Aiden is 9!

April rolls along, and for the first time in a longgggg time, I’m not swamped with party prep. *chuckles* This pregnancy is really turning me into a couch potato!

But I simply cannot let my firstborn’s special day go to waste! So instead of a fancy party, we decided to organize a simple low key brunch with my in-laws at Birch KL. After all, the birthday boy loves the breakfast spread and the burnt cheesecake there.

Missing two more sister-in-laws.

My two boys.

It really was a simple affair. 10 people sitting together enjoying brunch plus each other’s company on an early Sunday morning. Food was good (didn’t really match my baby Melayu taste buds but oh well!) and we had a fun time sampling everyone’s dishes. Hubby and MIL had the Birch Benedict, Ian had the Brûlée French Toast, Aiden and FIL had the Breakfast Plate while my SILs decided to go adventurous with Shakshuka and Morning Glory Bircher Muesli. Pictures ahead:

Enthusiastic photographer in the family.

Aiden enjoying his Breakfast Plate - two eggs on toast, cheese and mushroom chicken sausage, beef bacon, hash, mushrooms and charred tomato. 

Brûlée French Toast - brioche, dulce de leche, charred pear, white coffee crumbs paired with vanilla ice-cream. The charred pears were awesome!

The Birch Benedict and Shakshuka - baked eggs, harrisa spiced tomato and red pepper stew, Greek feta, crispy kale with sourdough bread.

Us.

After that, it was cake time! As mentioned in my previous review of Birch, the Burnt Cheesecake is one of the best I've had. Every time we buy a slice, we all end up playing fencing with our forks for dibs on the gooey creamy center. So good! We opted out of buying a whole cake (>RM200) because everyone was too full from brunch, so we ordered three slices to share instead.

Happy 9th birthday, Aiden Irfan!

And then it was presents time! My in-laws gave Aiden a sack of coins (they always do that, I don’t know why - perhaps to symbolize rezeki coming in or something) and Ian was so gutted that he didn’t get one too! Although I explained that his Babang will share all presents with him, he insisted on having one too. He even nicked the coin box and refused to give it back to Aiden. *sigh* This soon-going-to-lose-bongsu-status boy really needs to learn how to share soon!

Ian insisted on making the presents his.

And started sulking after we told him off. *tsk*tsk*

Last photo for brunch.

After brunch, we headed to the nearest ToysR'Us. You see, I had made a deal with Aiden. He only agreed to cancel his birthday party this year in return for a shopping spree at ToysR'Us - within a stipulated budget of course. Oh he had such a good time choosing to his heart's content. He went from aisle to aisle, touching and testing every toy he desired. In the end he decided to get a Nerf gun. But even then, he shortlisted three guns and insisted on watching reviews of each gun before deciding. In the end he went with the most expensive (as expected!), but it was quite a good buy as it was on sale.

His chosen Nerf gun - fastest motorized dart blaster, fires 5 darts per second!

Last photo before we ended the day - matching Onitsuka for the boys. Perhaps I should get one too!

Happy 9th birthday Aiden Irfan. I am so blessed to have you as a son, especially since you made me a mother. Mummy and Daddy doakan the best for you, and we will always be here for you. I hope one day when you discover this blog and read this, you will realize how much we both love you.

Much love, Mummy and Daddy.

So Much Love in my Mid-Thirties

I feel so loved.

On the day that I turned 35, Hubby organized back to back celebrations and planned a stream of continuous surprises. Not only was I in awe, I felt so loved and appreciated by the family. Hands down, Hubby topped last year's event by a mile. I don't even know how he's going to top this next year.

It started with a surprise birthday macaron 'cake' at midnight... In bed! In all
honesty, I was genuinely surprised. We had tucked the kids in bed and he had given me my mandatory birthday kiss sharp at midnight. We turned out the lights and suddenly he said, "Alamak, I forgot my charger downstairs!" So off he went trudging in the dark. All of a sudden, the lights came back on and the boys (kids included) walked in with the 'cake'! Memang unexpected!!! Turns out, he planned the whole thing and even gave his phone to the kids to watch YouTube so they don't fall asleep! No wonder he had no problems with me heading up early to shower, solat and get ready for bed. Selalunya mesti nak naik sama-sama as a family! Rupa-rupanya dok busy susun macaron cake and even cairkan chocolate for the lettering on the platter. So much effort! That night, I slept with a huge smile on my face. *grin*

Thank you, boys!

Scrumptious giant raspberry macaron from Laduree in Pavilion.

The next day, I was on annual leave hence after saying goodbye to Hubby as he left for work, I lazed around in bed enjoying my birthday morning. A delicious smell started wafting upstairs, so my tummy decided that it was time to wake up. Went down and was greeted by a beautiful breakfast spread on the dining table. As usual, without fail, Hubby had prepared a birthday breakfast feast fit for a king! Tea, scones, yogurt and even lasagna! Patut lah the day before he arrived home late, singgah Jaya Grocer rupanya to buy the goodies!

Beautiful setup by Hubby.

After such a fulfilling breakfast, my SPK gang decided to drag me out for yet another round of breakfast. Laksam and nasi kerabu! Drove back home and spent time with the kids, again lazing around doing nothing. Suddenly the bell rang... Special delivery! A bouquet of 24 roses to be exact! I was ecstatic... It such a lovely surprise. Yes, Hubby gives me flowers... But he has never arranged for flowers to be delivered. So touched that he had pre-planned everything. No wonder-lah he kept calling me asking about my whereabouts; he was worried that the flowers would arrive while I was at the hair salon! (Although he was slightly gutted when the bouquet arrived with pink flowers and pink bulu bulu, when he explicitly requested white! Takpelah Hubby, I love it all the same!)

Pink bulu bulu!

I then left for my hair and facial appointment. By the time I got back home, it was late afternoon. Showered and got myself ready for dinner. As usual, never breaking tradition, the destination was kept secret. I asked Hubby, whether the place we were heading to had air-conditioning (yer la nanti pakai baju tebal, berpeluh pulak), and he answered, "It will be outdoors. But if it rains we will go indoors." I remembered thinking, "Alamak, is he dragging me to a picnic or something??" Dressed myself in something loose, bundled the kids in the car and off we went to the secret destination.

The secret location.

It was a longggggg one hour drive. A prior drizzle made the trip into KL exceptionally excruciating. Horrible traffic! Hubby kept me guessing the whole way - rasa macam pusing satu KL. By the time we arrived, we were all famished. Turns out that we were going to have dinner at our favourite restaurant, back when we were still dating. We hadn't been there for over 5 years and the restaurant then moved to a different location in KL, hence it was our first time at this new location.

Looks like a candle light dinner for two but hey hey, the two kids were sitting right across us!

Complete!

Food was good, as usual. Tamarind Hill never disappoints! At the end of the meal, Hubby apologized, "Sorry yer yang, I didn't arrange for any cake, but you can choose from the dessert menu." I immediately called him on his lie. Refused to order any dessert. Tuh la, sapa suruh buat ayat konon simpati. I know my husband very well, he lovesssss to keep me in suspense.

And of course, I was right. There was a cake prepared. But never in my wildest dreams did I guess that this cake would be served as my 35th birthday cake!

If you're following me on Instagram, you would have seen the cake. It was a 3D durian cake. I think I squealed like a little girl!!!!! Gila excited dapat cake durian, since I'm such a hantu durian kan. On first glance (and even second glance), it looked exactly like a real durian (minus the smell). Even the batang was painted to look like it was real (it was made out of chocolate). It looked so real, that the patrons sitting beside out table kept stealing glances and smiling at us.

Does it look like a durian or what????

Sebijik durian on the table!

The cake was divine - the cake layers were of a sponge cake texture, made from real D24 (it even had bits of durian in it), frosted with layers of durian cream frosting. I swear, on first bite I felt like I had died and gone to durian heaven. It was that good. Dah la cantik, sedap pulak tuh. I think I had at least three helpings, and then more at home.

OMG Hubby, I'm panicking thinking how the heck am I going to top this durian cake for your birthday???!!!

A handwritten card by Aiden. Hubby actually dispatched Aiden to my in-laws with the card, and strict instructions to my sister-in-laws to guide him with the card content.

After the durian cake, I honestly didn't care about my birthday present. I was already absolutely elated. But of course Ian wanted to open his presents (toys and then more toys) and then my turn came up.

Hubby presented me with a Ferragamo paper bag. I looked at him suspiciously. I didn't have any desire for handbags from Ferragamo, nor did I tell him about my longing for those adorable Ferragamo ballerina flats. Inside the paper bag was a huge box wrapped with paper. It had a lekuk at the top, like a shoe box! Tore the wrapper and yes, a shoe box dropped into my hands. Got even more confused cos Hubby awal-awal dah cakap he wasn't going to fund any handbags or shoes. Opened the shoe box, only to find a smaller box nestled in between more paper wrappers. Ahhhhh... It was just one more of Hubby's tricks. He's such a master of surprises these days! Anddddd I'm going to leave the story hanging there. #sorrynotsorry! Sama macam tahun lepas, Hubby wants me to keep it private. (Hint: it's not a laptop bag!)

It was the perfect ending to the night. What more can a girl ask for; from being serenaded at midnight, to flowers at noon, to a durian cake at dinner and then an unexpected present to close the night. Hubby, thank you so much for all the effort that you've put in to make my birthday such a memorable one. I love you to bits and pieces!

(On our way home he told me how he had been having troubles sleeping due to not only the anxiety of ensuring that the plans will work, but also the excitement of seeing his plan in action. Well Hubby, you can sleep well now, cos this 35 year old lady is deliriously happy!)

I am so blessed and loved, at 35.

Mid-Thirties

29th November 2017

Notice anything different between the two?

Yes, sharp eyes. Today I turn 35 which means I can no longer claim myself as 'early thirties'. The official title is now mid-thirties! Hence the first line of the description above has been edited accordingly *giggles*

So how does the mid-thirties feel like? Surreal to put it mildly. That being said, Alhamdulillah I am thankful for a lot of things that has been bestowed upon me in my thirties. InsyaAllah, I pray for a brighter future, good health and wealth, and abundance of happiness.

Now, how long can I call myself mid-thirties? Until I'm 39 perhaps? *chuckles*

Aiden's Fireman Birthday Party at the Bukit Jelutong Fire Station

You can also read a condensed version of the party here and my DIY efforts here.

I am so so sorry for this long overdue post. Too many blogposts to write, so little time! But I've been getting so many questions about Aiden's fireman party via comments and emails, that I vowed to eventually make this post a reality. Anyway, it's a good excuse to finally use the photos from our official photographer. As usual, vendor credits at the end of the blogpost! 

Before planning a fireman party at the fire station, the first thing you have to do is to contact your local fire station about their availability. We wrote an official letter two months in advance (include your party details, expected number of guests, and your contact details), then we went by the station to drop it off. It was also an excellent opportunity to get to know the Ketua Balai and their awesome crew. They were very helpful; the Ketua Operasi even offered Hubby his official jacket to compliment the outfit we were wearing the day of the party.

Posing with one of Bukit Jelutong's fire engines.

Each balai bomba will have different sets of conditions. Some will state a predefined monetary sum to be contributed to their Sports Club. Some will not ask for anything, so it is up to you if you want to contribute anything. (I suggest you do, as a reward of their hard work and dedication!) Some fire stations will also have tables and chairs for you to borrow so you don't have to bring your own. Ours also had a sound system, which we rented from them.

Once you have your date confirmed, you can now start planning for your party! Most of our party decorations, specifically the fireman helmets, the boys' fireman uniform, and fire extinguisher party favors were ordered from Taobao. Since I can't read Chinese, I engaged a local Malaysian agent to order it on my behalf. If you are ordering bulky items, please order at least three to four months in advance so you can opt for sea shipping. Air shipping will cost you a bomb!! (We did however order the fireman outfit via air shipping as it was a last minute order but thankfully lightweight.)

These fire extinguishers came in many sizes and purpose. The ones in the foregrounds are also squirt water guns.

Locally, I purchased the fire trucks on the dessert table, and the mini fire engines on top of each party favor box, from GM Klang. I received a lot of questions on the latter - the fire engines were sold in a pack of 8 for about RM20. The black boxes were also from GM Klang. I stuck the fire engines onto the box using double sided tape to the wheels.

Each little guest brought a piece of their fire station experience home.

Next up, the dessert table. I went with a rustic theme, hence the use of crates. The fire station graciously allowed us to use one of their fire engines as part of the dessert table. I also hired someone to design a suitable canvas backdrop to match the rustic theme. The A2 poster required very little effort - with my very limited PicMonkey skills, I found an image online and edited it to fit.

It was designed as a party favour tag but I re-purposed it into a thank you poster instead.

All of the baked goodies on the table were homemade, except for the cake pops. I made the birthday cake, cupcakes, fireman themed cookies, macarons, jello and chocolate covered Oreos personalized with edible image. As for store bought candy, I purchased black sixlets from Spotlight, gum balls, chocolate bars and marshmallow from our local candy shop, and red licorice from Candylicious in Singapore.

Homemade fondant cookies. I used a silicone chocolate mould for some of the 3D shapes on the top of the cookie. 

Sixlets, jello, gumballs and macarons. Fire engines from GM Klang (big ~RM9 and small ~RM3.50).

Licorice fire hoses.

We spent all night baking this fire truck shaped cake (with a crooked ladder *giggles*) but it will never beat the Millennium Falcon cake from last year.

Printed cupcake toppers on edible image paper, and used it as Oreo chocolate toppers.

Cute cake pops!

Personalized candy bars. Those curvy edges were such a pain to cut!

Re-purposed the invite design into table posters. These fire extinguishers also double up as a hand fan. They were sold at ~RM5.50 in GM Klang so I borong them all, but I'm sure Taobao offers something similar!

I also dedicated a section of the dessert table for non-edible goodies. Three crates were used to display the mini fire extinguishers (which doubles up as a water gun), fire extinguisher fans, fireman helmets, crayons (I stuffed some crayons in clear plastic and sealed it with a personalized topper) and bubbles (I personalized a wrapper to fit the size of the bottle and printed it onto sticker paper). The kids had a frenzy choosing goodies for themselves!

The bottom crates were dedicated to non-edible goodies. Purchased the 'apartment on fire' standee from a fellow DIY mum on Facebook (which is on sale now if anyone is interested).

Can you see the personalized bubble bottles and crayon packets from this angle? The fire extinguishers just beside the letter A are squirt water guns, ~RM2 per piece. Excellent favours for the kids!

The happy birthday boy in his handsome fireman outfit.

The Bukit Jelutong fire station provided some kid-sized uniforms for our little guests and were gracious enough to offer fun and games for everyone - a ride around the station in the fire engine, giant snakes and ladders game and water play for the kids, and a fire extinguisher demonstration for the adults. (Told you they're an awesome crew!) Do note that the heroic fire fighters will have to attend to emergencies as usual, so keep in mind that they may leave your party at the sound of the alarm. (The emcee for our party turned out to be the fire engine driver! Best to have a family member double up as emcee in case this happens.)

Family photo. Hubby and I wore Kadet Bomba t-shirts (available at most school uniform shops) to match the theme.

Thank you Bukit Jelutong fire station for allowing us to use one of your fire engines as part of our backdrop!

Cake cutting session.

Ian stealing his brother's thunder. Both our boys cutting the cake together. *awww*

The party emcee interviewing the birthday boy.

Ian got interviewed too!

Playing snakes and ladders.

Huge dice!

The fire engine went around the streets at least ten rounds (or more)! The dedicated fire fighters made sure everyone got a turn, and even assisted the kids in and out of the truck. (I am still in awe over their commitment to the party!) Even the parents took the opportunity to get on this once in a lifetime experience. (I remembered my first time at the Jelatek station - hearing the sirens wail above me, truck going at top speed, was absolutely surreal!)

Kids excitedly boarding the fire engine.

The birthday boy was given the best seat in the house.

Happy 8th birthday, Aiden!

Everyone wanted to ride in the front seat!

The water play was extremely fun for the kids. The firefighters turned on the sprinkler on a water tank and left the kids to it. Good thing I left a note in the invitation card for the kids to bring a towel and a spare set of clothes. The kids were ingenious - they used their fireman helmets to collect water, and then splashed each other with it.

I think we emptied the entire (clean) water tank!

The Bomba Kecil outfit provided by the fire station - fire helmet, jacket and even boots!

Aiden having the time of his life! Mummy usually never condones playing in the rain.

Cheerful faces everywhere.

Collecting water in the fire helmet and then splashing others.

The parents on the other hand were entertained by the very dedicated fireman crew. They arranged for a demonstration on how to use a fire extinguisher. They then dressed our guests in uniforms and helmets, and allowed them a chance to try a hand at putting out real fire! (We paid for gasoline and fire extinguisher refills for this activity.)

Enthusiastic parents who joined in the educational session. 

Kudos to the Bukit Jelutong fire station crew for a job well done.

Hands on experience with the fire extinguisher..

Lastly, we ended the event by focusing the last of the kids' energy on the piñata. As usual, we did the piñata ourselves - as we refuse to pay a bomb for something that will ultimately be destroyed anyway. Using a box, we sculpted it to the shape of a fire engine. You can read more about the DIY piñata here.

The pinata - which was torn into pieces at the end of the party. Love the stack of fire helmets just beside it! (Helmets were ~RM8 each via a group buy on Facebook.)

Birthday boy got the first hit.

Happy 8th birthday, Aiden Irfan. We hope you had a tremendous time at your party! Mummy, Daddy and Ian loves you soooooo much. We wish you nothing but the happiest and the brightest future, InsyaAllah.

P.S: Most of Aiden's friends came with their parents, most of whom I met for the very first time. Before they left most of them asked me the same question, "Husband you kerja bomba ke?" *chuckles*

Abang Bomba, I love you! *giggles*

Vendor credits and links:

• Event photography by Photo Havens.
• Adorable fire engine cake pops by Aly.Bakes.
• Printables from How to Nest for Less. (They're free!) I also repurposed their printables into matching food tags, personalized bubble bottle stickers and crayon toppers.
• A2 poster printable from Lambers Lately.
• Firetruck, fireman, badge and flames printable cliparts (used around the dessert table) from Google Images. 
• Colouring page image from Bebo Pandco.
• Silicone chocolate mould from Lazada.
• Fire extinguisher water gun and fan, fireman helmets, fireman uniform from Taobao.
• Mini fire engine (for goody bag) and fire trucks on dessert table from GM Klang.
• Adult Kadet Bomba uniform from Outpost Uniform, One Utama. Also available from most uniform shops in town.