Our Little Sammy Has Been Asking

When he was asked to wash his oily hands after manhandling his food.
Sammy: "Mommy, why soap can take away oil?"

Just before he went to sleep
Sammy:"Mommy, why I see red things when I close my eyes?"

When we are reading about the human body,

Sammy: "Mommy, why do we need muscles?"

Talking to Auntie Rubi,

Sammy: "Auntie Rubi, why are you brown?"

On our night walks

Sammy: "Can we observe the moon today?"

Yup, that's our queer genius in the making:)

Owl Updates and an Owl Party? Owl-some!

Our owl [we have identified that it is the Asian Barred Owl] has been regularly spotted at its usual place. Just before Daddy Daniel left for Germany, we took our family night walk much to Sarah's fright. With her ears tightly cupped, we wheeled to the the usual spot to admire our owl. True enough, it was there and we managed to come right up close. And guess who had the best view? Haha...our dear Sarah, seated at the bottom half of our Phil and Teds. It was an awesome moment for everyone. We saw it point blank. This time, even Sarah was awed. It was really cool.

Just yesterday, we went on an owl hunt with Jan and Jojo and Rubi. Not only was it found in its usual spot, we heard the owl call and it was unlike anything we had imagined. It was not hoo hoo...but it was like a frog croaking. Haha...I really wonder the many animals we missed thinking that we heard a cricket or a toad while it is actually some other creature. It was really cool.

So cool...I think I will hold a simple owl party sometime next week for the kiddos before ending it with our owl hunt. Found some cool ideas on the web...

Some fun owl smores snacks [I have a mind to adapt this to my healthy banana blueberry muffin, spread it with a thick layer of nutella and top it up with marshmallow eyes]

Owl crafts are aplenty

Read an owl bedtime story

And of course, give the kids some great owl vocabulary and they wouldn't even know what hit them.

We Miss You Daddy, Big Time!

Dearest Pappi,

We really miss you and we are counting down the days till you return. But in the meantime, we are busy having lotsa fun too. Playing with Belle Belle, Hannah, Josiah, having our hair cut, baking gingerbread man for our BSF teachers, spending time with Grandpa and Grandma and Ahgong and Ahma and making Mommy angry when we throw our toys around. We looking forward to the many toys you will buy for us. We love you Pappi!

There's An Owl in the Neighbourhood

Daddy first spotted the owl when he strolled around the neighborhood at night. He said he came face to face with it and it flew away. 

The next night, the family was out in full force. Sarah and Sammy were in their double stroller and Daddy and Mommy walking quietly beside. Daddy spotted it again, perched on top of a little barren tree. As he walked nearer and attempted to take a picture with his phone, the bird took flight just above Sammy and Mommy's head. Sarah was hiding in her double stroller with covering her ears tight. 

Just last night, we went for our owl hunt and spotted the owl perched on the same barren tree. This time, the kids were more experienced and so was mommy. Sammy was quiet and he whispered, "Daddy, take a picture". Mommy tried an owl call. The owl moved and turned its body a few times. Sammy and Mommy approached neared and tried the owl call together. Then without warning, the bird flew away into the night. 

We [minus Sarah] were all wowed. 

We Got Tickets to Libera!

Since last year, we have been enjoying selected music from Libera. Sarah and Sammy loves 'All Things Bright and Beautiful",  "I Will Sing Forever" and "Going Home". If I had a choice, I wouldn't mind sending Sammy to Libera:) He looks like an angel ....but is as naughty as an imp!

I was just faintly hoping that during our November trip, we would be able to catch them. It was a faint hope as we would be travelling to Chateau D' Ox Switzerland, then a short stop to Paris and then London. It would mean that Libera has to do a homecoming after their performances in Philippines and their act would have to coincide with the London leg of our trip. Well, the unbelievable happened. We ARE catching  their One Day Christmas performance! Woohoot!

We are all looking forward:)

The In-Between-Time Nowadays

In between our usual schedule, is the planning and logistics for our trip in Nov. 

Footwear - I would rank this as one of the most important logistical equipment for a comfortable holiday. The first time, my shoes gave way in UK, I was survived only by my crocs slippers. The second time, a last minute buy gave me blisters and made me walk around the streets of paris in a far amount of discomfort. For the kids, Sarah had only a pair of slippers due to some rush and her feet were literally black when we return to the hotel room everyday in Paris. This time, thanks to Yixiang [I think she didn't know what hit her], I manage to grab some snowboots from crocs USA and had it shipped to her while she was there for her work. I think they should help us survive the cold fairly well.  Somehow, I am quite convinced that crocs should wouldn't split on us. Haha.