Johnathan's Prayer

This happened a few weeks back but I thought that Christmas week will be the perfect time to share this story:

Every night at bedtime, Mummy Grace will say a prayer by the children's beds. As Mummy says her prayer, her two lovely boys, Johnathan and Ryan, will listen quietly with their hands clasped together.

Mummy's prayers always start with thanking God for His provision and for all the wonderful blessings of the day. She then prays for God to watch over the children as they sleep and to bless them with a safe and fruitful day when they wake. Mummy then closes her prayers by praying for the health, joy and safety of their family members near and far. Johnathan and Ryan always know when to proclaim "Amen" together with Mummy at the end of the prayer. They then go to bed smiling, knowing that Jesus will be watching over them.

One calm and quiet night, as Mummy was about to end her nightly bedtime prayer, little Johnathan decided to say his first own prayer all by himself. What a pleasant surprise! Out of his tiny mouth came a loud and confident utterance.

"Thank you God. We ate dinner and eat apple... and shower and go potty and brush teeth. We sleep... then sun come up in the morning, we wake up... eat breakfast and wear clothes and go to school! I pray for... Grandpa and Grandma and Yaya and Jiu Jiu and Jiu Ma and... and..."

Johnathan then paused and looked up at Mummy for prompts to end his prayer. Mummy helps with a simple, "and all our friends and family! In Jesus' name we pray..." And Johnathan ends with a contented, "Amen!"

A prayer so simple yet so clear, with such innocence and from the heart. Mummy was extremely proud of little Johnathan, and God was surely too. It was indeed a very special night.

Have a very blessed Christmas, everyone!

A Different Halloween

This year, instead of trick-or-treating on the streets, we spent the night in church instead. We all had a great time! It was a safe night of meaningful activities, food, and loads of treats (which you know will not be dangerous items or spiked candy)!

Both kids and parents were thrilled!

We also went to the pumpkin patch as usual. But what's new this year was that Johno asked to ride on the kiddy merry-go-round. It was supposed to be innocent but it turned out to be pretty scary!

Happy Halloween!

Spoilt in Singapore!

It was a month full of fun, food, friends and family!

The boys were showered with love, hugs, toys, treats, and kiddy rides galore, while their parents showered themselves with dates, shopping, great food, and being babied for a change. It's hard to put all the fun, joy and love in words, but in a nutshell -

WE WISHED IT DIDN'T HAVE TO END!

Endless games and rides

Lots of outings and exploration

Spending time with everybody's sweetheart - Yaya

Shop till we drop

Eat till we sleep

Our 10 Favourite Things To Do In The Summer

1. Playing Catch On The Beach

2. Visiting Scenic Spots

3. Playing Miniature Golf

4. Riding Horses

5. Picnicking While Watching Fireworks
6. Flying Kites

7. Getting Close To Nature
8. Hanging Out At The Zoo
9. Taking Walks In The Park

10. Being Useful Around The House

Models For Hire!

The No-No Brothers are causing a big stir in the modeling industry of late. Big brother Johno and little brother Ryno are in a class of their own. Natural in front of the camera and professional on set, they are complete joys to work with.

Be it classic baby shots,

dramatic period looks,

artistic nudity,

or photo-journalistic work,
their professional repertoire has them all covered.

The No-No Brothers are available for modeling in photo shoots, runway shows, tv and stage appearances, as well as cyber correspondences.
The versatility and potential of the No-No Brothers are of no end.
You know you want a piece of them.

Contact their agent at 1800-NONOBRO for job bookings.
When it comes to hiring the No-No Brothers,
you know you wanna say Yes-Yes!
So call now.

Johnathan is 3 Years Old!

Johno's birthday falls on a Saturday this year, so we decided to have a little celebration in school with his friends on Friday. At his request, he wanted a pirate themed party again. As much as I tried to sell him other party ideas, he had his mind set on a pirate party; so a pirate party it was.

However, it wasn't the pirate party that was his birthday highlight. Since months ago, he has been talking about wanting to go to Chuck E Cheese's for his birthday. With pizza, arcade, music and a giant walking mouse, which kid wouldn't love it? It has been his favourite place for fun this year, so of course we had to bring him there on his birthday!

The boys had a fantastic time and were fast asleep in the car ride home. But was that the end of the day's fun? Of course not! After a short nap, the kids were ready to get going again, so we went swimming!

It was Ryan's first proper try at swimming and he loved it. And Johno also made his brave maiden dive into the pool. It had been too cold over the past few months to swim, but now that summer has arrived, the water was warm and inviting! Looks like we'll be hanging out at the pool more often from now.

p.s. More pictures can be viewed on his birthday online album. Don't forget to click on the slideshow icon to read the captions that come with the photos.

From His Pie-Hole: Johno Epic Moments

• Sniggering at a bald Happy Meal doll after cutting off all its hair - "It's grandpa!"


• Consoling a pouting daddy after mummy took his turn on the Bejeweled game - "Aww, Daddy. You're alright."


• After making a really huge deposit in the potty - "Look, Mummy! Giant poo poo!"


• Answering mummy's question of what his favourite part of the magic show was - "Girls."


• In the shower - "My penis is so big!"


• Lying himself in between two huge cushions - "I'm a sandwich."


• Mummy: "Johno, can you say Happy Birthday in Chinese?" Johno: "Happy Birthday in Chinese!"

Happy 1st Birthday, Ryan!

The boys' birthdays are exactly 2 weeks apart and since before Ryno was born, John and I were discussing if we should have a joint celebration every year or to celebrate each birthday individually. Despite what this photo might suggest, we decided that each boy will have their own special day. However, it turns out that we are going to have a 3-weekend long celebration!

This Saturday, we celebrated Ryan's birthday at Farrell's the ice-cream parlor. He had a fanfare in his honour and enjoyed a birthday clown sundae. Ryno was surprisingly calm amidst the noise and crowd, and was actually quite amused by it all. He was napping when we arrived for lunch, but as usual, the smell of food woke him. What better way to celebrate a milestone age than a lunch of junk food and ice-cream?

We went for a cartoon movie after lunch which Ryan slept through the first half of and spent the next half laughing at people who were laughing in the theatre. And I found myself laughing at him laughing at other people laughing. Haha! It was pretty hilarious.

This coming weekend, we are going the watch the greatest major magic show in Waikiki. In addition, John's gonna have a 4-day weekend to hang out with us! The weekend after that is Johno's birthday. At his request, we are going to celebrate his birthday at his all-time favorite place. Guess where. Find out then!

Talking Tumbling Tot

Ryno's finally walking unassisted. At 11 months old, he had large shoes to fill with big bro walking at only 10 months old. Poor baby was faced with a month's worth of questions like, "How come he's not learning to walk as quickly as Johno," and "Is he too fat to carry his own weight?"

He was indeed one month behind Johno on the walking, but what's amazing is that he is picking up communication very much faster than Johno did. Ryno is now saying words like: mama, dada, papa (grandpa), more, ber (bird), nana (banana), and ball. He is also signing 'please' and 'more', can follow simple instructions, and points to things that he wants (sometimes throwing the snack packets at us to open for him!).

The point of this all is that every child is unique with their own style, talents, preferences, and personalities. Don't make the mistake of comparing them against benchmarks that others have set. Instead, recognize and adore their individual characteristics, develop their fortes, be there for them in aspects where more support is needed, remember significant moments, and more importantly, enjoy and appreciate every little bit of watching them grow and learn.

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

~~ The Street Gangsta ~~

~~ The Sweet Scholar ~~

We all know that Johno's the crazy stuntman while Ryno's the docile sweetheart; but look how deceitful appearances can turn out to be.

Or, maybe this is just a hint of how multifaceted the boys really are.

Can't wait to see how they will turn out 20 years from now!