Celebrating 9 Years at SKIRT

October is a month of celebrations for us, as aside from Noey's birthday, we also celebrate our wedding anniversary.

It is 9 years this year for us, and it feels like time has just sped us by. The husband was in fact totally taken by surprise. "I thought it was our 8th anniversary!" he said when I greeted him in the morning. Well, it's been 9 years mister! I merrily informed him that I fully intended to collect on a holiday sans kids next year for the 10TH! Hee.

Well, this year, we kept it simple and just went out for a dinner date. When DD asked where I would like to go for dinner, I actually suggested going for a casual crab dinner at Crab in Da Bag until my husband reminded me that this is one of the very few occasions when I would be able to get a nice expensive dinner out of him. The man is right of course, so we decided on dinner at SKIRT (yes, all in CAPS, yo). The fact that they only welcome kids above 8 years of age sealed the deal. It's been on my list for a while and we didn't get a chance to dine at the restaurant during our last staycation at W so it seemed like a good opportunity to visit.

We were quite fascinated by the huge hunks of beef hanging in the drying cases up front.

Since we were there for a treat, we decided to go all out and order ourselves a meat fest. But first some appetisers to start. Our server thoughtfully asked us if we wanted to share the dishes and brought us little plates for eating off which I thought was rather nice. DD ordered the Crab Cakes with Cucumber and Spiced Foam. This was yummy and one of the better crab cakes I've had. The spiced foam that came with the crab cake had an interesting flavour and DD commented that the combination with the crab cake reminded him of chilli crab. The portion was so small though! Just one little crab CAKE (no plural). It was gone in a few bites. 

Complimentary freshly baked bread. Quite delicious, especially with the dips. I liked the hummus but the husband totally went for the chorizo lard, naturally!

Crab cakes, or really just crab cake.

I ordered the Yellowfin Tuna Tartar with Avocado and Wasabi. I realise I have a habit of ordering Tuna Tartar when it's on the menu, like during our anniversary two years ago! (While we're at it, DD also ordered crab cakes for our anniversary last year. What can I say, we are creatures of habit!) Raw tuna with avocado is a winning combination - you just can't go wrong with that. We were a bit puzzled by the wafer (?) pieces that came with it. DD wryly commented that they were like 'lao hong' crackers. That aside, I really enjoyed this dish.

Tuna Tartar with Avocado and Wasabi.

Before the mains were served, we were given a palate cleanser of apple bourbon and some BBQ sauce which arrived at the table in two cute little bottles, looking like shampoo and conditioner!

BBQ Sauce and Apple Bourbon

And then the pièce de résistance of our meal: our Tasting Plate of 5 Breeds. And the 5 different types of beef were (counting down from the least spectacular to the most):

5. Hereford Grass Fed, John Stone Longford, Republic of England

4. Black Angus Corn Fed, Creekstone Farms Arkansas City, Kansas, United States

3. Black Angus Grain Fed, Black Onyx MS3, Glen Innes, New South Wales, Australia

2. F1 Wagyu Grain Fed, Sher Wagyu 6-7, Ballan, Victoria, Australia

1. Full Blood Wagyu Grain Fed, Blackmore MS9+, Alexandra, Victoria, Australia

Was that Greek to you like it was to us?

My best photo of the plate, which alas, features the #5 and #3 on the list, leaving the best meat in a blur in the top corner. #foodbloggingfail

We might not have known the difference at the start but we sure could tell the difference as we worked our way up the list. As we went along, each grade up was more meltingly tender, and, as the husband remarked, tasted less and less like beef as we (plebeians) know it. The top grade full blood almost literally melted in my mouth. It was quite an experience! I don't know how better to describe this. You'll just have to taste it for yourself!

Close-up of the so-good-it-doesn't-taste-like-beef beef. This is full blood waygu. 

Our sides of Spinach Goat's Cheese Gratin and Portobello Mushroom.

Even though we were completely stuffed by the end of the meal, we still made space for some lovely dessert, a chai brûlée. I thought the sugar topping was a bit thick and hard but I otherwise thoroughly enjoyed this, so much so that there are no pictures because by the time we remembered to take any, our dessert was half gone! 

All in all, we thought it was a great meal, befitting of the occasion. And the service was just excellent too. My friend MummyWee recently celebrated a friend's birthday at Skirt too and ordered the restaurant signature Skirt steak and other dishes including the Caraberino Prawns which she highly recommends. Do check out her post to find out more.

9 years and I'm grateful for this man who indulges my whims, lets me be myself, and still finds the things I say funny. 

That said, this past 9th year hasn't really come easy. I think in the past year, we slipped a little into taking each other for granted, shown our claws a bit more, gotten annoyed with each other more frequently, and held back a bit less. I'm not proud of this, but I think stems from our long-standing familiarity with each other. We would do well to recognise this and guard our hearts and minds to see that it doesn't develop into contempt. That's something to work on in the coming year -- to give a little more, complain a little less, and spend more time connecting. I guess more good meals wouldn't hurt either, eh!

9 years and I know that there is still no place I'd rather be.

The 8th

On Tuesday, the husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.

That we were able to celebrate at all is a testament to our relationship, I think, since we got unhappy with each other that very afternoon over the very same issue of celebrating our wedding anniversary. It was all a bit trivial, and yet, it was also not. In a way I guess it was really one of those underlying things that needs just the tiniest sparks to come rushing to the surface.

What I've learnt from years of marriage, however, is that:

- If I'm going to say something hurtful, I don't say it.

- If what I'm going to say will probably be construed as nagging, I don't say it.

- If I have nothing positive to say, I keep quiet.

- Holding on to unhappy feelings only makes me unhappier.

- By giving in a little, I always get more back.

- Despite everything, I still love my husband very much.

I'm sure the husband has his own rules, and I dare say they aren't very different.

That was how we sorted it through and ended up going out to dinner at The Pelican. It was DD's choice and it turned out really well. You know what I'm going to say anyway: The food was good but the company was better.

Me and our feast of starters. The crab cakes were superb and DD loved the candied bacon, which was really interesting. I thought it'd turn out like bak kwa, but no.

Our wood-grilled Barramundi, which was really good, though it looks a bit sad on a plate all by itself.

Coming back to find the kids already asleep was the icing on the cake.

It's been a good 8 years, though like any married couple will tell you, it's not always been easy, even when you love each other and are fully committed to the relationship. It is by God's grace that two really different people can come together and stay together despite their differences, and still find it fulfilling. I'm glad we started out our marriage with an understanding of our God-appointed roles as husband and wife as I can tell you that it has made things that much smoother.

In this regard, I was also very distressed to learn that a website that encourages extra-marital affairs is planning to launch in Singapore. I have no words for someone who seeks to profit from something as morally reprehensible as ruining marriages. Especially if that someone is married with kids. Yes, there are people who cheat and who will cheat whether or not such a website exists. But that should not be a reason for allowing a platform which promotes and facilitates this, and worse, make it seem acceptable. I found it incredulous that the founder of Ashely Madison said he would be "devastated" if he found his wife on the site, and yet he still runs this business. I guess money is more important to him than moral values, feelings or relationships. (See also the views shared by A Juggling Mom and Missus Tay on this topic.)

For DD and I, our marriage is obviously not perfect, but it is something we treasure. I know that as a busy Mum, I am in danger of neglecting my husband while trying to tend to the many needs of the children. It is a balance that I'm trying to shift in the year ahead so that my husband knows that he matters to me too. Because he does. A marriage takes work, it takes prayer, but get it right and it will be worth the effort. When you honour God with your marriage, know that He will definitely honour you right back.

8 years young.

We are 7!

Yesterday marked the 7th year that DD and I have been married.

To celebrate, we decided to slip out, just the two of us, for a good dinner. I got the kids fed, then kissed them goodbye and firmly shut the door behind me. DD felt bad for leaving the kids behind, but not me. I think we both need a bit more time to to spend with each other, and with it being our wedding anniversary, I think we deserved it!

We plumped for Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House -- yet another on my must-try list -- and I must say it turned out to be an excellent choice. The food was superb.

We were hungry, so after asking for additional corn bread -- only 2 tiny, delectable morsels were served initially -- we ordered three starters to share.

The Tuna Tartare we loved. After being converted to this dish while in Hawaii on our honeymoon, I've since almost always ordered tuna tartar as long as its on the menu. Being a fan of this same dish at Spruce, I knew what to expect. And when the dish arrived at the table, I was not disappointed. It was perfect with the toasted bread and avocado. We slurped this down in minutes.

Next up, half a Chilled Maine Lobster. I thought this was a bit extravagant of us since it was $45 (!!!) for only half a lobster but well, this was a celebratory dinner after all. At least the lobster that was served up was pretty large, with a big juicy claw. And it was really sweet and fresh. Mmmm. This one we savoured, almost in silence. Two dips were provided, but with lobster of this quality, it was just perfect with some squeezes of lemon.

We also ordered Luke's Clam Chowder, which they conveniently split into two bowls for us since we were sharing. This was certainly good clam chowder, though it made less of an impression on me. DD did appreciate the big pieces of whole clam-meat that came in the chowder.

For the mains, DD had the Colorado Lamb Chops and I had the Luke's Bone-In Tenderloin Au Poivre. Both were outstanding.

"I never knew lamb could taste so good," said DD, as he cut into one of his four (yes, four!) chops. "I mean, I guess I knew, but I've never tasted it."

I don't like lamb, but I would have happily finished this dish too. The meat wasn't too gamey, and in fact, that hint of it was just perfect for the dish. It was perfectly cooked and juicy, even when done medium as requested by DD. Really, really good.

As was my tenderloin. It was huge too! It said 300grammes on the menu, but because it was a bone-in chop, I had assumed that there wouldn't be that much meat. Oops, wrong assumption. There was a short, U-shaped bone on one side, but there was still a lot of meat forming the rest of the steak! Thankfully I have a hearty appetite. It would have been a tragedy letting such good meat go to waste. Juicy and done medium-rare, just the way I like it. I did think the pepper crust on the top was a bit over-powering and salty, and so scrapped off some of it. But the meat was so yummy. I'm feeling hungry just thinking about it!

We were so stuffed we skipped dessert and got ourselves some tea instead, before we called it a night. Of course, I choose to google reviews of the restaurant after going there instead of before, only to find out that their desserts are unmissable. Ah well. We saw the servings of desserts on the tables around us and looking at how big they were, we were pretty sure we couldn't pack one away. Hey, it just means we will have to go back again, doesn't it?

It was a really good meal but as always, the company was better. I never fail to enjoy conversation with the husband, and this was more of the same. Sometimes I don't know how we still manage to find things to talk about after more than 12 years together and 7 years of marriage, but we do. On our nights out, I usually ask that we don't spend all our time talking about our kids and he doesn't want to talk too much about his work. Both these topics do,  of course, creep into the conversation, but mostly we stick to this principle. I update him on some of our friends, we discuss some of the articles/news we've been reading, I tell him what I've been learning at bible study and he gives me his views, we talk about parenting in the context of how we were brought up and how we want to approach things, I bounce ideas off him about things I want to do at home. We have always been able to talk for hours, and now, we still do.

7 years has taught me that a good marriage and a good relationship is hard work. It requires plenty of patience, and there are plenty of times when you almost have to bite your tongue just to stop yourself from saying that extra unnecessary remark or from picking that fight that would send things over the edge. But when you both seek to honour God with your lives and relationship, it is just that much easier. In this regard, I know I have been blessed.

12 Years Together

On 22 June 2012, DD and I marked 12 years together as a couple. Even as I write this, I can't believe it's been that long!

DD and I were friends for 2, nearly 3 years before we got together and I like to think that that friendship still underscores our relationship, even now as husband and wife. Life is very different now from the days when we were carefree students in University, where we first met. And as parents, I think that our own relationship has taken a backseat as family time takes precedence in those precious moments of free time. We are also both guilty of zoning out on our own in front of our computers after the kids have finally gone down for the night - me catching up on social media, reading blogs and blogging, and him, reading Liverpool news or buying little plastic toys off the internet. But on nights when we do manage to sneak out for for couple time, or during those moments when we are in the right frame of mind to just talk, our easy banter, free-flowing conversation and deep understanding always remind me of how much I enjoy his company. He really is the person I can truly say anything to, no matter how ridiculous, irreverent, and inappropriate. 

This anniversary would have slipped us by, except that we were chatting the day before and realized that hey, our anniversary was the very next day! We didn't go out to celebrate, but because I had scheduled a family photoshoot with KC from Tinydot Photography the day after, on 23 June, I asked for some couple shots to be taken. I thought it was a nice way to commemorate the start of our 13th year together.

It was a quick handful of shots, but I'm glad we got some nice ones. I would like to remember that way before the children, it was just us two. And after the kids are grown and gone, I hope it'll still be just us two, enjoying each other's company, just the way it was when we first started out.

Marking the 6th

Our 6th Wedding Anniversary kind of just crept up on us.

In fact, when 22nd Oct first came up in our conversation, it was in the context of it being my new helper's pay day. "That's easy to remember!" quipped DD, referring to the fact that we remember the 22nd of each month as a monthly anniversary. After he said this, there was a slight pause and I could practically hear him totting up the numbers before he turned to me in surprise and proclaimed this particular 22nd would be our 6th Wedding Anniversary. And so it was.

We didn't have anything planned -- clearly this happens when you're no longer newly-weds and have 2 young kids who have taken over your lives -- but we managed to enlist the help of DDMum to babysit for the evening while we slipped out for dinner together. After tossing around some ideas, we decided to eschew the conventional and opted to go pig out and satisfy our seafood cravings instead. All DD had to say was "I know! CRABS..." and I was sold. That was how we landed up at Long Beach at Dempsey for the night, eating our way through Chilli Crab, Drunken Prawns, Bamboo Clams with Mince Garlic and Vermicelli, Scallops with Veggies and Ee-fu Mee. We also had dessert to round it off.

Ah, shiok-ness.

No pictures after the first couple of dishes because it got dark, and yes, we were kind of busy eating our way through the lot.

Dinner provided some valuable child-free time for us to sit back, chat, and certainly eat in peace. And remember what it is that makes us tick. It is hard sometimes when you add a newborn into the mix, and this has been a bit of that kind of crazy year. It hasn't been as crazy as it was when we first had Noey because we have learnt from those days and have tried harder to factor in more couple time this time around. We have promised ourselves -- or at least, DD has promised me -- that we will go on a holiday, just the two of us, once my breastfeeding gig is up. I'm looking forward to that.

I look at myself, at DD and at our two babies and I think: "Has it really only been 6 years?" Because it certainly feels like it's been forever. By God's grace, it will be. In the meantime, at least I know I can say that I am - still - seriously enjoying the ride.

Looking Back 11 Years

Today, I was suddenly seized with the desire to sift through and clear a bag of old stuff that my Mum had gathered from my old room and unceremoniously dumped at my place some weeks ago. I don't know why I suddenly chose to do that. With Noey milling around me and flitting between Planet Earth on telly and asking for my attention, and Nomi alternately sucking her fist on the mattress beside me in the hall and asking to be picked up, it wasn't like I was actually free.

But providentially, I decided to do it anyway. And there in the middle of a lot of random old papers was a stack of cards and notes that DD had written to me, in the earlier days of our relationship. There was a random note scribbled A4, written while we were studying in the library during our final exams, a couple of birthday cards, one for valentine's day, one written on hotel paper while he was on a work trip in Japan, and another sent from the US when he was there visiting his aunt (even bearing in it a little dried rose), and quite a few anniversary cards from way back when we used to celebrate each month that went by.

Just a handful of the pile

Tomorrow, DD and I will mark 11 years together. That's 132 months, if we were to count them as we did before. These days, we've gotten lazier, and I think we each have a small collection of cards which we meant to write to each other, but never got around to doing. We certainly don't celebrate each month that passes any more, though we occasionally remember and will wish each other "Happy Anniversary!" when we do. (Occasionally we also use it as an excuse to go out and have a good meal together.)

Reading the cards brought back fond memories of young love, with their heartfelt declarations of everlasting devotion. They made me smile. Today we are living that forever. I think it many ways it has been everything I have expected and more, and I'm so very glad to be here.

Now, I really should go write that card this time! And let's go have that good meal together, shall we, my dear?

Osia

Just before we left for Sydney, DD and I went to Osia as a little treat in celebration of our 5th wedding anniversary.

(Yes, we went for modern Australian food just before leaving for Australia. We're funny like that.)

I had my eye on this restaurant for a while but never got round to trying it. Our anniversary seemed as good a reason as any to ditch Noey and enjoy some good food on our own, so off we went!

Despite being labelled a fine-dining establishment, the restaurant had a pleasantly casual vibe, with the open kitchen adding to the general buzz. There was a good crowd, and while we didn't bring Noey with us, we did notice a number of other families dining with children so we took it as a good sign that it wasn't too chi-chi a place.

I'm not good at writing food reviews but suffice to say, we enjoyed our dinner a lot.

We started with an order of their special stonehearth flat breads. We got half a portion of black olive rosemary bread and half a portion of some red spice (I think) bread on our waiter's recommendation. Both were good. Maybe I just like fluffy warm bread! The bread also interestingly came with a little tube of the spread of the day. I think ours was pistachio cream cheese. DD spread this on all his slices and thought that both flavours of bread tasted the same till I pointed out that it was probably the dip!

For our starters, DD got their Polenta Crumbed Foie Gras, which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was paired with poached daikon, which I found interesting and it went together surprisingly well. I couldn't resist ordering their highly recommended Seafood Ice Experience and really enjoyed this dish. (Can you tell?) It was essentially different types of sashimi paired with different fruit/vegetable granitas. My favourite one was the oyster with lychee martini ice. Mmmmm, nice. Especially considering how I save all sashimi eating for special occasions now, being pregnant and all, it was an extra special treat.

Then it was time for the mains.

DD picked the grilled tenderloin, which was served on a bed of blueberry risotto. It sounds weird but it was actually pretty good -- the tangy-sweet bits of the risotto coming together with the savoury taste of the beef.

I had the Chilean Sea Bass. When DD's beef came I regretted not picking that, but once I had a piece of the sea bass, I didn't regret my choice. It was prepared with carmelised miso on the top -- a taste I particularly love so this was a winner in my books. And the fish was undoubtedly fresh. What a treat.

We also got a side order of roasted potatoes with chorizo which I didn't fancy so much. No matter which we were both full enough that we passed on dessert. I guess I will have to go back again to try the Valrhona Hot Chocolate Soup to see if it is as good as they claim.

We both agreed that this is a place we could come back again to, which is rare for us (DD in particular) so it is a testament to how much we enjoyed our meal. The company played a part too of course. We had fun being silly kidding about feeling self-conscious of being seen on the premises of the CASINO and pretending to tell anyone and everyone that we were just there for the food. Generally we were being ourselves, which always makes for a good evening.

I look forward to returning -- yes, only for the food!

Capella: Afternoon Tea

I think aside from the lovely surroundings, one of the things I love about the Capella is the fact that you get a lot of extra amenities thrown in. I know it's already been factored into the (rather high) room rate, but still, it's nice that all the drinks in the minibar (coke, sparkling water, bottled water and orange juice) are free and replenished daily, there is free wifi, free local telephone calls, and free Nespresso coffee and Gryphon Tea in the room. When you go to the pool, they bring you an ice bucket with chilled water without you asking.

There is also a Library with books and DVDs which you are free to borrow from. And every afternoon, they serve a spot of afternoon tea there, with a selection of canapes.

We dropped by the first afternoon after checking in, and maybe because it was a Thursday, there wasn't anyone else there! So we had the run of the place (and the best seats!)

With a cookie and Thomas in hand, Noey is all set.

Mmmm... scones with jam. Or rather, jam with scones.

Oops, sticky fingers? No matter...

... that's what my shirt is for!

Noey has a brainwave = bad news for Mummy.

Why go through the trouble of digging out the jam when you can pour it all out on a plate and lick it ALL up?

And add a plice of Kueh Lapis to that, while we're at it.

Like I said before, there really is a chill-out vibe in this place. I was really in go-with-the-flow mode. We ventured outside for a bit, but beat a hasty retreat after due to the smoky-smelling air.

Ah, life should be so good everyday!

Capella: Nuah-ing

We spent 3 days on a staycation at the beautiful Capella to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary.

We thought of trying out the Resorts World Hotels, in particular the Hard Rock Hotel because we heard that the pool was kid-friendly with its own "beach", but decided against it when we realised that the lobby is currently being renovated. So it was back to the Capella for us, and after our previous wonderful stay, I was really looking forward to it.

I'm glad that it was as amazing as I remembered it to be. It certainly helped that they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a suite after we told them we were celebrating our anniversary! Woohoo!

This room was slightly larger than the room we had previously -- I think the sleeping area was slightly narrower, but there was an additional sitting area which we made ourselves very comfortable in. And the added benefit was that I was able to close the sliding panel to the bedroom after Noey dropped off to sleep and watch a bit of TV in peace.

Room 308. Our little oasis of calm for 2 nights.

The extra lounging couch in the suite. It was perfect for nuah-ing.

Noey checking out how he can shut Mummy out of his living space, fiddling with the sliding panel between the sitting area and the bedroom.

Noey getting right down to attacking the monster of a fruit basket.

Our little man, he really LOVED our room. "Nice room!" he quickly declared shortly upon stepping in, the same pronouncement he had made during our last stay. And he almost always gave a little "Yay!" every time stepped back into the room after going out. He even referred to it as "our new house" a couple of times! Nice try Noey, but we certainly couldn't afford to live in our hotel room permanently!

The only downer was the haze, which pretty much wiped out most of our lovely seaview. It was particularly bad on Thursday when we checked in, but gradually improved as the days went by. Still that didn't stop Noey from spending time by the window, pointing out the many ships and boats on the water. Many permutations of "the boats have stopped/the white boat is travelling on the water/the ships are floating", etc. were repeated ad nauseum.

Noey enjoying his view, haze or no haze.

I think my only complaint (if you can call it that) about the hotel and our room was that it was so relaxing, we found it hard to tear ourselves away to do anything. DD called it a "warp zone" -- with the classical music playing in the background, all we wanted to do was to laze around and zone out the whole time we were there. 'Twas not very productive but certainly a good use of our room!

It was a break that we all needed and I'm glad we took it.

Five!

We celebrate 5 years today.
No longer just 2, but 3, soon-to-be 4.
The numbers don't matter when you're with the 1 you love.

Happy Anniversary Love!

And a New Door Opens...

We collected the keys to our new house today!

And like the excited children that we are, we both escaped from work at the earliest opportunity and scurried down to put that key into the door of our new home and step in as new homeowners.

It was a moment to savour.

We poked around, sizing up the spaces and discussing some of the reno ideas that we'd been bouncing around the past couple of months. DD, armed with his camera, took a couple of shots -- the "before shots" which with serve as a reminder of how it all used to look before we start ripping stuff out. I am excited.

This is a new chapter for us and I can't wait to start on it.

It is also particularly meaningful because tomorrow, DD and I celebrate 10 years together. I like that we mark the 10th anniversary of us embarking on a new journey.

"Who would have thought that 10 years from the day that I asked you to be my girlfriend, we would be here, together, with a 1.5 year old kid and a new house?" DD mused on-route to dinner.

I certainly didn't imagine this, 10 years later. But I feel so very blessed to be here.

Our Bintan Weekend Getaway

We took a short 4 day-3 night holiday to Bintan a couple of weekends ago. It's been a while since our last holiday and DD was suffering from holiday withdrawal so when Sophie and her folks suggested going to Bintan, we jumped at the chance. As it happened, that weekend was also the weekend of our anniversary so it was a family holiday cum anniversary celebration rolled into one!

This was Noey's 2nd holiday and I dare say that he enjoyed this trip way more than his first holiday (I never did get to writing more about it, did I?). Our room at Nirwana had a ceiling fan - which he loves - so every morning he would wake up, make excited noises on seeing the fan, and look around the room with a big smile on his face. It was clear he was thinking "hey, I'm still here!". He also really enjoyed pottering around the room and doing things he was not supposed to like pulling down the phone and banging on the full-length windows with rather thin looking glass.

I've got the remote so I'm in charge here!

It was a relaxed and simple holiday where all we basically did was hang out by the pool and the beach. And because DD took a nap just about everytime Noey took one (Noey is still on two naps a day), he was really well rested! I, on the other hand, entertained myself with the free wifi in between washing up and sorting out Noey's meals. Also, our fears that Noey wouldn't sleep well on a new bed in a foreign environment were totally unfounded. Instead, he slept through the night on 2 of the 3 nights. Now THAT was bliss.

Yes, I'm really enjoying myself here, can you tell? Everything's been more than a-ok!

I also really enjoyed the fact that we were able to spend some time with Josh and Mich and Sophie. For one thing, it meant that we were able to have some other conversation with adults! Also, it was lovely being able to spend an extended amount of time with Sophie. That little girl is growing so fast. Sophie's almost exactly 1 year older than Noey and looking at her is like having a preview of things to come with Noey. I don't know if Noey would be quite as advanced in his speech though. At nearly 25 months, she speaks in full, long sentences -- indignantly telling a lady who called her a baby "I'm not a baby, I'm a toddler!" -- and makes interesting and funny observations like "Sausages are good for skin". I was also totally impressed when she counted the igunanas in the enclosure near the coffee house accurately (there were 6 of them).

Sophie Mophie

So yes, even though we didn't do too much and had to have early nights with 2 toddlers in tow, it was a good holiday. I'll stop and let the pictures do the talking!

With his backpack containing a couple of books and some snacks, Noey is all set and ready to roll!

Someone enjoying his ferry ride, together with his Papa. Mummy here was just trying to stave off a headache (I get seasick really easily).

Mummy's little explorer, well, exploring.

One with Mummy before Noey runs off to do his own thing again

Loving my baths!

Mostly cos I get to play with the tap! On, off, on, off...

Pool time! This was the pool at Banyu Biru next door. It was totally deserted when we were there so we had the whole thing to ourselves. We spent most of our time hiding in the little areas of shade though. Hur hur.

Horsing around with Godpa

Amost everyone, just missing DD the photographer as usual. Btw, this is Noey's latest phototaking pose. We think it's because DD always raises his hand and snaps his fingers to get Noey to look at the camera! Haha!

Wading around. At the Nirwana Resort pool this time. Noey got the hang of walking around in the kiddy pool and that's all he wanted to do, walk and walk around on his own. No holding his hand, thank you very much. It was quite cool to see how everytime he lost his footing he quickly took another step to recover it. Of course, there were a couple of times when he slipped under but we were quick to pull him up again before he drank too much water! He's really comfortable with water and with having his face in it - he just shrugs off the episode and continues. I think his swimming classes have probably helped in this respect.

Noey's first beach experience and encounter with sand. Thankfully he didn't try to eat it.

First time in the sea!

All smiles (in new PJs)!

With Bintan being only one hour away by ferry, I think it's safe to say we'll be back!