Family Photo - All Dressed Up

This is a picture of all of us at the church wedding of Ethan's Xiao Shu (i.e. Benjamin's younger brother) and Aunty JH in January. Ethan was the page boy while his cousins, Janelle and Janine, were the flower girls. Based on the one and only rehearsal we had earlier in the week, we were highly doubtful about Ethan's "performance" on the actual day. But with much pep talk and bribes.. erm .. I mean "encouragement" (in the form of sugar-coated fruit gummies, courtesy of Uncle Royston who is somewhat of an expert in the art of "encouragement"), he surprised all of us by walking AND smiling AND holding the ring pillow nicely all at the same time. He even tried to clap, with ring pillow and all, when he saw that everyone around him was clapping once he stepped into the sanctuary. But in our enthusiastic bid to get him to walk down the aisle, we clean forgot to tell him what he should do AFTER he walks down the aisle. So he just stood there and blocked everyone else in the bridal procession until his daddy stretched out his arm and pulled him aside. But we're real proud of him anyway. He really surprises us sometimes. :)

Ethan and Chor Chor

School

It has been about 1.5 months since ethan started school. After the initial separation anxiety which consisted of moist eyes and some apprehension (I, not him) and loud wailing and tight clinging (this would be him) which lasted abt 3 days, he took off beautifully. I don't quite remember myself going off to school each day with such anticipation, except perhaps for the time when I had my eyes on a certain boy with initials B.K. in school many years ago.. :)

Anyway, every weekday, ethan wakes up at about 7.30am, has breakfast, brushes his teeth, wears his school uniform and carries his schoolbag ready to leave for school by 8.15am. (That's the good thing about going to a school just around the corner. If ethan wakes up late, we can still get to school on time by leaving home just 5 mins before school starts by carrying him and running very fast). Ben and I will walk ethan to school, drop him off at the main door at which he'll give each of us a big hug and trot off happily to class. Then Ben will walk to the MRT to catch the train to work while I go marketing/go home to do some work/go eat breakfast somewhere/go to the Botanic Gardens for some exercise depending on which day of the week it is.

Ethan has been learning quite a bit at school, like the days of the week and some Chinese words , phrases and songs. Just yesterday while I was trying to put him to nap, he suddenly recited a poem to me in great earnestness:

Some families are big

Some families are small

But I love my family the best of all.

Then he said I love you Mummy and smothered me with many wet, smelly kisses. :)

The Way With Books

Ethan loves books. Not only reading them, which he does quite often and can do so quietly on his own for a long time, but also throwing them about, tearing them (I just used up 1/3 of a roll of tape putting together one particular book a couple of days ago. I should post a picture of that book. It doubled in volume by the time I was done with it.) or putting them in a heap.

At 10 months. Thought it was quite cute.

At 2.5 years. Not thinking that it's so cute anymore.. cos he has many more books now and I have to sit with him and make him put it back one by one which takes a really long time because every book that he picks up, he will browse through it and appear to be deciding whether to read it or not.

On the topic of making a mess, Ethan was alone in his room this morning and we could hear him throwing some of his toys around. Benjamin told me later that he saw ethan standing on his bed looking out of the window when he went in to check on him. He thinks ethan might have thrown something out of the window but we don't know what. Hope we don't get a visit from the police anytime soon.

Ethan Meets His Cousins

You might realise that so far, there have not been any pictures of Ethan with his cousins. Not that he does not have any. In fact, he has three lovely cousins. Just that they live in Sydney and Ethan has not really met them yet (actually, he did, briefly, when he was abt 6 months, when they were back for a short while but I'm sure Ethan does not have any memory of it). Anyway, they are back for a visit and we are really happy to see them again and to spend time with them.

Ethan with cousins Janelle and Janine at the family portrait photo shoot for the occasion of the wedding of Ethan's Xiao Shu. By the way, he absolutely hates the bow tie.

Chasing bubbles at the Botanic Garden (the boy in the hat is a friend of his cousins)

Cute-as-a-button Cousin Josiah

Day at the zoo. The last time we went to the zoo was on his 1st birthday. I think he enjoys it much better now that he's older. The animal he was most fascinated with - the monkeys especially those that pee-pee while swinging about in mid-air (not a good role model for a little boy who is undergoing toilet training)

Heaven

Ever since he learnt about the Wordless Book in one of his sunday school lessons (and also after I went through the book with him at home a few times after that lesson), ethan has been talking about wanting to go to heaven (which is symbolized by the gold page, for those familiar with how the book works).

One wet morning a couple of days ago, we had this conversation.

Ethan: Want to go heaven.
Me: Yes, what do you have to do to go to heaven?
Ethan: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Me: Yes, that's right.
Ethan: want to go heaven. Daddy, Mummy and Yi Yi also.
Me: yes, we do. We are all going to heaven.
Ethan: But it's raining.

Something tells me that I'm not teaching it right.

Friends!