Birthdays, Birthdays!

August is birthday month for us. Damus was born on the 9th while Karina was born on the 25th. However, we usually cheat and just have 1 big bash for them. This year we sort of piggy backed on Lia's party for her boys, Jamie and Josh (bless her kind heart) who also shares the same birthday as Damus. We figured that having a party in Puncak Alam was not going to be too popular cause no one knows where it is and if they did, they would be quite relunctant to travel this far out. Min (bless another kind heart) made two beautiful cakes, one for the boys and one for Karina. She recently blogged on this topic plus another entry about her cake baking journey. You gals are the best! My kids really enjoyed themselves. The loved the cake and they loved the company.

Anyway, here is a little tribute to them on the birthdays.

Damus, mummy is amazed at how much you've grown. No, not in size (you're my cili padi) but in your skills and intellectual development. I know my little boy has grown when I watch you:

• succeed at wearing your own pants
• going to the toilet yourself
• eating independently and making minimal mess
• helping me take in the clothes and folding the handkerchiefs
• talking like an adult and making funny comments like "welcome everybody to my lips, muak"
• trying to keep me warm when I am cold
• kissing my cheek to take back the runny nose you gave me
• pretending to read and getting 50% of the words right coz' you have already memorized the story
• successfully bouncing the basketball many times and also being quite handy with a badminton racquet
• put away your folded clothes by yourself
  
• constantly singing your many nursery rhymes and other songs

Karina, mummy has placed very high expectations on you because of my ignorance and mistakes. Afterall, you are my firstborn and therefore, everything is trial and error with you. But you have raised to the challenge very well. I look at you and know you've grown when you:

• bathe yourself and help me bathe your brother
• read the scriptures and rattle off difficult words such as resurrection, nevertheless and commandment
• willingly and independently bearing your testimony in front of the congregation every first Sunday at church
• successfully memorizing all the words of the songs you needed to sing for the concert and singing so confidently
• put away your own clothes after its been folded
• try to learn how to write and give me envelopes with selfmade cards that say, thank you or I love you
• play badminton so well. you actually return my shots
• go to sleep with the lights off and I'm not in the room yet
• make it a point to change the mosquito vape mats and turn it on every night
• help pour your brother a drink when mummy is not free

Happy birthday kiddos. Remember, no matter how much I scream at you, I love you both beyond words.