Daddy's little secret

Daddy shared his little secret with Jeremy recently, and made him promise not to tell anyone, not even to mummy and Timothy.

That daddy is actually Superman.

I was hoping for a look of awe and lots of questions from him. Instead he smiled excitedly, which I suspected was more at the prospect of having a secret to keep between us, than the fact that I'm the man of steel himself...

Just yesterday I revealed more, in the car:

Daddy: Jeremy, you remember who daddy actually is?
Jeremy (after a brief thought, with a smile on his face): Superman
Daddy: Shhhhh..... (Timothy, mummy, auntie Ethel were all in the car!)
Daddy: You know those nights when you slept with mummy and Timmy first, when daddy have work to do? Actually daddy go out and fight bad guys.
Jeremy:..... (a knowing smile from him)
Then Timothy took over: Why you fight bad guys? Why you bring them to police station? etc, etc

Guess I'm a little to late to try to get Jeremy into believing that, and Timmy's a little too early to understand the implications of me being Superman. And oh yeah, he's Batman, by the way!

Gold Coast - Part 4

A few more photos to go...

<- At Wet n Wild... these are the "expensive" swim suits that we got for them, not that we were willing to pay a bomb for these "not-so-nice" swimwear, but because mummy forgot to pack their swim suits for our trip to Wet n Wild! Their disappointed looks made us decide to spend the money...heartache man!!



Mummy's daily dosage of "monkey business"....












THE GRAND FINALE...... Jeremy n Timothy shaking hands with Batman... the Batmobile... and Catwoman having a few words with the boys








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Gold Coast - Part 3

<- Dinner at the Marina Mirage... Beautiful sunset....









Below: AquaDuck experience, the bus that can turn into a boat... and how each of us has felt (or at least how we thought they would have felt):

Jeremy: happy, even though he does not show it... cos he gets to "drive" the "duck...

Timothy: excited and happy... cos not only he gets to "drive", he gets to see the wheel and the water splashing from underneath the boat!

Daddy & Mummy: BORING...













Below: Our brave boys
(NB: Poor image quality the direct result of daddy sitting in the same ride and taking the pics over his shoulder with one hand and hanging on to dear life with the other)

Gold Coast - Part 2

<- Our Apartment, Carmel by the Sea, at Broadbeach

- > Mt Cootha... Loving boys, right?

Beach at the Surfers Paradise... Breathtaking views plus little hunks to watch...

<- At Seaworld, Timmy had a little mishap. Got a splinter and needed to seek First Aid as it was very deep. It was painful but he was very brave, and held back his tears till the very last one which needed a little cut on his finger....

-> Captain Hook's ship... notice the cannons were well decorated by bird's droppings? Mummy almost got one landed on her head! After that close shave, we abandoned ship immediately...

Gold Coast - Part 1

Yes, you guessed it - Timmy did go to Gold Coast after all! Batman and sharks were too much for him to resist...

Our boys had a wonderful trip and highlight of the trip? BATMAN, of course...

It took us a bit of effort to make sure that they get to have this picture taken. But it was well worth it.

Besides Batman, there were other "heroes" like Green Lantern (heard of this guy? well, we got to know him when we were there!) and the more familiar ones... wonderwoman, flash, robin.

And to put down on record, both of them went on a roller coaster ride, which even mummy thought was quite scary! It's the "Road-runner roller coaster ride". At first, Timmy wanted to go on this "Superman Escape":

After the "Road-Runner roller coaster ride", he didn't whine and insist that he wanted to ride on it again!! The poor boy had the guts but not the height to ride on most of the rides - no wonder there was no admission fee for him! Not even on the Batman ride, but luckily there was a special time slot that catered for children who do not meet the minimum height requirements - audio and visual only, no movements. Jeremy was the lucky one... went on both batman rides at least 3 times!

Well, there are many things to talk about but guess pictures will do for now...

Our sumptuous dinner... Seafood platter at Grumpy's. Jeremy experienced the wonderful taste of Calamari!

Gold Coast - Is Timmy going?

Our family will be travelling to Gold Coast (Australia) for a holiday next month. Last night, Jeremy was asking me how long we will be staying there.. i told him 6 nights and the conversation starts....

Jeremy: Wah! so many nights! i am so happy!
Mummy: Why are you so happy?
Jeremy: Because we are staying for many nights. I am so happy!
(he gave me a hug after saying this...)... then

Timmy: I am not so happy!

(i almost burst out laughing because he sounded so cute...)

Mummy: Why are you not so happy?
Timmy: i am very sad because Aunty Ethel is not going.
Mummy: hmm.. then Timmy stays home with Aunty Ethel? Jeremy, Daddy and Mummy go and take aeroplane, see batman and touch Dolphins?
Timmy: OK.
Mummy: Are you sure?
Timmy: Timmy and Aunty Ethel go Ah-Ma house and Kor-Kor, mummy and daddy go Australia.

I was quite surprised!

Well, we'll see ... Stay Tune!

Express no more..

Remember Timmy's Express? Well, poor Express has been neglected lately... i have not seen it for weeks. Looks like its the end of the Express Era... For now, Timmy is into his "shark" (a present from his cousins Shukri and Sadiq from Korea), UNO game, Incredibles DVD and Nemo DVD...

Sigh! i wonder when the reading and writing Era will be here...

Birthday Cards...

Few weeks ago, Jeremy did not go to school for about 3 weeks (advised by the doctor, since he was often sick). While he was home, he was busy drawing birthday cards. For the record, he has completed about 8 cards for birthdays from June to September. This evening, i was helping him locate MY birthday card because my birthday is just round the corner. As i was going through the cards, i noticed that they are all with the same picture! (no wonder his teacher did not give him a good score for originality/creativity in his works!)

KIV for posting of his art pieces... (will do so as soon as i manage to find the camera!)

Who do you love?

Since Timmy is so "possessive" of mummy, it seems natural that he should love Mummy dearly. However, this is not the case. For weeks, I have been having the following conversation with him...

Mummy: Do you love mummy?
Timmy: NO!
Mummy: Do you love daddy?
Timmy: NO!
Mummy: Do you love kor-kor?
Timmy: NO!
Mummy: Do you love Timmy?
Timmy: NO!
Mummy: Who do you love then?
Timmy: NO!
Mummy: Ok.

Sigh! wonder what he was thinking in his little mind.. but whenever this happens, Jeremy (the ever-loving one) will always reassure us that he loves us... (how sweet!)

However, something "miraculous" happened last night... (Mummy was trying to put Timmy to bed. Jeremy was sleeping over at Ah-Ma's house and Daddy was getting ready for the opening world cup match)

As usual, we would say our little prayer before we sleep. Then out of the blue, Timmy said:

"Timmy loves mummy, loves daddy, loves kor-kor and loves aunty ethel!!"

i was so surprised and of course told him that we all love him too... perhaps all the reassurance from Jeremy does help!!

Jealousy

Timmy, the Express, and Jeremy

We have a problem with little Timmy. He would not allow me to get close to mummy. Whether it’s just lying next to mummy on the bed, or with my head on her tummy, or hugging her – he would whine and complain, and generally do his darndest to push me, kick me, or hug mummy tightly and try to wedge himself between us. Once, when we refused to give in, he walked to the side of his bed and lifted one leg over the side rail – as if he was going to jump. That was meant to distract us and make us jump to his rescue, but we just laughed incredulously at his faked “suicide” attempt. He never tried that again.

I don’t know what his problem is. Mummy has always been his dearest, of course – he would rather sleep on his own than to allow me to sleep on mummy’s side of the bed, next to him, when mummy’s not back by bedtime. “Go far away”, he would say as he instructs me to get back to my side of the bed with Jeremy. Fine, I can take that - I’ve still got the ever-loving Jeremy. But not allowing us to be intimate is something else…

To be fair, after the lights are off he does allow us to kiss goodnight, as we do with him and Jeremy. But he would supervise – strictly on the cheeks only, not on the “mouth”. We did it once on the lips, and he started wailing. Ironically, the only way we could pacify him is to do it again – this time on the cheeks, of course.

Bull Shark

"This shark is about 44cm. This shark's name is Yong Char Kar. This shark is special. Do you know why?
Because it can use the fins to crawl on the land and swim in the sea."

...written by... Jeremy Yong...on May 15, 2006

We are really proud of this art piece done by Jeremy recently. He "converted" this shark from a paper aeroplane that his daddy made for him. We do not know what gave him the idea but we saw him busy drawing some funny shapes on a piece of paper and when he asked for help to cut them, we asked him what was that. He told us those were fins for his shark and of course the teeth!! As for the paper aeroplane, his daddy made it during dinner at a restaurant the night before. and the output is this wonderful shark!! (Noticed that he even draw the eyes of the shark??)

Well done Jeremy!!! This is really very very nice.. Daddy and mummy love your shark!!

Punishment

Two nights ago Jeremy got punished.

Timmy took out some picture cards to play, and Jeremy joined in. When Timmy insisted on taking a specific card, Jeremy quickly swept them all to one side and started gathering them up, refusing to let Timmy have his card. I intervened, reminding Jerry that he has to share the cards, especially since Timmy started playing with them first. Jerry gave me his angry stare, then thumped Timmy's back with his fist.

That set me marching off immediately to the closet to get the cane. He knew that, and before you can say "MR IN-CRE-DI-BLE" he swooped past behind me into the study to hide. I thought I heard something went past, but didn't think it could be him, so I walked back to to living room looking for him. Mummy said he's in the room, and I was like: "Wow! So that was him!" Reminded me of Dash in the movie.

I found him under the study table, already crying badly. On mummy's advice I didn't have the cane, but I told him I had to punish him, and asked whether he knew what he did wrong? After several times he nodded reluctantly, so after lecturing him I asked for his palm. He kept saying "Not so hard..." I used maybe 60% of a full smack on his palm, enough to send him bawling.

Kind of heart-breaking when you have to do these things... but I guess sometimes a dad's got to do what a dad's got to do.

Our very own Lion Dance Troupe

Last night while watching TV in the living room, i heard some knocking sounds from my bedroom (where both of them were playing). Decided to check it out since they can be potential "destroyers". And guess what were they doing? They were pretending that they were lion dancers.. Jeremy was the drummer and Timmy, the lion. They looked so cute.. the picture on top shows Timmy lying down, and you know why he was in this posture? (unlike the picture at the bottom where Jeremy was the lion and he was dancing away) I believe he was imitating this lion that we saw during chinese new year at the market. That lion did not dance at all, it was lying on the floor 99% of the time, during the performance. (Think that lion was trying to peel some oranges and form some words)... It's amazing how kids form their impressions!!

The Express - Part II

It was a mistake to show this blog page to Timmy. He's been asking to see it every morning and night, even with the Express in his hands! He says good night to it, and before he leaves for school, he says "bye-bye" to it. Sigh...

The Express - don't leave home without it!

This is the Express. One of the many faithful coaches that mighty Gordon pulls to ferry his passengers around the island of Sodor.

Those familiar with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends would know what I'm going on about.

If anything qualifies as Timmy's first love, this is it. Well, ok... possibly on par with mummy, and not so long ago his "tu-tu" (pacifier). But this is something he must have with him.

Regardless of what toys he is playing, no one else is allowed to touch it. When he cycles around, he must have it in the basket. When we go out shopping, or to the church, he must bring it along. When he goes to school, he must have it with him for that short journey in the car. (We warned him of the possible dreadful fate of the Express should he try to bring it into school, so that's the only exception he allows.) When he sleeps, he must have it next to him. Even in dreamland, he would flail his hands around the bed seeking for the unmistakable rattle of its wheels, reach out and hold it securely in his little palm.

It's a mystery, this fascination with the decidedly unglam Express. It's not adorned with bright colours, like the other trains are. It doesn't have its own engine, no exhaust, no smiling face like the other engines, yet Timmy doesn't care for the Thomas or Gordon or James - he just want his Express, ever since he was about a year old. When Jerry and he used to get into fights over the trains, it was easy to resolve - just persuade Jerry to play with the other more glamorous trains and give the Express to Timmy.

I wonder how long his fixation with the Express will last. But it was the same for his "tu-tu" - we never thought he would be able be give it up. Until the day, about 2 months ago, when mummy tricked him into throwing the badly chewed-up thing into the dustbin, thinking they were just playing - only to be told that it's gone forever down the rubbish chute. Occasionally he still asks to look into the rubbish chute to see if he can find anything, and we would dutifully oblige - opening up the chute cover so that he can stare into the dark empty abyss. Today in church, while rummaging through his rugsack, he muttered "tu-tu". But I'm sure he knew it's wishful thinking, with no real hope of finding it. In the meantime the dull but dependable Express will serve as his source of comfort and security.

Phonics

We decided today to sign Jeremy up for Chinese class, with his cousins. And Timothy keeps saying he wants to attend phonics class like his "kor-kor". So today I tried teaching him how to pronounce "s" - he always go "th".

Daddy: Close your teeth
Timmy closes teeth
Daddy: Say "sssssss...."
Timmy sticks tongue between teeth and goes "thhhhhh..."
Daddy: No, put your tongue inside
Timmy uses both hands to try to push his tongue in
Daddy: No, don't use your hands, just close your teeth again... yes, that's right... and "ssss..."
Timmy:..............

Daddy gives up. Yeah, he needs phonics class all right.

Hugs and Kisses

Lately, Timothy has been pretty affectionate and generous with his kisses, especially towards me (mummy dearest..hee...). However, he is quite "resistent" when it comes to receiving kisses (of course not when they are from mummy dearest). Jeremy, on the other hand, does not usually show much affection.

Few nights ago, Jerry attempted to kiss Timmy in the car. But they ended up struggling because Timmy refused to let Jerry do so. Jerry was so upset, but good thing is, he never gave up. Just before we went to bed that same night, they were happily playing together and i saw Jerry carrying Timmy from one seat to another (a BIG brother at work!!). Suddenly, Jerry gave Timmy a hug and kiss and told him that he loves him.. Timmy kind of returned that love by giving Jerry a kiss... sigh! what a beautiful scene.. (by the way, i almost burst out laughing, cos it was kind of funny!!)

Getting married

Tomorrow will be their "gu-gu" (my sis)'s ROM. Last night we told that to Jeremy, and he asked why children cannot get married.

Daddy: Do you want to get married now?
Jeremy: Yes!
Daddy: Who do you want to marry?
Jeremy: . . . . . . I'll think about it . . .

I was expecting it to be Rachel, or someone from school. But still no answer by the time we slept (or rather, I slept). Decisions, decisions... affairs of the heart are never easy even for adults, what more for a 5-year old?

I didn't have the heart to tell him that whichever "lucky" girl he chooses doesn't really matter... she will need to pass a stringent MIL test. Yes, she needs to be QC-inspected, by none other than the prospective mother-in-law.

Crossing the road

For the second week in a row Jeremy has insisted on taking the lift downstairs on his own, getting out the side gate and crossing the road to wait for Uncle Gulam, who's picking him up for his phonics class with his cousins. I missed the first one, but this time there was a snag - an old gentleman coming in the side gate refused to let him out, saying he's too young to be venturing out on his own. Mummy rushed to the rescue, hurrying down and assuring the man that all's well. Actually I didn't know he wanted to cross the road himself, otherwise would have tried to do some dry runs this morning on the way to the market...


Timmy's first day of school, and it looks like Jerry's doing what he can to lighten up the day for a very sullen-faced Timmy.

3 and 5 now

How time flies.

We recently celebrated their 3rd and 5th birthdays together with the Kangaroo Creek Gang.

And here's a recent pic of them on a recent Genting trip, Jerry doing his big brotherly bit, driving his little bro around.

Jeremy & Timothy

Inspired by a blog set up for their cousins (see http://ronaldpang.blogspot.com/), we have decided to set up one for our own little rascals. Should be a fun way to share their pics and growing up stories with others.

Here's Timmy on the ball, with Jerry in a similar pose in a pic taken 2 years earlier.