end ~~~

Our Little Model

Last Saturday, 23 Feb, Hendrik joined the third (and probably the last) session of my maternity photo shoot.

On Tuesday, 26 Feb, Daddy posted this photo on our Facebook (FB) wall as one of the outputs from the shoot.

 

Within 24 hours of its posting, it garnered a heart-warming 100+ “likes” from our FB contacts/friends, and even from those not in our list.

As at today, the number of “likes” has already increased to 150+.

Mmmm… I think my son has a potential in modelling. =)

Yeah, right. I know I am bias because I am his mother. =)

But, should I submit his photos for casting calls?

Naaaa… maybe not. Or, not now…  ^_^

Related post: Little Boy-Next-Door

 ~~~ end ~~~

 

2012 Bangkok Trip

For our 2012 year-end family trip, we headed to Bangkok, Thailand. The city is special for me and Joseph because this is where we got married 6 years ago. Back then, no one in our respective families attended our civil wedding ceremony (though we had obtained their blessings before we travelled). Visiting the city again this time brings back memories. Now, it was not just the 2 of us, but we have also brought our family with us (Lola, Hendrik and baby#2 due in April 2013) for our annual holiday trip overseas. 

As mentioned in my previous post, our family overseas holiday is our culminating activity of the year. This is our post-Christmas, my birthday, and New Year celebrations rolled into one.

We left Singapore late afternoon of 30 December 2012 and arrived in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International airport past 8pm. Bangkok is 1 hour behind Singapore’s time.

~ Hendrik looking for our check-in counter ~

~ @ Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 ~

 

 ~ Mommy, Hendrik and Daddy aboard the plane bound for Bangkok ~

 ~ keeping Hendrik busy on the plane ~

Since we did not arrange for airport pick-up, we hired the airport taxi at Suvarnabhumi International Airport going to our hotel (Legacy Suites) for THB1,500.00 (SGD61.00).

~ Hendrik just loves his travel trolley bag ~

~ "Welcome to Bangkok!" ~

~ tired but happy ~

~ quite spacious toilet and bath area ~

~ mini living room ~

~ @ the hotel's new tower lobby ~

~ Chillz Restaurant buffet breakfast area ~

~ we love buffet breakfasts at the hotel ~

~ Chillz Restaurant early in the morning ~

Since it was already late when we have settled in our hotel room, we have decided that we buy Mommy’s birthday cake the next day and have our usual family pictures taken.
  

 ~ Mommy's birthday cake from Madame Marco ~

 ~ Hendrik with Mommy's black forest cake ~

 ~ Mommy's birthday kiss from the sweet boy ~

 ~ "i love you lola and mommy! ~

 ~ kisses from Mommy's boys ~

 ~ happy! ~

 ~ wacky ~

 ~ future photographer shooting the birthday celebrant ~

We spent 31^st December, the last day of 2012, exploring the nearby places from our hotel. Terminal 21, the newest mall in Bangkok is just a 10-minute walk from where we stayed. The mall’s concept places several famous cities of the world under one roof. Every floor / level has its own theme – Caribbean at the basement level for take-away food outlets, banks and some book stores; Rome and Paris’ Champs-Élysées are at the ground floor and M floor respectively for international and local fashion labels; Tokyo, London and Istanbul are on the on the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd floor respectively for smaller shops by local independent labels; San Francisco is on the 4^th and 5^th floors which is the haven for food lovers; and last but not the least, Hollywood is on the 6^th floor for one’s viewing pleasure at the cinemas. Terminal 21 aims to resemble a 21^st-century airport where floor signs depict the arrival and / or departure in particular cities and where information desk receptionists are clad in airline uniforms.

~ "m gonna tour 'round the world here" ~

~ L-R: Rome, London, Istanbul, Paris, Rome, Carribbean, Rome, London, Rome, departure for Istanbul, London, Hollywood ~

We also visited Benjasiri Park late in the afternoon where Hendrik spent some time in the slides before heading for dinner at Emporium Mall which is just right next to the park.

~ walking along Sukhumvit Road ~

~ the Imperial Queen @ Benjasiri Park ~

~ outside Emporium ~

~ Hendrik and Daddy with the fe[male]? entertainer outside the Emporium ~

~ a lot of snowmen ~

On the first day of 2013 (01 Jan), we were up early because we had a scheduled trip to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Since it’s a 45-minute drive from our hotel, we had arranged for a private tour guide and van. It was about 8:30am when we arrived there. Since we were there early, we were able to grasp and enjoy the cool breeze which later on turned into the usual hot and humid Bangkok air. It was Hendrik and Lola’s first time and we were all very excited to ride on the paddle boat.

~ "Happy 2013 from Thailand with love" ~

~ Mommy enjoying mango with sticky rice ~

~ cruising the floating village ~

~ the end of our 1-hour paddle boat ride ~

~ "eeeeeeee..." ~

~ Hendrik said he wanted to do the boat ride again ~

We arrived at the hotel at about 1pm. After having our lunch, Daddy and Hendrik tried the hotel swimming pool. It was cold and they only spent about 30 minutes in the water. 

After that, Hendrik enjoyed and lathered in a warm foam bath back in our hotel room. He enjoyed it so much that he did it again before we checked-out from the hotel on our last day.

~ "this is life!" ~

On the second day of 2013 (02 Jan), we planned to get inside the Grand Palace grounds for some Thai architecture appreciation. We had planned to do it in the morning so we could avoid the scorching heat of Mr Sun. The cab driver we hired to take us to the Grand Palace requested that we pass by a jewelry shop first so that he can earn points and eventually get free fuel if he has collected enough by referring tourists to the said jewelry shop. Kind-hearted as we are, we agreed to it, and thought that maybe we would only be spending at most 10-15mins without any obligation to purchase. Surprisingly, we spent a great deal of time there. Lola did jewelry shopping. She bought a ring and a bracelet. Aside from the time spent looking and trying on the jewelries, we also waited for her ring to be resized to fit her finger. We also bought fashion rings for our female friends back in Singapore as pasalubongs / tokens. So, when we reached the Grand Palace it was already 11am and Mr Sun was surely showing his powers. It was so hot and very crowded too! We have decided that we don’t enter the palace grounds anymore as the heat was draining our energy. Joseph and I had been inside when we visited Bangkok in 2006, and it was also fine with Lola not to enter anymore. We were just left with photo taking from outside the palace grounds and then head to MBK for our lunch and some more shopping.

We had fun in Bangkok. According to Daddy, it was the most relaxing trip as our days were not filled with jam-packed sight-seeing schedules. This was due to the fact that Daddy was with special-needs people =) --  pregnant Mommy Feona, elderly Lola and toddler Hendrik.

~ bye-bye Bangkok ~

We left Bangkok on 03 January 2013 at around 8pm and landed in Singapore around 11:30pm. 

~ departure area @ Suvarnabhumi International Airport ~

~ going back to Singapore ~

~ till next time ~

We had a great time. And we are looking forward to another year-end family trip.  =)


Related posts: 3 Decembers, Penang 

~~~ end ~~