Pio's 1st Birthday at Ristorante Bigoli

June 01, 2013

It's always a pleasure and a privilege to be invited to someone's birthday celebration.  This time, we were all invited to Pio's first birthday celebration at Ristorante Bigoli.  Pio is the son of my cousin Cathy and her husband Ian.

At first, we weren't sure where Ristorante Bigoli was until we reached Eastwood and we realized it used to be called Fazoli's.  I remembered we ate here before and we really loved their food especially the bread sticks.  Suffice to say, we were already drooling even before we set foot through the door hahaha

Dylan at 4 years old eating at Fazoli's

It was good to be with family and the kids had a great time as you can see.  The master of entertainment was indeed a Master since he was able to keep the kids' attention throughout his performance.  The kids participated in the games and other activities and even won some prizes :)  

Happy birthday to Pio and thanks to Cathy and Ian for a fun birthday celebration! :)

Feature article on Smart Parenting magazine is OUT!

May 23, 2013

After the much-awaited arrival of the magazine (for me, at least)  I was able to get my hands on the April Issue of the Smart Parenting magazine that we were featured in.  It was puzzling why I wasn't given a complimentary copy though I'm not sure if the other moms had gotten one either but anyway, as soon as the issue became available, bought a few copies to spread around hahaha Sheesh! it's not everyday we get featured in a magazine so .....

Naturally, I immediately scanned our page!!  What do you think? :D Reading from the acknowledgements on the page, the Photo was shot by Dakila Angeles and the make-up and hairstyling was done by Pipo Santos.  But honestly, there was nothing to change with the hair LOL Prior to the shoot, the team at Smart Parenting asked me about the kids' sizes.  The dress on Dana and the button-down shirt on Dylan came from Elle Kids boutique at Glorietta.  They only wore it at the shoot hehehe Oh and the shoes I was wearing belonged to Maika B. who was the sittings editor.  I had slip-ons and she suggested that closed-shoes looked better hahahaha I agree! :)

The thing to remember here is that we had fun.  It was an extraordinary experience for me and the kids.  Dana even brought a copy of the magazine and showed it to her teachers and classmates in school.  I guess this one was for the Bucket List hahahaha

Traveling to Tarlac in the Hyundai Sante Fe

May 18-20, 2013

Last April, we had the privilege of meeting up with Uncle Bebot and his family in Tarlac.  This time, we took them up on their offer to stay a while at their home.  Patrick had another test unit to drive - this time it was the Hyundai Sante Fe so it was perfect timing for a long road trip.  Kids were comfortable at the back and enjoying the "arm rest".  They kept asking for drinks so they can use the cup holders haha  We had lunch at Zapata's in Clark (though I think it's called Iguana now).

The sky from the sunroof

When we arrived, we took some time to get settled but the kids wanted to swim immediately.  So here we are!

 When everyone got tired of swimming, it was probably evening by that time.  We had dinner with the family and then it was sleepy time! We were given our own room and the kids shared a bed.

The next day dawned bright and early and I took the opportunity to take pictures of our ride, the luxurious Hyundai Sante Fe.  The pictures look foggy because the camera was cold haha

When everyone had breakfast, we took a trip to the family's rice mill where Kuya George gave us a tour around the place.  The kids were content at the back of the Sante Fe while the adults were talking.

Naturally, when you have a pool at your disposal, you'll take advantage of it and that's what we did hahaha
Dylan kept swimming with his floatie while Dana found out that she liked to dive from the edge of the pool.

That's Dylan's version of diving ! haha

Meanwhile, Patrick and I were relishing the soothing calm of the place :)

But eventually, all vacations must end and we have to go back to reality.  It seemed like a short trip and they didn't want us to go too haha With the promise to return, we left the Tadeo abode and went on our way towards Manila.  Since it was nearing dinner time, we stopped at Victor's Barbecue and Lechon Manok which had the reputation of being the best barbecued dishes this side of the North.  It really was good! 

Even with that full dinner, the kids got hungry again and we stopped for snacks.  Now, the kids were happy they were able to use the cupholders in the Hyundai Santa Fe.  :)