What plant is this?

The weather in the past few days has been gorgeous. Even though it's still spring, we have been experiencing summer like temperatures.

This past Sunday, Olivia and I were playing in the backyard when I noticed something growing in the patch of soil that my mom had been burying compost last year, when she was here.

We cleared out the big bush (same as the one shown on the left) that was growing on this patch last year, so that this year, I have more space to plant my vegetables.



Take a look at the little plant growing in the middle. The leaves do not look like the potato plant that grew there last year. This is different. It looks a bit like mint, but it's not.

Does anyone know what plant is it? Hopefully, it's not some kind of weed and in a few weeks, I would have another surprise harvest.

If only I have the 'universal remote'

Remember the movie Click by Adam Sandler? It tells the story of an overworked architech who received a 'universal remote' and can control the universe around him. He can click pause so that the world does not pass him by so quickly.

Well, if only I have that remote...I would click pause so that Olivia would remain at this age longer before growing up. She is at the age where even though she can be very difficult, it is also a very facinating and exciting age.

She can speak in sentences now and sometimes the most amazing words come out of her mouth. Everyday, when I come home from work, she would run to me, hug me and say "Mommy, I miss you. I love you".

She loves it when hubby and I sit with her on the sofa, some quiet time before bedtime....she would grab both our hands around her and just savor the moment. It's like she feels safe and loved the most.

She's developing into her own little person and certain things that she do is just too darn cute....so geram la......However, don't ask her to share the ice cream cake with you cos she will never ever do it....lol

So, let me know if you come across the 'universal remote'.....

This is what happens....

...when you're not looking. The other day, I was getting ready to take Olivia out to the mall to ride on the carousel. She was very excited, so I told her to put on her socks, while I get her stuff ready.

When I went to check on her, guess what I found....

Only at daycare....

Last week, Olivia came home from daycare and she didn't like what I was doing to her and blurted out "Never ever...... while shaking her finger at me.

Then later when she was watching a cartoon, Wonder Pets (where 3 pets are superheroes and they save other animals), and they were saving a skunk, she said "Pheewwww", while holding her nose.

I had to laugh because it was so funny. She must learnt these at daycare as we never say those words in front of her or taught it to her.

These days, she also say 'thank you' if you give her something. 'No, thank you' if she does not want it. Give her a kiss, she'll say 'thank you'. Give her a cracker, she'll say 'thank you'. She'll say 'thank you' if you say thank you to her as she does not know how to say 'you're welcome' yet.

It demonstrates the power of influence; how the people in a child's life help shaped his/her future, how a child is easily influenced by what is happening in his/her environment.

Update

It has been quite a while since I posted the latest photo of Olivia. The photos below for winter activities were taken early Jan 09.

I'm trying to grow her fringe long and initially it was a pain as she does not like to have her hair pinned up. She would rather it cover her eyes. Now, the fringe is long enough to tie back and away from her face.

Winter activities #2

Olivia received a gift card to a local toy store in our town. It's a small store but has some unique stuff. I couldn't decide what toy to buy for her, so I bought this big box of crafts that are suitable for a 2 year old.

There are tissue art, sticker art, paperbag puppets, e-i-e-i doug, farm collage and lots more.

The first project that I let her do was tissue art. You scrunch up the tissues and stick it on the sticky board provided. We chose the fish and she was actually more interested in the fish eye than the tissue. She wanted all the eyes to stick on the fish!

Anyway, here's the finished product.