Celebrating Fatima and Ashman

As with our two previous children, we also hosted the aqiqah ceremony for Fatima to celebrate her birth. It's always anticipated by us because it is also a time for family gathering and a good feast (kambing golek, you feeling me? haha)

My parents have been so generous to offer their place as the venue for Fatima's aqiqah. So, on the 21st of May (after about a month plus), the event was held together with a majlis kesyukuran and tahlil.

It was just a simple event to celebrate her birth and also Ashman, my nephew. It was also my first meeting with relatives and close friends after my confinement so I felt truly excited. 

The Harun clan

Our three little precious :)

With my in-laws 

The cousins from my husband's side

The celebrated little lady :)

Fatima was being such a gem as she wasn't cranky and she slept the entire time; even when she's being passed from one person to the other. She slept soundly in the cot so I took the opportunity to mingle and meet with the guests, many of whom I have been dying to meet. Alhamdulillah, the event was a success. Food was awesome and I personally had a wonderful time.

One for the album 

Then, 2 weeks later it was my nephew's aqiqah, held at my sister's parents-in-laws' place. Another event anticipated because, well, there's food ( kambing golek!!) and also because their family decided to do the berendoi and the shaving of the hair. 

The so-called berendoi dais

TMAZ - Tun Muhamad Ashman Zulkarnain

The new proud parents with their baby, after the head-shaving ceremony

Food was great and everything went well despite the heat. Ashman behaved, too, the entire time especially during the head-shaving ceremony by the ustaz. 

More pictures taken :

*Luqman's missing coz he was sleeping at the time this photo was taken*

And, these two little munchkins were the most tired ones haha 

Ashman and Fatima

 Having a child is a great blessing from Allah so performing aqiqah is a way of being thankful. Besides, hosting a ceremony also is another purpose to invite family and friends to the blessed occasion where food and meat are served. At the end of the day, no matter how you decide to host the event or how you want to perform your aqiqah, it always comes back to the basic; that aqiqah is sunnah and also a sadaqah.

Blissful

"The whole point of the week is the weekend"

My weekend kickstarted early. I was already on holiday since Thursday *yeayy!*

I can never begin to express how grateful I am for this long Chinese New Year break. It's the break that I have been looking forward to just because I can spend time with my little family in our occasional boredom activity hehe

We had no plans for a quick getaway either as we decided to just laze around and carpe diem. 

It's time like these that we have the time to really really spend in quality with our kids, without disruption and no obligations. 

It's time like these that snuggling in bed in the morning has never been better and that taking a shower can wait.

It's time like these that doing nothing is actually something, when you have your loved ones around you.

And it's time like these that is most crucial to remind you that yes, indeed, you are lucky to have such a priceless gift of all, a FAMILY.

Blissful :)

lovely tiffany blue

They say, you shouldn't prolong good things, especially when it is a step closer towards building the masjid.

Another close friend of mine decided to take such heed but with such short notice (very very!) that all of us were taken aback with her getting engaged announcement. We first had to endure the shock wave when she, out of the blue, mentioned that she's getting engaged but not until it's March. Then, her whatsapp message came in a few days later which I think made all of us screamed virtually (and live) that read : It's happening next Sunday.

Like what? Haha The first thing that I blurted was "I don't even have an outfit to wear!" Only then did I congratulate her and the bridezilla mode was on for everyone.

Anyway, like most engagements, hers was simply mesmerising, beautiful and all sweet. 

She looked most beautiful that day - not just because of her being all dolled up - but it's that joy and happiness that's written all over her face that were most apparent.

I am just so happy for you, Farhana. The time has finally arrived. 

Wished everyone was there to be with you. InsyaAllah, we are all looking forward to your big day this year!

Another one officially off the market :)

Staying in

I love spending the weekend staying in. After a hectic 5 (sometimes 6) working days, it feels so nice to just relax in front of the telly, roll with the kids and spend time staring into each other's eyes.

Yesterday we did just that. 

The day started pretty good. Kids and dad woke up quite late than their usual rise. Had some quality me time by having a simple breakfast alone, enjoying sipping the coffee before the roti canai galore later hehe

Then cooked lunch, played with the kids some more until they all ...

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... went back to slumberland!

And that included the dad too!

 

Penat sangat la tu!

I was happy that I had another quiet me time, too. Aahh, so blissful!

Until 20 minutes later, Adeena startled me with her chuckles.

-   -'

______

So much for wanting to golek-golek on the bed undisturbed!

A message

I guess it's true when they say the test of good manners is through patience. 

I, of all people, know that I am the least patient person alive. I have my temper, if I may add and it is a blessing that I married my husband who is cooler than I am. 

Anyway, yesterday turned out to be a very testing day. After what had happened, I am starting to think that maybe, just maybe God doesn't want me to have so much fun on my own. I believe it held its own blessings (yesterday's happenings).

I was totally on cloud nine when I finally managed to steal some time to go for a mini vacation to the pedicure after what seemed like eons I have been there. My husband was sporting enough to look after the kids. I was like a happy kid slurping on ice cream.

Only, what should be a one hour trip lasted up to a good 3 hours. *sigh*

I ended up stressed despite being totally peace and calm. How ironic.

First, I had to endure an excruciating long payment at the express counter just because one irresponsible lady decided to queue at the express counter with her whole load of shopping trolley. Very Malaysian? You bet. Didn't want to budge after being told. Stubborn? Maybe. But her daughter should have taken a more responsible action by moving to the said lane. Pissed me off big time. 

When finally finished with my quick payment, dashed out to the autopay machine only to discover that I didn't have the bloody ticket with me. Checked my handbag so many times I think people might have noticed how depressed  I looked. It struck me as weird coz it was there in that compartment when I was at the nail salon. And it was gone when I needed it. 

Hurried to the nail salon again, only to be greeted with sad news. It wasn't there. I didn't drop it. Well, of course. Then where had it gone? My heart just sank and all I could think about was why? I was totally exasperated you have no idea. 

Anyway to cut things short, my husband came to the rescue yadayadayada... and I was sooooo happy to zoom back to my MIL's place to greet my kids only to be trapped in a traffic jam because a bus decided to break down there and then. 

My breasts were starting to engorge, I was getting restless and it took me one more happening to see me burst. I was in a terrible state yesterday. I went out hoping to enjoy myself but in the end I wished I didn't. 

*SIGH*

Vented out to my friends and one of the responses caught my attention. It was of course easier said than done and one would probably say it is easy for her to say coz it didn't happen to her . But, it holds so much truth.

"You can choose what your reaction to be. And of course, you can choose not to be affected by what happened.  There is indeed some blessings in disguise".

Spot on. In the end, I recited the zikr and calm myself down. 

The blessings? Well, yeah I got to be on my own for a good three hours away from the kids. Wasn't that what I wanted? 

And of course, God is sending me a message only I know what it is.

ABC - A Birthday Celebration

On the 5th of January, we held Luqman's 1st birthday celebration. I am so grateful that everything (well, almost) went as planned despite the heavy downpour prior to the occasion. I was worried that the party would be dragged to a later time and everything will be postponed but alhamdulillah all is well.

Didn't think that we could pull it off although it was just a small event. It gave me, especially, a great satisfaction knowing that most of the decos and ideas were DIY. I can't remember the last time I was this creative and dedicated and I have to admit they turned out pretty awesome, too! Haha Special thanks to my family who helped a lot and who willingly contributed ideas and energy to make sure everything goes as planned.

The theme was ABC Alphabet Party. 

The invitation :

 
 

Below are some pictures taken on that day courtesy of family and friends :

Table centerpiece

Birthday boy with his Alphabet Blocks Birthday Cake

   With my family and in-laws

Our button badges

 Badges for the guests

(Have to wait for more pics from the photographer)

Overall, it was a good get together and quite a number of dear friends whom I haven't met for quite some time turned up.

Luqman was a bit cranky that day as he was sleepy and tired but I figured he had a good time. 

Thank you so much to all who came and it really meant the world to us. To think that some came all the way from Semenyih, KL, and the jam that they had to endure (KESAS was jammed badly that day due to an accident) we can never be more grateful.

We were all exhausted, yes, but one that filled with so much love and joy alhamdulillah. 

"So, since Luqman had his first birthday celebration, I guess his sister will have to have one, too" hubby told me.

"You know what? Hers can wait until she's three" I answered.

Penat wey! haha

Bukit Gambang Resort & Water Park

On the 9th-10th November, we made our way to Bukit Gambang Resort and Water Park for my husband's Family Day. My sister tagged along. We missed the one held last year, so we decided not to this time. We're all excited as it would also be a family excursion.

The journey was smooth, alhamdulillah, with rain pouring occasionally. Luqman slept most of the time so I got to rest my eyes, too.

I had no idea how this place would look like (didn't bother to google) or where exactly it is, so I was anxious. When we arrived, I was relieved. It wasn't so bad after all. But the ground on which the whole place is built is still bare with many constructions going on. A Night Safari is opening soon, so they are working hard on completing the place I guess.

We arrived around 3-ish, so we filled our stomach with the lunch buffet provided. By then, we were all already tired and couldn't wait to check-in into our rooms only to be faced with a very unpleasant experience which I am not going to disclose. I don't know if it was the resort's service to be blamed or it's just the bad timing and circumstance we're put under, but it definitely made me fumed. Just thinking about it makes me emotional already.

Anyway, we finally checked in to our apartment (about 2 hours later perhaps?) which was the Carribean Bay Suites Resort Accommodation. It's a 2-bedroom apartment with a private balcony.

*click here for pictures*

We rested for a while, changed and decided to join the activities held at the field but it suddenly rained so we just stayed in and got ready for that night's family dinner at the grand ballroom.

The theme for the night was Red and Black. Everyone was dressed to the nines according to the colour code, in the hopes of winning the best-dressed award I suppose. The food was just okay. Apart from that, we were entertained by that comedian who hosted Warung Kita and that actor Razali Hussin (I hope I got it right) who acts in Tiara.

I guess the kids were the ones who enjoyed themselves much. We missed the lucky draw's grand prize, though, which was a Samsung Galaxy Note II & Galaxy Tab. As for little Luqman, he was soundly asleep despite the noise.

The next day, it was out in the sun day! We were all geared up for the fun in the water so after breakfast, we hopped on the mini train that took us to the water park which was just a 3-minute drive from the lobby.

As expected, the place was already crowded with so many people. I forgot that it was not just us, but there were 3 or 4 other companies who also had their Family Day there. Plus, the public, so you could imagine the suffocation.

The whole place isn't that big if compared to Sunway Lagoon. Again, of

course, Sunway Lagoon is definitely an unfair comparison due to its years of establishment, but it's an okay alternative.

I am not really a fan of water park due to hygienic purposes so I didn't let Luqman be in the water that long. Around 11-ish, we left but not before collecting our packed lunch. We decided to leave early as we had a wedding to head to on our way back.

In case you're wondering, there are other outdoor activities that one can do here like paintball, flying fox and obstacle courses. There is even a horse carriage ride if you feel like having a mini detour around the place.

All in all, I had a great time. Will I come back again? Probably not. Been here, done that. If it's not for this Family Day, I guess we wouldn't have made our way here at all. Can't wait to see how the Night Safari will turn out to be though.

Mecca in two weeks

Yesterday, my family held a kenduri tahlil and doa selamat in conjunction with my parents' departure to the Holy Land in two weeks' time. Alhamdulillah, it went well, many came and it was, at one point an emotional gathering of families, relatives and close friends. I have never seen Ayah shed so much tears yesterday.

I can never be grateful enough that their time has finally arrived to be Allah's guests, to perform this obligatory pilgrimage; one of the Pillars of Islam. Alhamdulillah! Honestly, them leaving has impacted me in so many ways I can never explain. I once read and been told, that performing the Hajj is a jihad on its own. Anything can happen there and they need all the strength to perform the best, insyaAllah.

The most common question asked when told that my parents are leaving for Mecca is "Who will take care of Luqman?"

My MIL has been so generous and kind enough to take a month's leave just to care for Luqman. Alhamdulillah! Initially, I wanted to apply for a month's leave but I believe that Allah has planned everything nicely for us. So my husband and I are hoping for the best and that Luqman will be just fine.

We have so many things to prepare and we need to manage our time as this will be the first time that we're sending Luqman off to another place. I will finally be able to feel what it's like sending off your son to a babysitter early in the morning and pick him up later in the evening, preparing his stuffs and food the day prior for the whole week, etc. Phew, seems like a lot of work! We even plan to send him off for training a week before my parents' departure just to let my MIL get a hang of his routine and for Luqman to be comfortable with her. This is also to let my mum rest.

InsyaAllah, I pray that Allah will ease everything. I pray that my parents will be able to perform their Hajj smoothly, dengan kusyuk, they have good health and utmost patience. And most importantly, that they will be granted Haji Mabrur, amin!

Semoga selamat pergi dan selamat sampai.

Joyful Sunday

Last weekend, together with my sis-in-law and her family, we made our way to Devflections Charity Bazaar in Titiwangsa.


Plans were made since SIL has been meaning to go to Smashing Scarves' booth a long time ago. So last Sunday was the day. Both of us had a great time, overwhelmed with variety of scarves (hehe) that we spent quite some time just there and did not go to any other booths (frankly speaking, the others weren't that interesting).

Both our babies were taken care of by our husbands so that made our shopping a lot easier!

After that, we went separate ways before meeting again at our MIL's house for iftar. We went to Shah Alam to do some raya shopping for Rizal and in the midst of that I received a call from my sister informing that our dear cousin had just given birth earlier. Since we were just in the vicinity, we decided to pay her a visit at DEMC.

Stepping foot on the 6th floor and into her suite brought back familiar feelings of that fateful day when I had given birth to Luqman. The joy, exhaustion, relief - all rolled into one.

Meet baby Sarah ;)

Baby Sarah with her 4 aunties

Then, I was informed of another great news that a dear friend, Kak Azlina had given birth just about the same time as Ika. We then rushed to Umraa in Section 13.

With the proud mum and baby boy
(Kekok sikit pegang newborn hehe)


The handsome Ali Arrazi :)

So yes, a joyful Sunday it was.