St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer to Obtain Favors

I have blogged about this prayer last year. I am posting this again as this Novena should be prayed 15 times everyday starting tomorrow, November 30 until Christmas. 

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Hail and blessed be the hour and moment 

in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, 

at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. 

In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! 

to hear my prayer and grant my desires, 

through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, 

and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Antonio's 3rd Birthday

We just had a simple dinner on Antonio's birthday. Red Ribbon Pancit Palabok and lumpia from DEC.

Syempre, we also had a cake (from Chocolat) with 3 candles, which Antonio blew twice that day. Hehe!

 
Here is the obligatory family picture. =)

Happy 3rd Birthday Baby!

Happy 3rd birthday, Antonio! We have passed the terrible 2 stage with flying colors. I was expecting I will be blogging my rants all throughout the year, but no. You have been a very good boy.

We are really blessed to have you in our lives. I have never imagined that I can love a person as much as I love you. Your I love yous, smiles, hugs, and kisses complete our day.

We pray that you will grow up to be a good Christian, loving and respectful to others. We love you so much baby! Mwah!

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Antonio's milestones:

• When we massage him, he says "Ahhh thalap" with matching facial expression.
• He remembers a lot. He can still remember that a balloon popped when my brother-in-law closed the trunk of the car. This happened October 1 before they left for the surprise party of my mother-in-law
• If he does not know the next thing to say, he will ask - what's next?
• He loves to say - "maybe" (when I asked him for his car, he will say "maybe under the sofa")
• He loves to play hide and seek 
• He is such an OC kid. If he sees trash on the floor, he will pick it up and throw it inside the trash can. If the floor rug is not properly laid out, he will fix it. If the door is open, he should close it and say - close the door pasok lamok.

Not that techy

*While Antonio and I were looking at the Toy Kingdom Catalogue*

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Antonio: Oh look, Super Mario.

Mommy: Yes, correct that is Super Mario

Antonio: Just like what Ate Alexa's (cousin) playing.

Grabe ang memory ng anak ko! E bibihira lang nya makita yung DS ng ate nya kasi di naman palaging dinadala dito. And di nga nya nalalaro yun because ayaw namin....dahil a year ago nasira nya yung DS na yun. Haha!

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Antonio: (pointing at the Nintendo 3DS) where is Super Mario here?

Mommy: Oh, we have to put a 'chip' first

Antonio: No, card

I was speechless! We do not own a Nintendo 3DS here or kahit anong game console (yun ba tawag dun? haha). So gusto ko sana sabihin na anak, chip ang tawag dun, kaso tama naman talaga sya e...hehe!

Ako na ang low tech, old school! Buti na lang di ko sinabi - anak, we need to put a cartridge first. haha!

Q, R, S

Q for Queen

R for Rainbow

S for Snake

Happy 35 months!

Haha! Mag 3 years old na baby ko sa Wednesday, now ko pa lang gagawin to, which is supposedly for October! Tsk tsk tsk.

35th month milestones:
1. Grabe ang imagination! We always playing pretend. Most of the time he is a dog and asking for a bone. Sometimes naman, he will ask for grapes. Kunyari bibigyan mo, he will say thank you and go back to his toys. Haha!
2. He sings - "Angry bird is coming to town" - to the tune of Santa Clause is coming to town. We really do not know where he got that.
3. He talks like an adult. When you answer his question, he will say - "Ah, okay okay".
4. Yes, he still breastfeeds. Pero feeling ko comfort sucking na lang ang ginagawa nya =(
5. He drinks more ounces of Lactum from the feeding bottle (hay, di ko pa sya mawean sa bottle), so palaging butas ang Avent nipple...shyecks ang mahal!

2 days to go!!! Woohooo! This will be a week-long celebration for Antonio! Hehe!

Airplane Wood Puzzle

I love puzzles. Kung impatient ako sa ibang bagay, sa puzzles hindi. Siguro I can sit the whole day forming a puzzle...either nerd ako or boring akong kasama or tamad ako to do household chores ahaha!

Earlier this year, I bought 3D puzzles from Regina's in Greenhills as part of Antonio's activities. Kahit ako lang ang nagassemble, at least sya yung tiga tanggal sa 'plates' ng parts and tiga sira after ko ma-assemble ahaha! Sad part lang is the puzzles are made from hard paper so madaling nasira when I was still assembling them, pano pa kaya kung nilaro na ng anak ko? Hehe! Sabi ko sa husband ko sana wood na lang yung material.

So I was excited when I saw 3D wood puzzles at Japan Home Center in Greenbelt 1. I bought 2 - airplane and race car.

Earlier today, Antonio and I assembled the airplane. It was quite challenging kasi the instructions are in Japanese and the numbers are written on the paper and not on the pieces itself. Even then, we were able to finish it in less than an hour. Sumakit nga lang fingers ko kaka-assemble.

Here is the finished product! Woohooo! I am so proud! Haha!

I told my husband na pwede namin pangregalo to sa mga pamangkin nyang boys =) I went to Japan Home center in Greenhills this afternoon, mas madaming designs. May old school na car, spaceship, helicopter, etc. Sana lang di maubos coz I plan to start buying gifts this coming Friday pa lang.

Rainbow

I love rainbows...whenever I am down and I see a rainbow, naku matutuwa na ako nyan...kasi I know God has a pleasant surprise for me haha parang ang selfish, akin lang...syempre for us =)

The most memorable one I had concerning rainbows was last March 2008. That was the time that we were trying to get pregnant. I used a home pregnancy test kit and negative ang lumabas. But my husband said na di daw, positive daw kasi 2 lines. Kaya I thought negative kasi the second line was super faint....parang aninag or reflection lang. So I told my husband that we do the test after 3 days. That was a Friday. The next day we went to Tagaytay to hear mass at Pink Sisters. Syempre I was praying na sana nga pregnant na ako. Then, we saw a rainbow. Sobrang tuwa ko kasi I know yun na yung sagot ni Lord! So after 3 days nga, we tested again, ayun kita na yung 2nd line. =)

Last Sunday, I was praying to God na magmanifest Sya to tell me that I will be okay, that He has plans and that these will be better. I asked for a sign and one of those is a rainbow. We went to my parents house last Sunday. So the whole time traveling to and from Las Pinas, I was waiting for a rainbow. But sadly, di ako nakakita.

Yesterday, as I was driving along EDSA, wala na sa isip ko na makakita ng rainbow. Then, I saw a rainbow. It was bright and clear and it was in front of me! Gusto ko nga tumigil sa gitna ng EDSA para lang titigan ahaha! I cried while driving kasi alam kong God sent that rainbow to tell me that He is here with me. I believe His plans will be unfolded soon!

''For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.''
Jeremiah 29:11

This too shall pass

I am sad...anxious...afraid. I keep on asking God why. Why now, why me, why this, why why why? Mabait naman ako. Nagdadasal. Tumutulong. Pero bakit? 

I am trying hard not to question Him anymore. If I start worrying and pitying myself, I think of happy thoughts. I force myself to think that I am blessed. Marami pa rin naman talaga akong blessings to be thankful for. I pray. 

If I feel down, I just try hard to trust God. That God has plans and His plans will be better, maybe grander. And these are the quotes/verses that I keep on saying to myself (kasi kungdi baka dalhin na lang ako sa Basement ng Makati Med. Haha!) 

• This too shall pass
• Behold, I have carved you on the palms of My hands - Isaiah 49:16 
• If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
• There are always uncertainties ahead, but there is always one certainty--God's will is good. - Vernon Paterson 
• For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. - Isaiah 41:13
• Something good is going to happen to us

Masakit pero kaya ko ito. Dapat. Kakayanin ko to.