Lest I forget...

This has been created for Estella...

And this is for Eliana...

And a countdown to our next anniversary!

Estella & Eliana: First Flight

Alright, time flies, and this is badly overdue (6 months!!!)... but I still need to pen this down.
Our first trip to Australia! Here are some snippets...

On a night flight to Brisbane...

Comfy hotel where the girls are treated like princesses with all the welcome packs!!

Eliana enjoyed this slide tremendously!

Estella's favourite jumping pillow at the hotel!

At the Gold Coast, Paradise Beach.

Sisterly hug with Janelle...

A group shot before we leave Brisbane...

A little bit of shopping at Harbourtown.

Domestic flight to Melbourne. After their first SQ flight, they know how to self-entertain. See how they check out the mags & remote controller themselves...

Our apartment on Philip Island at the EcoResort.

Our very own hearty breakfast at the apartment.

Basking in the field of lavender at the Heritage animal farm.

At this farm that's right outside our resort. Happily feeding the animals...

Upclose and personal with the animals at the wildlife reserve.

Joy ride on the Puffing Billy Steam Train.

Inside the carriage...

At the Penguin Parade, each with a penguin souvenir. Yes, it was brrr.. very cold.

Our DIY couple shot at the Penguin Parade place.

At another reserve park...

With my darlings...

Drive-out to a beach at Mornington Peninsular.

Our couple shot taken by Estella at the strawberry farm.

Estella: I love to sing! I love to worship the Lord!

Last night while Estella was waiting for me to do the bedtime routine with her, I heard her singing snippets of familiar tunes. She was singing 'You are the light of the world, You are the light of my life, hope of the earth, my Jesus...' over and over again. I know she is in this process of remembering lyrics of her favourite songs. So, I logged on to youtube to look for this song. With the lyrics on the computer, Estella caught a few more lines this time. It ended up a beautiful time of worship as a whole family. (Yes, thanks to Youtube! There are so many other worship songs with lyrics available.)

This is the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MKDVx6oiKc

It simply touches my heart as I hear our darling bursting out in worship songs on her own accord. Praying that her life will always be a worship unto our Lord.

Estella: I can do it, there is nothing to it... I can do it by myself

Our darling girl has turned 5 last month. With that, we are witnessing a whole lot more of understanding and development in her. Here are some things that we are so proud of her...

1. Making her own bed every morning.

She will nicely fold her 3 blankie/blankets, out them nicely on her pillow, arrange her 2 favourite soft toys (Wuff Wuff & Sheriff Woody) next to pillow, and finally, lay her bolster across. As she folds her blankie, she will recite the simple rhythm that I always used while demonstrating the process in her younger days... 'Corner to corner, put them together... corner to corner, put them together!' This big hearted sister will also help her meimei to fold her blanket, but always leaving the final fold to meimei so she can 'help' in the process. :)

2. Packing her own school bag.

I learnt this method from a dear friend Yushan. By packing all the shower needs into a ziploc bag, it's so much easier to check if all items are in, and the bags can be compressed to save space in their rather small school bags. The usual items include a fresh change of uniform, panty, towel and a plastic bag for damp clothes. As it is, Estella takes great pride in making sure all her items are packed as she unpacks her bag each evening. (Of course this is provided the fresh change is available for packing, i.e., already washed and dry...) No just for herself, she will also prod meimei along to do the same. Yes, I would like them both to be more independent such that they can do these chores themselves.

3. Changing into her uniform and hanging up her pyjamas nicely.

Well, it used to be that the pyjamas were strewn on the floor/bed as we hurried through the morning drill. Now, Estella will hang up her pyjamas on the hooks on her wardrobe (simple but effective solution). That also helps me determine the wash load.

4. Using the adult toilet and cleaning herself after each visit.

Yes, this includes passing motion too!

5. Returning plates and cups to the kitchen sink, and helping meimei to do likewise.

These mark some new milestones for her... 真是我的小大人!!

Darling, Mama is so proud of you! :)