Growing Up with Brandon and Ethan

1st Lost Tooth

2012-01-24T22:59:00.000-08:00

My first tooth (incisor) came out today at 7:15pm. It all happened very fast. My Daddy used a wash cloth for grip and pull it out. It all started a few weeks ago when both of my bottom incisors became loose.

The past Sunday, on our way home after a Chinese New Year's lunch with friends, something happened and that particular tooth was bleeding slightly by the gum area. Once we got home, I was actively wiggling that tooth and even sought help from my Daddy. Both of us working hard trying to get it out but it didn't budge. I was upset as I was afraid that it might have come out while I was sleeping that night and I might shallow it.

Anyway, fast forward to two days later. That tooth got more and more loose and wiggly. So Daddy took his chance after I brushed my teeth. He pull it out without any effort at all. It was that loose. I was upset not because it was painful but because I was afraid to show my classmates my lost tooth and the empty spot in gum. My Mommy assured me that this happens to everyone and they will be happy for me to lose the tooth.

Long Hay Fat Coil

2012-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

Mommy showed me a 'fai chun', a piece of red paper with ~~funny~~ Chinese characters on it. She told me it says, "Loong Neen Kat Cheung". It is for Chinese New Year (Gong Hey Fatt Choy) celebration, meaning A Prosperous Dragon Year. She sticked that 'fai chun' on the front door of our house.

I wanted one for my own door too. So I told her and she said she was busy and asked me to do it myself. But I got an better idea! I will have her make one for me when she is not busy. I know when she is not busy she will sit in front of her laptop. So ...

A few minutes later, Mommy was greeted by this piece of note from me on her desk.Can you figure out what it says? If not, view the video below.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

Wow ... we did so much this past week. Lucky, my Mommy helped me to keep track of all the events that happened. I was having too much fun playing with all the friends - Larry, Eugene and Jesper.

Today was a school day. It was a long day for me to wait till evening. We didn't have dinner at home that day. We didn't go treat or trick around our neighborhood, but we went to the Verizon Amphitheater for the Compass Bible Church Fall Festival. I couldn't believe how big the event was. They had so many different types of ride. It was like a miniature Disneyland! They even served In and Out Burger there free! We each had a burger which we had waited in line for over 45 minutes.

First thing we did was the train ride. That was another 30 minutes wait. It was almost 7pm by the time we finished the train. We did some kiddie rides, a look-a-like Dumbo and a race car merry go around. It was way past my bedtime and we had to leave after that two rides. How I wished I don't have school the next day.

Halloween at The Irvine Good Shepherd Church

2011-10-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

It's time for Halloween. The Irvine Good Shepherd Church was having a community trunk a treat event. We invited Jesper and his family to join us. There was so many of us there including Aunty JooPheng and her family, Aunty BeeYinn and her family, Aunty Vicky and her family and us. It was funny because the adults were chatting in 'Hokkien' dialects. Feels like KL to me.

I wore a BAT suit for Halloween this year. The event started with some free drink and pop corns. The frizzly pop was kinda weird. But I am glad the popcorns were OK. I was hungry, so I almost finished the whole small bag of popcorns by myself. Jesper had some popcorns too.

We got to decorate our paper treat bags with a lot of stickers. While waiting for the cars to be set up for the trunk a treat, we ran around and plays with each other.

The treat or trick started when it got dark. It was fun. I got a lot of goodies. YUMM!! All the cars were decorated Halloween style. Some with blinking lights and smoke too.

It was almost 7pm when we were done. We were all hungry so Aunty Vicky and her family joined us for dinner. We ate at China Garden. I was so hungry that I had many bowls of rice. I love the tofu this place served. Can't wait to go back again.

My dear Bak-gong

2011-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

Mommy's note:

Brandon's Bak-gong (Ah pek, Kee Hwa Cheong) passed away peacefully KL Time 7:15am 10/26/2011.

We saw him during our last trip back to KL. He was always talking and joking with us. We will always remember him as this lively and always laughing uncle. Whenever he came visiting us at TTDI, along with him would be two packets of ice-kacang, half a dozen of deep fried glutinuous rice with taro and potato and a packet or two of Pasembur from the Indian store by the road.

He will be greatly missed by all of us. Rest in Peace Ah Pek.

Orange County Great Park Harvest Festival

2011-10-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

This was our second year to attend the Orange County Great Park Harvest Festival. We had a blast last year and I still remember that we lined up for almost 30 minutes to pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

This year, I had invited my 'mah-mah' and 'yeh-yeh' to join us at the park. The line to get to the parking lot was crazy. The parking fee was $10/car. This time, we got smarter. The first thing we did was to visit the pumpkin patch to pick a free pumpkin. The line was much shorter and we got in to the patch in no time. Of course, Daddy and I went ahead to pick the biggest pumpkin ever, and I named her 'Big Bertha'. She is a pretty girl, and heavy too.

Daddy immediately took the pumpkin to the car. While he was doing there, the rest of us walked around the event area. There was a contest on the scariest scarecrow by the local community. So many scarecrows but they weren't that scary at all.

When Daddy came back, we went to fill a mug with dirt and planted some seeds in it. (The seedling grew but disappeared after a day or two, must have been eaten by some bug)There was a maze which was built from hay. I walked in and walked out all by myself.

We didn't stay too long as the day was getting hotter and we were all getting hungry. We had our lunch at Sam Woo. Initially, we wanted to take 'mah-mah' and 'yeh-yeh' to Noodle Express but the wait was too long, so we went to Sam Woo and had rice with dishes. I must have been really hungry because I had 3 bowls of rice!*I just realized that I wore the same shirt to the same event last year. LOL!

October Rain

2011-10-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

It was raining lightly when we woke up in the morning. Mommy decided to drive me to school. It was still raining when we left home. We left early to avoid the traffic and found ourselves a good parking spot.

We walked from the car to the classroom area. And because it was raining, we didn't have to line up but instead, we went into the classroom after hanging our bags. Mommy said after we went into our classroom, and as she was about to leave, it started to rain harder and she ran to her car.

Finally, I get to wear the "Ultraman Raincoat" given to me by Mei yee-yee. Didn't realized it was a bit too short now. It was given to me when I was 2 years old.

First Day at Meadow Park Elementary

2011-09-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day in Kindergarten at Meadow Park. We woke up at 6:45am and was out the house at 7:50am. We walked to school, which takes us about 12 minutes.

Mommy didn't know which class I was in (there were two classes - Mrs. Venz and Mrs. Hurwitz). She asked me lined up at Mrs. Venz's class because somehow she thought I was in Mrs. Venz's class. Anyway, when I was in the class, Mrs. Venz brought me over to Mrs. Hurwitz classroom. It was a good day.

Mommy said that she went to the Parent if Kindergarteners Information Morning at the Multipurpose Hall after I went to class. She also picked up my package from school. She went home and came to pick me up from school at 11:30am.

Summer Vacation - KL & ADL

2011-07-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

We will be going on a trip to Malaysia, just me and Mommy. Mommy said after my summer program at Eastshore, I have a little over a month of holiday before my Kindergarten starts. So she is goin to take me on a trip to visit our families and friends in Malaysia and Adelaide. We'll be leaving tonite on EVA Air and arriving in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoon.

Then we'll be flying again sometimes beginning of Aug to visit Ethan and yee-yee in Adelaide for about 10 days.

Summer School at Eastshore

2011-07-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

I started my summer school program at Eastshore Elementary for Jump Start Kindergarten on June 27th. The program ran for 4 weeks. I went to school everyday from 8:30am to 11:30am. My teacher's name was Mrs. Naramore. It was fun to go to school. Because the school is not within walking distance, Mommy drives us there. And on days when my Daddy didn't have to go to work, he would come to pick me up from school.

If we arrived early, we can play at the playground until the bell rings. Usually we arrived about the time the bell rings so we seldom play before school starts. But I do get to play at the playground after school. Did I say that Faith also at this summer program? But she was in another class.

The 4 weeks passed by very quickly. Today is my last day and I am done with summer school.

My Bus Driver

2011-06-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today's my last day on my school bus. I have several bus drivers but they always come and go. The only bus driver who always pick me up from home to go to school is Celeste. She is always very nice. She tells Mommy that I behave very good while in the bus. I wrote her a special Thank You card with a See's Candies Gift Certificate. I'll miss you Celeste!

Catalina Island

2011-06-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

We went to Catalina Island today. It was a tiring day as we spent a full day there ... but the trip was FUN! Uncle Joe and Aunty Rina came with us. It was Daddy and Mommy's birthday so they got to ride the Catalina Express for free, they only paid for my ticket.

We left home early (at 5:15am) to Dana Point for their earlist boat to Catalina at 7am. The drive was smooth from Irvine to Dana Point. We got to Dana Point around 5:45am. It was adviced to arrive at least an hour before our scheduled ride. It was drizzling a bit that morning. Good thing it wasn't that sunny.

The boat ride was not bad at all and we arrived into Avalon at 8:30am. Basically, we walked around the little town. There were people around but not a big crowd. It was still early.

We strolled towards the Avalon Casino, which is now a theater and ballroom. Then we continued to Descanso Beach.

We signed up for a kayak tour to Frog Rock (1.5hour round trip) leaving at 12pm. Then we walked back to the town to have brunch at Original Jack's Country Kitchen and Bake Shop. I was so hungry that I ate almost all Mommy's plate which she meant to share with me.

By the time we walked back to Descanco Beach, it was almost time for our kayak tour. We changed into our gear and off we went on the kayaks. I sat in between Mommy (front) and Daddy (back). It was a bit chilly and my hands kinda froze when we were out in the sea.

Amazingly, I didn't feel scare and I think it was fun as I didn't have to paddle. Mommy and Daddy were doing all the work. When we arrived at Frog Rock Beach, I was very hungry. We were given a bottle of water and a cookie - which was so delicious!!! The tour leader, Steve, were chatting with the adults while I left my footprint in the sand. But the waves kept coming in and washed them away. The tide was coming in higher and higher so after about 30 mins, we hopped on to our kayak and back to Descanco Beach.

We spent our remaining time at Avalon trotting around the town area while waiting for our boat back to the mainland. By the time we got home, it was close to 9pm.

For more pictures, you can visit on Mommy's FB.

Brandon's Height and Weight

2011-06-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

My last measurement was taken on Jan 7th, 2010. Check out how much I grew over the past 1 year and 5 months.

I weigh 38.6 pounds (~17.5kg). (+3.4pounds)
My height is 42.75" (108.5cm). (+2.5")

Open House at ECLC

2011-04-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today, parents were invited to our school for the Open House. Miss Martha, my class teacher was there to greet us when we arrived. I led my parents walking around the class introducing my classroom area to them.

My classroom is huge and is divided into several areas. There are only 6 - 7 students in my class. Isn't this great? We do get a lot of attentions from the teacher and her assistants (Megan and Tahina).

I showed Mommy and Daddy our classroom rooster. I was the line leader for the day.  Here are some art pieces that were up on the wall.

  Here is our classroom's pet fish. Its name is Thomas because it is blue.

Here is my cubie where I hang my backpack and jackets.  We spoke to Miss Martha before we left and she told my parents all the good things about me.   Thank you very much Miss Martha for being my teacher. :)

Miss Martha my teacher

Want to see how I nap?

2011-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

I don't do naps at home anymore. Only on rare occasion I will nap in the car while driving on a long distance. And here is a picture of me napping in my car seat.

Little Amadeus

2011-04-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

My newest addition to my TV schedule - Little Amadeus. It is shown on the TV twice a day. Mommy asked me why I like this show, I don't know how to answer her. May be because I like it theme song? You want to hear it? Here is the video from Youtube.

Free Ice Cream at Ben and Jerry

2011-04-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

Today is free ice cream day at Ben and Jerry. This time we are staying very near to one particular Ben and Jerry store at The Tustin District. Since I am having my spring break (no school), Mommy took me there after we had lunch at home. I had a Vanilla Ice Cream cone. YUMM!!

It was so good. Mommy asked if I wanted to go back again after dinner together with Daddy. Of course I answered, "YES!"

So we had a quick dinner and then after Mommy was done with the dishes, we went back again.

Both time we went, we also donated a small amount for the cause that the store was sponsoring that day.

Las Vegas Again!

2011-04-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

We went to Vegas again!!! We spent 2 nights at South Point Hotel 4/9 and 4/10. It was fun, just because I like hotel. Mommy already said we were going to a new hotel and not at Mandalay Bay. We've been staying at Mandalay Bay ever since I know about Las Vegas. So being told that we are not staying at Mandalay Bay was like to me ... yea ... we are still staying at Mandalay Bay.

We started the journey from Irvine around 9am. No stopping at Barstow this time around just because it feels like a deserted outlet now. I kept asking the "Are we there yet?" question. Mommy told me that we will be there at 3pm. So then I kept asking, "What time is it now?" question.

Finally, I thought we were there. But actually we were only at Primm Factory Outlet. We had a quick stop there for a little shopping for Mommy. Also a pit stop for bathroom.

Finally, finally we arrived at South Point Hotel. We parked the car and headed to the check in. It was quick and we got our room facing the pool/freeway 15. Not much to see because the pool was empty. It was a bit cold that day.

Immediately after checking the room and dropping off our luggages, we went down to eat our lunch at the Coronado Cafe. After lunch, we drove up to the Strip to meet up with Uncle Gregg. He was late, so we walked around and Mommy insisted to have the Serenipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate. She got one to go for $10. But let me tell you ... the drink was so heavenly. But of course it also meant that I had too much sugar that afternoon and I was a bizzare little kid afterward.

When Uncle Gregg arrived, we walked around inside Bellagio Hotel and watched the musical fountain outside later.

Uncle Gregg then took us to Serenipity 3 for a snack dinner. We had small and sweet dishes but those filled us up. Have you heard ... "Ice-cream for dinner??" We did that. It was around 6pm by the time we finished and Uncle Gregg had to go home to finish his packing (for his trip to the Philippine).

Back to the hotel we did. We were tired ... we slept around 9pm, except for Mommy. She was busy trying to contact Aunty Jessie (her friend from KL), whom she was supposed to meet up the next day.

I slept early so I woke up early the next morning. Mommy was still all tired. But I pull away the curtain to wake her up too. This morning, we went to The Mirage to eat their Breakfast Buffet. We were early when we got there and not many people, but when we left, there was a long line outside waiting to get in.

Mommy met up with her friend Aunty Jessie at The Venetian. The two of them went to walk around the Strip. Daddy and I went back to the hotel. I just like staying in the hotel room anyways. At around 1pm, we met up with them again and went to the outlet for more shopping. We ended our outing with the guests at a Thai Restaurant somewhere near the Chinatown in Las Vegas.

The next morning we left Vegas after the free breakfast buffet at South Point. There was no traffic on the freeway and we got back around 3pm. I keep refering to the hotel as South Coast Hotel instead of South Point, so the next time if you hear me saying South Coast Hotel, it meants South Point.

Spring Break!

2011-04-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of school before spring break. All students went to school in the morning session. No school bus service this morning for afternoon students, so Mommy drove me to school. Mommy talked to Miss Martha a little bit since she hardly get to see her now because I've been taking the school bus to school. They were talking about the Transition IEP Meeting for me at Meadow Park.

The class ended at 11:30am. Mommy and Daddy came to pick me up. Together we drove up to Monterey Park. We had lunch at the Pho place in Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights, where Mommy and Daddy used to visit when they were younger. I had my grilled beef with rice.

After lunch, we headed to Monterey Park to the ginseng place to buy American Ginseng for Ah Peen Kaufu to bring back to Kampoh. Before we headed home, we stopped and visited Aunty Eunice for a little bit in Pasadena. And we hit traffic when we headed back home. I napped in the car for a short time before we arrived home.

Forgot to say my spring break will be 3 weeks long and will be back in school on April 25th. I promised that I will behave good while I stay home with Mommy. *angel face*

Swimming at Waterworks Aquatics Irvine

2011-03-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Since we stopped martial art, Mommy signed me up for indoor swimming lesson at Waterworks Aquatic in Irvine. It is located in the same location at the martial art school. They offer private or semi-private swim class for my age. Mommy picked the private class for 20 mins 2 times a week. She paid $337 (after discount) for 8 lessons.

Initially, the teacher appointed for me was Miss Tina. The day before we started our first class, the school called and told us Miss Tina was sick and instead, would we go with Mr. Paul. And from then on, Mr. Paul was my swimming instructor till now. He is a very soft spoken guy. I tried to manipulate him during the first few lessons, but I found out that didn't work.

The way they teach here is different from the way I learnt from Mr. Pete. We turn to out back (floating) to take a breath and then turn back to swim. I am getting better at it. But still need to work on my arms swing. Will update in near future with a video and a picture of me during class.

Stopping Martial Art

2011-02-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

Mommy has to stop me from taking Martial Art Class as their time is conflict with our dinner time. When I started Martial Art a few months ago, the time schedule was for Monday and Wednesday from 4:45pm to 5:15pm. It was a bit difficult for her as you know we have our dinner at 5pm. It is a rush for her to cook dinner when we get home at 5:30pm. We then ate our dinner around 5:45pm. She usually prepared the food before we leave home for the class.

However, the time schedule for the class changed to 5:15pm to 5:45pm. I can't eat dinner before the class. Exercising after dinner is not good for the body. We managed it for the last month of class because we had to give a month notice before we could cancel. So, most of the time, we ate out, or Daddy took me to class instead while Mommy stayed home to prepare dinner. Most of the days, I wasn't able to get to sleep at 8pm because my routine got moved forward a bit.

Today was the last day of our class but I missed it. I will be attending the graduation ceremony this Saturday to get my yellow tag for my belt. Well, if the time schedule is back to 4:45pm, may be Mommy will put me back in the class. I really enjoyed it.

BBQ Birthday Party

2011-02-20T23:10:00.000-08:00

I was so happy today. We had a BBQ Birthday celebration for me at our home. So many people came:

Mah-mah & Yeh-yeh
Ah Gee & Uncle Raymond
Uncle Joe and Aunty Rina
Uncle David and Aunty Eunice
Uncle David and Aunty Julia (with Faith & Joseph)
Uncle Raymond and Aunty Joo Pheng (with Larry & Eugene)

We had so much food for that day. Mah-mah bought me a Black Forest birthday cake from 99 Ranch Market. Will update this post with pictures soon.

Daily Routine

2011-02-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a month since I started taking the school bus. Everything is going great. I take the school bus to school and back from school. The bus usually comes around 11:50am at Blue Lake and Sweet Rain. Usually the bus comes back around 3:55pm.

My usual day begins after I wake up around 7 to 7:30am. I play with my toys for a little bit before I turn on the TV at 8am to watch Curious George. Most of the time I will watch until 9am and turn of the TV and continue to play with my toys. Mommy will make lunch for me around 10:30am and I will eat it around 11am. She has to feed me so I can finish my lunch by 11:30am and then brush my teeth and get ready to go out to wait for my bus.

7:00 - 7:30am Wake Up
7:30 - 8:00am Breakfast
8:00 - 9:00am TV
9:00 - 10:am Play toys
10:00 - 11:00am Play toys or watch TV
11:00 - 11:30am Eat lunch and watch TV
11:40am Walk outside to wait for bus

On My Way to Become a Kung Fu Master!

2011-01-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

I surprised Mommy today. I received THREE badges today at my martial art class - RESPECT (because I greeted the instructors without prompt), CONTROL (everyone got this one for the task we undertook today) and BEST KICK (I finally able to kick high).

The above are the badges I've collected (sewn on my martial art pants) since I started martial art class in November 2010. I don't get many badges but ocassionaly I will get one. But amazingly I got THREE today. It was unbelievable.

The above are the one waiting to be sewn on to the pants. The GOALS and FOCUS was the badges I received earlier this month. Now I have two CONTROL and BEST KICK badges.

School bus

2011-01-13T20:19:00.001-08:00

Since Monday 1/10, I've been taking the school bus to/from school. Mommy doesn't have to me to school or pick me up anymore. With this school bus schedule, it gives her an extra hour of time to relax and unwind.

Everyday we walked out to Blue Lake North and wait for my bus to arrive. We try to get to the wait area by 11:45am. Mommy makes lunch for me at 11am so I can finish it by 11:30am. I don't get to watch Word World at 11:30am anymore but I didn't complain.

And after school, Mommy will be waiting for me at the waiting area and the bus usually drops me off around 3:55pm. We will then walk home hand in hand while having little conversation about my school day. I like the bus!

Star Wars fan

2011-01-13T20:09:00.001-08:00

I like Star Wars a lot now. I watched all except Empire Strikes Back. This morning Mommy checked online library catalogue and found one copy available for check out. So she asked me if I want to go pick it up from the library.

Mommy: Let's go out now to the library to pick up Star Wars Empire Strikes Back. The only one we haven't watched.

Me: No, I don't want to watch Empire Strikes Back.

Mommy: Why not? The only episode we haven't watched yet.

Me: Empire very scary. Empire is dracula you know?

Mommy: LOL! Not VAMPIRE lar. Is EMPIRE, which means the whole galaxy in Star Wars and not the monster VAMPIRE.

Anyways, I still think Empire is Vampire so we didn't go to the library to check out the DVD.

Mah-mah visited me

2011-01-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, 1/8/11, Mah-mah and Yeh-yeh came down to Irvine to visit me. They arrived around 9:15am. We played a bit in my house before Daddy drove us around. First we went to Zion market. Then Daddy drove us to view some model homes at Stonegate East. Yeh-yeh really likes the houses here. Mah-mah said the air is fresher here than in Gardena.

After that, we visited the Orange County Great Park. We even went on the Great Orange Balloon. I went on the Merry-go-around ride while Mah-mah watched me. We had lunch at Sam Woo around 12:30pm. I was so hungry by that time. I finished one plate of 'Shrimp Cheung Fun' by myself and also some rice with tofu. It was a fun day for all of us.

Putting on vest

2011-01-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

I watched Inspector Gadget II and saw how he put on his jacket. From then on, I learnt how to put on my own vest. I haven't gotten the jacket on by myself yet but vest, no problem. :)

On the side note, I am watching Star Wars the movie, from Episode 1 to Episode 6. I haven't watched Empire Strike Back yet. Now I know:

Episode I - Phantom of the Menace
Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Episode IV - A New Hope
Episode V - Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

I even created my own Star Wars Episode VII - Sam the Jedi.

What's new?

2011-01-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Wow! We are in a new year - 2011. What is new with me? We had a school holiday which was 2.5 weeks long from Dec 20th 2010 till Jan 5th 2011. I started school on Jan 6th.

I also started my school bus ride from school going back home. Mommy waits for me at Sweet Rain and Blue Lake N. The first day, I got home at 3:55pm. Mommy told me she was waiting for me since 3:30pm. The second day, I got home a bit earlier at 3:45pm. Mommy dropped me off at school those two days. She told me that if I wanted to ride the bus to school, I have to get ready by 11:30am because we have to go out to wait for the bus at 11:40am. Mommy said we will try to catch the bus to school today. She will make lunch for me earlier and see if we can get ready on time for the school bus.

Vacation at Las Vegas 2010

2010-12-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

We went to Las Vegas during my school holiday for a 3 days 2 night short vacation. It was my Daddy's shutdown week from work. On the morning of 26th, we left home around 7am. We stopped at Uncle Richard's place briefly to drop off Isaac's xmas gift and Ellie's box of diaper for baby shower.

It was a long ride. I didn't nap at all in the car. I kept asking when we were going to get there, but it didn't seem to help make the trip faster. We stopped at Primm Factory Outlet for about an hour then only we headed into Vegas. Immediately after we got our room, we went down to have our lunch at the Bayside Buffet. We had to wait in line to get a table. It was a long line. I was hungry.

After lunch, we went to Las Vegas Outlet Mall which was packed! Mommy bought some glass containers from the Corningware outlet. Then we headed to Uncle Gregg's house in Summerlin. I napped for 5 minutes in the car right before we got there. Uncle Gregg's house is big and has two levels. We can see the LV Strip from his backyard. We stayed for an hour then we went back to the hotel for dinner buffet.

When dinner was done, Mommy gave me a bath in the bathtub. Ooh ... I love it. It felt like I was in small private swimming pool all by myself. I enjoyed it very much and told Mommy I would love to have this type of bath at home.

It was around 8pm when we headed out to walk to Las Vegas City Center. We took a tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur (beautiful castle). Then from there, we walked passed New York New York and Monte Carlo before we got to the new high-end mall. I complaint that I was tired even though I was in the stroller all the time. It was way past my bedtime at 8pm. It was already 9:30pm then. So we headed back to our hotel. But I was so excited to be in a hotel, I couldn't sleep until 10:30pm.

The next morning we went to the buffet again. We strolled along the hotel for a bit and took some pictures with the Christmas trees displayed.

We left the hotel around 10am and visited the Towne Center. I remember that I've been there before. There was a children maze in the playground there. It was fun. I went through the maza twice. Then it was time to head back to the hotel. Then Mommy said, "We are goin to eat buffet." And I said, "Buffet?? Not again!?"

Daddy skipped the lunch buffet and let Mommy, Uncle Gregg and me had the lunch. He was not too hungry he said. After I was done, Mommy called Daddy to pick me up from the buffet so she could chat with Uncle Gregg. It was along time since they saw each other. I was happily back in our hotel room playing with my car - model light yellow Chevrolet Malibu, which we bought at Walmart at Foothill Ranch before Christmas. I pretended the comforter on the bed is a mountain that the car has to climb up to. It was fun play by myself. Daddy was watching TV.

When Mommy returned to the room with Uncle Gregg, I played with Uncle Gregg. He was a fun guy to play with. I want to see him again soon if only Mommy and Daddy would take me back to Las Vegas again.

Soon after Uncle Gregg left, we went back to the buffet again for dinner because Daddy was hungry already. We went to Excalibur for a little bit after dinner. Left Mommy there to play a bit of games by herself while Daddy and I headed back to our hotel to rest. It was not easy for Daddy to get me to leave with him. I wanted to stay with Mommy but then I was told if I stayed too close to Mommy while she is playingi those machine, the police would come take me away. So I had to follow Daddy back to our hotel.

Next morning, we met up with Uncle Gregg at Starbucks. We left Las Vegas at 9:30am. We stopped at Barstow outlet for a little bit then we were back in the car heading to LA. I fell asleep during that part of the journey.

We stopped at The Hat near Victoria Garden in Rancho Cucamonga for lunch. We ordered too much food. You see, the above was a full plate of french fries with chili cheese on the top. It was delicious. Well ... I didn't eat the chilis, but instead i dipped the fries into ketchup.

It was our first time at Victoria Garden. We walked around a bit. Mommy bought a air of Stride Rite shoes for me. She bought herself a pair of AE boots which she has been looking for since we got to Vegas but wasn't able to find her size, not until now. That was the last part of our vacation. We got back to our home sweet home around 4:30pm that day.

Busy with the TV

2010-11-26T23:12:00.000-08:00

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is turn on the TV to channel 28-1 (KCET PBS for kids).

7am - Sesame Street
8am - Martha Speaks
8:30am - Curious George
9am - The Cat in the Hat
9:30am - Super Why
10am - Dinosaur Train
10:30am - Sid the Science Kid
11am - Clifford the Big Red Dog
11:30am - Word World
12pm - Sesame Street

Now Mommy only let me watch 3 - 4 shows a day and I get to pick the ones I want to watch. Those in red are my favorite programs. Usually I will watch Clifford and Word World while having lunch so these two are not included in the 3-4 shows.

Most days I will miss the Sesame Street at 12pm because I am off to school. And on days when I attend My Fun Time at Deerwood, then I will not get to watch the program from 9am to 11am. When I come home, then I will watch Word World, again, while eating my lunch.

Friends at home

2010-11-26T23:05:00.001-08:00

I have a few friends at home, and I always write down a list of their names on paper ... and their names are:

OVWA ALAN (my sister, she lives in a tower)
STEVE W. (friend)
SNOWMAN LARRY (friend - who is always sick and need to rest in the bed)
APPLE PIE (I don't know why this one is in my list)

Later on, I added a brother and his name is WELL DON WELL .

This is my Daddy

2010-11-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

I love to draw and write. These are considered as my 'homework'. My favorite writing instrument is marker. Mommy bought me two set of markers which I use very often. I also like to color with marker but Mommy said to use color pencils to color and market to write or draw.

So ... this is my 'artwork' on my Daddy. How do you like it? Would you give me A for this piece of work?

My new name

2010-11-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

My new name is now Cane Wong. Sometimes I am Brandon Wong. Mommy gets upset if I refer myself as Cane Wong too often. So I am half Brandon Wong and half Cane Wong (Cane W.).

This is how I sign my painting/drawing.

This is a picture of a pumpkin still attached to its vine with a blue flower at the other end.

My Caricature

2010-11-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

Mommy had an artist drew my caricature sometimes in October. We were visiting the open house at the Woodbury Esplanade. Do you think he looks like me?

My speech

2010-11-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

I've been speaking more English now because of school. At home, my parents still talk to me in Cantonese, but when I am in school, everything is in English. I also learn English watching the TV program - Sesame Street, Super Readers, Word World and more. Sometimes I would surprise mommy with a new word. :)

Mommy complains that I talk a lot and non-stop. I do agree and I know that I talk too much sometimes. LOL! I only remember that when mommy reminds me. I would stop for a few minutes and then back talking again. That's me!

The number of vocabs I have now probably more than I can count. At least a few thousands words.

Just updates

2010-11-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I've not been updating my blog as often as I would like. Just because Mommy is too busy and I am a handful ... sometimes two handsful.

There were a lot of things that went on the past few months. Firstly, we move to Irvine. Mommy and Daddy bought a new home in Woodbridge. We've been living there since end of May. And yes, I really 'love' my new home.

8/13/10 - Bought two little fish for the fountain in our patio. Unfortunately, they didn't last through the week. Oh well ... they were my first pets ... I guess we didn't do it right, with the water temperature and stabilizing the chemical in the tap water.

8/21/10 - Free train ride at Goathill junction in Costa Mesa by Orange County Model Train Engineer. Every 2nd weekend of the month, they open the model trains for public to ride and it's free. Mommy only found out about this event after Ethan left. Or else I know that he would really enjoy this place. We all know that he likes trains or rather ... Thomas the Tank Engine.

We've been there at least three times now. It is fun. We ride on the small little trains and go around the park twice.

9/10/10 - Me graduating from Swim2Pete Safety Swimming Program. It was a tough 10 days for me. I didn't like it much in the beginning and through-out the program, I was screaming most of the time. But I kinda learnt that screaming would not help me get to the side. I have to do the work ... kicking hard and swim to the side. Anyhow ... the final result is what my mommy was hoping for the longest time ... I am able to swim to the side of the pool without any assistance from anyone.

Mommy signed me up for more lesson with Mr. Pete. And now I can swim better and kick faster. I still need to learn the right way to paddle with my hands and to come out to breathe from the water. Now I am still doing my swimming on in one breath.

The swim lesson was $380 for the 10 days with only 10 minutes each day. After that, Mommy pays $190 for every 5 days of lesson. We finished off the season with my 24th lesson. Will continue the program when the weather is warmer.

9/26/10 - My grand uncle's birthday party in Torrance. I had too much fun that evening. I almost didn't want to go home. There were so many people at the party. And you know, I love to be around people. I also played with some of my cousins around my age. You see in this picture are Jason and Nic.

Pre-school update

2010-11-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

Mommy's update:

Brandon has an IEP from LAUSD prior to our move to Irvine. We transferred his IEP to Irvine School District. With that, he started his special education preschool at Early Children Learning Center (ECLC) at Smoketree on July 29th. They are a year-round school. Initially we were given a 30 days trial for him. After the initial 30 days, we had a review with the class teacher, administrator and a speech therapist. We discussed our goals for him during the review and they believed that the special education preschool program will benefit Brandon for now so he was accepted in the school.

His classroom is Room #11 and his teacher is Miss Martha Gilbert. She has two aids assisting her – Megan and Tahina. The class started off with 9 children all around Brandon’s age. Now, only 6 left. They transferred to another program or school. The 6 students now are Liz, Anya, Isabelle, Cole, Shoma and Brandon. His class starts at 12:20pm and ends at 3:20pm. Classes are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Therefore, since he started preschool, he no longer takes his afternoon nap. And now he goes to sleep at 8pm at night and wake up around 7am. His annual IEP review is coming up in December and we will discuss and review the goals for him and probably set new ones for another year.

He has no school at ECLC on Wednesday so I send him to another community preschool drop-off program by City of Irvine. Faith goes to the same preschool too. On Wednesday when we are in Irvine, he will attend the class from 9am to 11am. On some Wednesday we will go up to Southbay to visit his grandparents thus skipping school.

Temporary New Template

2010-10-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mommy's note: This is a temporary blogspot template which I will use. The older template is not working correctly because Blogspot changed it to xml. It was missing dates and other stuff. This new template is a basic template I've chosen from Blogspot design, hopefully I will be able to find one that I can personalized with pictures of my son and newphew as the header.

Cheese?!

2010-10-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Daddy and my 'Ah Gee' (Aunty) brought me to Pinkberry in Torrance today while Mommy was showing houses to a client of hers in Rancho Palos Verdes. I love the Chocolate flavor pinkberry yogurt. It is very yummy.

I told Mommy about the special outing we had that afternoon while she was away. We has this conversation before my bed time.

Mommy: Did you finish the whole Pinkberry yourself? Did you share with anyone?

Me: I share one time with 'Ah Gee'.

Mommy: What flavor did you get?

Me: Chocolate and toppings too.

Mommy: Are you sure you got toppings?

Me: Yes.

Mommy: What kind of toppings did you get?

Me: I got I got raspberries, peanuts and ... CHEESE.

Mommy: CHEESE???

Me: Yes, cheese! They put the raspberries, peanuts and cheese right here on the top.

Mommy: Cheese?? I don't think they have cheese as topping at Pinkberry. Are you sure you have cheese?

Me: Yes, cheese, raspberrie and peanuts.

Mommy: *laughing* I better go check with Daddy what you had for toppings to confirm.

Me: Go go, let's go ask Daddy. *happily hopping down from the bed to tag along*

Mommy: Daddy, Brandon said he had cheese toppings for his Pinkberry.

Daddy: *lol* No, no ... not cheese.

Me: Yes, cheese, raspberries and peanuts.

Daddy: No, not cheese. It's MOCHI!

Mommy: Oh, I see. MOCHI!

Me: *giggling* I thought it's cheese. *giggling*

Mommy: OK, that make sense.

Me: OK, mochi. Very chewy and gluey.

Mommy: Ya, I like mochi too. I didn't know they have mochi as toppings.

Me: Yes, I like too!

Straw and cup from now on

2010-07-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

From now on, I am drinking my milk from a cup with a straw. No more bottles for me. I stopped using bottle since we moved to our new home in Irvine. Now I only drink milk once a day, in the morning, with my breakfast in a cup. Remember I used to drink milk at least 8oz 3 times a day (morning, afternoon and night time)? Not anymore. I prefer my milk flavored a bit with strawberry or chocolate powder.

I also don't take my nap regularly in the afternoon. I am guessing without my afternoon milk in a bottle, I can't fall asleep that easily anymore.

Breakfast at Disney World

2010-06-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

This is our breakfast every morning during our stay at Disney's Port of Orlean - Riverside. These are kid size meal. Even Mommy and yee-yee also ordered this as their breakfast. It was reasonably priced. Less than $6 a plate and it comes with a drink.

I really like their Mickey Waffle. They are so good!

Summer Vacation to ...

2010-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

... we visited here ...

... for our summer vacation with yee-yee and Ethan. We flew out on Delta from LAX on the night of Jun 10th and arrived in Orlando early morning Jun 11th. Our hotel stay for the 6 nights at Disney World was at Disney's Port of Orlean Resort - Riverside. Will update more later.

BBRU and Heritage Park

2010-06-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Ethan needed a new stroller so Mommy drove us all to Babies R Us. Yee-yee took a long time looking through the many choices of strollers they have there and finally decided on a Maclaren Quest. We tried to help her with the heavy box. Ethan kept saying he lift the box and let him help. But the box was also too heavy for him.

On our way home, we stopped at Heritage Park for a little bit. We walked to the lake area and saw some ducks and geese.

Levitating Mister Ethan

2010-06-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

I was caught levitating in midair by my yee-mah. Picture taken at Irvine Spectrum.

Ethan is here in LA!

2010-06-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ethan and his Mommy had just arrived into LAX. This is Ethan's first trip to United States of America. It was funny how Ethan was telling his Mommy to take him back to Adelaide as soon as he got out from the airport. Los Angeles is nice, hope he will enjoy his 6 weeks stay here.

Btw, we'll be heading to the east end of next week ... to Florida ... to visit Mickey and Harry Potter!

Lollipop Pre-School Spring 2010

2010-05-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

I am back at Lollipop Pre-School for the Spring term. It will be a 11 weeks term, Tue and Thurs from 9am to 11:30am. We started school mid of April on 4/13. Our last day of school will be on June 10th. I've been fine. I am familiar with the teacher, Miss La Donna. We have a new teacher, Miss Nefetiti.

This is the biggest class I've ever been in. We have 19 students including me. The only returning student to this class is Jed. Actually Mommy had wanted to put me in their Fun and Friends Class for Mon, Wed and Fri from 9am to 11:30am. But the class was full when Mommy wanted to sign me up. So instead she put me back into Lollipop.

We are half way into the term now. Next Tuesday we will be going up to the South Bay Botanical Garden, our field trip. Then we will have another 7 classes before the end of the term.

Mother's Day at my Pre-school

2010-05-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

We had a mini Mother's Day party at my Pre-school on May 6th. We invited our mommies with us to school with us that day. Mommies receive many gifts from us. All handmade by us. See here is a picture of my Mommy with her table mat.

Of course we also gave them each a potted flower. I planted the flower into the myself with the help from the teachers.

We sang Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Happy Mother's Day song. After that mommies were served with pasta and salad.

Before the teacher served the dessert, they passed out our Mother's Day gifts to the mommies. My Mommy received these two gifts from me. A beaded necklace and my hand print on clay.

Look at how happy I was ... eating the chocolate cupcake!

Hameesu and Liu-liu

2010-04-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

My two favorite persons in KL - Hameesu and Liu-liu. You must be wondering who are they and why such a nickname?? They are actually my grand-aunty (kampoh) and grand-uncle (kaugong).

Mommy and I stayed at my kaugong's house during our 6 weeks vacation in KL. My first Hokkien word learned was 'Hameesu'. I knew this word since my previous trip there (Aug 2009). And I relate that word with my kampoh. You must be thinking why? Well ... this is an often scenario that happened in the house. When my kampoh called my Mommy, "Anna!" And then my Mommy would reply, "Hameesu!" So to me, I think my Mommy is calling my kampoh a nickname - Hameesu. Thus that's how this nickname was given by me to my kampoh. The meaning of Hameesu is actually, "What's up?", or "Yes?"

Next ... is my kaugong's turn. Why I nicknamed him, Liu-liu? Let me start by explaining what Liu-liu means. Liu-liu means shameful. And there is an action when saying it. Using the index finger, draw it downward on the cheek. And so why Liu-liu? Because my kaugong always shirtless/topless at his own home. You know, the weather in KL is always very hot. Thus I nicknamed him Liu-liu.

I had so much fun with Hameesu and Liu-liu. I am glad they had fun with me too. They too gave me a nickname ... and you know what? It is chow-chow! Meaning smelly!!

Brandon's Height & Weight

2010-01-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

Mommy took my most recent measurement for height and weight on Jan 7th 2010.

I weigh 35.2 pounds (~16kg).
My height is 40.25" which is 102cm.

My Thankful Book

2009-12-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

I made this Thankful Book as part of the art and craft for Thanksgiving during my days at Lollipop Preschool. I really like this book.

My Thankful Book

I am thankful for hands that clap for fun!

I am thankful for feet that jump and run!

For the birds in the sky ... for the fish in the sea ...

... and for all the friends that play with me!

I am thankful for flowers that smell so sweet

and for all the good things there are to eat!

I am thankful for everything about me.

I am thankful for the love of my family.

I am 3 years old.

My favorite colors are blue, green and red.

My favority song is 'This Old Man'.

My favorite story is 'Green Eggs and Ham'.

My favorite toy is the barn house and

I like to go to the Park!

Arts and Crafts from Lollipop Fall 2009

2009-12-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

These are the art and craft I made during class at Lollipop Preschool for Fall 2009.

Holiday Special at Dada's office

2009-12-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

On December 5th, Dada's office got special holiday event for kids. We arrived early afternoon as I had martial art in the late morning.

First thing we did when we got there was to visit the cookie decorating tent. We picked a cookie and put on the icing (red/green/white) and then sprinkled on top with all the toppings we like.

Decorating cookie

A closer look

Me, Dada and my cookie

I had mashmallow, M&Ms and Fruitloops for my toppings

After decorating the cookie, we went downstairs to get our food. With Dada's ticket, we had hot dogs, chips and drink. After our late lunch, we went to line up for a picture with Santa. The line was long, but time passed quickly and we took our picture.

Our next stop was at the games' tents. I played 'hitting the coconut with a broom into the hole on the wall' game and won (with Dada's help) a stuff penguin. I was so happy and proud of myself.

Before we left, Mommy let me ride the cars carousel.

After the car ride, we left and went home. It was fun day. Hopefully they will have that again next year.

Lollipop Pre-school at McMaster Park - Spring Term 2009

2009-12-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

I started Pre-school end of March (3/24) after I turned 3. Mommy signed me up for Lollipop Pre-school at McMaster Park, North Torrance. I went to school Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 11am. First few days, Mommy stayed with me the whole class. After the second week on, she would just drop me off and come pick me up at 11am or earlier (to see me playing at the playground).

The teachers are very nice. I called them, Miss La Donna and Miss Donna. Yes, they both have similar names. Miss La Donna was the teacher for the class and Miss Donna was the assistant. It was a 12 weeks term from Mar to end of May. There was break in between too (Easter break). It was a very small class with 6 registered students. Let me see if I remember their names - Elijah, Amy, Sara, Sofia and Lucy. And seldom we have full attendance every class. I basically received personal attention.

I missed several classes because I was sick, I went to Alaska Cruise (a week), and then later during the last week of class, I went to Australia.

Mommy wrote up some posts about my day at school at her blog and here are the links:

Day 1 at Lollipop Pre-school

Day 2 at Lollipop Pre-school

Day 3 at Lollipop Pre-school

Day 6 at Lollipop Pre-school

Day 8 at Lollipop Pre-school

Day 9 & 10 at Lollipop Pre-school

Family Fun Time at Greenwood

2009-12-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

Mommy is helping me catch up with my post. She just realized that there was not much update about the classes I've attended beside the Parenting Class (Mommy and Me Class) at Torrance Adult School.

From Jan 09 to Mar 09, I attended Family Fun Time once a week at Greenwood through the program partly sponsored by the city of Torrance. If Mommy remembers correctly, the fee for the 10 weeks class was $89 for non-resident. This class is a 50 minute class. It begins with some mat time (about 10 mins) and then it is gym time. Before the class ends, we sing a few more songs and then it is snack time. Kai attended the same class as I did that time.

What Mommy remembers is, I did like the singing song part but when we move to the gym, she said that most of the time I just walk around. There were times I did go up the slide or did some playing around, but mostly, I just walked around and observed others playing.

Feb 24th 2009

Mar 3rd 2009 (Yup, it was my birthday that day)

Mar 3rd 2009

Mar 3rd 2009

First Day - Tae Kwon Do

2009-12-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Mommy signed me up for Junior Tae Kwon Do class with Master Yong in Torrance on Sepulveda. Aunty Julia had told Mommy that this martial art school was having promotion for new students. The fee is $99 for 10 weeks of class (2 classes per week) with free uniform too.

My first day of class was yesterday (Saturday 12/5). We arrived on time at 10:10am but Instructor Jacques told Mommy to bring me in earlier next time so I will get to mingle around (as if I will). The class started with warm up. I didn't join the class and for the entire 50 minutes I was watching it from the back with Mommy beside me. I did some punches with Instructor Jacques but that was about it.

I am looking forward to be in the class and Mommy has been trying to remember some of the warm up steps as well as the lesson so she can teach me from home to get me use to the routine. OH yes, I've been practicing some exercise at home.

Next lesson will be an afternoon one after my nap. Hopefully I don't over sleep.

My latest phrase

2009-12-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

"I don't understand."

"I don't know."

When Mommy asks me something that I don't want (or may be lazy) to give her an answer, even though I know the answer, I will just tell her,

"I don't understand."

Thanksgiving Book Craft

2009-11-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

Next week is Thanksgiving. I will have no class for the whole week next week. Yesterday (Wednesday) was my last day of school before the break. We finshed up our Thanksgiving Book Craft so we could take home with us when the class ended yesterday. We didn't do all the craft in one day, but it has been a few weeks we did some crafts here and there. Here is the outcome of our beautiful Thanksgiving Book.

Thank you Miss Tanya and Miss La Donna for helping me put it together so nicely. Mommy was really proud of me when she saw this book.

Cover

My painted hands

My painted feet & a bird and a fish

Our class picture at the park (taken on 11/16)

My cutout of flowers & food (first time using the scissors)

Picture of me and glitters hearts

My favorite things

My Ah-Gee

2009-11-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is my Ah-Gee (Aunt). I drew her on my doodle board. She has big earrings (next to the eyes). She wears a dress. No glasses.

Brandon at Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Mommy took me to Pat & Oscar's Restaurant for lunch today. We met up with four other mommmies and their kids. All of the kids were born the same year as I. I behaved so well during the lunch and mommy gave me a sticker when we were back home. I ate most of my lunch myself. I had the breadstick and pasta with meat sauce.

After lunch, mommy met up with two other mommies and their kids at a Pumpkin Patch nearby. Initially, I didn't want to go. Mommy said she would have to at least drop by to say bye-bye to the other mommies as she has agreed upon meeting up with them before we left the restaurant. But when we arrived there, I didn't want to leave. It was fun at the pumpkin patch. I was pulling apart the decorative but read dried corn leaves displayed there. I didn't pick any pumpkin to bring back home. But we sure did a lot of pictures when we were there.

Brandon's First Visit to the Dentist

2009-10-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

Backdated post 10/2/09.

Noted by Mommy.

This was Brandon's first ever visit to the dentist. Did I prepare him at home? Just a little bit.

1. But we brought him to my dental office once during my regular check up in June 09. He watched for a little bit.
2. We know that he likes to brush his teeth and keeping them feeling clean. We also help him floss his teeth after dinner time every night.
3. We told him at the dentist, he has to keep his mouth open wide so the dentist can clean his teeth nicely.
4. We didn't read him any books about dentist or show him any DVD about dental visit.
5. We told him, if he did good at the dentist, we would take him for ice-cream.

When the day came for his dental appointment, I was hoping he was ready. And he was. I was amazed and so proud of him.

We visited Dr. Janelle Holden DDS in Manhattan Beach. She specializes in Pediatric Dentistry. Just like a regular (or may be more) pediatrician office, her waiting room is full of toys. She even has video games console in the waiting room. The process of registration for first time patient was a breeze. Our appointment was at 11am and we arrived at 10:45am and we were called inside at 11am.

Brandon met with with Dental Hygienist, Christina. She let Brandon pick out a toothbrush to bring back home. Then she asked me to sit on the chair and have Brandon sitting on me. She was very good in explaining everything to Brandon. Every little things she went into detail. She showed and told him what she was going to do before she did it on him. She talked to him a lot during the cleaning process, practically non-stop. Brandon wasn't actually listening to her because I knew he was busy watching Monsters vs. Aliens on the hanging LCD TV in the room (good thing to keep the kid distracted).

Next she asked Brandon what is his favorite flavor, whether is cherry, bubblegum or strawberry. We picked strawberry. Then she showed Brandon how she was going to count his teeth but asking me to open my mouth and counted mine. Brandon opened up his mouth and she counted 10 on the bottom and 10 on the top.

After the counting, she did the scrapping of the yellow stuff that stuck on his teeth between the gum and the tooth - we called that the plaque. This was the longest part of the whole cleaning process. When she was done with all the four quadrants, she showed him the water gun that will squirt water into his mouth to clean it. Also, she showed him a small little vacuum that will suck the water out. She touched it on Brandon's hand to show him how that little thing functioned.

Then she brushed his teeth with the special flavored toothpaste. Again she touched Brandon's hand with the electronic toothbrush like thing and then only started brushing his teeth with it. After that, she helped him rinsed his mouth again. The second final step was flossing. Since he was familiar with this part of the process, it was no problem. The final thing that Christina did was to apply a coat of liquid fluoride on his teeth and asked us to leave it on for an hour, with no eating or drinking.

Christina gave Brandon some stickers and she left to get the Dentist. While waiting for the dentist to come to check his teeth, I took some pictures around the room.

Dr. Holden came in for less than 1 minute to check on him and gave us some advice on how to take care of the teeth - no gummy bears, apple juice (acidic and too sweet - mostly sugar), ice cream is OK, eat more apples and carrots (clean teeth), keep brushing two times a day (even better if is after each meal) and to come back to see her in 6 months.

Then we were done! It was a 30 minute visit. We took Brandon to Baskin Robbins for ice cream of his choice after one hour. He picked the Vanilla flavor.

Brandon makes pancakes

2009-10-15T14:22:00.001-07:00

Backdated post on 10/13/09.

I made my own pancake breakfast this morning. Mommy had bought a new box of multi grain pancake from Trader Joe's over the weekend. She had wanted me to make my own pancake since last week but we didn't have any pancake mix at home.

Was it fun? Oh yea! Mommy took out a stainless steel bowl. She guided my hand to pour in the bowl 1 cup of pancake mix. She also guided my hand to measure 1/2 cup of milk and also break one egg into the mixture. She put in a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Then she let me mixed the batter with a whisk.

I didn't want to stop beating. But she said we couldn't have pancakes if we don't cook the batter. She heated up the nonstick pan and melted a little bit of butter in it. She guided my hand to pour a scoop or batter into the pan. And she did the rest of the cooking, ie: flipping the pancake. I saw bubbles on the pancake and Mommy said it's time to flip it over.

Mommy asked what toppings I want on my pancake, and I told her, "Strawberry jam!"

A thumb up for a good delicious breakfast.

We met in Adelaide

2009-10-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Oops ... Mommy forgot that she didn't help me post up some of the pictures of us visiting Ethan in Australia before she posted the previous post about KL.

Oh ya, Mommy and I have been traveling a lot. We visit Ethan, 'yee-yee' (aunty) and 'gong-gong' (grandpa) in Australia. The more interesting part was ... 'kam-poh' and JoJo 'yee-yee' came to Australia from Malaysia. So we traveled together from Adelaide to Sydney and then to Brisbane and to Gold Coast where they departed Australia.

We spent about 3 weeks in Down Under. We arrived at BNE first and stayed with 'gong-gong' for one night before flying down to Adelaide to meet up with the rest of the gang.

We did a lot of sight seeing and the weather was a bit cold.

Here are pictures of Ethan and me in Adelaide.

We meet again!

2009-10-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

We met again ... this time in Kuala Lumpur. Mommy and I traveled to KL on Aug 18th and returned to LA on Sep 18th. Ethan and his family arrived from Adelaide on Sep 8th and we met up on Sep 9th. He still likes his Thomas the Tank Train a lot. While my CHUCKS helicopter is my favortite toy. We had some fun together but not as much as last year. We didn't stay together this time. Ethan and his family stayed at Cheras with his paternal grandma. And Mommy and I stayed with 'kam-poh' (great aunty) in TTDI. We saw each other like may be 6-7 times?? Most of the times, Ethan would be inside the study room playing his computer. He misses his computer time, I think.

Here is a picture of us together. Not too many pictures of us playing together.

Brandon's Writing Skill

2009-10-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

Lately, Mommy has been getting me to write ABC. Daddy too. As for Daddy, I will write my ABC to Z after my shower/bath at night. I do the ABC freestyle on blank piece of paper.

With Mommy, I do it on pages with boxes with dotted letters. She bought the exercise book from KL. She said she couldn't find any similar type here. So she asked Daddy to make copies and I only write on copies so she would still have the original to keep if I need more practice later on.

How did Mommy get me do my 'homework'? Before I can watch any DVD, she will ask me to write a few or the whole page, depending on how I feel like. But I need her to sit beside me and guide me sometimes with her hand on mine. I am holding the pencil better now, rather than grabbing the pencil with my whole palm, I am almost holding it the right way now.

Here are a few pieces of my work. The one with the little red arrows were the one Mommy was helping me with.

I think I have some trouble keeping my letter in the boxes. Hmm ... need to improve on that I hope.

'Two Little Tigers' song

2009-08-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

Another song Mommy taught me is this 'Two Little Tigers', Liang Zhi Lao Hu in mandarin. This song is to the tune/music of 'Where is thumbkin?'

Liang Zhi Lao Hu
Liang Zhi Lao Hu
Pao De Kwai
Pao De Kwai
Yit Zhi Mei Yow Yen Ching
Yit Zhi Mei Yow Er Dor
Zhen Zhi Gwai
Zhen Zhi Gwai

'Welcoming a Guest' song

2009-08-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Since last weekend, I was taught singing this mandarin nursery rhyme - 'Keh Ren Lai' (direct translation - Guest is coming). Mommy learned to sing this song a very long time ago and she still remember how to sing it now. So she thought may be she could just teach it to me and I will remember it for the rest of my life. In one week time, I already learned to sing it.

Keh Ren Lai
Kan Papa
Papa Pu Jeah
Woh Ching Keh Ren Ching Jow Shei
Chai Ching Yit Pei Cha

You probably heard me replacing 'woh' (mandarin) with 'ngo' (cantonese).

Watercolor painting

2009-03-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

3/16/2009

It was my last day at Parenting the 2 years old class with Mrs. Harris at Griffith Adult School (Torrance Adult School). I had missed a few classes due to my vacation and also my cold. And there were several other Monday holidays as well. Anyway, I was glad that I attended this last class as I was able to play with watercolor for the very first time.

We were actually supposed to be painting Easter eggs on paper, but instead Mommy got me some blank papers and let me be creative. Here are my watercolor pieces.

Birthday at Disneyland

2009-03-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

2/28/2009

Uncle Bojan brought us to California Adventure. It was really crowded but that day was mah-mah's birthday and she could get in for free. But anyway, yeh-yeh ended up didn't go with us, just Mommy, Daddy, me, mah-mah, ah-gee and Uncle Bojan.

We left home around 2:15pm. We parked our car on the roof top of the parking structure. It has been a while since I went to Disneyland. I still remember Mommy and Daddy used to bring me there like every week when they had the annual passes last year.

I still remember the tram we have to take to the entrance of the park. The first ride I requested was Monsters Inc. We went the the wait was 30 minutes. We all lined up and waited. I patiently waited for the ride. Unfortunately, after we waited in line for almost 30 minutes, the ride stopped working. We were almost at there in front of the line. The operators said the ride might have broken down and might not be back on for the rest of the day but told us to go back in 30 minutes to check it out. Man ... that was so disappointing.

But we had no choice. So I decided to go visit my second favorite ride - the Tortilla Factory. We still had to wait but only for 10 minutes. I showed mah-mah the free tortilla they were giving out. Yummy!

Basically after that, we just walked around the park. I wasn't satisfied not be able to be on the Monsters Inc. ride so we went back again before we left the park. It was working! The thing was we had to line up again and waited for the 30 minutes AGAIN. We took some pictures while waiting in line.

I was happy after the ride. It was still the same, saw the helicopters. YES! Afterwards, we went to take picture next to WALL-E.

Then we left the park. It was almost 5:30pm when we left. Before we went home, we had dinner at Sam Woo Restaurant in Cerritos. I was hungry and ate two bowls of rice. After a good meal and a tired day at the park, I napped in the car for 5 minutes before we got home.

Thank you uncle Bojan for taking us all to California Adventure. Next time if I feel like going again I will ask my Mommy to give you a call. :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Brandon

2009-03-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

2/28/2009

This year, I had my birthday cake on Saturday 2/28/09. My actual birthday will be tomorrow, Tuesday 3/3/09. We had the birthday cake on Saturday so my ah-gee could come over to sing the birthday song with us. She works a lot, even on weekends and fortunately for us, she was not at work last Saturday.

Mommy ordered a Cars cake for me. This is a 1/4 sheet chocolate cake with buttercream icing from Torrance Bakery ($40).

We came back from Monterey Park around 1pm and on the way back, I was napping in the car. We went to pick up the cake before we drove home since I was still sleeping. When we got home, I woke up. Mommy phoned my grandparents and ah-gee to come over.

Mah-mah was here first. I was happy to see her. We were taking pictures when my ah-gee and yeh-yeh came in to join us. I wasn't sure why, I was not happy to see them and I started crying. Mommy took me inside my bedroom to talk to me and then I was feeling OK, not the best. We continued with some pictures but I didn't give a good smile to most of them. At least I wasn't crying ... yet!

Then they started to sing me the birthday song. Before they ended the song, I CRIED! (see picture for proof)

I didn't even want to cut the cake, so my Mommy did it for me.

Oh well, at least I remember how much I enjoyed eating the cake afterwards. No more crying.

Brandon at Maui, Hawaii

2009-02-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

Mommy, Daddy and I went to Maui for 5 days 4 nights this past weekend. I had so much fun at the beach. They took me to the beach behind the resort every evening. I enjoyed the hotel room, the rental car, the food and the beach and ocean too. Just like Mommy, I wish the vacation would never come to an end.

Now I even know how to spell M-A-U-I ... MAUI!

Gong Hey Fatt Choy

2009-01-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Gong Hey Fatt Choy.

Sun Tai Kin Hong.

Loong Mah Ching Sun.

Happy Chinese New Year.

Please email me the angpow/lai see.

Thank you very much.

What a toddler says?

2008-12-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

Brandon says:

Mommy hai oak kei, Daddy hai oak kei, Beh-beh hui kai.
English - Mommy stays home, Daddy stays home, I go out.
* Beh-beh refers to myself

One time Mommy slept beside me and I was laughing happily then she said I was too noisy because I was launghing and she couldn't sleep. The next evening when bedtime came I say:

Mommy fun gau, Beh-beh keh-keh-keh-keh.
English - Mommy sleeps, I go keh-keh-keh-keh (laughing).

Mommy asked my opinion on her new top. I said, "GOOD!" while giving her a thumbs up sign.

If I want someone to leave my home, I say to them, "BYE-BYE!" I hope they understand the hidden meaning behind it.

If I want someone to stop singing/talking, I hold my palm up in front of their faces and say to them, "OFF!" as if I am turning 'off' their volume you know?

Some types of reading

2008-12-28T22:56:00.001-08:00

Noted by Mommy.

Brandon knows how to read two of the books we regularly read together. He doesn't read it words by words, it is more like memorizing the page and recite it again to us. The books he reads by himself are:

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
2. Dr. Seuss ABC

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T21:17:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS
&
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Fun time in KL

2008-12-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Backdated post: 7/6/2008.

I had so much fun playing being the leader at kampoh's oak kei. I started pushing this laundry basket then Ethan followed. It was a fun chasing game because I thought Ethan was chasing me and pushing the laundry basket at the same time. I was running, hopping, laughing. We had a very fun time together.

As you can see from these pictures, Ah-cho (great-grandma) was sitting there laughing with us.

Ethan and his mommy were scheduled to return to Adelaide the next day. Kampoh's house became so quiet without them around to play with me.

Letter from Santa

2008-12-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

We received the first letter from Santa for Brandon.

From the Desk of S. Claus

Dear Brandon,

Wow! I can't believe Christmas is almost here! Seems like just a few weeks ago that the elves and I loaded up the sleigh and delivered a pile of presents to your house. I love visiting Gardena every year. The elves keep trying to talk me into relocating my workshop there, but I like the North Pole. It's really snowy and cold (brrrr!), but there's much less traffic.

In preparation for my big trip on December 24, Mrs. Claus and I have double-checked my list if Good Girls and Boys. Good news: You're on it! We're so proud of you! Dada told me all about the Helicopters you want. I've asked Elvin, one of my most trusted elves, to work extra hard on it. Toy production is a little behind schedule this year, but Elvin thinks he'll have it ready in time.

In the meantime, I know you and your family are busy getting ready for the holidays - decorating the house, baking yummy treats, shopping for gifts, and wrapping presents. It's almost as much fun as Watching Monsters Inc.! But the best part of this special season is spending time with the people you love and care about, like Mommy, Dada. I know you'll all have a wonderful holiday!

I can't wait to visit your house again this year. The sleigh needs an oil change and my red suit needs to be dry-cleaned (eggnog stains), but we'll be ready by Christmas Eve. Make sure you're asleep when I arrive - no staying up late and no faking! And if you have any extra holiday cookies, leave one out for me. By the time I get to your house, I'll need a snack.

Your friend,
Santa Claus

P.S. Alan Wong told me you've been very good this year and asked me to write you this letter.

Some of the funny things Brandon says

2008-12-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

On the way back from Las Vegas in a rental minivan, I told the other passengers in the car that my see fatt tong (bum bum hurts) because I've been sitting too long in the car seat.

Mommy told me her back hurt because sleeping on my bed with me at night so she will be sleeping on her own bed. When I saw her waking up the next morning, I say to her, "Mommy pui chek tong, khen tong fun behbeh chong. Mommy pui chek moh tong fun Mommy chong." (Mommy's back and neck ache sleeping on my bed. Mommy no back ache sleeping on Mommy's bed.)

I watched the TV the other night and saw an animation when a Christmas tree fell from the rooftop at Macy's. Then I came outside to the dining area the next morning, I told Mommy, "Behbeh Krismas tree moh tik toh." (My Christmas tree didn't fall)

When Mommy asks me what is my name, I answer, "My name is Brandon Wong, thank you!"

Brandon playing top

2008-12-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

Received this little cute top from the Christmas goodie bag given to me from another boy in the music class. His name is Cy Hayashi.

Mommy showed me once how to play it and I am so attached to it now. I love to spin it myself. See how I did it in the video below.

Daddy went to class with me

2008-10-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

October 20th 2008

Daddy was off today. We went to the Parenting Class together. He stayed for the first rug time where we sang nursery songs and rhymes. When we were doing art, he left to take our car for an oil change nearby. Then he came back when we were almost done with my art piece. We had snack and then we left the class afterward. My friends, Colin and Sebby weren't there that day.

Afterward, we went to visit 2kampoh and 2kaugong, Daddy's aunty and uncle. We stayed only for 10 minutes for a little chit chat and then we went home.

His Favorite Word

2008-10-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

Young Man!

Learned from the Jackie Chan Movie - The Myth.

Brandon visited Belle & Cassie

2008-10-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - October 18th 2008

We were in San Jose today and this morning we drove up to Mountain View to visit Mommy's friend, Aunty Vien and her family. For me I was happy as I got to play with my favorite ... the FAN! ... well well ... I had a good time with Belle and Cassie too. I even gave Belle a friendly hug before we had to leave. Hope we meet again Belle ... Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

from "me" the little red dragon (with wings and a small tiny tail) in Los Angeles.

Trip to San Jose

2008-10-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Day 1 - October 17th 2008

Mommy, Daddy and me had a short vacation to San Francisco last weekend. We drove all the way up there. I was pretty good in the car all the way. There were a few ocassions where I misbehaved a little. What I did very good was not wetting the pull-up I wore. We stopped very frequently for pit stops. The first time was at Camarillo Outlet Mall. Next we stopped at Solvang. We had lunch at this Belgian Cafe. I had french fries with ketchup, plus a little bit of breakfast sausage and french bread.

I napped a little in the car after lunch and then when I woke up, we were in Salinas. We found a shopping mall near the exit of the freeway and we borrowed Macy's restroom. Then I went again when we stopped at Black Bear Diner for dinner. After that, we arrived at the hotel. I like the hotel. I love the hotel. I had so much fun at the hotel until I couldn't sleep at night.

Faith's Birthday Party

2008-10-22T22:04:00.001-07:00

I was invited with Mommy and Daddy to my friend, Faith's Birthday Party. She just turned two and her mommy had a small birthday party for her on the 12th this month.

I was enjoying myself playing with the balloons they had at the party and giving them out to the other kids. I didn't get to take a picture with Faith. She had a puppy theme birthday party. Her cake had princess pictures on it. As usual, we left a little after we all sang the birthday song. An hour at the party is enough for me.

Him and Bento Box at School

2008-10-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

My first bento box to school. Mommy made this little snack box for me on Monday morning when we were attending the Parenting Class at Torrance Adult School. I finished everything. It has some mini size star shaped peanut butter jelly sandwiches, baked Goldfish and dried mango bar from Trader Joe's.

My height and weight today

2008-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I was measured for my weight yesterday and this morning for my height.

My height: 37.25" / 94.5cm
My weight: 31.7 pounds / 14.4kg

I grew about 1.25" since the last time we measured my height.

Playground @ PNB Darby Park

2008-10-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

04 July 2008
I love playing at playgrounds because every playground will have slides and I love slides. I was so happy to play here that I didn't want to leave, until mummy told me we're going swimming. It was really fun to swim although the water was cold at first. I kept going back and forth between the adult pool and the children pool. Then when it's time to go I didn't want to go as well and mummy has got no other excuses already so she just picked me (who was screaming to go back to the pool) up and walked back to the room.

Go here to check out where we went.

The grass is always greener

2008-10-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

02 July 2008

I was not kacauing your cart okay!

You've got to push the horn, like this!

See?

I loved riding the fire engine. It made me feel like a fire fighter without the uniform... and the hose... and the water.

Full story here.

I wanna go kai kai

2008-10-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

02 July 2008

Mummy shouts "Okay let's go kai kai!" Then I will go put on my sandals and grab a key (any key and many times I got the right one) and do this...

Let's pray this will open.

Oops got the wrong one this time.
It's the car key which we're gonna use once I opened this door.

Let's dig again for the right key.

Even when I managed to find the right key most of the time I can't seem to open the door. I see people turn turn the key which I tried but failed. Must be magic.

Just chillin'...

2008-10-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

01 July 2008

...with kaufu.

Darrius' visit

2008-10-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

29 June 2008

Darrius visited us today but he only stayed for a while because he and his mummy and daddy needed to head back to Penang. I got a pressie from him and it's a Thomas' math magnet set. Thanks Darrius and Aunty Alice, I love them very much! Hope to meet you again soon.

Building with Mega Blocks

2008-09-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

I like to play with my Mega Blocks. This is my new found game. Only recently I've learn how to play with these Mega Blocks and they are indeed very fun. I like to build it up very high high and watch it tumbles down then rebuild it again.

What you think this is?

2008-09-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been using the Doodlepro a lot. I like to draw. Sometimes I ask my Mommy to draw for me, but sometimes when she is busy with her work, she tells me to draw on my own. Here is one of my pieces:

Can you guess what is this that I drew?

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IT'S A HELICOPTER!

Don't kacau my cart please

2008-09-21T00:15:00.001-07:00

Backdated post: 7/1/2008.

We went to One Utama one afternoon and then we fell asleep in our strollers. I think boths of our Mommies, JoJo YeeYee and Kampoh were at this fish spa letting their feet soaking in a pool of pirahnas. We woke up when our Mommies were having the base of their feet scrubed. JoJo YeeYee and Kampoh took us to walk around while waiting for Mommies to get done.

When Mommies came out from the pirahnas shop, she saw us in this cute carts. Its rental was only RM1 for first three hours because JoJo Yee is the One Card Member. So got special discount. But we only get to ride this for less than 30 minutes as we had to leave the mall after Mommies were done.

Then someone came to kacau Brandon's cart. Someone got his own but not enough ... he wanted Brandon's. Brandon probably thinking, "Please lar, don't kacau my cart. Play with your own steering wheel and horn lar." See, we got picture to proof one.

Brandon Favorite Ride at California Adventure

2008-09-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

Taking picture while in line for my favorite ride at Disney California Adventure - Monsters Inc. Everytime Mommy and Daddy take me to this park, I have to go on this ride. I can patiently wait in line even if I have to wait as long as 20 minutes. I don't make noises or scream ... I wait and walk slowly with the crowd.

Picture taken on 9/14/2008.

Nighty-Night the sleeping book

2008-09-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

We have a reading schedule before nap time in the afternoon and sleeping time at night. We read many books, but Mommy will end the reading session with a book call Nighty-Night. It goes like this:

When is time to go to sleep and rest your head
Do you sometimes need your favorite toy to snuggle with in bed

Elmo has a bunny who helps him get to sleep
The bunny's soft and comfy, and never makes a peep

When is time for bed, Big Bird can sleep almost anywhere
As long as he always has his favortie teddy bear

Bert snuggles with his blanky, oh so very tight
It keeps him safe and warm all through out the night

Now is time for you to say Nighty Night
What would you snuggle with as we turn out the light

Mommy will add, "Good Night, Sleep Tight." Mommy will then try to beat me to turn off the light beside my bed. Then I go to sleep.

After the first few days with this book ending our reading session, I know that this is the last book we will read before I have to go to sleep. When Mommy take up this book, sometimes I protest, but since she already memorized the whole book, she read it without needing to open the book at all.

There are many ways I tried to get the book away from Mommy. Sometimes, I grab the book from her and throw it to the floor, but she picks up easily. Sometimes, I take the book and put it back in the box, but she goes to pick it up. Then I decide to do this one day ... see below.

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Yup, I sat on the book. Now she can't take the book. When she asks me for it, I can pretend not to know whereabout of the book. Yes, I am cheeky. But this trick doesn't work, since she can just read me the whole book from the back of her mind and then she still turns off the light and ask me to go to sleep. *sigh* ... May be I have to try another method next time.

Pictures taken on 9/4/08.

My favourite drink in KL

2008-09-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

30 June 2008

Vitagens, Nutrigens, Solivites. Yakult too expensive.

In their strollers (then and now)

2008-09-19T06:03:00.001-07:00

2006: 1 Utama

2008: The Gardens.

Indoor playground @ Tesco, Taman Midah

2008-09-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

11 June 2008

Today I went back to my grandma's house in Cheras to stay for two nights. After I took my nap grandma took us out to Tesco, the nearest shopping area to the condo where she lives. After shopping, I pointed to the indoor playground and got grandma to take me there. I had the whole place to myself. I came here before last year but they didn't have as many equipments as they do now.

I love slides and they have a few different types there. I know how slides work but it seemed a little weird at first when I climbed up the slide and went down the stairs.

Going up and down the opposite way.

I hear mummy kept going on and on about me going the wrong way. She then showed me to climb up the stairs and go down on the slides. Now that feels more like slides.

Got it right finally.

I think I spent about an hour or more in there which was well worth the RM4. Now everytime I go to Tesco I will want to go into this playground. I actually got grandma to take me in the next time but there were other older kids there that day and they were quite rough, so mummy took me out not long after.

I approve!
(Mummy approves only when I'm the only one there)