There was this very old wind chimes left in the backyard by the previous owner. It was hung near the entrance of the backyard and you can hear it chimes when the wind blows. Daddy decided to take it down and let Mal play with it. We hung it on the tree, low enough for Mal to reach. These were some good shots of Mal with the autumn leaves as background. Daddy’s photographic skill was finally put into good use this time…it had been quite a while since Daddy show off is photographic skill….

mal eyeing on the candle on the cake….can I blow it ??

this is baby Luke with his mummy and daddy…he is like the miniature of his daddy

only houses here can accomodate such a big crowd !

mal playing the balloons

hello doggy…wanna play with me ?

It was christmas eve and we had a pot luck party at one of the friend’s house. There were food, kids, babies and dogs. It was also baby Luke’s 1 year old birthday. I think other than the kitchen toy set, Mal enjoyed the cake cutting session most as he got to sing his favourite birthday song and see the candle being litted and blown off. For us, the gift exchange session was most fun! We got a really nice sauce dipper… judging from the presents…it is amazing how good everyone is at hunting for good bargain.

whao! nice fire engine set

my 3rd present

my 3rd present…I am getting the hang of it…see how well I can tear now

this was the 2nd present he opened
a little army toy truck ??

He loves this DVD player and is dancing to the music now
The 1st present he opened was a portable DVD player with motion pics and music

This may be Mal’s very first christmas as he now understands what is a christmas tree and present. Though we did celebrate christmas last year, I guessed he was too young to appreciate anything. It was Christmas morning and we decided to let him open up the presents. He slided off our bed and headed to the christmas tree in the living room and grabbed hold of his 3 presents he received the night before at the christmas party. After some instructions, he finally tore open his 1st present and soon he got the hang of it and the 2nd and 3rd ones followed. I wish I could capture the way his eyes lit up the moment he tore the wrapper. Every presents seem to be a surprise to him. His expression is so innocent and real….

Daddy finally bought a new bird feeder to replace the old one that was broken. Mal was especially excited when he saw the bird feeder as this was something new as the old one broke before we even got chance to really use it. He was around when the old one fell off from the tree and had been showing special interest to the bird feeder since. We found a strategic position to hang this new feeder and hopefully very soon we will see birds…to be more specific…humming birds, in our backyard.

It was early in the morning and Mal was crying and bawling like a spoilt brat. He had been suckling for a long time and when I refused to let him continued…he started to throw tantrum. Yes…this little guy had learnt how to throw tantrum. He would force himself to cry if he cannot get the things he wants. I chose to ignore him this time and went to the kitchen to make him breakfast and left him with Daddy in the bedroom. He continued to cry and refused to come out. This continued for around 20 minutes and is first and the longest time I had left him crying. Daddy was there and insisted that I leave him alone. Eventually I gave in and went to the room to pick him up and he finally stopped crying, knowing that I gave in. However he was angry with Mummy. At the breakfast table, he looked so glum and quiet, so unlike his usual self. He looked away from me when I tried to take a picture of him. So this guy had not only learnt how to throw tantrum but also know how to show his anger and maybe bearing a little grudges…but after some teasing from Mummy and Daddy…he finally smile, maybe he was relieved that Mummy and Daddy still love him

Daddy had taught Mal another new game. The game is to stand with the feet slightly apart…just above the little step in the back yard, bent knees, swing arm and at the count of 3….JUMP! As simple as that…but to Mal is a feat and a big challenge. He could swing his arm pretty well but when it comes to jumping off the step…he still got some way to go. He can only take off and land with one feet at a time. The challenge is to lift up and land on both feet together. Will see when he will master that

Back from our cold winter holiday in Aspen, we were greeted by a nice winter surprise in our back yard. The tree that appeared to be withering as the leaves were all turning pale green when we left for holiday…greeted us with full bloom of autumn leaves when we came back from our 1 week holiday. It was so beautiful! The leaves were all yellow and it looks like one of those autumn scene you see on postcard…but now it is just right at our back yard! We were so surprised cos the tree we thought that was dying is actually full of life. Come spring…we should expect to see green shoot and young leaves sprouting from this miracle tree!

We were almost late for the check in of our flight as when we reached Denver International Airport, there was a loooonnng queue at the check in counter. After clearing the check point, we had to sprint and run our way to the gate. Luckily we were on time and Mal was seen here….obviously relief and having a good time as he played with the lugguage while waiting to board the plane.

these look like little toy house at the foot of the mountain

red farm house with green roof surrounded by snow…looks like one of mal’s toy

Mummy stop by rest area to take some picture while mal was sleeping in the car

Daddy’s photo at the rest area

for a while we thought that the steam was from some hot spring…nah…it was from some chimneys instead

the road follows the river on the right. Surprisingly the river was not frozen yet but the water must be icy cold

scenic drive

mal playing the snow and ice in front of the souvenir shop

lunch break at Glenwood Spring
lunch break at Glendwood Spring

this is our last day at Aspen. What a big black bear!

In front of a bakery that sell freshly baked cookies and home made Italian ice cream

church with a very nice setting in Aspen

These photos were taken on the day before we left Aspen and while we drove our way from Aspen to Denver airport. We drove around 4 hours to Denver airport and since this time the drive was in the day, we could see the scenery along the way very clearly. We stopped over at this little town, Glendwood Spring for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was owned by Taiwanese and they served sushi as well. There was a hot spring just a short distance walk from the restaurant. It looks like a nice little town and we bought some souvenirs from the shop there.

a look down the slope from the mountain top

Shots taken by Daddy while skiing his way down from the moutain to

a restaurant on the moutain top

a slight snow storm on the mountain top

lunch in the restaurant at the Buttermilk Ski Area

photo of us at the base of Buttermilk mountain where the ski lift is behind us

on the right is the ski rental place, on the left is the restaurant where we had lunch

Mal trying to play with the snow

Mummy’s ears are freezing cold !

partially geared up

Mal took a while to recognise Daddy who was in ski suit and skis

Mal warming up next to the fireplace in the hotel…flipping through a magazine at the same time

Do I look smart ?

Brrrrrr….this is freezing cold…and I am so wrapped up that I could hardly walk!

Here is Mal all wrapped up and dressed up for the snow. Today is the 2nd day of our stay here, Daddy will be skiing and Mummy will keep Mal company. When we got to the Buttermilk Ski Area, Daddy had already skied for quite a while and when Daddy first walked to us, Mal took a while to recognise him as Daddy was all wrapped up too. He was also too bewildered by the snow, the ski lift and the skiers around. Finally a sense of relief when he saw Daddy took off his googles and saw a familiar face.

Tomorrow will be Mummy’s turn as she signed up for a 1 Day Snowboarding course. Wonder how she will fare since she already feeling sick today. During lunch, we ate at the restaurant at the Buttermilk ski area. We had chicken barley mushroom soup and vegetarian pasta…Mal like both, which may save us alot of trouble next time as we may not need to prepare for him home cooked food everytime we go out.

aspen mountain right behind with ski lift moving and people gliding down the slope

Mal enjoying the view from the balcony

the cars were all covered with snow

We stayed in the 3rd level of the hotel, which is also the highest. When we reached, it was midnight, so there was nothing much to see outside. It was only in the morning that we realised what a breathtaking view we have just outside our balcony!

behind Daddy and Mal is the Aspen mountain where the ski lifts were. We didn’t try out the slopes here as they were not for beginners.

the 3 of us nicely wrapped up in our winter clothing…still not quite warm enough cos Mummy fell sick after the 1st day.

Trial play with snowball…more to come tomorrow as we will be going to the ski area

saying hi to a doggy which was left outside in the cold while his owner went inside the shop

Mal showing off his balancing skill on the bench along the pavement

here’s the cheese breadstick that came with the soup…yummy!

While Mummy and Daddy shop inside Gap, Mal sat at the doorway entrace of the shop playing with some older kids…they were playing with some animal figurine…before leaving…the girl was kind enough to give Mal one of her doggy figurine as rememberance

Look at the mountain behind us…it is covered with snow and these are the Aspen mountain which have the black and double black slopes only expert skiier will try

The pavements were all covered with snow and the shops were nicely decorated with x’mas ornaments

Today is the first day of our holiday in Aspen. We decided to check out the stores in town. There were good sales at Gap thus was a good chance for us to shop for more winter clothing. While Mummy was shopping, Daddy and Mal had lunch at this cozy cafeteria. just diagonally opposite to Gap. Mal love their minestrone soup that comes with a piece of cheese breadstick. The sun set early at 5 pm, very soon it turned dark and we continued searching for a pair of waterproof booty for Mal so that he can play with the snow tomorrow. We took some great photos around the town. It is like those christmas scene seen on movie….white snow, brightly litted trees, nice decoration for christmas and christmas country music playing in the background. It was almost picture perfect….if minus away the cold and freezing temperature. At night, it started to snow. This will be Mal’s first white christmas.

Today Daddy was on leave as we need to do last minute shopping for winter clothing for our ski holiday at Colorado Aspen tomorrow. In the evening, we went to Daddy’s office to attend a Xmas party. It is one week to christmas but you can feel the mood everywhere. At the party, there were Santa Clause and his 2 elves helping to give out presents, sweets and candies to the children. Wanted to take a picture with the Santa Clause but Malcolm was too afraid of this white bearded fat man and started to cry. So we end up taking pictures with the artificial one instead.

trying out his new toy late at night

Trying out the ski suit passed down from a friend. Fit him snuggly

Bought him another toy…this time a wooden toy toolkit. It comes with hammer, screwdriver, saw, nail, bolt and nut, screws and a stand for him to hang all the tools. He can’t wait to try out his new toy so even it was already quite late when we got back home and he was already feeling tired, he insisted in taking the toy out to play. The next morning I made him tried out this ski suit pass down from a friend…oh yeah…we going on a ski holiday!