Looking forward to 2012

In 2012, I look forward to …

1. Transferring to our new house
2. Buying appliance, furniture and fixtures
3. ‘Decorating’ the house
4. Cooking
5. our PRIVACY! =)
6. School Hunting
7. Antonio's school
8. God’s plan regarding my work =)
9. Our 5^th wedding anniversary
10. Long weekends!!!
11. Going to Boracay in December
12. Simbang Gabi 

Happy Happy New Year! 

2011 Recap

If somebody asked me last November how my 2011 fared, my answer would be "below average". I was so depressed last November (ayaw ko ng sabihin ang reason para makalimutan ko rin eventually hehe), I blogged it here. Buti na lang at nandyan si Arch, Antonio and my family =) Now, I feel positive na. Alam ko, God is cooking up something. And feel na feel ko na malapit ng maluto yun =)


We received lots of gifts in 2011 kaya naman nung may kinuha si Lord nung November, di rin naman ako talaga makareklamo (medyong reklamo lang hehe!)

Major Highlights:
February - Additional Income
April - Tagaytay with my family
June - Subic with Archie's family
September - Bali Trip
October - Started paying the downpayment for our future house

Giftssssss

When Antonio started receiving gifts days before Christmas, I told him that we need to wait for Christmas. Reason? I want him to learn how to wait...which I am successful naman. He did not open naman until December 24 lunch...I allowed him to open one gift. Then before dinner, he opened another gift. We planned na sabay sabay para fun, kaso feeling ko na-overwhelm sya e. Hehe!

So next year, I think I will let him open his gifts siguro mga December 24 morning pa lang. By night time naman madami pa rin syang ioopen =) Kahit December 25, meron pa rin!

Santa's Love Letter

2011 Christmas Celebration

Last year, we spent Christmas eve with my family then New Year's eve with Archie's family. So this year, we spent the Christmas Eve with Archie's mother's side. Here are the pictures during the celebrations =)

December 24 Lunch - with Archie's dad

December 24 Dinner and Noche Buena - Archie's mother side

The delish Turkey made by dear Husband =)

green family =D

Antonio with his ates

December 25 Lunch - with my family

mga walang magawa hehe!

Antonio and his cousins

Merry Christmas!

2011 Christmas Wrapper Part 2

Since I have used up all the 'painted' wrappers and Antonio is not interested in painting anymore, we just made footprint and handprints reindeers and Christmas trees.

Presenting the new Christmas Wrappers for 2011.

2011 Christmas Wrappers

Antonio and I made homemade Christmas wrappers last year. But we only used the wrappers to wrap the gifts for my family kasi busy busyhan. Since Archie loved the idea, we decided to do this activity again this year.

Happy 37th Month!

Antonio's milestones:

• Says presents instead of gifts
• Compliments people
•  Loves to copy other people
• Ang daming alam! Haha! When he asks a question and my answer is "maybe it is ___", he will say "could be". 
• If we did not hear what he said and it is not important naman, he will say "nothing". Parang matanda?

----
Mommy: Look Antonio, there is the moon.
Antonio: Moon. Crescent.
Daddy: What? (Did not understand what Antonio said)
Antonio: Crescent.
Daddy: (Talking to me) Ano daw?
Mommy: What did you say?
Antonio: Moon, crescent.
Mommy: (Laughing). Crescent daw. Haha!
Daddy:*Tameme*
----

Antonio's 3rd Birthday Celebration

We had 2 mini-parties for the little boy. 1 for the south people (my family and Arch's dad) and 1 for the north people (for Archie's siblings).

Antonio loves Angry birds. So it is but fitting that his cake is Angry Birds. I got matching shirts for the 3 of us as well =)

Supplier: I got the cake and cupcakes from Hannah Enrile.
Rating -  Cake:  Design - 5 out of 5. Taste - 3 out of 5.

Okay kausap si Hannah! Madali din mag reply. I loved how the cake turned out. Nanginginig si Antonio sa excitement when he was opening the cake box =) I just did not like the taste so much. Ang taste niya e pwede na. It was a chocolate cake. It was not sweet parang may kulang. Siguro dahil matamis yung fondant kaya di na matamis yung cake. Pero still, I highly recommend Hannah.

Nothing compares pa rin talaga Antonio's 1st birthday cake. That cake was made by Le Sucreries. Hay sana sa 5th birthday ni Antonio, we get to order from her again =) Siguro next year, I will not order fondant cake anymore. Mas gusto talaga yung taste ng cake pag di.

Rating - Cupcake: Design - 5 out of 5. Taste - 4 out of 5.

Mas nagustuhan ko yung cupcakes ni Hannah. Kasi mas may lasa na sya =) Kasi siguro yung topping nya is not fondant but buttercream ata. Sayang lang medyo nagulo na yung cupcakes. Kasi dala na namin yan from Alabang to Las Pinas to San Juan. Haha!

Magic Santa

Does your kid love Santa? Mine is addicted to Santa! Haha! I have learned this program from one of the mommies in N@W last year...where you can customize Santa's message. You may also include picture of your kid and yourselves. Inabangan ko talaga yan this year. Here is what I have made for Antonio. The link below will take you to the website.

Magic Santa

Dali, gawa na kayo for your kiddos! =)

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. 

 ----------------

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!

--------------

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*

------------

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!

-----------

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.

Warm Cinnamon-Spiced Apple Topping and Manticado Ice Cream

I got this recipe from Yummy Magazine, I just did not follow the measurements they have written. Tantya lang ako haha! Sayang kasi sa water, ang dami pang huhugasan (or tamad lang ako maghugas hehe).

Ingredients:
Apple (I used 1 medium-sized apple)
Brown Sugar (maybe half a cup)
Cinnamon (just a pinch or two)
Butter (maybe a tablespoon)

Directions:
Slice the apple
Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and sliced apples

Melt the butter in a heated pan then put the mixture in
Wait for the sugar to dissolve or you may want to soften the apples (ako kasi gusto ko medyo may crunch)
Put the finished product on top of Manticado (Arce) ice cream! Yummeh!!!!

Next time, I will put almonds or walnuts =)

N, O, P

N for necklace

O for Octopus

P for Piano

Happy 34 months!

Yes, this is a late post again. Hehe! This should be for September 16. But since we were in Bali during that time, I was not able to do this.

34th month milestones:

1. He can now spell his name

2. He can count 1 to 10 in Spanish

3. He can count 1 to 20 in English

4. He loves angry birds

5. If we are near our house na, he will say - Hooray, we are here!

6. He has his new pa-cute smile

7. If Arch and I hug each other, he always go in between us.

I am now thinking of what we will do on his 3rd birthday. One thing is for sure, he will have an angry bird cake =) Woohoooo!

Bali ABADventure Day 6

Day 6 / Conclusion:

We just walked along the beach. Konting swimming (kasi ang lamig pa rin), then we started the travel home.

We had a 5 hour layover in Singapore Airport. We thought we can just relax sa Changi, kasi super laki and ganda ng Changi diba? More or less complete sya. However, sa AirAsia pala, you really have to get your luggages and pass through immigrations og Singapore. From Bali, our boarding pass is until Singapore lang. We have to check-in ulit (sa AirPhil) pagdating ng Singapore, to think di kami budget terminal ha. Since di pa open ang counter ng AirPhil, we have to wait outside the departure area. Buti na lang, maganda din yung area na yun.

When we have checked-in, we still have 2 hours before our flight. So we went to Terminal 3 to kill time and to go to Charles & Keith. Wala rin akong nabili. Haha! Mahal din and yung mga styles meron na rin dito nun. Super okay talaga ang Changi kasi napaka convenient to transfer between 2 terminals. Nagenjoy si Antonio sa train. Haha!

Tuwang tuwa ang asawa ko to see the A380

Eventually, na bore na si Antonio

Learnings/Realizations/Conclusion/Tips:

1. This was the first out of the country namin na kasama si Antonio. So sobrang pagod talaga. Sabi ko kay Arch, if ever we will go to Hongkong or Singapore, di pwdeng kaming 3 lang. Dapat kasama family ko or family nya. (Parang di ko naman kaya magsama ng yaya. Kasi parang ang yaman namin ano? Haha! Though maraming magsasabi na kaya nga vacation, so the parents can relax relax din. Pero parang kaya nga family vacation para magbond!) Pagod na pagod kami e..to the point mainit na ulo ko haha! Pero kahit naman pagod kami, happy kami sobra.

2. Antonio is not a picky eater. Pero parang nanibago talaga sya, naku di nagkakakain. Tapos nagkasakit pa. Kahit french fries, di sya masyadong nagkakakain. Ang kinakain nya e chocolate and chips. Bakasyon na bakasyon ang dating ng anak namin. Buti na lang he eats watermelon. Sana, I brought healthier chips (?) Haha!

3. Charge the battery of the camera every night kahit di pa ubos. Haha! yan ang bwisit ako dahil nauubusan kami ng battery. Buti na lang madami kaming kasama na may camera din. hehe!

4. Bali is a beautiful place. Maganda ang kalye, walang lubak ha! At ang mga bus stops, okay din. Yun lang ang daming motorcycles! Haha! Nakakatakot. One time we saw a mom driving the motorcycle, one hand sa handle and one hand sa baby nya. Siguro wala pang one year old yun!

5. Will I ever go back to Bali? Pag libre! Haha! Otherwise, I will just go to Hongkong or Singapore. Kasi I think Bali is not for kids e. Unless surfers kayo or divers. The beach di naman maganda. Ang pupuntahan niyo lang talaga dun is temples and bars. Yung Safari naman, there is one in Singapore. Beach naman, nothing beats our beaches e.

6. Balinese people are uber nice!

7. I have read that their tap water is not safe for drinking. Even locals do not drink tap water daw. So to be sure, yung pang tooth brush ni Antonio, bottled water.

8. We really enjoyed this vacation. Kasi once in a lifetime to e. And I am thankful that the wedding was held in Bali. E kasi kung wala namang kinasal sa Bali, di din kami pupunta dun diba?

8. Time to think of our next vacation! Woohoo!!! 

Bali ABADventure Day 5

Day 5:

This day is for Antonio. We went to Bali Safari and Marine Park. The price is USD35 per person. Buti na lang si Antonio wala pang bayad =D I think sulit naman ang bayad namin. Marami naman kaming nakitang animals. Antonio saw elephants, lions, giraffe, zebra, and rhinoceros (even si Arch, first time din nya makakita nun haha).

After Safari, we ate at I Made Joni. We had (walang kamatayang) Nasi Goreng and Bebek Bingil (crispy duck). Yummy!

Crispy Duck

Nasi Goreng (may kagat na yung chicken haha!)

After that, since nasa Bali na rin kami, we asked the driver if we can just pass by one temple. We went to Pura Desa Batuan Temple. Picture picture lang!

We should have done this trip to Safari and Ubud on a weekday. Kasi Saturday to so super traffic going to Safari. Then, papunta sa restaurant traffic din kasi there was a mass cremation all over the place (I think sa buong Bali) because the day was auspicious for cremation. According to our driver, every 5 years yung mass cremation. Cremation there daw is expensive kaya may mass cremation sila. So if ever a family  member died and walang money for cremation, the body will be buried first then antayin na lang yung mass cremation. I was asking Arch to take a pic of the ceremony, kaso nahiya asawa ko, feeling nya sacred kasi yun. So wala kaming picture. Pero may mga tourists kaming nakita na picture picture talaga nila yung ceremony.

Mga 5pm na rin kami nakadating sa hotel...sobrang pagod na pagod kami haha!