Conversations

I can’t even pinpoint when it happened.  But ever since the boy started going school, he’s been rapidly building up his vocabulary and linguistic skills, and before I knew it, we were already having simple conversations! Almost every day, he would also spring us a surprise with a new word or two.

Here are some of our recent conversations:

After a bad tantrum episode, I felt really mad and told him, “Kenan, mommy doesn’t want to stay home; I shall go out to work!”

With tears rolling in his eyes, he replied, “No, mommy stay home! Daddy go work!”

* * * * * * * * * *

One day, I was driving the boy to school and he suddenly said, “Mummy, be careful!”

I swear I wasn’t speeding, nor did I jammed on the brake to cause him to issue that cautionary note. But from that day on, l always remember those words and the cute little voice that said it whenever I’m on the road.

* * * * * * * * * *

I took out a packet of Milo from the fridge and was about to drink it when the little boy discovered what I was doing. He wanted a share of it too.

“Kenan, mommy’s hungry, so you just drink a little and leave the rest for me, ok?” I said.

I handed it to him, he took a sip and passed it back to me.

“Kenan drink a little only, mommy drink a lot!” I was absolutely touched that he could resist the temptation to drink more, which he would normally do as he enjoys Milo.

* * * * * * * * * *

The boy had been playing with a balloon for few days. So when I discovered it’s gone, I asked him what happened to the balloon.

Thinking for a moment, the boy reported, “Balloon boom already!”

A second later, he reiterated, “Burst!” and clapped his hands to mimic the sound.

* * * * * * * * * *

I’m always the one to tuck the boy to sleep. He refused to let anyone else do it. Ever since he started talking, whenever I tried to get the hubby to help, Kenan would always protest saying, “No, daddy go away!” or he would wave frantically and say, “Daddy bye-bye!” and pushes the dad out of the room.

After that, the hubby would always tell me how hurt he feels. Poor thing. He didn’t expect to have such a “mommy’s boy”! After all, he was the one who’s been so keen to have a child!

* * * * * * * * * *

Last Sunday, the boy was going out with his dad to the usual weekend dinner with the extended family. I had to stay home to look after my mom, who had just discharged from the hospital.

“Kenan, mommy won’t be going out with you and daddy tonight. Mommy has to stay home to take care of por-por,” I explained to the boy.

 “I want to stay home with mommy, I love mommy,” then he came over and hugged me tightly.

* * * * * * * * * *

I'm really beginning to enjoy these simple conversations with my little boy. But will there be a day when I'll complain that he talks too much or asks too many questions (especially those that I have no immediate answers to)?

I hope that if that day comes, I'll learn to be patient with him, so that he will continue to be curious about the world around him and develop a genuine love for learning. 

And if you do hear me complaining, please remind me to exercise greater patience!

Getting Creative with the Big Blocks

The boy is getting creative.

Just last week, he made this structure right in the middle of the living room.

I asked him what was it and he replied, "Houses!"

"Huh?" I couldn't quite figure out how it resembles a house. He decided to help me out. 

With pride beaming across his face, he pointed to the windows and repeated the word "houses". I looked out and all of a sudden, I understood what he meant.

He was making these 'houses'! (or flats as we call them in Singapore)

How very clever right?

And I'm glad we still have the big blocks at home, which I purchased on impulse a while back. 

The moment it was delivered, I sort of regretted it. As you can see, these blocks can be built into life-size structures, so you can imagine how much space they occupy (as compared to a Lego set, which serves the same purpose anyway).

Haenim big blocks from Korea. Kenan and daddy building all kinds life-size structures e.g. table and chair, toy houses etc.

So for a while, I've been thinking about selling it off. Now that Kenan seems to enjoy playing with it and starts making something meaningful with them, I'm undecided. However, space is still my concern. What do you think? Do you think it's worth keeping? When it comes to your kid's toys, how do you decide whether to keep or give away/discard something?

Thankful Thursday: Things to be Grateful For...

Not sure about you but I'm quite happy that all the festivities are over and life is quietly settling down into old routines.

Strangely, while I'm not one who likes rules, yet I come to realise that I do appreciate routines. It brings with it a certain orderliness and predictability that can be quite calming.

Looking at the months ahead, I really do need a strong routine in place, as there are some big projects in the pipeline that will occupy much of my waking hours. So I really need to manage my time and the household well so that I can be as productive as possible.

And talking about the projects, I'm really thankful. They are projects that are meaningful to me and I'm excited that I'll get to work on them (I'll probably share more along the way).

Work aside, the little boy is at a stage where he's developing his linguistic skills rapidly. Not only is he saying some new words everyday , he's also able to reply us in simple two-, three-word phrases. Such as when he was playing with bubbles, he would say "coming down" to describe where the bubbles were going or tell us "from there" when asked where he picked something up from.

The most interesting of all is probably how he calls himself a "good boy". Like when I told him I'm not going to give him snacks because he had misbehaved, he looked at me with his innocent eyes and said, "Kenan good boy!" and hoped that I'll change my mind. I immediately burst out laughing. And these days, he used that on us quite a bit! Anyway, it's getting more fun now and I'm looking forward to when I can have a proper conversation with him!

Meanwhile, the boy is still as keen about helping with the house chores as ever. He thinks it's really fun and feels proud that he can accomplish some of the tasks he sees us adults doing. I happily let him do it, because I think it helps to build his motor skills and confidence.

Kenan enjoys cleaning the house (and he will say "Kenan wipe" or "Kenan mop" and sometimes snatches the cloth or broom or mop from us) and the vaccum cleaner is his new 'toy'.

Inevitably though, he often ends up making us more busy...

(he thinks that pole is a toy.. hm...)

While he can be naughty and tests my limits more often now (he's at the so-call terrible twos stage), I'm still thankful for the joy he brings us! God is good!

Today I'm linking up again with Mama J from Mum in the Making on her weekly Grateful Gatherings link up.

Come join us and share what you're thankful for this week!

Two Parties for My Two Year-Old (and Some Party-Planning Tips)

My boy turned two recently and we had two birthday parties for him – one at home and the other in school.  

Last year due to some unforeseeable circumstances, we had to forgo plans of having a birthday party for him. I was really upset over it but in retrospect, I think it was for the better.

If we had celebrated last year, Kenan would have been too young to really appreciate or understand what’s happening (and he had not even started walking yet!). This year, he really enjoyed playing with his friends and had just as much fun huffing and puffing away at the candles!

Planning the Parties

It may sound surprising to you but I really had been stressed over the party preparations. I was lost for ideas and had to trawl the internet for inspiration.

First, they say you must have a theme, because it would then guide you in decisions about the venue décor, birthday cake, goodie bags and so on.

I thought about it and decided on ‘My Favourite Things’. Kenan’s favourite cartoon character is Mickey, so we used Mickey as the theme for décor and goodie bags. Next, I used his favourite soft toys as design of his birthday cake.

 Secondly, you need some entertainment for the kids, and this was the tough one. The kids’ wide age range (from two to primary school children) made it almost impossible for me to have something for everyone.

In the end, I settled for entertainment for the majority of the kids (two to six). I rented toys for the younger ones and bubbles for the older kids. In the end, almost everyone played with everything.

Initially, I thought of getting a balloonist but since we didn’t have a lot of children, I decided not to have it. But we had helium balloons as part of the décor and some children including Kenan had fun playing with them.

By the way, we were busy entertaining guests that we almost forgot all about taking photos! Thankfully some guests who took photos sent them to us (thanks cousin! thanks Angie!).  

Mickey is Kenan's favourite cartoon character so we used it as the decor theme and for the mini cupcakes, which we got from Wicked Oven. Sam, the mumpreneur was really nice and gave us Mickey cupcake toppers and stand.We ordered two flavours: chocolate cheese and banana walnut brownie, which our guests really liked. 

Rented the kitchen set and teether-tooter which were a hit with the little guests. We also bought bubbles for the children.

Continuing with the 'My Favourite Things' theme, we used Kenan's favourite soft toys for the cake from Cake Avenue. See how realistic the figurines turned out to be! The cake was probably the highlight of the party! It only comes in one flavour - chocolate fudge (when I first found that out, I thought"Huh? No choice at all?!"). But let me say it's one of the best chocolate fudge cakes I've had - moist, rich and with just the right amount of sweetness. 

When it came to the school party, it was a breeze in comparison. The school has guidelines regarding birthday celebrations which can be summarized as “Keep It Simple”. And that’s what I did (plus we had about just half an hour for the celebration): all I did was to order a cake and prepare the goodie bags. After all, it was just for his class (which is less than 10) and not the whole school (thank God!).

Party Planning Tips:

1. Plan early

I know this is common sense but if you’re like me who has a tendency to get things done at the last minute, it creates unnecessary stress.

2. Same age

If you can, invite kids who are about the same age as your child as it makes for easier planning when it comes to things like activities, games and even the goodie bags.

3. Rent toys 

Rent toys for the kids, but not as a party package – that way, you stretch the dollar by getting to keep the toys for a month (the normal duration for toy rental) after the party and your kid can continue playing with them (so make sure they are also toys your child likes). I find that kitchen set is a good option. Just take precaution against losing any of the small parts or risk paying a penalty. What I did was to take out some of the smaller, easy to misplace items and add in some of my boy’s toys e.g. food (at least I don’t have to pay for it if they get lost).

Kenan playing with the balloons and toy after the party

4. Assign photographers

When it comes to photo-taking, rope in family members/friends who are photography buffs (I think two is a good number) and assign them as photographers. Then you can fully focus on entertaining the guests and don’t have to worry about not capturing the funny/heartwarming/once-in-a-lifetime moments. You may like to get your photographers gifts for their hard work.

And I'm sure you will have more party planning tips. Please do share them with me so the next time round, it will be less stressful for this mommy! Thanks!

  

Vendor Listing*:

Birthday cake with soft toy figurines by Cake Avenue

Winnie the Pooh birthday cake by Bengawan Solo
Cupcakes by Wicked Oven

Toys from Rent That Toy

Balloons from Kidz Party Store

Food by EatzCatering

*Please note that the above is purely for information, I am not endorsing any of the vendors nor do I get payment in any form for listing them.

On 2 Feb 2012: A note on cakes
Just thought I'll share this experience. At Kenan's school party (where we had the Winnie the Pooh cake), and at another kid's birthday celebration (cake from a different shop), we realised while it's nice to have the cute cartoon characters which the kids love, cutting through that icing sheet wasn't easy. For us, even sticking in the candles was a challenge, despite having candle holders. The top layer was really hard, so in both cases, we ended up removing the icing sheet. But guess that was fine, as no one was interested in eating it. I'm not sure if all icing sheets are just as hard. So this might be another consideration when you order your child's birthday cake.

Hey Mom, I'm a Big Boy Now!

As we ushered in the new year, Kenan also began a new chapter - he's started going school!

Today is the third day of school and to all our surprise, he's been the coolest kid around! He didn't cry when daddy and mommy did a disappearing act on the first day (we left him with the teachers after about 45 mins), he didn't cry when mommy again sneaked out of the class the next day and today, the other kids took turns to cry.... all except him!

Well, he did almost cry yesterday when I was a bit late in fetching him. He saw the rest were leaving and he's about the last one around. When I walked in, he rushed over and hug me real tight. I saw his eyes were turning red but he fought back his tears. How brave!

So today, I went earlier as I wanted to make sure he's not the last to leave. But I've got another agenda - I wanted to be there during their lunch and see him eat. The teachers had been telling me that Kenan was able to feed himself with minimal help. How can that be? My boy's never really been able/interested to feed himself except for snacks. Has he grown up all of a sudden?

However when I arrived, they were already done with their porridge and were eating fruits. Argh.

So the doubts continued to linger in my mind. But not for long.

When Kenan had finished his fruit, he got up from his chair and walked away with his plate. I went after him, thinking that he's taken the plate to go play with it. Instead, he placed the plate inside a big basket together with other used utensils, and he did that without me or the teacher instructing him. I was utterly surprised. I supposed they must have taught the kids to do so, but remembering the instruction and taking the initiative to follow it is another thing altogether! Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and gave the boy a big hug. Perhaps he's really more independent and capable than we've thought! It's amazing just how much kids can learn in such a short time. By the way, he even started saying a few new words.

To think that just last week, we had been apprehensive and unsure of how he might cope. After all, we didn't really prepare him much. All we did was to keep telling him that he'll be going to school, which is a fun place where he will stay a few hours everyday to learn and play with new friends. Mommy will go home first and be back later to fetch him (when he first heard that mommy won't be staying around, he actually shaked his head to indicate that he does not want to be left alone in school). He didn't even go for the orientation as the school had a reported case of HFMD and we didn't want to risk it.

From tomorrow onwards, parents will not be allowed to stay in class. Let's see if he continues to be as brave as he's been these past few days *smiles*

Has your child just started school as well? How's he or she doing?

Don't Sue Me for Having an Under-Aged Helper (and Why You Should Get Your Kids to Do Housework)

Recently, the little boy's been getting quite interested in house chores. In the beginning, he was content to just watch what we do, but now he wants to have a go at it as well, which I'm happy to indulge him as long as he doesn't create more mess than before. After all, who doesn't like some extra help around the house ya?

Kenan helps with the laundry: My boy sat outside the bathroom and watched the maid washed his clothes. Then when it was done, he lifted the basin and ran away with it to the yard and waited for the maid to come and hang up the clothes. Of course, he couldn't wait to lend a hand with that as well!

Kenan mops the floor: One morning, Kenan had just woken up and walked out of his room when he spotted the mop standing at one corner. He immediately grabbed it and started mopping the floor!

For us, it's been real fun watching the little boy, who thinks it's all a game.

But seriously, I would want him to help out around the house when he's older. I see it as a life skill which helps reinforce independence. Plus I'm sure his future wife would appreciate having a husband who does the chores (so she better treats this mom-in-law well *laughs*). 

This also reminded me of something interesting I heard on radio some time ago. The DJ was interviewing his guest for some parenting tips and asked how can parents better motivate their kids to study. The answer was real simple: get the kids to do housework. Yes, you read it right - do housework!

He noted that many parents often spare their kids from the house chores and say all they need to do is concentrate on their studies. Yet the kids end up complaining that sitting at their desk studying is "hard work". However, when parents start getting their children to do the chores, they would likely come to appreciate that studying is probably not such hard work anymore.

Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? So if you know of a parent who has problem getting their kids to study, why not share this and see what's the outcome. (do share with me, I would love to know!)

Shopping My Way

When it comes to shopping, my son has his own way of doing it.

At the toy stores:

1. Let me walk around and try out every single toy I find interesting.
2. *Target locked on* This is what I would like to have, let me carry it around while I shop a bit more.
3. I'm heading to the cashier, dad/mom, get ready the money! (Yes, it's true! He seems to understand about the having to pay money bit!)

When dad/mom tells him "no" to buying his choice item, depending on his mood, he may be sweet enough to hand us the toy so we can return it to the shelf, or we'll end up in a wrestling match trying to get the toy out of his tight grip.

But when shopping has nothing to do with toys, this is what he does:

*Sorry for the blur photo* The look of delight on his face when he finally found the ONE (haha... yes, in this case, it's men's brief!!)

When daddy, mommy say it's time to go, he dashes out faster than either of us could catch him (if you're wondering, nope, we didn't buy the brief!)

Then, it's off to 'window-shopping'!

Does your little one enjoy 'shopping'? Do you often succumb at the toy stores and end up buying stuff for him or her?

Latest Love Affair

At different phases, my boy has been fascinated by different things. Guess what's caught his attention now?

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Yes, it's the washing machine. Don't ask me why. I cannot fathom.

He loves watching the clothes gets spun around and would even point out which garment belongs to who (dad-dad, mama, por-por - which means grandma, or jie-jie, our domestic helper).

Recently, he has a new watch-the-machine-spin ritual.

He would take a stool, plonk it down in front of the machine and stick his butts on it for at least the next five to 10 minutes. Then he'll get up and start pressing the buttons or try opening the door. Or worse, he starts exploring the many bottles of detergents nearby and a battle ensues, with us (the helper and I) trying to stop him from grabbing (or worse, opening) any of the said bottles. Ah.. this is what keeps me the WAHM busy.

How about your little ones? What's their latest fascination? Please do share, so I can know what might potentially be up ahead!

Letter to My Son

You are almost two now and everyday, you never fail to amaze us by how much you’re learning and how quickly you learn.

Just last week, you started climbing the metal gate (and how adept you’re at it!) and the first thing that came to my mind was – who in the world taught you that?! And when you climbed high enough, you pressed the door bell and flashed your sweetest smile.

Ahh... yes son, you can now reach the bell without having any of us carry you – and well done for finding your solution to the challenge! I’m proud that you’re able to do that, but be careful alright? Choose a safer solution if you can help it and not make mommy’s heart miss a beat!

 Meanwhile, your good observation skills and superb memory is certainly a great help to mommy, who seems to be getting more forgetful these days. You can remember things that I’ve taught you just once, like the colour grey or what a spade is, and you know where some things are kept, even when I thought you’ve never noticed them. Like the other day when I said I needed to take your temperature, you ran to your room to get the thermometer and I thought you didn’t see where I’ve placed it.

Mommy can see that you’re becoming more sociable too. Remember our recent trip to the library? At the entrance, you went up to one slightly older boy and shook hands with him. After that, both of you went into the library together and even introduced books to each other. I hope that when you start school, you will enjoy learning and playing together with your new friends.

But for now, rabbit and teddy bear remain your best friends, who together with mommy, daddy and jie-jie, are your ‘guinea pigs’ for all your culinary creations – usually rather ‘exotic’ ones, like a one-pot dish comprising sausage, orange, eggs, banana and fries.

When your soft toy friends are sick, you will put on the stethoscope and try to find out what’s wrong with them and then feed them medicine. Would “doctor” be your answer when asked what you want to be when you grow up? It will be interesting to find out what your dreams and passion are. Whatever they may be, I hope that you will pursue your passion and put your talents to good use.

These days, whenever you misbehaved and I get angry, you would apologise by signing ‘sorry’. Seeing you ‘say’ sorry, and sometimes so profusely, makes my anger dissipates almost immediately. You know, the truth is, mommy won’t be angry with you for long. I love you too much for that. I just hope that when you’re older, you can understand why sometimes I need to discipline you and not allow you to do certain things.

It’s been raining more frequently, not surprising since it’s the year end. It means you can’t go to the parks as often as before. Now that the weather is turning cooler, you also don’t ask for the air-con anymore. Do you remember how you would go to mommy and daddy’s room, take the remote control and switch on the air-con yourself? Daddy and I were amused and laughed at how you know about enjoying creature comforts at such a tender age. Not only that, you’ve also learnt how to switch on the TV and surf channels with the remote control! We are proud of the skills you’ve picked up, though sometimes we wish you could wait a while longer on some of them!

But today, as I watched you put the toys into the basket and carried it to your room and placed it back on the shelf, my heart swelled with pride. You’re gaining greater independence and you sometimes act like an adult, like how you now prefer to sit on the dining chair instead of the highchair.

Thankfully, one thing that has not changed yet is how you still prefer to be carried by me, bathed by me, fed by me and on one else but mommy to accompany you at bedtime. I know someday this will all change, perhaps it will come sooner than I expected. I can’t imagine how it will be when you are bigger and start dating. I hope I won’t get too jealous of your girlfriends, and eventually wife. 


But till then, I relish in being the centre of your world, and I am so thankful for all the joys you’ve brought me. I hope that when you’re all grown up, you would still see me as a wonderful mom, as just I think you’re the sweetest little boy in the whole world. Mommy loves you. Forever.

The Kungfu Kid

My boy is getting more and more active at home. Recently, he discovered the dustpan we store in the yard and before we could snatch it away from him, he was already happily playing with it - see how he was doing some pole-wielding kungfu! And he almost hit his head with it!

I can't imagine what my boy will do next!

My 20 Months Old Toddler - Part 2

My 20 months old toddler is an avid (over-enthusiastic) reader...

When he gets bored of his toys, he will find new things to play with...

and he enjoys experimenting with his new 'toys'...

But sometimes, he ends up spoiling them...

(if you can't tell what this is, it's actually a corkboard coaster - and it was the last one left. The others were also torn up pretty much the same way!)

While his behaviours do drive me mad at times, I still love my boy, and I love him more with each new day.

My 20 Months-Old Toddler

Kenan turned 20 months old a few days ago and as if to mark the occasion, he surprised us by saying "hello" and "bye bye"! He even learnt how to switch on the TV and use the remote control to surf channels!

However, looking back, the past one month had been quite uneventful for the little boy, as he was sick and the PD advised us to keep him away from crowded places. He ended up at home most of the time, and I thought he was more restless than usual, probably because he was getting bored. So I tried to expose him to new experiences whenever possible, such as celebrating the mid-autumn festival.

Last year he wasn't walking yet so he could only watch other kids play with lanterns. This year, we bought him a battery-operated Barney lantern and took him to the playground.

Kenan being introduced to Barney the lantern. It comes with really loud music and I decided to muffle it by placing a piece of blu tack over the speaker and it worked.

At the playground, Kenan found it more fun watching older children play with sparklers and candles!

I also tried getting him do some simple craft activities, thinking it would be more interesting than his old toys but he apparently thought otherwise. It looked as if I was forcing him into hard labour!

So when the 'confinement' was finally over and we started bringing him out again, he was as happy as a bird set free from captivity! He was running around so much and so fast, we could hardly catch up. These were the times when I wished I had given birth at a younger age. So when I spotted some joy rides, I thought it's a good way for us to get a break. And this was his first time he got a real ride! By 'real', I mean we put in the money so that the car will move.

As tired as I felt, I'm so glad Kenan's well and we can bring him out to enjoy new places and activities. Any suggestions where we could go or what we could do? 

Moments with Dad

The other day, the hubby came home and was starting to go through the mail when our little boy eagerly sat next to him to catch up with daddy. It was fun seeing the dad and son interacting, and it seemed at some point the 'conversation' between them didn’t go too well... haha! 

Discovering New 'Toys'

We don't spend much money buying toys for our boy. Besides a real concern for space, the other reason is because he just doesn't seem too interested in them. On average, a new toy would captivate his attention for a few days, and then he would lose interest in it. He finds opening cupboards and ransacking the kitchen more exciting.

Recently, he discovered some new 'toys' and they kept him really happy:

Every 'Pro-Family' Supermarket Should Have This

Recently, I met up with a good friend for lunch at Nex shopping mall. Since it's been a long time since my friend last saw Kenan, I decided to bring him along. But it was with some degree of anxiety that I did that. The last time I took him out for lunch with another friend, he was so restless that we had to rushed through the meal, leaving me feeling really apologetic and telling the little one, who looked at me with innocent eyes, that mommy's gonna ground him. But of course I won't be so mean to him. And perhaps he understood my message; he was really well behaved throughout the meal that day.

After a nice lunch and some great conversations, we decided to head to the NTUC supermarket to do some quick grocery shopping. To Kenan's delight, we discovered this:

Best Friends (Benefits of Soft Toys)

Kenan is now at the stage where he loves soft toys. His favourite is this huge teddy bear that is more than half his size. He would feed his friend, teach him how to read, play with him, and when tired, simply cuddle up and enjoy a cozy moment with his good friend. It's been fun watching him!

Kenan's New Playground

As an adventurous tot, Kenan loves exploring every nook and corner of the house, opening up cabinets and drawers and taking every single item out. His latest playground? The kitchen! See the little one in action here (sorry for the super blur photos, I was using my mobile and it's almost impossible to capture a clear photo of a constantly moving tot).

Sometimes, it can get a bit frustrating running after him and trying to stop him while he's on his 'rampage' but seeing his happy face, I can't help but to laugh along!

A Morning of Fun with Kanten Clay! (sponsored review and giveaway)

I love letting Kenan try all kinds of craft work (despite how uncreative a mommy I am!) and a few weeks ago, I was still thinking if there's an alternative to playdough that I can get for my boy (coz I'm not sure if playdoh is toxic-free). Someone out there must have read my mind because Sophie & Friends has just sent me two jars of Kanten Clay!

Early Start of the 'Terrible Twos'?

Kenan is now 17 months old.

As a baby, Kenan was almost an angel. He started sleeping through the night since he was about 10 weeks old and had been a sweet little darling that was relatively easy to handle. 

But in recent months, he seems to have morphed into a toddler bent on getting his way. Like how he refuses to sit in the baby car seat and would cry and arch his back so we can't buckle him up. Or the way he screams murder in the highchair when we try to put a bib on him. Or when we are at the restaurant and he has to eat his own porridge, he would sometimes spit the food out and attempts to go on a hunger strike.

A Leisurely Afternoon at Sentosa Boardwalk

It was a weekday afternoon and hubby was on leave. We decided to head out somewhere and ended up at the Sentosa Boardwalk.

As the broadwalk took a reprieve from the weekend crowd, we were happy to bask in the unusual peace and quiet it offered. Especially for Kenan, who got to roam freely in the vast open space.

Ever since hubby changed his job (to have more work life balance), we have been able to enjoy pockets of family time during weekdays and I really appreciate these moments. I feel especially touched seeing the husband and Kenan playing together and bonding as father and son.