Charlie is 14 months old / First hair cut

14 months old and finally, a first hair cut for Charlie!

I figured the little trike would do the trick!

And yes, looks like Charlie has fallen victim to Mommy's infamous bowl haircut!

Well... next on the chair... big brother Graham.

It was really difficult to get him to sit for the haircut (especially after nicking him a couple times during the last hair clipping session!).  So, we had to bribe him with some oreo cookies. It worked like a charm!

Well, here's Charlie a day after his haircut.  It doesn't look so bad here.  Must be the lighting :-)

At 14-months, he is trying to stand up more without support now.  He has been blowing kisses and saying "bye bye" (or what seems to sound like bye bye).  And when he's unhappy during mealtimes, he would start crying and start swiping all the food off his tray! And just recently, this is one of his favorite things to do at night with Daddy.  Too funny!

Rainy day

It finally rained last Saturday after a long spell of hot and dry weather.  Graham wanted to play outside so we convinced him to put on his rain jacket and there's no doubt that he wanted to play with his umbrella!

There he is!

Charlie, on the other hand, was not very fond of the sound of thunder.

And with all that rain, we spotted a baby snapping turtle by a downspout.  Look at how long that neck is!

If you recall, back in mid-July, we had a big snapping turtle in our yard:
http://cindyontour.blogspot.com/2013/07/never-dull-moment-in-backyard.html
Well, looks like that turtle was a "mommy" and it laid an egg!  I guess that means this turtle is going to come back every year???

More trips to the Tulsa Zoo

Graham and Charlie really love the zoo, so having a nice cool day last Sunday was a perfect cue to go. As usual, we stopped by the elephants first:

Charlie was actually afraid of the elephant when it started moving!

So, I had to pick him up and then both boys ended up in the wagon.  Next stop - the tortoises:

And then, the giraffes.  Charlie sure loves to point!

While Graham and daddy decides where to go next, Charlie is pointing... Over there! Over there!

And then, off to the playground.  Charlie was quite unsure about being on the see-saw with big brother:

And then, he got a little more comfortable:

But okay, he doesn't look very comfy:

I assure you though, he really did like it!  And Graham didn't mind it at all having Charlie holding onto him.

Another successful trip to the zoo!

Graham actually took this picture while in his carseat :-)

Charlie is 13 months old

Well, technically he's 13 months and 3 weeks, but with all the golf that's been going on lately, I have completely forgot to update my blog on Charlie!

Our little Charlie is quite the character now. He loves crawling up the stairs:

He's got some new teeth:

New knee-pads for when he plays in the gravel pit:

Little Chaz is also learning to use the spoon:

Obviously we are still working on it!

At 13+ months, Charlie now knows where to go when he's hungry.  He will actually crawl with the food pouch in his hand and give it to you:

And somehow, he has developed a tantrum where he will get down on his belly, roll over onto his back (he does that more carefully on tile so he doesn't bang his head), and then starts crying/screaming and pounding his legs up and down!

But Charlie can still be such a happy baby when he wants to be. I suppose having his binky and blankie helps:

And Charlie is even happier when he's in the tub with his big brother!

Such great memories to cherish!

Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia - Here I come!

After receiving a sponsor's exemption for the event back in 2010 and playing terribly in it!.. I decided it was time to take on the challenge again to play at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).  The qualifier was a 2-day event this past week with 10 Malaysians and 21 regional players.  I ended up shooting 71 (par) and 75 with a total of 146 to be the top Malaysian qualifier!

So the long haul to Malaysia from the US was definitely worth while.  I was flying "under the radar" so to speak while in Kuala Lumpur because I really needed to focus on my golf.  Well, my cover was busted with all the media coverage on TV and also in the local newspapers.

It was tempting to call friends while in KL but being in bed early and up at 5am the next day hardly gave me a chance to really socialize.  I did get a moment to meet up with my brother Kelvin as he flew into KL on Friday for work.  We had a quick chat and bite to eat at the city's train station before I had to depart for the airport.

I almost didn't recognize him!  He was thin and scrawny the last time I saw him, which was probably 6 years ago when our mom passed away.  And look at him now!  The Chinese/Shan Tung blood is definitely in him.  I may have to use some of that "blood" in me to train and hit the ball longer for the tournament! :-)

By being away this past week I have missed the boys' first week of school.  Thankfully Bobby was able to send me some pics of their first day:

I suppose Charlie was not as enthusiastic as Graham was:

Daddy/Bobby has been doing a really good job getting the boys ready for school.  In preparation for my departure to Malaysia, I prepared a check list for the boys' school bags.  Graham's a very good helper when it comes to it -- Thumbs up, daddy!

Being paranoid and having new sitters at the house while I'm away, I wrote down the schedule of both boys including their naps and snacks/meals and stuck them on the kitchen cabinet:

Of course, I also stocked up on all their food for the week:

A tray of lasagna in the freezer too, ready to go.  You're welcome, daddy!

Yup, more instructions - this time cooking instructions for the prepared meals (thank you mom-in-law for those sticky note pads :-)

Knowing the lasagna would only last a couple of days, I was able to quickly put together an improvised chicken pot pie for the boys right before leaving for Malaysia last Saturday. Phew!

I really miss my boys. Can't wait to see them at the airport tomorrow night!

I wonder if I'll cry when I see them.  I didn't think I was going to get emotional when I was leaving but I ended up crying during our good-byes last week. The security personnel was even kind enough to pass me a tissue!

Trip to the Aquarium

During these past hot summer days, the boys and I have had quite a few chances to go to the Aquarium.  Graham and especially Charlie LOVES the aquarium!  Charlie is constantly pointing and "talking" and Graham just runs around from one exhibit to another as I try and catch up with the stroller:

Like I said, Charlie loves to point!

He's pretty much stroller-bound when we're at the aquarium.  He's getting too heavy to carry around!

On our most recent trip, Graham got a chance to watch the frogs being fed:

Thankfully, most of the exhibits are stroller-friendly:

As usual, Graham enjoys climbing around everywhere!

And here's the new exhibit... where the kids get to crawl under the tunnel, climb up a ladder and view the fish from the middle of the tank.  Pretty cool!

There's sure some big and weird looking fish at the aquarium!

The aquarium is going to open up a new section for the turtles soon.  Can't wait!