Get well soon, Oma!

Kecil's Oma just went through a major surgery yesterday. Having not been present in person for the whole series of events, all we know had come from the intermittent updates from overseas, through emails and various chats.
We did, however, hear that Oma had come through the surgery quite well, and is in the process of recovery.

Between work, school and sheer physical distance, it's not always the easiest thing to drop everything in order to get at Oma's side for this major occurrence, however, we do hope to be able to visit soon.
In the mean time, our prayers are for Oma, for quick recovery, for days ahead.

Get well soon, Oma!

Swimming with Daddy

Last week must have been a week of blue moon.
Such a rare happening, we actually had a combination of good weather and Daddy coming home really early, on a weekday!
And since Daddy decided to have a dip at the pool, we three trailed along:

Kecil: to play in the pool with Daddy
Mama: to take pics of her beautiful people in the pool
the Dog: (in her own 'words') I don't want to be left alone in the house!
So off we ALL went to the pool.

As usual, swimming with Kecil involves lots of splashing, jumping, 'fake swimming' and of course, smiles all around
Especially Kecil. She LOVES playing in the pool and would continue playing despite the cold water
Even as she protested that her fingers had shriveled like Opa/Eyang!

You see how Daddy had to 'force' Kecil out of the pool.

It was a delight watching the two of them in water. And as I looked through these pictures again, this Mama is ever so thankful for oh so many things:

• For Daddy's proximity to work/schedule that allows this kind of moments happening
• For easy access to the pool nearby
• For the camera that captured those beautiful pair of eyes, full of delight, full of joy
• For this blog that give Mama the chance to both capture and share these with you

There are times when we just need to count our blessings. Have you counted yours lately?

{this moment}

{this moment} A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. via SouleMama

Nesat & Nalgae

The Backyard after the Typhoons

It had been an interesting week last week, with two typhoons after the other
In fact, Nesat was definitely the strongest typhoon we had ever encountered in our stay here
With signal 3 alert applied to the city and its vicinity, we all hunkered down in the house (including Daddy!) listening to the wind and watching the storm wreaked its havoc.

There were some grumpy faces, as one realized there will be no school, the other no walkies, another no blogging time, yet other (not pictured) more work to make up for lost days....
But I guess it will be too much out of the usual character not to make the best use of what we got
So we spent some time at home, at times sans electricity, being cheerful as we can, enjoying each others' company.... the likes.

So, we did some creative hair-styling, take some self-photos (yes, Kecil as well!), take some Mama & Kecil photos...

Eat some instant noodles and watch some YouTube (because the cable TV was the first thing that went down as the storm hit, and when the lights started flickering, Mama deemed it more prudent to stick with noodles rather than taking chances with the electric stove and coming up with half-cooked dish)

And since Daddy was home, Kecil took the opportunity to 'get' her own uhmmm... jungle gym?
(Usually it was Mama's privilege to be such. Arr... I guess now I know why parents buy their kids stuff like jungle gym and mini playground equipment for indoor use: to avoid being used as one. Hmm...)

Mama got to take pictures of her beautiful people (yes, they are mine, all mine!!!)

We might not quite like having typhoons at our doorstep too often. But once in a while, I am sure we can deal with. Perhaps with more instant noodle and battery power (for alternative sources of sustenance, light and entertainment).
There is sun outside today, so maybe we'll stop here just so Mama and Kecil can go out to enjoy ourselves before yet another storm. The storm season is not yet over!

Wishing you good weather and fun!

Playing 'Guest'

Kecil and Mama went a-visiting a new friend this week.
Amidst crayons, a tussle over a bowl of instant noodle and some half-eaten apples, I dare say Kecil just made a new friend and had a great time visiting.

The rest of the documentation is still pending editing and approval. In the meantime, here's for a good weekend for all of us!

Kecil & Daddy

With Skool in full swing, both for Kecil and Mama, Kecil is slowly learning the meaning of the different days with the different activities they entail:
Monday to Friday are Kecil's Skool days,
Monday & Thursday are Mama's study days,
Saturday is Mama's Skool and Daddy no office day,
And Sunday is the day when everybody stays home.

I know that there aren't that many Daddy pics around here, even on our Sunday series.
I guess you'll just have to take my word for it, that Kecil does look forward to her Sundays,
with spending time with Daddy, lazy mornings, and even the occasional sun (sunny on Sundays, no?)
She's a real Daddy's girl, even from days when she was younger.

There are often many bad 'press' about daddies in general. There's the 'Clumsy Daddy', the 'Emotionally hung up Daddy', the 'Scary Daddy', the list goes on.
Kids are even known to be wary of their friends' daddies even if they warm up readily to strange mothers.
(Ah yes, Kecil is still wary of her buddies' daddy, including our own next door neighbor! Needless to say, the same thing goes in the other way as well)
Still, I think Kecil has one cool Daddy, and she knows it too!

Here's to more Daddy & Kecil moments like these.

Vintage weekend: Mama Baby outings

 There was a time when Kecil was definitely smaller and lighter,
When she needed to be carried everywhere except for the shortest distance
When she can fit easily into my lap as Mama squeezed into the public transport, and went on one of her jaunts through town.

We went a posing in front of the pretty stained-glass scene at the church, went shopping, went a-trying the local public transport another time....
Those were the days... complete with the bottle of milk

Oh the milk, the straps, the carrier, the huge diaper bag... I suppose I won't be missing them, even if I would miss cute photo opportunities like the one above.

I look back from time to time, and I look at the young lady before me now, and it is with awe and wonder that I appreciate how much she has grown
From a wee little babe, to very much a young lady, her own person.

Countless advice I have encountered on not letting childhood fly away before your eyes as you go through the daily grit that is parenting. These vintage series shall be my anchor in my effort to slow down time, as I try to appreciate the progress, the growth, the many milestones so far.
I hope you are still enjoying it as much as I do.

Have a good weekend!

not your pup

Still remember Kecil's new friend? We are still not progressing beyond observing signs of habitation in the house, so... unfortunately the friendship had not progressed beyond fascination from across the fence either.
It's a pity, since Kecil is absolutely fascinated by the playful puppy, and the puppy so obviously wanted to play with this little babe of mine.

I am still very glad, though, because Kecil does have a measure of confidence with dogs in general, no doubt thanks to early socialization with Penny, our puny Golden Retriever, also sometimes referred to as Mama's and Daddy's 'other' offspring.

You can see her started very young with our neighbor's dog, Macho:

Not long ago, she also went along with Penny's suitor:

That is NOT to say that she would just approach any dog with impunity.
She's still wary against unknown dogs, which I think is good. It certainly will do for her to go off running towards any Asu, Doggie and Bruno without first getting Mama's approval.
Still... I do hope Kecil will grow up fully appreciative of the value of Man's best friend friendship.

Here's to all dog-lovers out there!

Holidays with Tante

The winds that have been blowing so much rain onto this corner of the planet has also brought something else for Kecil...
Her Tante had come back for another visit!

With Tante's last visit (together with the Eyangs) still fresh on her mind, Kecil was absolutely thrilled about having an extra person in the house to play with (and boss around)
Even taking into account the fact that she was literally 'kidnapped' from her sleep to go and pick Tante up from the airport...
She was still absolutely thrilled!

And then of course there are Tante's gadgets....

Oh, Kecil LOVES Tante's gadgets. She LOVES watching videos of herself (and Daddy and whoever happen to be present in the frame).
As for Tante's pocket camera?
Oh dear, Kecil was so delighted to find a camera that is more suited to her hands as compared to Mama's humongous DSLR.
Needless to say, the said pocket camera was declared Kecil's in a voice that broke no argument.
Seriously.

Whoops, I actually intend to release Kecil's uniform only later, in a dedicated post, but... well.. just consider it a leak, yes?

Back to Tante's visit, basically Kecil had a capital time with her Tante.
From the company, the gifts, the gadgets... I think it was non-stop fun for Kecil.
We do hope that this kind of visit would happen pretty often, indeed!
Thank you, Tante!

Tante still have more time with us till she has to leave on Sunday (yet another Kecil kidnapping trip, since it's an early flight).
It's hard to realize just how fast time flies since she arrived, but I think Kecil would be quite sad too, when it was time for Tante to go. Snif snif.

Summer theme: family

As you all saw from the Easter photos, summer had not only brought along Kecil's first ever egg hunt, but some family members as well.
Eyang Kakung, Eyang Uti and a certain lovely Tante arrived during the Easter week to spend sometime with Kecil, spending the holiday as well as observing Kecil in school and at home LIVE instead of through whatever scant documentations that Mama can provide.

Suffice to say, Kecil enjoys being the center of attention of OH so many people!
Not to mention the mountain of gifts that came along in Eyangs' suitcases.
But we'll cover that one by one.
In the meantime, let Mama presents... the family:

Eyang Kakung

Eyang Uti

Tante ...

So the sun might shine so brightly and oh so hot,
But I think we'll be fine enjoying ourselves with the family.
We do hope that your days are just as great too, no matter the weather.

With love...

(their) story ... repeating

Shepherd & Baa 101

Still remember THAT photo from the days of yore? I think you can find it here.
As they say, history has a way of repeating itself, through generations, through years, and sometimes, even just any amount of time.
True enough. Here's what I found in my camera the other day:

Shepherd & Baa. Version 102

Almost a carbon copy, if you allow for the different setting, costume and ... oh well. Fine, not quite a carbon copy. But still along the same line, yes?
Can't be helped, I guess, for a Kid who grows up with a well-beloved, over-sized dog.
As for Mama? Mama is enjoying the ride, and snapping for pictures for all its worth.

Shepherd & Baa version 103

After all, you'll never know when you'll get something so fashion photography, like 103 above. Of course, most of the time, you have also have to allow for photos like these:

Woof and Baa?

Huge grin

But hey, the Dog gets along well with the Kid, and vice versa. I'm good. At least, there were big grins. Other days, there might be grimace, there might even be tears, and sometimes, a howl too.

Fighting for food?

You can't touch me!

You are blocking me!

Here's to more companionable days between the Kid and the Dog.

Vintage weekend: Mama & Baby

"Vintage" Mama & Baby

Just because this Mama does not have a lot of time during the weekend to write, maybe we'll try posting 'vintage photos'.
Just because we have lots of those laying around, that I am pretty sure have not been shared.

This one was taken (coincidentally) exactly 2 years back, although slightly earlier in the day.
I hope you'll enjoy the series.

Holiday theme: Family & Friends

Kecil & GramMa

I suppose it's part and parcel of living abroad, but holidays in general are usually not just 'holiday' but would also include some sort of reunion, with family, with friends.
Just so with the last holiday. In fact, one would say that indeed, that was the main purpose of the 'holiday'. But it was great.
It was cool that we get to buy things we wouldn't have found back home, but the experience of meeting family and friends after so long? Priceless.

Kecil & GramPa

On their part, I do believe that the grandparents were very happy too to see Kecil, even if it's getting more obvious that Kecil can outrun them with great ease nowadays.

Kecil running towards her Tante

There was also the Tante, who happened to be at the same place and so could join us for dinners and stuff.

The girl with a balloon, and the fairy from fairyland

And a new friend, from old friends...

Kissing cousins, posing for photos

And from family.

We wished it were a longer holiday, we wished the new friends can make better acquaintance of each other, but I suppose there will always be another day
And so we just hope that we'll always have the memories to carry us through.
Until we meet again....