A father's role

Having their nightly fun with daddy!

Does your man play with the kids too, every day?

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The exciting first year - the collage

Celebrating little Alexander over the 12 months!:

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The Puss-in-boots look

A heart-melting moment when I spotted the innocence in the big bright eyes and the little hands 

 

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Seeing double!

Can you guess which is Alex and which is Alicia? :P

(Alex is the one in the first photo and Alicia is the one in the second.)

Do your little ones look similar?

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Music and the love of our lives

Finally, my little girl asked me, 'Mummy, can I learn to play the piano?' on 31 August 2012. I had been waiting for the day for her to ask me that because I believe that only with the passion to learn will she pick it up. Besides, I don't believe in piling kids with enrichment just for the sake of it.

My answer was a resounding 'of course!' and I got down to buy the necessary stuff the next day. 

But it wasn't until 7 September that we finally got down to having a proper lesson and I'm very happy that despite her humble age of 4, she concentrated very well during the 45-minute session of theory and practical with me.

This is her during another lesson, learning to draw crotchets and crotchet rests:

 And forming her own song:

And this is her revising crotchets last night:

and revising names of notes and rests as well as learning their values:

and while we were having our theory lesson, little Alex got a chance to play the piano! He had been hovering around for his chance while we were at the piano:

In the span of 2 weeks, she has managed to play a couple of very simple songs with my accompaniment and we are so loving it! In my years of teaching piano, I must say, this is my proudest and happiest moment, watching my own child start playing the piano! Oh and I found myself kissing the little head while she was concentrating hard on practising - something I can't do with other students of course! hehe. :)

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Parenting pleasures: time alone with just one kid

Yes, I spend all my days with my children. But ever since Alicia started preschool in July, I've had the opportunity to be alone with Alex (for just a little while before his mid-day-after-lunch nap).

Now that Alicia has Chinese enrichment class, it means that I get to spend that almost 2 hours of time  out alone with Alex! 

Here's Alex and his favourite mess-up activity at home before his lunch:

I have dedicated my kitchen drawers to my boy (all except the highest one). I have many friends who do not allow their kids in the kitchen. Being the only one taking care of the children, leaving them out of the kitchen was not a feasible solution when I had to be in the kitchen. Now in my new place, I have an open concept kitchen so really, there's no way of keeping them out anyway.

I believe in giving them safe play so I place stuff that are safe in the drawers for rummaging pleasure. Throw in a surprise like a Hello Kitty toy amidst the usual kitchen towels now and then to spice things up! :P

He has worked his way up the drawers over the months. Now he's tall enough for the second drawer so I've taken out all the dangerous stuff from there too! You can really tell he loves to mess up the place right?

After his nap, we head off to pick jiejie up from school and off to enrichment class while we shop, nurse and change him and stop for a snack:

 And off to the library!:

He was charming everyone around him with his cheeky smile...

...all except the librarians I guess since he was happily pulling books off the shelves! I couldn't get pictures of his charming, cute, cheeky smile as he pulled books off (like how he messes up my kitchen) coz I was busy placing the books back!

I love how he crawls and cruises around the library and stopping by shelves to 'choose books'. :P

I'm really starting to enjoy time alone with just one kid at a time! I have special Wednesdays out with Alicia (sometimes didi does tag along but she gets priority for what she wants to do that afternoon after school!) and now Mondays with Alex. :)

Those with more than one kid should really try to set aside some time alone with each kid once a week! I know my girl looks forward to Wednesdays! :)

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Precious Sleep

I love how my children sleep - priceless moments. While some old folks caution against taking photos of kids while sleeping, I really cannot suppress the urge to capture these beautiful moments.

With Alex and myself down with flu now, sleep is most precious (and restful sleep terribly hard to come by with lil boy having difficulty breathing through the nose).

This is him last week when he was not down with flu: 

knocked out after nursing :)

I have an album in my computer titled 'Sleeping Beauty' for Alicia. Maybe I should start one for Alex... but what should I name the folder? :) 

Any suggestions?

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