Hari Raya Haji

we didnt go anywhere this Raya Haji. as usual, we spent the morning at tssc's house, eating lemang, ketupat and rendang. we went home before lunch as hubby had to go for friday prayers. the house was hot, extremely hot, that day. we made a last minute to take the boys away for the night.

closest was port dickson. we called thistle first, but it was fully booked. then tiza recommended avilion admiral. they had vacancy even when we called at 2pm. so i quickly packed the boys clothes and we left the house by 3pm. the road was slightly congested near the seremban exit then it rained. we got there around 5pm and let the boys run around the hotel room. the beach was next to the hotel (as opposed to in front of the hotel) and didnt look too inviting after the rain.

tiza arrived after maghrib and we went out in search of dinner. being Hari Raya, everything was either closed or had slow service. we ended up at a place where there's a kopitiam and satay kajang at around 9:30pm. by the time the food arrived, the boys were already tired.

the next day we drove around a bit then took the boys to the beach next door. not a nice beach but it satisfied the boys. dapat berendam sikit pun jadik lah...

Year End Concert

unlike the sports day earlier in the year, all 4 boys participated in the school event this time. i really wanted ariff to take part as i dont want to see him left behind. i've been bugging the boys to show me what they were performing but they wouldnt let on. i guess they just didnt know i was as curious as the cat, they'd probably think its not a big deal. hello!! this is your mummy, okay! everything's a big deal to me.

so for this year, amir was supposed to perform a chinese fan dance (but he brought home a note that said, outfit changed, so he was the only one not in chinese costume) and a japanese song. asyraf sang 123 in arabic and did the hokey pokey. ariff sang lagu buah and burung kakak tua. even akmal was on stage, he had a bayi sihat competition.

the day started great. hubby and i dropped the boys off in school and went to have breakfast nearby. we came back just in time for the show to start. first up was akmal. i didnt know what to do to show him as 'comel and sihat' so i bought him a mickey mouse outfit. he was paraded on stage with other babies his age. then it was ariff's turn. he looked so relaxed with his hand in his pocket. then asyraf was on stage...he gave the best performance of the day, we loved it.

the taska's performance stopped at asyraf. they then announced results for the baby competition. my ickle mickey mouse came second, surprisingly. then asyraf was called on stage to take his prize for getting no 2 in class. then it was the tadika children, starting with amir and his class. after 2 performance, they gave out prizes to his class. amir got no 5 and went away with a consolation prize.

it was wonderful as all the boys performed and received prizes. hubby and i also managed to have a quick bite to eat after the concert as the boys were well looked after by their teachers.

Asyraf Is Three

asyraf turned 3 on november 20th. he was pretty excited about his birthday, he even chose a pooh theme. we've agreed before that the boys would only have big celebrations for their first birthday and then at significant years (7, 12, 16). that depends, not anything fixed. i would love to throw a big birthday party for all 4 boys at one time. that would be my ultimate party dream.
asyraf has shown great progress this year.

the good thing about having birthday at the year end, is that you can see progress as the year passes. asyraf had a great year in school. he started learning this year, and had exams 4 times this year. easy exams, nothing major. simple ABC, 123, alif ba ta. asyraf was number 1 during the mid year exam (at TIS level only) and was number 2 at the year end exam (at the TIS and Taska Rapid level). we are so proud of him.

asyraf has turned into quite a chatterbox. he would talk and sing and whine about amir. he would ask questions and call out to people. he's forever going 'kerapa...kerapa...kerapa'. asyraf takes in things pretty fast, especially movements. he can remember dance moves after watching only once or twice.

asyraf has a love-hate relationship with amir. they fight but they're the best of friends. he still has a hate-hate relationship with ariff. and tries to be brotherly with akmal. but over all, asyraf is still quite the loner. he can play by himself while his brothers eat. he can sleep on his own while his brothers play.

cant wait to see how asyraf will be as he turns 4...

Second Home

with 4 deliveries, 3 jaundices, migraine attacks, numerous check ups, AGEs, ARIs and accidents, there's no doubt that DSH is our second home. it got to a point where we can easily grab items for overnight stays without even to look through our piles of clothes.

most recent admission was for akmal who had AGE (acute gastroentiritis) and 3 weeks after that, for both asyraf and akmal for ARI (acute respiratory infection) - nice names!

alhamdulillah both were good patients, except towards the end of their stay when they are well and active. and thank God too for their school and teachers, who are willing to help out and take care of one of the three who were not admitted. think i'm gonna ask DSH for an eiseai wing...

Swimming Class

like any child, my boys love the pool. hubby and i encouraged them to like, and not be afraid of, water since they were young. we'd sometimes put their faces under running water while they have their bath (not until they choke, mind you, only to let them feel the water running on their faces). over time they'd be doing it themselves. ariff even would stick his head ostrich-like underwater.

a visit to any hotel or to wan's house would not be complete without a dip in the pool. it was an incident at the latter that prompted us to push the boys to start their classes earlier than expected. we thought of enrolling amir and asyraf sometime next year. but amir had a 'drowning' session during raya so we decided to start him off earlier. maybe asyraf can start with ariff late next year.

amir's been showing good progress the first month. he can blow bubbles under water and can swim from one end to the other. usually asyraf would follow and swim at the other end of the pool.