Let's Boogie

Ok I am angry with my mummy! This is Dylan writing. It's waaaaay past the 11th of the month and she hasn't written my 15mth old update! What has she been up to? FARMING! So what's a baby to do? I am writing my own entry this month!

It's been a really talkative month for me, I've learnt to say the first word that I know the meaning of - Neh Neh! Last month whenever I wanted milk from Mummy I will get into the nursing position on her lap. This month I've learnt to say the magic word "neh neh"! Initially when I first started uttering the word, they couldn't believe it, they thought I am just saying it for fun, one of those baby talk mumbo jumbo, BUT I showed them I mean business by lifting Mummy's top and shouting neh neh while they were all stunned into amazement. Then they started beaming proudly and laughing at me. I think it must be how cute I sound when I utter those words. I use it most often now, the moment I see Mummy in the morning, whenever I am thirsty and each time we get into the car. It drives Mummy mad because I ask for neh neh so often!

Oh and I've discovered a really cute teddy bear in our home, one that moves and makes a meow sound! His name is Mo Mo! Mummy does not let Mo Mo out into the living room often and I like to go into the kitchen to find this furry bear. I will go down on my tummy and call him Mo Mo when he is under the cabinet and I so love to touch his fur, it makes me giggle and squeal in delight! :)

I also understand Bye Bye now. It happens whenever Gor Gor goes to school in the morning or when I leave Mummy's studio with Gong Gong for a walk or when we put a toy away. Does it mean something's going away?

Mummy has been telling Daddy that I can understand her but Daddy does not believe her. Everytime Mummy calls me and says we are going out, I will walk to where my shoes are and bring them to her with a loud, "NAH!". I will then proceed to sit on Mummy's crosslegged lap as she puts my shoes on for me. She is very impressed how I learnt this shoe trick without anyone teaching. She must think all babies are dumb :s You should have seen her face when the other day in the studio I poured the flowers out of the basket and she said for fun (assuming that I will not understand) with fingers pointing to the objects that I was a naughty boy and that I should pick up the flowers and put them back into the basket. I looked at her and swiftly proceeded to pick up ALL the flowers and put them back one by one into the basket! The look on her face was priceless. She tried to tell Daddy about how clever I was to have understood her but he was sure that she was making all this up. One day I will show Daddy!

I've also come to understand the logic of belonging and association. Whenever one of my teddy bears are being used by Mummy while she shoots for other kids, I get mad and points at the bear to be returned to me. It makes me really angry when she ignores me. Doesn't she know that all the stuff toys are mine? I also know what belongs to others, I will often bring Mummy's iPhone to her with a loud, "NAH!" when I see it lying about. The other day I pooped but it wasn't smelly enough for Mummy to notice so I went to her bag and started pulling out a clean diaper from there. She saw me fiddling with her bag and began to tell me off. When I finally got the diaper out of the bag, I brought it to her and said, "NAH!" again. She took the diaper and was about to put it back into the bag when she smelt my poop. Kekekeke! Then her face brightened up with realisation and she started screaming for Daddy to come see how smart I was. Yes Mummy, I love to surprise you with my intelligence sometimes :P

Lately, I've also started to grove to music. Mind you, it's not just the regular up and down dance babies do, I really know how to boogie! Up down, shoulders left and right, head bobbing up and down in headbanging style and all in time with the beats and rhythm of the songs. I dunno where I got my boogie genes from because my parents sure can't dance ;)

Anyway it's really late and I need to get some shut eye, I hope to write to you all again soon.

*boogie* *shake* *bob*
Dyl Dyl

Happy Children's Dayzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Hehe, yes it's not a typo, I've included 14x z in "Dayz" as this photography special we are having will be happening over 2 weeks.

This is a special for kids only, so no family shots etc but siblings can be included into the session by adding the usual $15/head.

You get a CD of all shots back from the session (usually $250) so what are you waiting for? Give us a call at 6235 3696 now to book your appointment :)

Cheers and Happy Children's Day to all your babies!

10th Anniversary!

Sept 1st was Teacher's Day, it was also my 10th "go-steady" anniversary with Erwin :D I thought it would be quite meaningful to do a family shoot on the day itself to remember it by. Boy was I right! In all the wrong ways.

The worse clients The Studio Loft ever had were my own kids :p I think Charlene couldn't believe how badly they "performed" for the camera that day too. Arrgh, I was so upset with them and then decided why not just have a nice shot of Erwin and myself, let them run mad for all I care. When we both got down on the grass to take a shot, Dylan started screaming when he realised I wasn't paying any attention to him. Then Kayden kept fussing for biscuits. Sigh.

Anyway, here are a few usable shots we managed to get. Good luck to us (and Charlene) at our next family portrait session :p







We looked like we had just fought a battle and lost :s


Happy anniversary baby!

Happy 4th Birthday Kayden!

To my lovely firstborn,

You are 4 today! How quick the past year flew by. From a terribly shy 3 year old, you have now emerged out of your shell and are so talkative that it drives those around you crazy with your incessant chatter and questions :p Your vocab is superb and I just look at you in awe sometimes when you use words that I have never taught you before or when you string together sentences with whatever words you know in order to make us understand you.

You are kind and sensitive. While watching a documentary on elephants the other night, I explained to you that the baby elephant died soon after birth as it was too weak. You were silent and watched as the mummy elephant gave her dead baby a nudge then shed tears as she walked away to rejoin the herd. I hear you silently sobbing then suddenly you bawled your lungs out! It took a good few minutes for me to calm you down. How cute are you? :)

However I've noticed that you are also capable of being a bully. At your birthday pool party, you were enjoying yourself going down the pool slide but as you were slow, the kid behind you knocked onto your back and after you both landed in the water, I saw you turned around and pushed the kid angrily. That was the first time I see you react this way. Maybe it's a survival trait but I do not like it and gave you a warning. I hope you will be more peace loving among your peers. So far we have not heard any bad news from the school so keep it up baby!

The obsession you have with cows for the past year is finally wavering and you are beginning to take an interest in other animals now like the elephant, sharks and crocodiles. You still have the memory of an elephant and I hope you will always remember that your mummy loves you very much although I have to spend more time taking care of didi. Today you reminded me of the dead baby elephant, you say, "Mummy, the baby elephant was two weeks then it die already, then the mummy elephant cry." I didn't understand and kept asking you why two weeks? Was it two weeks ago we saw the programme? Did you mean the baby elephant died two weeks ago? After you kept repeating a few times I finally understood! You remembered what I explained to you about why the baby elephant die, that it was "too weak"! Hahaha, your daddy and I laughed when we finally figured it out :p

You like to announce out of the blue, "Mummy, I want to tell you something!" Then you will wait patiently for me to say, "What?" to which you will reply, "I love you!" Awwww, it always melts my heart :D You also love your baby brother "so so very much" as you like to tell us before kissing him 100 times on the sole of his feet with loud smooching sounds. Yes, that's your favourite spot for kissing your didi. It's hilarious seeing you kiss him like that, it's like an addiction! You are extremely protective of your little brother too especially when we are out of the house. When I let go of didi's hands while walking with him outdoors, your face will tense up tight as you scream for me to hold him, the look on your concerned face fearing that your brother will somehow disappear if I let go of his hands :s

Some annoying quirks you have picked up includes:
1. You will start crying each time the DVD you are watching is ending and you will shout in a panic to either of us to switch to the TV channel for you.
2. You eat so slooooooooooooooowly, each meal takes at least 30mins to an hour! It's especially frustrating as your father and I are fast eaters.
3. When you pass urine at night before you sleep, you will ask your daddy or me to hold your "kukujiao" for you instead of doing it yourself. Yes, only at night. In the day you can hold it yourself :s
4. Whatever baby is playing with at that moment, you HAVE to go snatch it from him just to make him wail for it. Arrgh!
5. You like to make a silly funny face each time we ask you to smile for the camera :p

As parents, we love you because of all these quirks and not despite of them. But please try and eat faster la! ;) And don't bully your didi ok? kekeke

I hope you enjoyed your day out with Mummy and baby today watching the movie UP and here's wishing you many many many more HAPPY BIRTHDAYS my son!

love, hugs and kisses,
mummy

Now I know what I've been missing

Last Saturday, I bought my first full frame DSLR, the Nikon D700. I tested it out immediately at home on the kids. It was already night, and they were both watching Ice Age 2 (check out their intense concentration and occasional bursts of laughter from Kayden), so that will have to do. I pumped up the ISO to 6400 expecting some noise but CHECK IT OUT, this shot below at 100% zoom, at a ridiculous ISO6400, it is freaking AMAZING! I was blown away by the performance of my new toy! Now I know what we Nikonians have been missing from the Canonians :p Even the grain is unlike those annoying digital garb I get from my D200, the grain on the D700 is almost film like. I can't be happier with my buy, this is one SUPER DUPER CAMERA, now when's my 20mm coming?

at 100% zoom:


all the images were converted to monotones within the camera and I just added a slight curve in photoshop










Dylan discovered my camera and tried to make a grab at it ;)

We are farmers after all

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been busy "farming" on Farmville :p It's a game on Facebook where you grow your own crops and tend to your farm animals, visit friend's farms, give each other gifts of trees and animals and basically make more money to expand your farm and have fun! I thought I'd just try it out when friends told me about the game, little did I know that it would take over my life! I plant my crops according to when they will be ready for harvest. For if you don't harvest them in time, they will all wilt and die. Yes I'm serious hahahaha! So anyway each day I tend to my farm first thing when I wake up, in between shoots and when I get home. It's taking over all my free time!

I guess deep down we are all farmers.

Here are some pictures of my farm:


I even bought a tractor to help me with the plowing :p




the pic below is Ik Hui's farm, so pretty:


Why stop at a tractor, let's get a harvestor!