Fantastic 4 Turn 4

We had the first of Noey's birthday celebrations the Friday before his birthday with his three other pals, all born within a week of each other. We used to call them the October babies, but seeing as they are babies no longer, we have graduated to calling them the Fantastic Four. Which they are, of course.

I count myself blessed to have met these Mums and their lovely kids. It was serendipitous, the way we met, inter-connected by different means, but coming together because we each knew another in real-life and online. And because we clicked when we met.

Since the first year, we've been holding a combined celebration for all four kids and I'm glad we've carried on this tradition into the 4th year! Instead of our usual potluck, we ventured out and had this year's party at Food For Thought at the Botanic Gardens. It was an inspired suggestion by Y, which, aided by excellent service on the part of the restaurant, worked out really well. We had written in asking about reservations (which they don't take) and ended up holding our dinner as a private event. We booked the two long tables outside next to the playground, and were plied with a huge amount of food for 9 adults and 8 little kids.

The two kiddies couldn't wait to dig in!

I have to say the food was really good! It had sounded good on paper, but to have it translated into tasty food in real-life was awesome. The chicken wings and the crispy fish cutlets with pineapple salsa were the favourites of the night. Noey couldn't stop eating the fish! Only the mini burgers weren't so great, being a bit dry and not as tasty to eat. They were mostly left untouched while we tried valiantly to finish everything else. (We didn't manage to, and there was plenty to ta-pao home for lunch the next day.)

Save for the gratin, this is only half the portion for the whole group. We had two tables of food.

Being right by the playground, the kids had a real blast. After they ate their fill, they were running and playing and just having fun together. Having seen them grow up from the days when they used to parallel play next to each other, it was a joy to see them playing together. They still play a little differently, the boys and the girls, though they get along better now: the girls with their pretend-play, and the boys gravitating towards gadgets. DD also engaged our nerdy little boys in a "game" of reading instructions off the walls and they were so excited! Haha.

The evening was lovely and cool and perfect for outdoor play. My only complaint is that it was too dark for photos!

No birthday party is complete without cake, and we had only the best - a homemade creation by Y, decorated on the spot.

On goes the freshly-whipped whipped cream...

Kiddies helping to decorate with sprinkles. Noey tried to eat some too.

The birthday children. Happy 4, Fantastic Four!

Marshmallow demolition in progress.

And then it was piñata time!

I made this piñata at Noey's request -- a rainbow piñata to match the supposedly-but-not-really rainbow theme. Hah. I only agreed to make it after Noey promised he wouldn't cry when all the kids were bashing it up. I'm glad he kept his end of the bargain!

We couldn't find anywhere to hang it, so DD bravely stepped up to the plate!

This was a much better (and far less tragic) piñata than the one I made for Nomi's birthday. Practice makes perfect, I say.

This was a thin, 2-layered creation, but still, little just-turned-4-year-olds and their younger siblings just don't hit that hard at all, so I stepped in a couple of times to give it some good whacks before it spilt its bounty. Next time, I'm trying a pull-string one for little kids.

Picking up the loot! Besides sweets (jellybeans, organic lollies and m&m minis), I put in a good number of stationery items and stickers.

 The kids also enjoyed playing with bubbles and lanterns thereafter, courtesy of L. It was a pretty good party, I must say!

Of course we had line the kids up to get a photo.

Where there were 4, now, 8 little kiddies sit.
The girls are all dressed in Missy Messy!

It was, all in all, a fantastic way to celebrate turning 4. 

Fantastic Four Turn Three

The Oct Babies celebration is always the first one to kick off Noey's birthday celebrations and this year was no exception. We had a gathering at our place the Sunday before Noey and Bean's birthdays and it was such a pleasure to see everyone again!

We're 3!

I think we were not prepared for the onslaught of kids. Last year, there were 5 of them, and Dot was a baby. This year there were 8 kids! And with the exception of newborn Bubbles, everyone else was mobile! Yikes. We all had our hands full. As a result, there aren't many photos and we completely forgot the standard group shot. But we all had fun, and that's what counts.

The girls.

The boys.
I'm sure we could take a photo in 10 years, maybe even 20, and it would look exactly the same.

Dear Katie tried to join in with her iPhone, but the boys continued gaming.

Cake time! This year, Bean was the one who was hesistant. I conclude that Noey and Kate are the ones who love cake!

Blowing out the candles, and...

...Noey goes straight for the gummies! Having all of them just there on the cake was too much for him clearly. I just love Kate's horrified expression.

Going for another one while Raeann helpfully removes the candles...

Stuffing his face! I think he choked at one point from trying to get all the gummies in there,

Mummy had to step in to put a stop to all the gummy guzzling.

Cutting the cake. Raeann does the honours.

Future playmates! These 2 are about 2.5 weeks apart.

Naomi takes the opportunity to try Beth's hair accessories. Whaddya think? I love the huge over-the-top-ness of it!

As always, meeting up always reminds us that we really have to meet more! We'll be having a picnic next time. Looking forward to it!

Art Garden at the Singapore Art Museum

It was off to the Singapore Art Museum for the Art Garden on Tuesday!

I had been looking forward to this outing with the rest of the Oct Babies. It's been so long since we last managed to get everybody together. We didn't manage to catch the Art Garden during last year's edition (which was very well-received) so I was very interested to see this year's installations. So was Noey. "Noey can do Art," he said knowledgeably when I informed him of our destination for the day.

I'm glad that it didn't disappoint! The installations were very interesting and interactive, and appropriate for young kids.

Hello Walter, you colossal bunny you!

Where are the trains, Mummy?
Part of a workshop to create patterns with plastic toy train tracks that was in the process of being put up when we visited. If we go back, I have half a mind let Noey bring his toy train along to roll along the walls! He was playing with his train set with the exact same train tracks just before we left to come.

Dancing solar powered flowers. Noey wasn't so pleased that I wanted him to take a photo AGAIN.

The colouring station -- the only time when any of us managed to get all 5 kids together and in the same shot! As you can see, they were more interested in flipping the sheets around to the blank page behind and drawing with the stencils.

Noey particularly liked the old-school ABC stencil. I remember loving this as a child too! Time to get him one.

The extremely cute "Mummy Dearest" room with dress up dolls which you could velcro clothing to. The girls LOVED this. The boys didn't. For some reason, something frightened Noey and he covered his eyes and kept asking to go home.

Bean: Hmmm, so what do you think this piece this trying to say?
Noey: Don't ask me, I'm just here to play with water!
The boys enjoying the outdoor fountain instead. This is Art too, no?

Noey, a menace with markers. "Draw on the Tree, not on the figures," the staff kept saying. Oops.

"So you shake the paper orange..."

"...and wow, it becomes a real one?
Part of the "Fruits Market exhibit. You can make a paper fruit (each $1) and keep it for a souvenir or exchange it for a real one. For the record,the "easy" fruits -- an orange or a pear -- were not that easy at all, as we Mummies found out!

All the paper fruits on display.

We called it a day and headed for lunch without catching the short films as we missed the session for younger kids.

It was, on the whole, an entertaining morning. Do check it out if you have the time! The event is on till 30 Aug.

The Playdome at the National Museum

While Noey doesn't attend school just yet, I love the school holidays because a whole host of kid-friendly activities will spring up around the island. One of the events which I have been waiting for is Children's Season organised by the National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable. This year's edition will run from 14 May to 31 July 2011.

A couple of weeks ago, shortly after it started, we went to check out Playdome at the National Museum with Kate on a Wednesday morning.

Messing around with the outdoor installation on the front lawn.

When we arrived, Noey spent some time on the front lawn, where his favourite activity was to shake the poles and send drops of water raining down on himself. That was courtesy of the earlier downpour and was not the intention of the installation at all! There were also two tubes which appear to be scopes, through which you can look through to the design above the entrance of the door. There are dials which you can turn to superimpose some designs on the image. Honestly, I didn't really get it.

It was a bit of a bummer that due to the rain, several outdoor sections were closed. Still, we made the most of it.

Noey's favourite station in the Black Box -- the giant Kaleidescope. You can create patterns by walking into the camera frame, or moving the items on the floor, and Noey got a kick out of seeing himself (and Mummy) repeated manifold in the different patterns.

Noey tries to colour a mask while Kate checks out the stage. Noey really wanted to put his artwork on the wall display, but would not sit still long enough to finish it.

Easily both kids' favourite installation -- the maze in the Sensory Studio. They had loads of fun chasing each other in and out through the maze. Then later, playing with the magnets which they used to stick pieces of cloth onto the panels for drawing. They couldn't really draw patterns, which was what they were intended to do.

There was an interactive tour of the Living Galleries which was due to start so we decided to go for it. Not knowing what to expect, I though this turned out to be rather interesting. We were led through the 4 galleries (on Film, Fashion, Photography and Food) by 3 actors, who through a simple script set in the 1960s, sought to draw your attention to the items in each of the galleries. I pitied the fact that we were their only audience but they gamely tried to involve the two 2-year old tots and pitch some of it at their level, which was nice. Noey surprised me by actually participating and answering questions when asked. It was quite fun, certainly more so than walking through the galleries ourselves.

Walking with the Mak Chik through the Food gallery.

On the whole, I was a little disappointed with Playdome, which I think would have been more fun for older kids who could draw and appreciate patterns and the like. I don't know if it would have made a difference if some of the other outdoor areas had been open.

Anyway, next up is the Singapore Art Museum. Looking forward to that!

Turning 2 Together

Happy birthday, little 2-year-olds!

I'd better post these up, cos at the rate I am going, Noey will be 3 before the pics from his 2nd birthday see the light of day!

The first celebration he had was with the October Babies a week before his actual birthday. We moved it up from our standing 1st Oct date as Kate and family were going off to Perth.

One of the reasons why I wanted a bigger home was because I actually love having friends over, so I was glad we were able to host the group this time!

We went pot-luck as usual and it being at our place, we put up a happy birthday banner and my balloon-blower-extraordinaire of a husband helped me with the balloons. DD was a good sport about it though my indecisiveness about balloon placement really drove him a bit batty at one point. Heh. I also printed out the kids' names to add to the wall, though I struggled with photoshop to get it right and in the end, they came out a bit small and I had no time to re-do it. Note to self: Don't ALWAYS leave everything to the last minute.

It was a good call to get some helium balloons though -- they were a huge hit with the kids, especially Noey and Raeann who each took turns to carry them around for a bit. My original idea was to scatter them around but seeing how much fun the kids were having with them, I decided to just leave them in the bunch they came in and let the kids have a go at them.

Balloon wonder.

Still, as is usual when we have such gatherings, everyone came and had a great time. That's the most important thing, isn't it? We carted out some books and Noey's collection of toys (which has grown alarmingly over the past year. I can no longer say he doesn't have many toys!) and despite the preponderance of boy toys, even little Kate and Raeann found stuff to entertain themselves with.

Katie with the magnetic letters, demonstrating her ever readiness to flash a smile on demand

Raeann looking mighty pleased with some newly discovered books!

In any case, Raeann and folks came all tricked out with a bubble gun for some sure fire fun. Even the children downstairs started shouting excitedly when they saw bubbles floating past.

Bubble joy!
I decided to get out the tried and trusty bottles of bubbles to add to the fun.

Bean: See guys, here's the plan. When the bubbles get within striking distance, you open your mouth and eat them!
Noey: Oo, sounds like fun!
Raeann: Eh, I'm not so sure about THAT...

(Bean did in fact go "eat bubbles!", which Noey found so hilariously funny, he kept repeating it. I sure hope neither of them tried to do just that! It was so typically what I branded "male humour". Now you know -- it starts from toddler days and the guy just never grow out of it.)

Noey goes a little cross-eyed with his effort to blow some bubbles. Raeann does not look impressed.

What is a party without cake?

Singing happy birthday! Noey's favourite part. Poor Raeann refused to join in after being suddenly hit with the effects of being nap-less the whole day.

There goes one candle....

... and out goes the other!
Representatives Noey and Kate quickly and efficiently dispatching with the candles.

Noey realises that those are GUMMIES on the cake

Noey: "Step it up folks. Let's get this cake cut and those gummies on my plate pronto!"

The cake -- an ice cream confection from Island Creamery -- turned out to be a huge hit. I had asked the staff for recommendations of flavours and when she said "milo with marshmallows" I knew ping-pong milo was going to be popular. The best part was that the cake wasn't expensive at all! $38 for an 8 inch ice cream cake is a real steal if you ask me.

Present exchange! Now that he knows and recognises each of his friends, I made him seek them out to give them their gifts.

Hugs from Katie!

This is the hug that happened. Later, I think we asked the kids to give hugs to say goodbye and Noey fled into the room, saying "Dowan!!". But when he ran out shortly after, Katie ran up to him and ambushed him with a hug from behind. I wish we caught that on camera!

It was a simple celebration, and yet, one that was enjoyed by everyone there. It's been such a joy to see the kids growing up together, and it's even more fun now that they are starting to play together more. Before the party Noey was terribly excited when we told him that his friends were coming over. "Noey house", Kate said seriously when we sat down to take some photos. And throughout the afternoon, there were the instances of the boys "eating" bubbles together, the girls playing with the balcony gate and Noey pushing Raeann on his Bobby car. I look forward to seeing them really play with each other. Then maybe us parents will have more time to chat! Or maybe not, seeing as both Lyn and I will be juggling new bubs come next year!

Dear lil Dot was the new addition this year.

Finally got a shot with everyone in it! "All the guys are sitting down!" said Noey, who insisted on sitting with Papa on the floor instead of with me. Hrumph.

Everytime I look at these pics, I feel so glad for Noey that he has these friends to grow up with. Let's meet up again soon folks!