It was alright. It didn’t matter. Because the candles were blown, the cake was licked, and we had a non-traditional birthday party by the waterfall.

And eventhough Isaac had not wished out loud what he wanted, we ALL knew.

Just like his uncle, he wants to be a photographer. Or at least a DSLR of his own. Oh no!

A normal family picture.

An even more normal family picture. Compliments of Raja’s attack.

Happy 2nd Birthday Isaac!! We love you loads.

Why wouldn’t it.

It was a glorious day. It was Eid Al-Adha. And family and friends were kind enough to wish us a joyous day. Bless them. My dad even called me from Muzdalifah to say hi and to let me know all about the two birds he chatted up while performing Hajj. Obviously he was kidding. I think.

As we drove into my in-laws’ driveway, we were greeted with happy faces and wrapped around welcoming hugs. I love this feeling. It just makes a perfect day a teeny bit more perfect. And although the crowd isn’t as massive as it used to be, the feeling is just as exultant.

We were surrounded around great company. We ate good food. We joked and we laughed. We took pictures. We ate some more. And we laughed some more. In a nutshell, we had fun.

And if the grown ups had fun, you’d know the kids had EXTRA fun.

While some people prefer to wash their bicycles.

Others prefer to wash their elder brothers.

After much needed crying from both boys, the whole lot of us actually ditched the house and went to a waterfall instead.

Where more crying was in store.

A bit of drowning, I mean swimming.

And a lil bit of climbing. Ain’t he cute?

We headed back just before sunset. This was beautifully snapped by Raja.

For those of you with no kids or nieces or nephews of your own or the subscription to channel 615 on Astro, that’s actually one of the songs from the soundtrack of Lilo and Stitch. And last night Raja and I were invited to Tara’s He Mele No Lilo dance performance. Of course, we graciously said yes.

Much to our surprise, Tara was well behaved most of the time. Sure there were some intentional pushing, poking, and friendly bumping during assembly. Some cheeky facial gestures slid in between here and there. But overall, she was, dare I say it, pretty decent.

Juliana said it may have something to do with exhaustion. The kids had been rehearsing their performances from 3pm up til that evening. Gee, those teachers sure are smart to tire those kids like that. Way before they get out of control. I think my mum took an easier alternative and fed us cough syrup. Something like that. Or something stronger.

Here’s a rundown of what happened throughout the night.

This was taken during assembly, after pushing the boy’s head in front of her. The girl she was staring wickedly at was next.

Tara’s Hawaiian moves. Her tube kept slipping down the whole night.

Dear God, I don’t ask for much. Please let me give birth to an equally –if not a more– adorable child. Amin. Much appreciated. (Just some random kid I wanted to kidnap).

After some Summer Lovin’, Jaiho, Pirate Joe, and many many other performances, the night finally came to an end. Strips of fluorescent confetti and sprinkles of gold dust were scattered everywhere.

I absolutely adore the next couple of pics. Credits to the uber fabulous Raja.

Have a wonderful weekend ya’ll!

From strangers they became friends, and from friends they evolved into sweethearts. While they may seem like complete opposites, they compliment each other perfectly well. Like a colorful rainbow after a heavy downpour. Like an invigorating aroma arising from freshly cut grass. Like farmville on Facebook. Beautifully matching one another.

Each day, their passion and love for each other bloomed greater and greater. And with that much passion and love, it could only mean eternal happiness.

So, last week, my lil sister-in-law had pledged to marry her friend. Her facebook sweetheart. Her Munkee.

They’re all the same person incase you were wondering.

The date chosen was fantastic. 10.10.09. Only to be followed by an awesomer reception date next year.

01.01.10 (*envious!*).

To Faraa and Zul, a.k.a. Munchkin and Munkee, Congratulations!

Tara: Hello Miss. May I serve you some food and drinks?

Jothy: Why yes. Yes you may.

Tara: This is for you. A big tissue and a nice drink.

Jothy: Ohh..thank you. What is this shiny thingy?

Tara: This thing?

Tara: Something to beat you with.

Jothy: Huh? Noooooo. Tara Don’t!

Tara: *Whack*

Jothy: ADAMMMMMM…..

Adam: TARA! How many times have I told you not to hit people?

Tara: Ok ok. Sorry sorry.

Tara: *Feeling remorse*

Tara: *Back to normal*

Jothy: Taraaaa..NO!

Tara: *Whack*

Jothy: ADAMMMMMM….

Tara: No no. I’m just reading this map.

Tara: See….

The end.

Perhaps it has something to do with actually having a surprise party EVERY year. Next year will be different. Next year will be…Ok, so I can’t say it out now. Else, it’ll be beyond predictable. It’ll be totally “expected”.

This time around, we had homemade steamboat at his mom’s place. More like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I definitely can NOT be in charge of grocery shopping. Especially, when I haven’t had anything to eat the whole day. It looked like I was stocking up for a nuclear attack. Or filming the “Revenge of the Anorexics”.

Then came the cake selection. I wanted the blueberry cheesecake. His sister wanted the chocolate banana cheesecake. Sooooo…

We’re so out of control.

Look at the candles. He’s THAT old.

Armand. Everyone’s birthday is his birthday too.

Anyway, thank you friends and family for making this happen, yet again, although he kinda figured it out like a week ago. So much for my dreams on being a national spy. So not inconspicuous.

Happy Birthday again baby! I love you.

Which by the way also happens to fall on her birthday. And being a good, no, great friend, I only found out on that day itself. Apparently, I have the tendency to forget this significant event every year. She claims that I always got the month right, just not the date. It’s not my fault. I was born with short AND long term memory loss. Getting the month right is as close as it gets. Note to self: Please fix poor memory.

Anyway, Happy Birthday for the next 50 years. I am now guilt-free.

Some shots of Naf. Looking fabulous!

Hana, getting down and dirrrrrtyyy.

Congratulations! Can’t wait for your wedding.

Everyone was down in PD this year. Including Tara a.k.a “Crazy” (please refer to much previous post for more elaborated details on “crazy”). Like any other day, she made noise. Loud ones. This time, she was pestering everyone to go to what she called the “phwaygound”. Kept repeating ” I wanna go phwaygound” on and on and on again. We, the family, finally succumb to her demands. Besides, nothing beats spending some quality time at the playground with your loved ones.

Also, I got to experiment with my 50mm f/1.8.

Can you feel the love?

Oh by the way, incase you were wondering, my dad absolutely loved the album. Yeay!

Totally last minute but with a bit of huff and puff, I’ve managed to complete the album (Yet again, thanks baby).

It’s not just any album. The “Father’s Day” album. My first one. I’ve been meaning to do this for quite some time but as you can tell, I’ve also been procrastinating. I know. Bad Renee. Bad. But not anymore. I’ve made it happen this time.

And yes, I am aware that it’s a teeny bit too early to post this since it’s not Father’s Day yet, but what the hey.

I hope he likes it. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and fathers-to-be!