A family day and her first aerial hammock class - Angel is 15!

As the kids get older, they outgrow the need for themed parties but we always make it a point to spend time together and do something fun on their birthdays.

I remember as a teen, my birthdays were spent celebrating with my close group of friends in secondary school. But my parents and grandma never forgot it too and it made me eternally grateful to know that I was loved by my family. So although I know my big kids don't need a fanciful celebration anymore, I hope they know how their birthdays will always have a very special place in my heart and I want them to always be happy and feel extra loved on this day.

Angel turned 15 in November and we had planned a simple day out for her just doing the things that she likes, including going for her first aerial hammock class. Here's sharing more about the highlights of her special day.

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Although the hubby was flying off to Vietnam for a football retreat on the day of Angel's birthday, he managed to have lunch with us first and the birthday girl was happy to have mookata! She has been helping Papa to cook in our last couple of mookata visits which I guess is a sign of her growing up. We all love mookata because it is just very shiok to eat and super tasty too.

i wanted us to sing the birthday song for her and let her blow candles and make a wish before Papa rushed off, so I hurried to get some cupcakes for her and managed to do it just in time before the hubby had to rush to the airport.

That also meant that I was left with the kids on my own for the rest of the day, woohoo! 

Before I forget, I wanna mention the gifts that we presented to Angel when she woke up, especially this set of super adorable SKZOO (each animal represents a member of Stray Kids) handmade squishies made with love by meimei Ariel. She spent lots of time on it and I truly admire her creativity, drawing skills, effort and thoughtfulness. The little brothers also gave 大姐 their handwritten cards and I hope she felt all the siblings' love for her.

As for me, I got her a Sylvanian set because she says she still likes them after so many years. So now she has a new fennec fox family to add to her collection.

After our mookata lunch, we made our way for the highlight activity of the day - Aerial Hammock. Ever since I told the kids about my experience at Milan Pole Dance Studio, they said they wanted to try too, especially Angel who seemed the most enthusiastic about it. So I booked a private class for the three older kids to try it together while Ansel and I cheered from the side.

Although it was an entirely new experience for them, I must say they nailed most of the poses and did a really good job. The girls' dance experience and flexibility helped them and they seemed to be able to move about with ease. Asher was a little scared initially but the more he tried, the more confident he became and he especially loved doing the frog pose and hanging upside down.

They also did the mermaid, inverted straddle and dancer poses which looked pretty cool and considering we only had an hour, I think we accomplished quite a lot for a first try. I was relieved to hear that the big girl thought it was quite fun and glad that she had the chance to try something new on her special day.

After class, we made our way to the arcade since this is something that never fails to excite and delight the kids. Oh well, just a treat once in a while, okay? While I love that the kids got to play their own favourite games, it was also nice to see them playing together especially how the big sisters would accompany the toddler and go on kiddy rides with him.

For dinner, Angel wanted to eat at Saizeriya so we made our way there. We usually eat the same things pizza, pasta, hotdog, chicken wings and mushroom soup but that day, we added a hot lava cake just for the birthday girl.

Was that all? Well, not really. As you know, we are quite the late owl family and it was way too early for the kids to sleep. So we made our way to the cinema and caught "Red One" starring Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson. It was a light-hearted, hilarious and entertaining show which was the perfect choice for our mood that night.

Finally, it was time to head home at nearly 11pm and although we were quite exhausted, we still chose to take the bus home. A memorable incident was how we saw the bus coming and thus all of us sprinted to the bus stop, even the toddler tried his best to dash fast too and yeah, we made it! That concluded our family day out and it was one filled with mostly joy and lots of precious memories.

As always, we also celcebrated with the extended family too , thanks to the hubby and father-in-law who helped to cook dinner. Ye Ye made Angel her favourite chicken wings while the hubby treated everyone to homecooked chilli and black pepper crabs. Yummy! 

Her birthday cake was a chocolate flavoured one and I hope even if time flies and things change, some parts of her would stay the same - like her love for chocolate cakes. We love you, Angel!

As part of her birthday, I also planned a mum-and-kids retreat to Bintan as the hubby was away. It was  fantastic 3D2N stay we had at One of a Kind Resort and I will share more in details next time in a separate post. Here's a sneak peek of what we did and as you can expect, it was very much about connecting with nature in the outdoor, something that Angel loves to do and I truly wanted her to feel happy.

Dear Angel, 

Happy turning 15! It's hard to believe that one and a half decades have past since you made me a mum in Sweden.

We've gone through so much together, haven't me? From the Europe travels, cruises, our days in Karlskrona where we stuck together 24/7 for three long years, going through a miscarriage, moving back to Singapore, started school, having your first, then second and then third sibling, shifting house, going through PSLE, and now, you are in Secondary 3 already. Time truly flies.

We both know how things aren't easy all the time and we've gotten into so many arguments too, now that you are a full blown teenager and I am still trying to navigate being a first time mum to a teen. Like you said, you didn't ask to be born first but that is why how life decided it to be and you will always be my dearest firstborn, the one that is wiser beyond her years and will always be the 大姐 in our family.

Thank you for trying your best, for always making sure I get to eat, for taking care of Didi Meimei, for piggybacking Ansel when we are out and being his little Mama, for being the straightforward one who doesn't mince your words, and for letting me know that there is still so much for me to learn and grow as I try my best to be a mum that you can be proud of.

It's hard to picture that in another decade, you might have spread your wings to soar and leave this nest that's just another thing I have to learn - to let you go when it's time to. Just know that we are always here to lend a helping hand, a listening ear,  a hug or anything you need because we are family and that's what families are for.

I hope you enjoyed your birthday to the max - thank you for saying you have no request and don't need much - and that you had fun at our Bintan retreat too. We love you to the moon and back, always and forever.

Love,

Mama