Ballerina

Mia had her first ballet lesson a month ago. I signed her up for a summer camp over five days to see if she would like it and she absolutely loved it. Immediately after the first lesson, she ran out of the room and said, "Mama can I come back tomorrow?" I suspect the leotard, tights, tutu and pretty little ballet shoes played a big part in her enthusiasm for it! At the end of the week, parents were invited to attend a little performance. After some basic ballet steps, the little ballerinas danced to several songs from Beauty and the Beast. Our little girl danced beautifully.

Pre-show photo shoot...

Paparazzi and his starlet

Warm-ups to start off the lesson...

Let the show begin... Beauty and the Beast...

Demure little Belle

All ready for the grand ball

Posing princesses

Finally, an encore at home for Koh-koh who missed out on the concert.

Smiley face pose (kiddie speak for first position)

Saturday night fever...ballet-style

Our little man

I asked Ryan what he wanted for lunch on his actual birthday and he answered, "surprise me Mama". So I served up his favourite foods, fish burger, unagi fried rice and prawn crackers. The look of joy on his face when he saw the spread brought a huge smile to mine. As the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and with this boy, it is so true!

Seven... how is it possible that seven years have passed by so quickly? I still vividly remember the day we found out that we were pregnant, the moment he was placed on my chest after he was born, his first word, his first step, his first tantrum, his first day at kindergarten, his first day at school. And now seven years later, this little being who Shad could carry in one hand when he was born reaches up to my shoulders, is more than half my weight and eats more than I do. He is a cheeky, kind, strong minded, confident, playful little boy. He loves the company of other kids as much as they enjoy his fun loving ways and sense of humour. He can also be very stubborn and at times extremely trying as we muddle our way through this phase of childhood. But for all the frustrations and trials that he puts us through as he grows up, this little boy has brought unmeasurable joy to our lives with his loving nature and cheerful, cheeky disposition. 

At seven, he still loves being cuddled and giving cuddles, although there is some slight resistance when Mama asks for kisses in public nowadays :(. Shad and I love the way he stumbles into our bed in the middle of the night and snuggles up to us. We love the way he gives us hugs and kisses when we are unwell, and we especially love it when he hugs us for no apparent reason other than wanting a cuddle. And while he will soon grow too tall and heavy for me to pick up and cuddle, he will always remain our "baby". Happy Birthday big boy!  

Lunch at home

Our yearly birthday ritual - dinner at the "restaurant where the chef cooks", ie Nadaman teppanyaki

A mini cake for a big boy

Birthday boy and his number 1 fan

Party At Sea

Thunderstorm warning, Amber rain warning.... definitely not a good sign for a junk party. It had been pouring none stop since Friday and it didn't seemed as if it would let up. This was probably going to be the shortest party Ryan has ever had - board the junk, eat lunch, cut the cake and get off again. We were going to have one very disappointed birthday boy :(.

Amazingly however, apart from the slight drizzle as we boarded the junk, it did not rain for the rest of the day. In fact, it turned out to be the perfect day to be out on the water, slightly overcast and breezy. From Central, we sailed out to Lamma Island and stopped near a little beach at "Ha Mei Wan". We spent a lovely afternoon swimming, kayaking, playing on the beach with good friends. Another fantastic birthday party, and a very 'happy' birthday boy!  

The birthday junk sailing under a rather ominous looking sky

Party goers waiting to board our ride

Is the boat here yet? This wind is messing up my hair!

He Ban buddies

Start of a pole dancing career??

Special cake delivery service :)

Birthday boy's request this year - Avengers

Couldn't wait to start playing with his superhero friends

Another year, another precious memory

Face painting

Our favourite chocolate truffle cake (a tradition every birthday)

Famished boys, as usual!

As soon as they'd filled their tummies, the kids were all very eager to go for a swim and to play in the sand even though the adults were quite happy just to sit and relax on the junk (especially the mummies!). 

Shipping the first load of beach goers

Singles beach volleyball (boy in the middle was the referee)

Massive excavation project happening here!

Ducking in for some shade under our trusty 'Cancer Council' tent

Tired party goers after an afternoon of sun and sea

Youthful paddlers...

...vs the oldies

Riding the pizza

Three hours later, back on the junk...

The two exhausted babies of the group

Best friends in the whole world (as they tell everyone!)

Happy Daddies on Father's Day

The books in the goodie bags were a great hit 

Another great party!

Happy 7th Birthday Peanut!

Just like my Daddy...

Shad was one of the parent volunteers at a careers talk at Ryan's school a few months ago. So, what can one say about banking that will interest a group of 6 year-olds? Not easy, but as always, my resourceful husband managed to come up with a talk that all the kids found extremely fun. They talked about saving, spending, the role of banks, interests etc through a game of role play. But the best part of the session, especially for Ryan, was the moment Shad whipped out his "Ryan dollars"!

A captive audience

Ryan $$$

Playing shop

Bank of Ryan's CEO rubbing his hands in glee as he sees the dollars coming his way!

Yay, freebies!