Ha, mama went for a medical checkup on a Wed and asked Wai po to take care of the 4 munchkins. Imagine my surprise and amusement when I returned to this sight...how did mei mei become a didi? ahahaha...well...waipo had a theory that how the baby looked like when he/she was very little would determine the gender of the next sibling...eh...not that we were ever going to have a 5th child...gosh...no...
The two little ones were sprawled on the bed on a lazy weekday morning...
Yes, mama loved to doll mei mei up...yes, after years of buying boring boy tops which only had cars, dinosaurs or some other animals...it was so delightful to buy fancy rompers...oh oh oh...
Met up with the cousins on Vesak Day. We gathered at West Coast Park's Macdonald and had brunch, expecting a day of fun out in the sun...eh...unfortunately, it poured so all came to our house instead. Ha, they kids had a vote and the majority wanted to come over...ah gong was so sweet, he dabao-ed food for all of us. The daddies used their eye power to supervise the kids (our daddy had a long nap with the baby, lucky him) and the mummies buried their heads in the laptops to plan the itinerary for our Taiwan trip in Dec! Wo hoooo
Genting Highlands
We booked an entire bus woah...gathered at Wai po's block in the wee hours at 615am...San Yi was late. the kids were worried. Xun gave a nonchalant reply that could easily have been made by a teenager when she found out that some one was late, she went, "Typical." Woah . BURN.
Papa and his little cuddly one. I was remarking to him how amazing love was. I did not imagine that I could ever love another baby so much but the heart had a mysterious and inscrutable way of expanding so that we were capable of giving more and more love...
Mama bought a lot of cute tops for mei mei...heh
Ah, see she even got a pink furry sweater
The big ones sat at the back of the bus and there were only enough seats for Xun, Tong, You You and Jun. So...Yanjie did not have a seat and no one wanted to budge. Did you know Jun gave up his seat to Yanjie? That sweet understanding gentleman with a big heart. Later on, Jun wanted to join them so he sat on Jie's laps. I did not know how, but the two little ones ended up sitting together and even had a cosy nap all snuggled up.
Tong was yakking away with You you, it was a relief to Er yi and mama that they had each other for companionship. There was a peaceful silence out of the blue and it turned out that Tong had fallen asleep so You you had no one to talk to. hahahaha
Checked into Theme Park Hotel. I am astounded at how advanced and convenient checking in was. One could easily check in at the self help kiosk, it was so easy!
We stayed in a 6-bedder. Woah, it was so pretty that papa even contemplated renovating the master bedroom to have a platform and an upper deck bed while putting bean bags below so we could have a leisure hideout. Eh...I thought the upper deck would be too close to the ceiling...hmmm I preferred having the sense of spaciousness when I slept...so...nay.
Such adorable cartoons...haha rather cost-effective way of decorating the house?
amusing touches everywhere
I liked how everything was labelled with stickers...
The room was bright, airy and spacious...it was really nice
Ah ha! First stop. We had a late lunch at 3+ pm. Oh gosh...there was no queue...YAY
Our family ordered a tower. It consisted of 2 lobsters, 2 rolls, 2 burgers and 2 ice cream...
and 4 iced tea that came in packets that looked like this!
Taking the different family shots...
San Yi treated us to Burger & Lobster as she had a good retrenchment package recently and found a good job which offered an even higher pay! It was as if she had struck lottery, so she set aside $1000 for a sumptuous treat! The bill came up to $700 plus and we were totally satiated.
First extended family shot of the trip
Us and our tower of food!
Second extended family photo. Xiaoyi added a filter so the words looked so sparkly..haha
Off to the indoor amusement park. One ride cost 10 ringgit while a pass cost 60 ringgit. No brainer here, we were definitely going to have at least 7 rides to make it worthwhile to buy the pass.
Someone was going off and even gave the wristband free of charge to Er yi! The kids went on their first ride - Loop d loop. Ha, we had two pairs now - Tong and You, Yan jie and Jun. Wai po commented on the bus journey back that the two boys were not on good terms when they were younger, often bickering and fighting over toys and yet they were so chummy now!
I did not recall them bickering in the past...but yes, they were definitely buddies now. You you was scared to go onsome rides and would only go on them if he got to sit with Tong. Yan Jie always asked to sit with Jun.
Ha, we rode on this when we were in Legoland too. One would have that tickly feeling when the seat dropped suddenly. Jun enjoyed this so much that he came back to sit on it a second time later on.
Hot air balloon ride. This was where Er Yi came in useful as an adult was required to be present.
Bug ride. You was brave, Tong did not want to sit at the back with You so You sat there alone.
The merry-go-round was so slow that Tong looked thoroughly bored. He was on the cusp of the next stage, as he was at the height limit for most of the kiddy rides and just a little shy of the next height requirement for all those adrenaline-pumping rides that Xun loved so much.
Ha spotted the little ones? It looked like they were on a date.
Xun went on those gravity-defying rides ALONE. ha, she certainly inherited my gene for thrill rides...
The smaller ones on the second level of the carousel
Er Yi commented the beautycam app made everyone look more alluring...hahahah
Mama sauntered around and found a photo spot...
Choo choo train ride
Yay, gigantic candy floss...
Erjie captured such cute moments of sweet affections displayed by the little ones. ha they were using the seat belt as a phone and pretending to be calling and talking to each other. Jun's expression was so tender, it was like he was so filled with affection and fondness for Yanjie ...and the air of abandon and delight in that photo whereby Yanjie turned her face up with a chuckle...hahah
Oh we met papa's colleague at the bumper car. Ha, the two bigger ones actually did it 4 times. After the first round, Er Yi Zhang and I saw the children rush out of their cars to line up
in an orderly fashion at the exit gate and we were really bemused by it. Turned out that the children were queueing up to go for the next round! Xun and Tong were not aware of it when it first happened so they were the last. Ha, after that, they scampered to get a slot but Tong missed it, then Xun missed it. Luckily, they managed to both get a slot for the 4th round, which was also the last as papa wanted to leave.
Ah, wake up, sleepyheads...
Second day! Gathered at Er Yi's room
Photo spot. The boys were wearing tops of the same design!
Er Yi treated us to breakfast!
We took the glass gondola cable car...
which meant the floor was made of glass, and it gave us a spectacular view of the world under our feet! ha, we were going over the First World Hotel with its signature colourful paints...
It was not too foggy on the second day
Everyone had fun in the glass gondolas...though Er Yi Zhang said that he had a fear of heights ...but he would close his eyes so he needed not see the terrifying sight beneath his feet...hahaha...xiaoyi, Uncle Al and wai gong Wai po took the normal gondola as Uncle Al did not dare to take the glass one too...
Taking silly shots...I thought these were hilarious
We stopped over at Chin Swee Temple, which was a temple built into the mountains...We had some miscommunication with San Yi's family, who did not alight at Chin Swee Station. Haha. they asked Xiao yi where they should alight and XiaoYi said the temple station, which they took to be the literal name of the station!
Luckily, they could get a free ride and came back to join us. Ha, we taunted Xiaoyi, saying she was the weakest link in our family. Xiao yi and Wai po stayed at a different hotel from ours. As Wai po and gong did not have roaming data or wifi, we relied on Xiaoyi to convey messages to them. But it was so difficult to get Xiao Yi and Uncle Al, as they often woke up so late and it would be cutting so close to the prearranged meetup time so we would not know of waipo and gong's whereabouts till the young couple woke up! Arghz...
Very interesting and educational sculptures that detailed the different levels of hell and the crimes that were committed for the person to be sentenced to each particular chamber...and there were things like littering, disrespect for elders, filial impiety...and Wanyuan looked at the kids pointedly...haha
But of course we reminded them they were Jesus' children so this would not happen to them...haha
We did not have a chance to climb up the pagoda...the place was really quaint and beautiful
a magnificent goddess sculpture
a majestic towering Buddha sculpture
The little ones were having a mirthful time
I loved this family shot...against the tranquil background...our wish was for everyone to enjoy good health and protection...all the days of our lives, and to have many more trips together.
Xiaoyi took this for us. She did have an artistic flair and could take Instagrammable photos!
We learnt that she actually had 1000 followers on Instagram, of which 700 were friends...that was remarkable...1000? hahah..however, we teased her for being an influenza rather than an influencer...
Sanjie loved this photo, she gushed about how slim she looked in the picture : )
The temple was carved into the mountain and they erected the worship altar against the immense boulders...how awe-inspiring...religion and nature intertwined as one...the spiritual and natural realms merging into one...it was really breathtaking
At the pond where we discussed the differences between turtles and tortoises, crocodiles and alligators...and where San Yi thought that the turtles were just statues!
One could light firecrackers there and we actually witnessed one! It was thunderous.
Ha, Wai po and her darlings...
Wasn't being surrounded by grandchildren one of the greatest joys that one could have? Such bliss.
After the visit to the temple, we went to the premium outlet and shopped. Hmmm Wai po promised to buy toys for the kids so Tong bought a remote control car but regretted it when he saw Beyblades tops that came with launchers. I told him that he made the best decision under the circumstances and he could have regretted it if he did not buy the remote control car. There would be many such laments in his later life and I wished he would learn to puff up his chest, square his shoulders and move on spiritedly instead of wallowing in his regrets.
Papa treated everyone to dinner at a Chinese restaurant and we had really delicious food. The staff was really helpful and told us we could redeem free gifts so we got two adidas caps!
OOTD for mei mei on the third day. ah...breakfast treat by Uncle Al and Xiaoyi. Ha...miscom with San Yi Zhang again. Uncle Al said to meet at the taki shop...which he meant the Japanese stall that sold takoyaki balls but San Yi Zhang thought that was the name of the shop and could not find it obviously...hahah...the takoyaki balls and Japanese noodles were really yummy. I should find the recipe and make it at home!
Jie asked to carry her cute little mei mei...jie loved to coo and play with the baby
It was a long day of travelling. We set off at 1150 am and reached Singapore at 7 plus pm. It was a good thing that we were not caught in the jam at the customs for a long time...it was all in all a really happy family trip and we were already talking about the next one! Probably to Bangkok in Sept or Dec …
Tong tried to search for the Beyblade he had bought previously from Popular but we could not find this part. He was sobbing bitterly when he went to bed. Tong had matured well as he would have been so persistent in locating it right away or break into loud uncontrollable bawls in the past...but this time, he asked to hug and hold my hand while weeping quietly...and went to sleep.
Papa cooked instant noodles for the kids...they were off to bed at 8 plus, the usual bedtime as there was school tomorrow. We stayed up to unpack the luggage and wash the laundry...being highly efficient, we were all done and papa even did work and mama blogged...so yeah... 3 more weeks of maternity leave before I got to start work again!
We thanked God for the balmy weather during this trip...for enduring and strong family kinship ... of all the wealth and riches one could wish and ask for.. what could be more precious than family ties.
