Valentine's Day

It was snowing the whole day yesterday, winter is in full force now.  Thankfully the temperature is not extreme, I think between 0 to -16 degrees is quite reasonable Swedish winter.  I do like winter because snow can really transform a landscape.  When everything is covered in white, even the usual normal landscape can become quite dramatic and very pretty.

And braving the snow yesterday, I went back to school after 5 years.  I signed up for a 3-month Japanese course because I needed to get out of the house, away from the kids and do something on my own, and also, I've always been interested in the Japanese culture and language.  I attended Japanese course about 20 years ago when I was in the polytechnic.  At that time, one foreign language (I think there was French, Japanese and German) was offered for free for business students, and since Japanese cartoons and tv series were ragingly popular then, I signed up for it.  But now 20 years later, all I can remember from that course was the auntie-looking teacher with immaculately pressed clothes and extremely tight hair bun.  She had a permanent scowl on her face and the only Japanese phrases I took away with me was "wakarimasen" ("I don't understand").... well, come to think of that, I was probably the only one she scowl at, since I always asked questions which were outside and way beyond what she was planning to teach (and most of the time very irrelevant as well....) and when she asked me something, most of the time I'd answer with "huh? wakarimasen...." ^.^

The first lesson was quite ok.  We took turn introducing ourselves in Swedish and then about an hour into the class, we re-introduced ourselves in Japanese, nothing dramatic, everything was cool.  My tongue just needs time to re-program itself to speak Japanese.  Towards the end of our first lesson, the teacher distributed out our homework.  Hiragana!!!! We have to learn 15 characters until next week and a lot of them looks like pretzels.... *groan* now I totally understand what Jovan and Angel are going through when they're learning new Chinese characters.....

When I got home, I had dinner (I made dinner before I went out) and got Ivan to sleep.  Hubby was already home then.  He had to come home earlier then usual (he's working late almost everyday... too bad I'm not technically-inclined in anyway, otherwise I can probably help him a little...) because I was going out.  I know, I'm so lucky to have a considerate husband, who lets me get away with almost everything! And when Ivan finally fell asleep, hubby brought out gifts for me! I didn't expect that he'd go hunting for presents given his crazy schedule! And I received these!

The mug and book ("Start painting watercolor) are from hubby, thank you for always indulging me in whatever crazy hobby I have! The 2 cards are from Jovan.  He wrote one (The red one) for me and signed it off as "hubby" and he wrote the other one for hubby and signed it off as "baby", so sweet! Although one look at the handwriting I knew they were from him, but the thought was very sweet!  And Angel sewed the 2 small bags/pouches for me.  Love the fabric!

I am blessed to be constantly surrounded by love and I am thankful for that everyday.

Happy Valentine's Day to all! 

Goodbye 2011!

2011 has been a very challenging year for our family.  After a long period of hard work and stress about finance, hubby and I have reached a point where we are physically tired and mentally drained all the time.  He really wants to see result now after all the years of hard work and I, I don't really know what I want anymore.  2011 is also the year where things starts to pick up for hubby's company. He was interviewed by a well established online tech magazine during the summer, and after that the response he got was just overwhelming! Suddenly many other tech magazines started writing about Rotosub even though he only got interviewed by one... =.="  And in autumn, he was invited by a respected expert in ANC (Anti-Noise Control) to present Rotosub technology in the annual ANC convention.  The Swedish embassy also helped Rotosub to set up a few interviews with some large MNCs to explore possible projects together.  This was a great opportunity to help break into the otherwise very difficult Japan market. So now he has a few projects going on and since the company is still small, he has to put in long hours to complete these projects.  Hopefully he can start hiring soon when the money starts coming in on a regular basis.

2011 had also been good because we have finally saved enough money to go back to Singapore! It was a long-awaited trip but unfortunately, Jovan broke his leg about a month before we were supposed to fly,so he didn't get to do much but I think all the good food made up for that! :D

As always, we sent off 2011 at home.  New Year's eve party is not really for our family especially when we have 2 toddlers, so we choose to just take it easy at home.

We had chicken pie with store-bought puff pastry on top and salad for lunch.

Nice to sit down to have lunch together!

Then the bigger kids and I popped some corn and made caramel popcorn with almond! Yum!

For dinner, we planned to have sushi and my marinated chicken wings (yeah, I know it's a weird combo but as long as we like it, why not?).  So the bigger kids and I wrapped some sushi and I threw in the chicken wings into the oven to bake.  

Angel folded the paper napkins into some interesting forms.... a shirt for daddy and Jovan.....

 .... a tie for Chris and a "square-ish" looking flower for Ivan....

.... and a flower (I think) for me and herself!  So creative!

Then dinner was served! Home made maki sushi rolled by Jovan and Angel!

We also made "mock-tail" with orange juice and cranberry juice! Nice!

Cheers! Both Jovan and Angel complained about how the grapes and umbrellas were making them looked strange..... hahahahahahahaha! They did!!! :D

And while most of us were enjoying our mocktails....

 there is one of us who was totally focused on eating the umbrella.... =.="

After dinner, it was snacking time.  So out came the caramel popcorn and some chips and we watched tv and were just having a cozy time in the sofa....

.... forcing the baby to smile for the camera.....

And then we decided to take a family picture using the timer on the camera!  And after about five hundred tries and countless weird picture, we finally got it! ^.^

After the small ones fell asleep, the bigger kids stayed up with us waiting for the countdown and watching fireworks from our living room.  After the countdown, "King Kong" was on tv, Jovan and I watched till 3.10am before we finally went to bed.

Goodbye 2011.  We are thankful for what we received over the past year and the mistakes we made and lessons learnt.  We hope that 2012 will bring us more family and couple time together, more personal growth, well-deserved rewards for our hard work put in, be it in school, at work or our own personal character improvement.  Most of all, we wish that we will all be able to find peace in our hearts despite our hectic lives , don't sweat the small stuff and appreciate the little things in our lives.

Happy New Year!!

Monster Mom?

After coughing my lungs out for the past 1 month, my throat finally gave up.  I woke up yesterday sounding like The Hulk.... :(

Yesterday afternoon, I was watching "Little Einsteins" (it's a good programme for small kids, Ivan is starting to hum classical music! :D) with the tiny ones and was unconsciously singing along with them, or should I say croaking along.

Then came Ivan, smiling at me, looking all sweet and cute and asked me innocently,"Mamma, monster?"

Before I could react, he started imitating me and singing in his "monster" voice.... =.="

I haven't been feeling good for some time now and at that moment, I just want to jump in bed, wrap myself up and stay there till my voice is back! >.<"

What...?!

I know Jovan and Angel are more Swedes than Singaporean because.....

Example 1

Angel: "Why do they have "näsa" (nose in Swedish) on their caps?"

We were watching a documentary about the Space Shuttle Discovery, which is of course another amazing project from.... yeah, NASA!!!!

>.<"

Example 2

Jovan: "Mom, do we still have the paste to make that "lak-ah"?"

Mom: "What lak-ah?"

Angel: *trying her very best to not laugh out hysterically* "He's talking about laksa!"

 =.="

However, there is one of them who is starting to show off his Singaporean genes...

Mom: "Ivan,  你还要不要吃?" ("Do you want more?" I was feeding him dinner.)

Ivan: "不要 lah! ("Don't want lah!")

Oooops.....!

He is 4 today!

I guess the common thing for parents is that when we look at others' kids, they seem to grow so fast! And looking at our own kids, we can't help but wonder when will they grow up... However, year after year, when birthdays come, time seems to have condensed and it feels like we have just celebrated their birthdays like last month!  Hubby says that he can remember Ivan's birth vividly like it just happened yesterday.  And today, he turns 4!

4-year old Ivan is quite an character.  He clearly has his own personality and his own way of logic, which does not necessary make sense at all for "common" folks like us! =.="  He likes to talk and sing and boy, can he talks! His vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds since he started school and is increasing everyday. He still maintains his sweet nature and happy-go-lucky attitude, everybody is his friend, so when some of his classmates are mean to either him or others, he will talk about them like it's the most hideous crime in the world, and pass the verdict that "(so-and-so) är inte snäll!" ("[so-and-so] is not nice!") He has also gained himself 2 admirers in school.  A 5-year old named Mira who kind of "adopted" Ivan since he started school.  She plays with him, gives him a ride on the tricycle, pushes him on the swing and helps to keep a lookout for Ivan, which is really sweet! ^.^  Another girl is the same age as Ivan, named Amy.  Sometimes she'll go to school all grumpy but her face always lights up when she sees Ivan.  Both of them likes to hold hands while out playing, sitting in their small cozy corner somewhere - talking.  Even when they're playing in a bigger groups, Ivan and Amy will still hold hands (wonder who started holding whose hand first...?) or go to a corner where they will sit side by side and talk, sing or just laugh about silly things which only 4-year olds will understand...  Even the teachers think that they look really sweet together!

Last year he was into trains.  This year his interest in Lego has deepened and he really likes to bicycle as well.  Some days it seems like all he does in school is cycling and playing on the slide.... >.<"  The 2 persons whom he really looked up to are daddy and Jovan.  He is always trying to imitate the way daddy or Jovan talk, how they teach Chris, how Jovan complains about Angel (which we're discouraging!) and he even wants to have the same kind of shoes, hat, clothing as Jovan!  He must think that they're the coolest guys in this world!  Hence it is very important for us to emphasis to Jovan that a lot of what he say and do, will influence how Ivan behaves. Thankfully, Jovan has always been a sensible boy (oh well, he has his days as well!) and has in fact been a very good example to his younger siblings.

Now, picture time! ^.^

I always make egg tarts on Ivan's birthday because he likes it... but this year, he didn't even have 1..... :(

Birthday boy was happy to blow out the candles while the baby brother looks on in amazement! :D

Presents time!  This year both farmor (grandma) and farfar (grandpa) came to celebrate his birthday.

Mummy and daddy bought him a helium balloon in the shape of a helicopter.  Both Ivan and Chris are quite crazy about balloons!

Farmor bought him this baby laptop, which even attracted the interest of the older kids!

Ivan opening Angel's present, under the watchful eyes of the older sister.... =.="

Handmade card from Angel which reads,"Congrats Ivan.  Hope you have a good day.  Hug and kiss Angel". 

This is Angel's present to Ivan.  A bracelet which she made herself, cool! Other then these, Ivan also received a box of Lego (of course!) and a parking house with cars and helicopter from farfar.

Jovan's card reads,"Congrats Ivan on your birthday.  CONGRATS"

Eh.... this is the inside of Jovan's card.  Not sure if this is boys' humour.... :D

Ivan has been requesting for a bicycle for a long time, so it was a no-brainer to get him a bicycle for his birthday and not forgetting helmet as well!  He is one happy guy today! ^.^

Chris is happy to play with Ivan's presents and running after Ivan while he swished by on his bicycle! 

And of course, he needed to take a break from all the cycling to swing a little...

Today was the perfect sunny autumn weather! Just the right kind of weather for a happy birthday boy!

Mummy and daddy hope that you will always keep your positive attitude and sweet nature. The journey of growing up is long and sometimes frustrating and scary, we want you to always remember that we will be with you every little step of the way.  Sometimes right beside you holding your hand, sometimes monitoring from a distance but always there.

Happy 4th birthday sweet heart! 

Well Done Jovan!!!

Some time ago, the University Hospital in Linköping organized a drawing/create competition in association with their renovation project "The hospital in the future".  Jovan, together with his class (Year 5) and the other schools in Östergötland (which consists of about 13 municipalities), took part in the competition which required them to draw or create something to express how they think a hospital should be or what they would like a hospital to have or their personal experience with the hospital.

Out of the many schools and students who took part in the competition, both Jovan and his classmate, Mariam, coincidentally came in second together!!! And for second prize, the whole class gets to go on a trip to the Swedish Air Force Museum!

Yesterday was the prize giving ceremony, so our whole family went to participate in this joyous occasion.

Jovan and his award-winning drawing! Together with the drawing, the students are asked to write a poem in relation to what they have created.  And Jovan's poem reads:

"Det ska vara mysigt på kvällen och roligt på dagen
 (It should be cozy in the evening and fun in the day)

 Man får läsa hur länge man vill, så länge man är vaken
 (One can read as long as one wants, as long as one is awake)

 Men man måste sova också, det är klart
 (But one must sleep as well, of course)

 För annars blir benet aldrig klart
(For otherwise the leg will never be done [heal])

 Med lysande stjärnor overallt
 (With shinning stars everywhere)

 Kan man bara ta det kallt
 (One can just stay cool)

 För man vet att det kommer att läkas
 (For one knows that it will be healed)

 Även om medicinen gör så att man vill kräkas
 (Even if the medicine makes one wants to vomit)

 Det ska vara mysigt på kvällen och roligt på dagen

 (It should be cozy in the evening and fun in the day)

 Man får läsa hur länge man vill, så länge man är vaken"
 (One can read as long as one wants, as long as one is awake)

The original Swedish version is very good but my translation is poor, so my bad... :P

And of course his principle was there to show support...

And his teacher as well...

The prize was given out by the goal keeper from the Linköping Hockey Club (LHC), well he's kinda like the local celebrity and very friendly, but too bad our family's loyalty lies in HV71! :D

After the ceremony, we brought Jovan downtown to buy his reward from mummy and daddy (daddy was kind to stay home with the troublesome smaller ones).  

He was happy to get an Xbox game and a PSP game!

I think he was in a good mood coz he was talking a lot and looking in the trees, grass and bushes....

 It was also the last weekend before my mum goes home to Singapore, so it was nice to be able to walk around a little and she bought a nice bracelet for herself.  It is tough to get her out of the apartment nowadays, it's too cold for her and it's not even winter... >.<"

This is the award certificate which Jovan gets to keep at home.  A similar one is given to the principle to be displayed in the school.  The spokesperson from the hospital said that they will display these drawings all over the hospital once the renovation is completed.  That's so cool!

Well done Jovan! You have made us proud! *clap clap clap and doing happy dance*

Finally He's Off The Cast!!!!

This post is way overdue because of one thousand and one reasons and the number one on the list is... because I'm lazy.... :P  Jovan went for his last doctor's appointment on 23 August, which is almost 3 months from the day he broke his leg.  As usual, the doctor took off his cast and sent him off for x-ray, then back to the doctor's office to review the x-ray.  The result was very good!  The bones have grown properly and are now fused together. Though we could still see a crack where it fused together but the doctor assured us that it will be gone over time.  He also said that the bones will grow thicker as Jovan grows and if he ever take an x-ray when he turns adult, no one would be able to tell that he had broken his leg before.

Jovan's left leg is significantly thinner and more hairy (for some strange reason..) than his right, since he hadn't used it for 3 months.  The doctor mentioned that it'll take approximately two years for his left leg to catch up with the right leg and be as strong, since the muscles need time to be built up and strengthened.

The first two weeks after the cast came off, he was kinda afraid to use his left leg because it was so week. We told him to just take it easy and try his best to use it as much as he can but not to over exert it.  And being a good boy as he always has been, Jovan took daddy's advise to walk more.  Some days he would go for a walk when he came home from school.

Almost everybody in school knew what happened to him, so we didn't have to especially inform the teachers on what they should do.  Everybody wants him to take it easy, including his physical education teacher who came up with a series of exercises which Jovan can do to train up his legs.  Even though, he couldn't join in with the rest of the class, he knew that this was what he needed.

About two days ago, hubby and I went to the parent-teacher meeting in school and we talked to Jovan's physical education teacher to find out what he thinks about Jovan's situation.  He agreed with us that Jovan should continue a little longer with the resistance training to build up strength, even though Jovan thinks that he's good enough now.

Thankfully there isn't any complication with this injury.  Now I can only pray hard that all of them will grow up big and strong without any more accident, my old heart can't take too much of "excitement" like this....