Just Because

And So You Turn Three

My little sweetie turns THREE today! How time flies! It's just so amazing how in just 3 short years you went from this...

to this!

Mommy really wishes I could put you in pause mode so I can enjoy you for all eternity! But you need to grow up and become the beautiful butterfly that God wants you to be. May His favour continue to shine on you all the days of your life and may your life be like a pleasing offering to Him. We love you Janine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my little sweetie!

Janine's Artwork: A Family Portrait

It's NOT because I don't take pictures of them as fast as she draws them, OR because I can't find the time to blog about them (YES! IT'S TRUE!), OR because she "destroys" them before I can snatch the paper away. Though those reasons DO contribute somewhat, it's mainly because when it comes to Janine and her artwork, I guard them jealously and hoard them selfishly. I confess. I am like a private collector who only allows viewings of selected pieces from my vast collection. Hahaha! I did say I was selfish right?

But honestly, I will save (almost) every single scrap of paper (much to KY's chagrin) that has her doodlings, especially those that she took the pains to tell you what they were. To me, those drawings are like a small little peephole into what's going on inside that little head of hers which is obviously briming with imagination. It also lets me see the world from HER perspective and honestly, I am sometimes floored by what she sees.

Anyway, as promised some time back, here's a piece (yup! THIS is one of those limited views of a selected piece so SAVOUR it man! lol) that she drew while we were in China:

Title: My Family
Artist: Janine Ling
Medium: Paper, (whiteboard) marker

Anti-clockwise from the bottom right: KY drawn with little black dots shrouding his face which is suppose to be his beard/bristles on his chin! Hahaha! Mummy (me!) drawn with (long!) eye lashes because girls have eye lashes. She also drew her mei-mei (at my request) and apparently the baby is crying so there are tears running down her cheeks. Shs also drew a self portrait, complete with strands from her long fringe floating across her face, "like Queen Esther (from Veggietales)".

I am amazed at how she translates what she observes onto paper, and quite eloquently too at that for an almost 3-year-old if I might say so myself *beaming with pride*. Whoever said private collectors of art had to be objective about the artist they patronise?

Sleeping Fairy

From this particular angle, plus the way her hair catches the sunlight, accentuating her curls even more, she looks like a little fairy (complete with pointy ears!) who happened to flit into the room and decided to rest her tired little head there.

Sigh...

I've got like thousands of sleeping Janine shots from since she was a wee babe. And I am STILL taking them! I can't seem to get enough apparently! Lol. Not because that's the ONLY time I get to take CLEAR and plentiful shots of my little fairy but because it's such a picture of PEACE and SERENITY. It is like, at that point in time, the world with its accompanying care and worries has stopped and taken a back seat to this moment.

Such a reminder for me that there are times, even when there are plenty of pressing things to be done (like CNY stuff AND other matters!) and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to finished them, I (still) need to take time out and REST and recharge at Jesus' feet.

"For anyone who enters God's rest
also rests from his own work,
just as God did from his."
- Hebrews 4:10

Enriched

Ahhhhh...the time has come!

School has only JUST started and already there is lined-up a string of enrichment classes that you can send your children to.

So...Do I be like some kiasu Singaporean parents and sign up IMMEDIATELY for EVERY enrichment classes to hone my daughter's creativity and talents at the first opportunity? Afterall, what if she, for lack of "enrichment", falls behind the rest of the pack and subsequently be disadvantaged educationally for LIFE? Eeeps!

But NAH! I don't think I am going to jump on that bandwagon and sign Janine up for every other enrichment class that she is eligble for just because "it MAY be good for her". Honestly, I think there is way too many enrichment classes floating around and I also think that, while enrichment classes are good, not all will be beneficial for my daughter. Furthermore, I am more inclined to let her enjoy her childhood and not be holed up in some classroom learning about phonics or reciting times tables, etc JUST YET.

I will definitely be sending her for some kind of enrichment class or sorts and I do have in mind where and for what I want to send her to, because there ARE things that I can't teach her and she will benefit from a more "formal" kind of setting. But I will be doing my pickings very carefully and delibrately. The last thing I want to do is kill whatever interest or joy she has in learning or going for classes that will help develope her talents. God forbid if all she can remember about her childhood was being shuttled from one classroom to another instead of out frolicking in the playground and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air!