My little boy turns 8 years old! He’d been planning his Pokemon birthday party for ages.. drawing up his own guest list, helping with the DIY invitations we made, figuring out the party favours, and packing them all.

It made party planning waaaay easier for me, when I have an extra set of hands!

My aunt helped pick up his Pokemon cake, and added on this MASSIVE flame/sparkler throwing ‘candle’. It was totally OTT but, oh man, how cool is it! A little fiery up-close, so the kids were a bit shocked, but everyone else loved it ?.

We seriously lucked out with this party location. It’s at GRUB BURGER + NOODLE BAR, an amazing space for events and parties. The area is really breezy and is huuuuge. Excellent for kids to move around in! We had one large section for parents to mill around and have some nibbles, and another section cordoned off for the kids… where we had a science show on the stage!

We engaged Newton Show to run a 1.5 hour programme for the entertainment. The performer delighted the kids with 12 science experiments, many of which were hands on. And each kid got to go home with a bag of coloured ‘snow’, so cute!

GRUB also set up a water play table for the kids, which was a way bigger hit than I’d anticipated! It was meant for the toddlers, but all the 7-8 year olds also came round to have a go 😉

So I’ve been a mum for 8 years! How time flies. I still remember the day Hunter was born. It was freezing cold (he was my winter baby) and Chris is always amused when we talk about Hunter’s birth, because I’d had a long labour and was in the delivery ward pushing for 2 hours (!).. and I insisted all the windows were open. So Chris (and the doctor/nurses) were all shivering with the winter wind gusting in, and there I was half-naked and yelling “IT’S HOOOOTTTT!”

And my little boy is big now, in primary school, and maturing before my eyes. I love this photo of him playing the drums, because I know how intimidating it can be for a child to be up on stage, in front of all his friends in school. And yet, he did it.

Despite being an introvert, Hunter actually has a lot of chutzpah. He’s the kid that will easily approach waiters to ask for something, can hold a conversation with any stranger/adult, easily performs in front of a crowd, and is the first to raise his hand for show-and-tell in front of the class. The kid is NOT shy.

But, honestly, this is what Hunter loves most – reading in peace. He will find a corner and hide.. I suppose this happens when you have two noisy siblings!

He is a voracious reader – and will read 1 novel a day. This means I have to go to the library every 1-2 weeks, to drop off and borrow more books. The library is our saviour.. as I was burning money buying books for him before! Thank goodness Singapore’s public library is unparalleled in quality and quantity.

He pretty much reads anything – from thick novels, to popular fiction (Gernonimo Stilton), to comics, to Young Scientist magazines (his fave). And during recess, you’ll find him in the school library 😉

We don’t have a TV and the kids aren’t allowed iPads during weekdays, so reading is what he turns to for relaxation.

When I had Carter, I didn’t think Hunter was a good older brother. That’s just me being honest! They would fight and argue over the most ridiculous things. Now I realise that, because of their 1 year age gap, Hunter simply regarded Carter as his equal, and always viewed him as someone to compete with.

Because…. when Chloe came along, I realised that Hunter was an amazing big brother after all! Something about the wide age gap, or the fact that she was a girl? It made all the difference.

He adores her, even when she’s at her worst. His patience and love for her surprised all of us.. and he’ll gaze at her daily and coo “She’s just the prettiest, the cutest, the most adorable baby I have ever seen!”

And, in a way, I’m glad we had Chloe.. as she’s brought out this really gentle and loving side of Hunter that we never saw until she came along.

Hunter’s in Primary Two now and used to the swing of things in Singapore’s education system. He struggles with having daily homework, though, and takes absolute ages to get it done. It’s pretty painful most days.

So thank goodness his exam grades are actually really strong!

Math is is favourite subject, by far. He can get perfect scores in his exams, despite zero enrichment or help from me. I’m really proud of him for his efforts, because I can really see Math is his passion. Well done, Hunter!

I still remember taking this photo, it’s actually really clearly imprinted in my memory. He was all swaddled up because it was so cold (my Winter baby, remember?

He’s gone from my mega-huge newborn (the largest the hospital has ever had, and born the size+weight of a one month old)…. to a tall and lean boy. His big brown eyes and long lashes melt me, and the way he curls up into my arms and sighs against my neck when I say goodnight makes my heart turn to mush.

My oldest boy, and yet still always a baby in my heart.

Happy 8th Birthday, Hunter!