Welcome to the Chen Den!

Videos videos videos...!

2012-01-31T08:48:00.003+08:00

Here are some videos that I haven't had time until now to upload!

We are really impressed with Nicholas' tennis skill! Look how after a few months how good he's become!

And it begins... the boys fighting over toys.

Michael dancing! I'm really impressed with his balance...he doesn't even fall down!

Here is a sweet video of Lauren feeding Michael. Aww, these two are going to grow up to be such good friends!

Holiday Fun

2012-01-11T07:10:00.001+08:00

Over the holidays we had lots of fun....

We went to see "Arthur Christmas" at the movie theatre.

We went skating. It was Nicholas' first time and he LOVED it!

Victoria, Nicholas and Vanessa waiting for the Zamboni to finish.

Visiting Papa at work and sitting in one of the Uncle's truck.

Take an art class and made a tree!

Now it's back to school!

Christmas Fun

2012-01-05T09:07:00.009+08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Over the holidays, Nicholas and Michael had a lot of fun, but most of all they enjoyed the Christmas Parties!

Nicholas posing with Michael and his Bob the Builder tool belt set.

All the kids!!

Another Christmas Party! All the kids feasting!

Cheers! Enjoying home-made hot chocolate. Yummmmm....

The kids posing on the sofa before giving and receiving their presents.

Nicholas happily receiving one of his presents.

Michael enjoying his reindeer hat.

Nicholas and Michael posing with a Santa who was wandering around handing out presents.

Nicholas Christmas Concert

2011-12-13T19:33:00.002+08:00

I am really one proud parent! Today Nicholas and Natalie had their school Christmas concert. It was great! The kids are so cute and the parents are worse than paparazzi!

The Kindergarten class getting ready. I've circled Nicholas otherwise you wouldn't be able to find him!

Natalie with the Reception class getting ready to begin too.

The paparazzi of parents!

Natalie smiling after her performance.

The Christmas concert had singing, an ABC-themed nativity play. I only took video of the kids singing. Here is Nicholas in action. Can you find him? He's almost being blocked by a microphone stand, wearing black jeans at the middle-right front row. He also has big movements- clapping harder than everyone else.

Michael walking

2011-12-05T09:34:00.003+08:00

Last week Michael began walking on his own! Wow, our baby boy is really growing up.

More Cousins Fun

2011-11-23T18:21:00.007+08:00

For her birthday, Natalie received a very pretty Princess set which consisted of 4 high heels. Natalie was so nice to share this gift with her cousins.... and of course Nicholas had to get in the action too!

Vicky, Natalie and Nicholas making a train.

The 4 lining up.

Sitting together and playing a game. I'm not quite sure what game they are playing....

Again, the 4 are deep in discussion or looking at something.

Natalie and Nicholas taking a bath together. Look who is joining for the first time- Lauren and Michael. Michael was a bit scared and didn't like the group bath. It's something he'll have to get used to though.

Natalie and Nicholas' school field trip

2011-11-18T20:01:00.009+08:00

It's great that Natalie and Nicholas are now going to the same school because we recently had a field trip to Lantau Island. They were so happy to go together.

Before the trip to Mui Wo beach, we had to pack a picnic. Natalie and Nicholas helping to make our sandwiches.

The final product. All the sandwiches are labeled by pictures of what each person likes. There are sandwiches for Clark, Nicholas, Natalie and myself.

Nicholas was so excited as it was his first time on a boat!

Natalie and her Baba on the ferry too.

The classes were having a sand castle competition. Here is Natalie and Nicholas breaking ground on their sand castle.

The first castle built.

We decided that as nice as this castle was, it wasn't big enough and we needed to build a sand KINGDOM. Check it out! We also won a prize! Good job Natalie and Nicholas!

More cutie Michael.

2011-11-07T20:30:00.008+08:00

Of course I'm biased, but Michael is SUPER DUPER cute! I'm really going to miss these days of them being babies....

Michael taking a bath.

Michael's nursery school application photo. So proper with his crazy hair combed down. We actually had to use gel to make it lie flat.

Michael also had his very first haircut by MOM! I just trimmed the sides a bit and cut the long crazy hairs. How does he look?

Here is a video of Michael taking a bath. He really loves bathtime and cries when its time to come out.

Hallowe'en

2011-11-02T14:41:00.007+08:00

Happy Hallowe'en!

Lauren was nice enough to lend Michael her pumpkin Hallowe'en costume. The older ones, Nicholas and Natalie are behind playing.

Cutie Lauren in her pumpkin costume (while Michael tries to sit on her??).

Then Michael tried on the old duck costume. He didn't seem to like it at all! :(

Nicholas used his old cow costume again. Here is a photo of Nicholas with Natalie the fairy and another schoolmate.

Tennis lessons

2011-10-18T18:33:00.005+08:00

Photos of Nicholas and his cousins at tennis lessons. Nicholas used to be really excited to go to tennis lessons, but lately he isn't as interested... hmm wonder why. We'll just have to give it more time.

Here is a video of the cousins hitting the ball.

More brotherly love....

2011-10-14T09:51:00.007+08:00

Now that Michael is getting older, he is beginning to interact more with Nicholas. Although they have already started "fighting," there are many moments where they are very sweet together.

Nicholas trying Michael's pacifier and kissing each other.

Riding their bikes together.

Bathing together.

Hugging.

Here is a video of Nicholas and Michael singing "Head and Shoulders." Michael is trying to keep up with the actions.

Dentist appointment

2011-10-10T20:51:00.004+08:00

Nicholas had his very first dentist appointment and was very brave! He let the dentist look around, count his teeth, and even did a cleaning. Nicholas also made it on the dentist's cavity-free wall. Good job Nicholas!

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

2011-10-04T06:56:00.004+08:00

Happy Birthday to Nicholas! We can't believe he's 3 already. We had a nice little birthday with his cousins at Cafe Deco and shared his birthday celebration with cousin Lauren who has the same birth day! Happy Birthday to Lauren who turned 1!

Picture of the birthday cake that Nicholas chose himself.

The Chen Den.

Back to school

2011-09-20T08:00:00.006+08:00

After a nice summer break, Nicholas is back to school! He is at a new school this year learning English and Mandarin.

His new gym uniform.

School uniform.

School books for this month.

His brand new sleeping bag. Thank you Goo Jeh and Hitomi Goo Jeh for the wonderful gift. The sleeping bag is so cute and folds into a bag!

Reunited once again!

2011-09-04T18:13:00.009+08:00

After a 2 month hiatus the older cousins are back together again in full force. They had a good week together to play before school starts. Nicholas really missed his cousins and is glad to be together again.

Going for a swim together.

Taking a rest on the lobby sofa.

Going grocery shopping together.

The Zombie-gang by the TV.

Taking a nap together. Vanessa and Natalie on the top bunk, while Nicholas and Victoria on the bottom.

A reunion wouldn't be a reunion without their infamous bath!

And of course their all time favourite, frozen yogurt! This pic is a bit hard to see because of the reflection of the glass and the road.

Happy Birthday Michael!

2011-09-01T12:28:00.004+08:00

Today, our baby boy is 1-years old! I can't believe Michael is already 1! We were able to celebrate it with his cousins and Por por. Happy Birthday Baby!

Michael's birthday cake. This is actually Dave's favourite.

A photo of Por por with her grandchildren, except baby Lauren. She's fast asleep. :)

The Chen Den! A rare photo with all of us....

Nicholas' summer school

2011-08-30T10:42:00.010+08:00

Nicholas is a super active kid, so while school is off, we signed him up for summer school. Here are some photos the teachers took.

They had many water-fun days where they could splash around outside.

Nicholas receiving a medal!

Playing tea time with the girls.

Planting a bean... unfortunately by the time he brought it home, his plant had died. :(

Nicholas and his good friend Yanis. He talked about her all the time because they rode the bus together and she lives in the same estate as us!

The kids during Master Chef week. Can you see where he is?

Ocean Park with Auntie Jessica

2011-08-27T07:52:00.009+08:00

Auntie Jessica (Goo-jeh) came and stayed over with us for 2 days. Together we ate ice cream, went shopping and went to Ocean Park! We had so much fun together. When it was time for Jess to leave, Nicholas kept telling me he didn't want her to go. :(

On our way to Ocean Park, Nicholas ate a yummy chocolate croissant Auntie Jess bought him.

Riding the train together.

On the merry-go-round.

Taking the balloon together. Since Nicholas has been to OP many times, he loved showing Jess around.

Of course we had to take the cable car ride.

..and pay a visit to the Pandas.

I think Nicholas' favourite part was riding on the dolphin and killer whale. Lately he's had a fascination with whales and dolphins.

Nicholas' nursery school

2011-08-25T10:30:00.009+08:00

Just wanted to post some photos from Nicholas' nursery school last year. He really enjoyed his time there and made some good friends! The teachers were very nice to take and give us many photos... here are just a few.

Doing some finger painting.

Making orange juice.

Feeding the baby.

Playing with his friends.

Blowing bubbles.

Snack time.

More photos of Nicholas and his friends.

Helping to water the plants.

Nicholas & Michael

2011-08-18T13:25:00.006+08:00

More photos of Nicholas and Michael together!

Cool brothers!

Sleeping together.

The boys with Papa.

Michael has always been a great dancer! Even before he could crawl, he would shake his head whenever he hears music. Here he is dancing with his bum bum and his head!

Standing up

2011-08-10T08:58:00.006+08:00

Look who's standing on his own! Michael really loves to stand and can only do it for a few seconds.

Michael's many faces....

2011-08-08T18:35:00.010+08:00

Some photos of Michael!

Here first are the different hairstyles of Michael. Parted to the side.

Combed down the front.

Crazy hair!

Just a bunch of cutie expressions.

His "ohhhh" look.

The "I'm so sleepy look?" (Actually he was just blinking)

His smiley face.

Michael crawling!

2011-08-01T11:10:00.004+08:00

Finally! At 11 months Michael is finally mobile in some way. He doesn't do the traditional crawl, but he is able to get where he wants to go! Yay!

Cutie Michael after his bath.

The boys playing in the new playpen. Thanks Lisa yee-yee!

Taiwan trip

2011-07-26T09:13:00.004+08:00

Last week we went to Taiwan to visit Papa. While we were there, Nicholas and Michael had to do everything together!

Playing the piano.

Watching the fish together.

Taking a bath together.

Here is a video of Nicholas playing in the rain.

Nicholas' entourage

2011-07-05T10:40:00.005+08:00

Lately, Nicholas has decided he needs an entourage with him. He insists his entourage sleep with him, eat with him and watch tv with him. The only thing we won't allow is for him to bring his entourage out with him. His entourage consists of Bedtime bear, Panda and Barney.

Asleep with them. I think Panda is in the covers somewhere.

Sleeping in my bed. Nicholas has to make sure that everyone is under the blankets.

The other day Nicholas' school had a costume party and he went as a cow. MOOO.

Oh Michael!

2011-06-24T09:30:00.000+08:00

Last month when Por por was here Michael had a massive poop. We had to take a photo!

Michael just being his cutie self and playing.

My 2 naked babies. Unfortunately the lighting wasn't very good and it was taken with my phone....

Here is a video of Nicholas and Michael reading together. Notice Nicholas begins to copy Michael.

Nicholas' plant

2011-06-15T15:44:00.004+08:00

Back in April, Nicholas brought home a plant that he had been growing from school.

Here he is super proud of his plant.

His plant at the beginning of May. Look how much its grown!

Nicholas' plant at the beginning of June! I don't know how much taller this plant will grow if we don't switch it to a bigger pot. We'll see...

Happy Michael

2011-06-02T20:35:00.004+08:00

Forgot to post these before...

Charlie Brown Michael.

Laughing Michael.

Poor Michael

2011-05-11T19:23:00.010+08:00

Last week for 9 days, Michael was in the hospital with an infected lymph node.

Poor Michael. You can see his right cheek is enlarged.

Michael's hospital crib with his robotic arm.

More photos of his infected lymph node.

The pediatric nurses station.

Since the mass wasn't getting smaller, we decided to aspirate it and take out the pus. Eww... poor Michael. He had to go for a CT scan first just to make sure.

Michael lying on the CT scan bed. He had to be sedated just to make sure he wouldn't move.

Having gone through so much, Michael was still very cheerful and playful.

Every day, Nicholas would come after school to visit us.

We are so glad Michael is better and glad to be home!

Easter Shek O Beach

2011-04-26T18:25:00.003+08:00

For Easter, we all went to Shek O beach for BBQ. Everyone had so much fun playing in the sand and water.

Natalie, Ethan and Nicholas playing in the sand.

Vanessa with Annie helping to bring water to build the sand castles.

Big thanks to all the BBQ'ers who spent hours cooking the yummy food.

Nice group photo with Vicky, Vanessa, Toby, Natalie, Ethan, Annie, Nicholas and me.

Michael and Tuti enjoying the beautiful weather.

Not only did the kids play in the water, and sand, they got to dye Easter Eggs and went on an Easter egg hunt! Thanks to the Wang Gang for preparing everything!

Nicholas really enjoying his popsicle.

Clark letting the kids bury him in the sand.

By afternoon, there were soooo many people!

Clark, Tracy and Natalie.

The Chen Den.

Tracy and cutie Lauren.

Tina buried in the sand.

Now Burton buried in the sand.

Video of Burton being thrown in the water.

Video of the kids playing in the water.

Ocean Park Again!

2011-04-22T12:03:00.008+08:00

We decided to take another trip to Ocean Park, this time with Natalie. Nicholas and Natalie had so much fun together and spent most of the day in the kids area on the rides.

Posing with the nice giraffes.

Riding the train with Dave.

On the merry-go-round. We were there pretty early and not many kids, so they just sat on the rides again and again and again.

Riding in the balloon.

Riding in the bumble-bee. They really liked this ride. When the ride was over, they would switch to different bees. I think they rode on this at least 5 times!

Here is a video of them on the bumble-bee ride. See how they have the whole ride to themselves!

Michael drinking out of a straw

2011-04-18T17:50:00.004+08:00

Today I bought Michael a cup with a soft straw to slowly get him acquainted with it and eventually drink out of it. But right away, he started sucking and drinking! He acted so surprised that there was water and was really happy! Yay Michael!

Another photo of Michael heading out for a walk. Doesn't he look so grown up?

Nicholas' plant

2011-04-12T16:14:00.003+08:00

Look what Nicholas brought home from school yesterday! He had been growing this little plant in school and now brought home to take care of himself. He knows he has to give the plant water and sunshine everyday for it to grow.

Ocean Park

2011-04-03T10:38:00.013+08:00

Over the weekend we took a nice trip to Ocean Park! The weather was gorgeous and the kiddies had LOTS of fun.

Nicholas posing with the hammer shark.

Vanessa, Vicky and Nicholas posing on the Haagen Dazs ice creams.

Nicholas and mommy riding on the train.

Vanessa, Victoria and Lisa yee-yee on their train.

Nicholas on the merry-go-round.

Michael enjoying the weather in the stroller.

The Ng's riding the cable car.

Nicholas and mommy riding the cable car.

And of course we had to pay a visit to see the Pandas!

My first tooth!

2011-03-30T14:12:00.005+08:00

I've finally gotten a photo of Michael's first tooth.

A close up!

More brotherly love.

Lauren and Michael

2011-03-26T10:42:00.002+08:00

Lauren and Michael are always hanging out together. They are now also beginning to socialize by blabbing to each other.

Here they are holding hands.

Lauren giving us her cutie smile.

Sitting up

2011-03-18T15:34:00.007+08:00

Michael has reached another big milestone- he can sit up (although it is only for a few seconds)!

He is also spurting his first little tooth. You can only feel it with your finger, so no photos yet.

Michael also recently went for his 6 month shots and he now weighs 9kg (that's almost 20lbs)!

Nicholas giving Michael a hug.

Doing tummy time together.

Nicholas showing off his sunglasses.

Michael sporting the same sunglasses (sorry the photo quality isn't great).

Talking Michael

2011-03-17T15:58:00.001+08:00

Michael loves chatting now! He can say mama, baba, and his favourite is dada (although he has no idea what he's saying). The hardest part is catching it on video.

New highchair

2011-03-14T16:11:00.005+08:00

Thanks to Por por for this new highchair! Michael didn't quite fit in Nicholas' old highchair and the one we wanted was only available in Canada, so Por por brought it all the way back just for Michael.

For a few days we went to visit Nai nai in Taipei but didn't get a chance to take many photos.

See who is now sitting in the car?

This is Nicholas when he was also 6 months playing in the car.

Nicholas playing with Michael

2011-03-06T16:39:00.003+08:00

Look at this video of Nicholas making Michael laugh. Wow, I am so happy because this is the beginning of them playing together! I can't wait! :O

Can you guess the thighs?

2011-03-03T21:15:00.008+08:00

Can you guess whose thighs belong to who??

Lauren

Natalie

Michael

Nicholas

School projects

2011-03-03T19:57:00.010+08:00

Nicholas' school has many at-home activities we make together at home. He then brings them to school to share with his teachers and classmates.

February, we celebrated Chinese New Year and the kids were to make a CNY decoration for school. The bottom white thing is supposed to be a bunny rabbit with a cotton-tail.

This month, the class theme is Transportation. Nicholas had to choose a mode of transportation that he liked and decorate it with pictures and use his senses to describe it to the class. (Can they really do that at this age?)

They are also studying recyclable materials and asked us to use it to make a boat that floats in water. We actually gave this a try in the bathtub and Nicholas loved it!

Cute little bums

2011-02-23T11:34:00.004+08:00

Look at the cute little bums while taking a bath together. Can you guess who is who?

I LOVE these fat folds on Michael. I am going to miss them so much when he becomes more mobile.

Yummy toes

2011-02-20T10:41:00.005+08:00

Michael has discovered his feet and toes! His favourite thing lately is to play with his feet and eat his toes (when they are available and not bundled up!).

Are they yummy?

More fatty Michael after a bath.

Michael is known for having very big and meaty hands.

Bumbo Michael

2011-02-17T10:13:00.004+08:00

We decided to get Michael his very own bumbo seat! He really likes to sit up now and is always reaching out to play with his toys. It also makes a great seat for feedings now!

Look who has to give it at try too.

Cooking Nicholas

2011-02-16T17:16:00.001+08:00

Nicholas is finally opening the last of his Christmas presents... a kitchen set! Nicholas now really loves to cook for us. Check out the video below. Notice how he turns off the stove when he is finished cooking and turns it back on to cook again. Wonder where he learned that from...

Michael's first solids

2011-02-14T14:37:00.001+08:00

Wow, our little baby is growing up so fast. Today he started on his very first solid!

Here is another video of Michael playing in his exersaucer.

Exersaucer fun

2011-02-10T09:10:00.004+08:00

Look at the newest toy in our house.

Michael of course loves it and has loads of fun.

Nicholas also wanted to give it a try. Actually, Nicholas thinks the exersaucer is "his" toy and he is sharing with Michael.

Not so long ago, look who was happily playing in another exersaucer. (This is Nicholas when he was 6 months

Natalie & Nicholas

2011-02-09T10:32:00.003+08:00

Before heading back to school after the CNY break, Natalie and Nicholas had one more day to play together. They had so much fun at the park, and had to do everything together while holding hands.

Here is a video of them going down the slide together (while holding hands). Check out Natalie's crazy hair!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-03T07:57:00.004+08:00

The Chen Den wants to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous year of the rabbit!

Here are the boys in their CNY outfits!

Sitting up

2011-02-01T10:13:00.002+08:00

Michael tried out Lauren's bumbo-sitter today and he seemed to really like it!

Look at the cutie grabbing at his feet.

Soccer star!

2011-01-28T12:43:00.002+08:00

Will Nicholas be the next super soccer star? Or as Dave likes to call it "football" star?

Big and small

2011-01-26T12:28:00.004+08:00

Nicholas has always been on the small side for his age group. He's skinny and not as tall (although he is super energetic!). Michael, however, is on the big side for his age group. Just this last Christmas, Nicholas wore a shirt that was a little bit small, but still fit!

Check out Michael wearing the same shirt!!

They're going to be sharing clothes very soon!!

Rolling Michael!

2011-01-25T07:55:00.002+08:00

I finally got it on video!!!

Here is another video of Michael laughing while playing with Dora.

Tummy time

2011-01-19T11:39:00.007+08:00

Since Michael began rolling over (only front to back), I've been trying to catch it on video with NO success! Nevertheless, here are some cute photos!

Fire station

2011-01-16T11:55:00.004+08:00

This weekend Nicholas opened another Christmas present- a Fire station set! We didn't think he'd understand "how" to play with it, but he does. He's also careful not to break the other pieces and will often just play with it by himself (while talking to himself). He is beginning imaginative play!

A short video of Nicholas playing with the fire station set.

This weekend Michael also rolled over! Yay! But, we couldn't catch it on video. :(

Here is a short video of Michael laughing and giggling. He does this quite often now.

Babysitting Papa

2011-01-12T12:04:00.004+08:00

This is Dave's idea of babysitting......

At least both kids are quiet and calm.

Too bad that only lasted 2 minutes.

Here is a video of Michael learning to use his hands.

Class Photo

2011-01-07T19:44:00.005+08:00

Here is Nicholas' class photos for the 2010-2011 school year. He really likes school and often comes home telling us what happened.

Can you see where Nicholas is? (He's in the back, 3rd from the right).

Here is a silly outtake of the kids!

And of course Nicholas' individual photo.

All dressed up

2011-01-06T19:52:00.007+08:00

Because its so cold out and with a bit of a cough and runny nose, Michael doesn't get to go out much....but on one special day, he got all dressed up! This is probably the last time he'll wear this outfit because he grows so fast.

More photos of Nicholas and Michael hanging out. They are almost the same size!

Michael is also really chatty and smiles a lot. Here he is chatting with Tuti.

Christmas & New Years

2011-01-04T19:46:00.017+08:00

What a busy 2 weeks it has been! Nicholas was off school and had so much fun hanging out with his cousins.

We bought a cookie decorating set for the kids. The girls did a wonderful job decorating, while Nicholas did a wonderful job eating the decorations.

The before.

The during.

What a great job!

The final product. The cookies look delicious, but weren't very yummy.

CHRISTMAS isn't Christmas without a PARTY and PRESENTS!!! This year, instead of having Santa give out the gifts, we wanted the kids to learn about giving.

The kids at the kiddie table.

All the kids sitting patiently waiting for their name to be called.

Vanessa helping to hand out the presents.

Time to open the presents!

Don't worry though, Michael and Lauren were part of the fun too! They always had each other so they were never left out.

Lauren and Michael taking a nap together. So cute!

Just hanging out.

Kings and Queens

2010-12-28T18:00:00.006+08:00

Here comes the King and Queens! The zoo went to Burger King for lunch one afternoon and held hands on the way there and back. Many people tried to go through them, but they wouldn't let go and had to go around!

Natalie was nice enough to lend Nicholas her scooter. He LOVES it and spent all day learning and riding it.

Our Michael

2010-12-21T20:06:00.002+08:00

Our baby Michael...

On those cold days...

Tummy time!

Naked baby... our little fatty.

Riding bicycle

2010-12-19T20:18:00.002+08:00

Nicholas now understands the coordination required to ride a bicycle. He was quite frustrated because he would always use 2 feet to push the pedals and then he would sometimes pedal backwards... but now he finally got it!

"Mommy, take photo!"

2010-12-18T20:47:00.005+08:00

Nicholas' newest thing is to lie down with Michael on a pillow and demand, "Mommy, take photo!!!". He does this almost everyday. I don't mind because now I have lots of photos of my boys together!

Quality of these photos not so great.

Smiley Michael!

2010-12-16T20:19:00.002+08:00

It's super difficult to catch Michael smiling because he LOVES staring at the camera. Here we are, finally!

Nicholas and his ABC's

2010-12-15T12:13:00.002+08:00

One day all of a sudden while eating, Nicholas started to sing "ABC...". I wondered how he knew how to sing the bits and parts of it because we never really sang ABC's with him. I used to try to sing ABC with him, but by the time I got to G, he would be bored and tell me to sing something else. Guess it must have been TV, his cousins or even school?

Here's an unhappy Granny Magnet!

Nicholas with Michael's pacifier!

Motorcycle riding

2010-12-06T11:18:00.003+08:00

Here are more videos of Nicholas riding his motorcycle. He is getting quite adventurous going up the ramp and coming down quite quickly.... (he has fallen down before, but that hasn't stopped him).

Being the only boy...

2010-12-05T11:43:00.008+08:00

It was inevitable.. being the only boy among cousins Vanessa, Natalie and Victoria.

The story goes like this; Tracy was getting ready to go out to a party. She takes out her high-heels and Nicholas wants to give it a try. Somebody gives him a doll to hold.

(Sorry these photos are a bit blurry)

Let's add a purse, a necklace and a hair brush!

No wait, Clark decides to add a dress and hat too for the complete look!

Nicholas, loving the attention. "Lift up the dress so we can see the heels!"

Don't worry Nicholas, when Michael is older, you can both gang up on the 4 ladies!

What does Nicholas do at school?

2010-11-29T17:33:00.003+08:00

Since Nicholas hasn't been able to tell us in great detail what he does in school, so at the end of every month, his class sends home some of the artwork that Nicholas has done. Here are only a few pieces that we've put up. Good job Nicholas!

Lauren and Michael

2010-11-28T20:00:00.005+08:00

Because Lauren and Michael are so small and close in age, they hang out a lot together. Since Michael is much younger than the rest of the zoo, we're glad he has a playmate, Lauren! Lauren has quite the expressions, while Michael, well....

Sitting and chilling. Michael stoned, Lauren being chatty.

Michael still stoned, Lauren not happy.

Lauren chatting with Michael, Michael looking stoned.

Lauren giving us her cutest grin, Michael still looking stoned.

Nicholas' motorcycle

2010-11-27T08:24:00.002+08:00

Nicholas loves his motorcycle (this is what he calls it). He rides it in the house, out in the park, he wants to take it wherever we go!

Here is a video of Nicholas having fun on his motorcycle.

More brotherly love.

2010-11-24T11:16:00.002+08:00

Nicholas REALLY loves Michael. Every morning when Nicholas comes home from his morning walk in the park, he asks to see and play with Michael. Nicholas has so many opinions as to where Michael is to lie down, sleep, and what he should be doing.

This morning Nicholas wanted to join Michael in his crib while Michael was looking at his mobile.

Here are 2 videos of them hanging out.

Random photos

2010-11-22T18:18:00.007+08:00

There is no theme to these photos... just random daily photos. :)

One of my boys!

The cuter boys?

Look at Nicholas while watching TV. Doesn't he look so grown up?

We've been trying to get Michael on the pacifier....and here he is. He still needs a lot of practice, but for the first time he took the pacifier and fell asleep on his own!

Michael being a cutie!

Courtesy of Tracy yee yee! This photo is hilarious!!

Thumb sucking

2010-11-16T12:20:00.004+08:00

Looks like we have a thumb sucker!! Wonder who he takes after....

Auntie Jessica

2010-11-15T20:28:00.004+08:00

We had a lovely visitor the other day, Auntie Jessica! We miss you and hope to see you more!

Nicholas' homework

2010-11-05T16:00:00.007+08:00

Nicholas' nursery school gives Nicholas homework! Well, they don't actually call it homework, its more like "parent-child activity". What that really means is, ME doing the work!

This month, their focus is "Animals". They gave each student a paper bag and asked them to make an animal puppet with it. This is the final result! Do I get an A+?

Last month, the class theme was "ME". Here are some photos of Nicholas at school.

Nicholas presenting his "Baby to Now" poster. This poster showed photos of from when Nicholas was a baby to him now. Thanks to Vanessa, Victoria and Natalie for helping to decorate the poster.

Nicholas decorating a parachute stick man of himself.

Last month they also learned about their 5 senses. They made popcorn at school to learn about listening (the making of the popcorn), smelling of the popcorn, and tasting! Here is Nicholas helping Miss Chan to put the kernels into the popcorn machine.

More brotherly love...

2010-11-04T10:19:00.005+08:00

Nicholas has been a superb older brother. He really loves to hug, kiss and carry Michael. Nicholas even offers Michael his bedtime bear whenever Michael is crying.

Nicholas loves to lie down with Michael.

Here is a video of Michael complaining.

Here is a video of Nicholas with his NEW dance moves. I don't know where he learned it from, but he really likes to lift up one leg to dance now!

Hallowe'en!

2010-11-03T10:26:00.010+08:00

For Hallowe'en we all got together for dimsum, shopping, cupcake baking, pumpkin carving and of course dressing up!

The making of the cupcake...

Nicholas and Victoria amazed and in awe by the pouring of the cupcake mix.

Decorating the cupcakes with icing and sprinkles.

The final result! Yummy!

The kids in their Hallowe'en costumes! Nicholas was a duck this year (thanks to Natalie for lending us the costume!) Because we had gorgeous weather, Nicholas was really HOT in the costume. He had to take it off shortly after because another little girl in the park was scared of him. :(

The costume is missing his duck feet...

After that, Clark yee-jeurng carved a nice pumpkin. Ohh... scarrrryy....

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN! Next year, Lauren and Michael will join in on the fun too!

Chatty Michael!

2010-10-29T19:37:00.002+08:00

I finally got videos of Michael chatting! I actually had a few on my phone, but then I had to convert it and somehow it lost the sound and it was upside down and blah blah blah.... HERE IT IS!

Close ups!

2010-10-27T09:15:00.006+08:00

I love close ups!

Nicholas being silly.

...and of Michael.

Por por knows this look!!

Cutie bath photo.

Michael in his rocker...

Popsicles!

2010-10-23T20:12:00.006+08:00

Whenever we get together with Por por, Nicholas always has a bunch of firsts! These are some of the "firsts" with Por por:ice cream, lollipops, "san ja bangs", durian, chocolate cake and POPSICLES! Yummy!

Nicholas and Natalie hanging out together blowing bubbles in the park.

Look how happy Nicholas and Natalie are! Yummy yummy! Nicholas ate the popsicle so FAST he got brain freeze because he didn't know it would be so cold.

Brotherly Love

2010-10-21T19:35:00.004+08:00

I really hope that when Nicholas and Michael are older, they will love each other, play together, turn to each other for support and help and be close (of course with the occasional fight).

They are off to a good start!

Many firsts...

2010-10-18T21:12:00.015+08:00

There have been many firsts lately!!

Nicholas joined in with his cousins for his first tennis lesson! He LOVED it! Poor Natalie wasn't feeling well and wasn't able to go.

Here they are on their way to the lesson.

Check them out in action! What form! Future pro tennis players?

Nice backhand Vicky!

Future Sampras?

Stretching after their lesson. Vanessa is a really good older cousin now showing Nicholas how to stretch properly. Thanks Vanessa!

Nicholas doing it on his own.

Nicholas also had his first swimming lesson. Although he LOVES swimming, he wasn't too fond of the lesson. I think we'll have to try again in a few months.

Nicholas posing with Vanessa.

Nicholas was in the same class as Vicky- here she is prepping him for the lesson.

Vicky and Nicholas were the only ones in class today. Here they are in action!

Some photos of Michael chilling. He's now officially known as "the beast" since he's now 14lbs! He's almost 100% for his age group (both length and weight).

Check out all his fatty folds! Mommy and Daddy are so proud!

Michael has also started smiling and chatting with us! It's so difficult to catch on camera, so I'll have to post a video another time.

Busy busy busy...

2010-10-08T20:12:00.007+08:00

Things have been SUPER busy lately...

We had our good friend Ikuma visit from Japan. We haven't seen each other in over a year. Although we couldn't go with him to Ocean Park and the Peak, we had a lot of fun. Hope to see you again soon!

Nicholas started his first day of school! So far he really enjoys it and especially loves the bus ride.

Michael caught Nicholas' cough and stuffy nose...poor Michael. He has trouble feeding and sleeping because of his stuffed nose. This means that poor mommy is in need of some serious sleep.

But of course, there is always time for our two little boys to get together.

October 1, 2010

2010-10-02T15:58:00.006+08:00

October 1 is a very special day for us.

October 1 is Nicholas' 2nd birthday! I can't believe that our once little baby, is now a toddler and an older brother. We really have come so far. Happy Birthday Nicholas!

Here is a photo of Nicholas with his cousins before they enjoy the chocolate ice cream cake.

Oct 1 is also Michael's one-month (moon-yuet) celebration! This one month has been exhausting and I know there are many more exhausting months to come, but we are overjoyed and blessed. Happy 1-month Michael!

Oct 1 is also the day we would like to welcome Lauren Wang to the family. She officially joins the "zoo"! Congrats to Tracy, Clark and Natalie!

Here is a photo of Por por with her 6 grandchildren!! Look how tiny Lauren is. She is super tiny and adorable. We are now just missing Gong gong!

Lollipop!

2010-09-27T11:21:00.007+08:00

With Por por here, the "zoo" always gets together, and when they get together, there are always LOLLIPOP'S!!

Here they are BEFORE Por por lets them open the lollipop.

The zoo enjoying their lollipops. Vicky and Vanessa are pro's at eating lollipops - see them twisting and turning the lollipop.

Natalie doing her twist-n-turn with the lollipop.

Vicky really enjoying her lollipop.

Michael 2-weeks old!

2010-09-17T14:20:00.005+08:00

We can't believe that Michael is over 2 weeks old now! He is growing so quickly (4.2kg) and things have been so busy with Nicholas and Michael.

Tracy yee-yee and Natalie carrying little Michael.

Nicholas LOVES to "po po" Michael. He is always asking to carry him. He is really starting to take on the older brother role.

Who can forget the bath photos? If you look closely at the bottom left corner, you can see Nicholas' hand trying to help out.

I really love this photo because no one knew I was taking it. It's so sweet. My 3 boys.

Michael's Birth Story

2010-09-08T20:40:00.004+08:00

Everything happened so quickly........

1pm - Dave & I get settled into the L&D room. Nurse monitors baby heartbeat...
1:30pm - I receive epidural.
2:30pm - According to doctor's instructions, nurse breaks my water. A baby will be born around dinner time tonight (hopefully!) he predicts.
3:00pm - My contractions REALLY hurt... and I mean REALLY hurt. I ask the nurse to PLEASE top up my epidural. She gives me the maximum dosage she is allowed to.
3:10pm - The maximum dosage is NOT enough... as I am going through contractions and holding Dave's hand, his fingers turn purple. He asks me to let go, or switch hands. I do not let go.
3:12pm - The anesthesiologist comes to the rescue and administers his maximum dosage. I am now officially high.
3:20pm - Nurse checks my cervix...and...the head is really close!! WHAT! She immediately calls the doctor. A baby will be born in the next hour!!
3:45pm - Doctor arrives and sees a head...he asks me to push through my contractions.
4:00pm - BIG problem... I can barely feel any of my contractions and the pushing sensation doesn't exist because of all the epidural I received.
4:10pm - Doctor decides to use the vacuum as he says I am a 'poor' pusher. :(
4:15pm - Michael Chen is born! Proud Papa cuts the cord and we snuggle together.

Michael right out of the womb snuggling with me. I don't think his cord is even cut yet!

Michael receiving phototherapy because he was borderline to having jaundice.

Cute photo of Michael sleeping.

Nicholas has been a really good older brother to Michael. He is always asking about him and whenever Michael cries, Nicholas wants to hug and kiss him. Here is a photo of them lying together. My two little boys. So sweet.

Welcome Michael Chen!

2010-09-03T10:07:00.006+08:00

Here are some preliminary photos of Michael.

This is right after birth, being weighed (3.705kg).

Baby getting burped after a feeding.

This pic is a bit blurry, but I really love it because he looks so much like Dave when he is sleeping.

Welcome Baby Chen!

2010-09-02T07:23:00.002+08:00

We wanted to share the news that little Baby Chen #2 arrived into the world yesterday (Sept 1, 2010) late in the afternoon. He came in at 3.7kg (just over 8lbs) and is doing well.

We still haven't decided on a name yet and we will update with photos and the birth story later.

Yes, I'm still pregnant.....

2010-08-27T11:23:00.002+08:00

For those who are wondering.... I am still pregnant. How can this be? Doctor said BB was to come by the end of this week and its Saturday! Worst part is, I have no "feelings" or indications that BB is coming. No super contractions, water still in tack, BB still kicking and having hiccups. I still technically have 7 days to go, but, but, but.....

Nicholas' first home haircut

2010-08-25T11:00:00.007+08:00

Because we will be having 2 boys, we decided to invest in buying a hair clipper since we will probably have to cut their hair very often. Nicholas' first haircut at a salon was VERY traumatic for him. He was crying throughout the entire cut and I was afraid he would never want to cut his hair again. However, we brought him to see his Baba get his haircut and he even indicated that he wanted to cut his hair.

This is the kids set we bought. It has safety features and comes with a cute Lion apron and a little bag. I showed Nicholas all the parts and told him we were going to cut his hair. He nodded and agreed. Here is what it looks like.

Here is the after photo of Nicholas. He was such a good boy. He sat very still and let me cut his hair. (His hair looks better in person!)

Cousinly Fun!

2010-08-23T17:38:00.007+08:00

Now that Vanessa and Victoria are back from vacation, all the cousins have gotten together before school starts for lots of fun!

Here they are all holding hands before heading out!

The kids in the playroom. This was the ONLY photo with all 4 in the little house. Look at poor little Nicholas' face squished in the window!

We were able to grab their attention for 1 second to take this photo while they were watching Dora.

Here is a video of the kids in the ball pit at Jumpin' Gym. Nicholas was busy watching the bumper cars next door and made a dash out to get a closer look. Looks like Vanessa, Natalie and Victoria had lots of fun!

Happy Birthday Tracy!

2010-08-19T20:52:00.013+08:00

Last weekend we went up to The Peak for a very nice brunch at Cafe Deco (we sat from 11am - 3pm) while the pregnant women ate and the kids played. We were there to celebrate Tracy yee-yee's birthday and welcome Por por to Hong Kong! Thanks to Clark for the photos!

When we arrived, all the kids were playing, except Natalie who fell asleep. She woke up quickly and got in on the fun too!

Here we are enjoying our ? round of food. (The table looks fairly clean, so its probably our 2nd or 3rd).

Here are all the kiddies' smiles for the camera!

Vanessa, very pretty.

Victoria, super adorable.

Natalie's funny face smile.

Nicholas trying to smile but not looking at the camera.

Because it was a special occasion, Nicholas got to eat ICE CREAM!! He LOVED it!

But, his mean mommy wouldn't let him eat it all. Look how big it is! Nicholas got very upset, so I ended up giving him a mini-cone to eat instead.

Birthday girl with Por por.

Por por with her daughters. Wish Gong gong was here too!

Oh, and BTW, yes I am still pregnant. Sigh. Hope baby can come soon!

Update on Baby Chen #2

2010-08-12T15:26:00.002+08:00

Went to see the doctor today and he said Baby Chen is doing really well and I am practically full term (37 weeks). He still has a VERY big head and he's also going to be a BIG baby. Doctor said if I wait until full term, I may end up with an almost 4kg baby!! WHAT?? Baby Chen is now around 3.2kg (the same as Nicholas when he was born).

Unfortunately we don't have any new photos because Baby Chen hasn't been very cooperative in showing his face. We'll just have to wait to meet you!

Doctor said let's hope baby will come in around 10 days..... that means more walking for me.

School Uniform

2010-08-09T17:59:00.004+08:00

Nicholas will be officially starting nursery school in October when he turns 2. Really he'll just be playing with other kids and learn little things like lining up, putting on and taking off his shoes etc...

Here are some photos of Nicholas in his school uniform with his knapsack. I wasn't able to get a good photo b/c he always wants to see what's on the other side of the camera.

With the school hat. It's quite hard to see because the background behind him is also black. The hat has two long ears on the back to protect his ears and neck.

Summer fun!

2010-08-07T17:00:00.003+08:00

Summer is great because kids are off school! This means Nicholas can spend lots of time with Natalie! They have so much fun together... they go swimming together, go to the park, jump on the bed, and play together! Check out these fun videos of them playing together.

Nicholas and Natalie chatting on the telephone.

Nicholas and Natalie crawling through the tunnel. They must have crawled through the tunnel at least 10 times! (Sorry there is a glare from the window).

Crackers and Nicholas' new bike!!

2010-08-04T20:25:00.002+08:00

Here is a very cute video of Nicholas eating Ritz cheese crackers. He realizes there's cheese in the middle and eats that side first- he has yet to just "lick" the cheese off and not eat the cracker.

Baba saw how much Nicholas loved bikes and couldn't resist. Here is a video of us opening the box and taking the bike out. Hear how he says "Wow!" This is actually the second time we took it out because I forgot to take a video the first time... he was much more excited the first time around!

More Natalie!

2010-08-02T11:57:00.003+08:00

Over the weekend Natalie came over for swimming and playtime with Nicholas. They had so much fun at the pool, Nicholas didn't want to leave. Once I forced him to leave, he ate lunch and fell asleep INSTANTLY.....he was THAT tired.

After he woke up from his nap and was re-energized, Natalie and Nicholas had a lot of fun jumping and playing rough on the bed.

Here are 2 videos of all the fun they had.

Nat-lee

2010-07-30T13:32:00.007+08:00

Lately Nicholas has had a chance to hang out a lot with his older cousin Natalie and calls her "Nat-lee". He says her name when he wakes up, during the day and before he goes to bed. Last weekend, Natalie was "in town" and we went to visit them at the Renaissance Hotel in Wan Chai. We went to the park and had a nice dinner with Peking duck and deep fried beef brisket! Yummmm... perfect for pregnant mums.

Here are some photos of them playing in the park together. They had so much fun!

Look how happy Nicholas is!

Nicholas on the motorcycle...

..and of course on the swings!

Thanks for inviting us!