Dylan's Moving Up Day 2012

March 21, 2012

March seems to always be a fun-filled month for all of us.  We've had the kids' birthdays and I'm sure in the succeeding posts you'll be reading about the kids' end-of-school-year activities.  Just like this post, Dylan is at the San Beda University where he'll be celebrating his Moving Up Ceremony.  He's moving up from Kinder to Prep.

I still worry about him though because he doesn't learn as fast as the other kids because of his speech deficiency.  Especially now that they have to know the letters of the alphabet and he still doesn't seem to want to learn.







Here he is getting his certificate of completion from Ms. Shiela Abesamis-Nepomuceno.

Parents also received roses from their children as a way of thanking them for all their hard work and for supporting the kids and the school.

At last, it's vacation time! Here's Dylan wanting to fly off to his next adventure! LOL

Time for a little picture taking with Daddy ...

Happy Birthday Dylan!

March 18, 2012

This may sound funny but last week we were at UP for Patrick's photo shoot.  When we asked Dylan what he wanted to do for his birthday, he told us he wanted to go biking at UP again.  So, the birthday boy got his wish.  We went back to UP and took the kids biking again. :D






















After a few satisfying runs along the street, everyone was  tired and needed a rest.  Fortunately, there was a Mamang Sorbetero selling dirty ice cream :) It was such a treat having something so cold and yummy after the bike runs.  It also takes Patrick and I to our childhood of  visits to the park.  Such simple pleasures are truly to be treasured.

Naturally, after all that exercise, we were ravenous and Rodic's is the best place to satisfy our hunger :) Though we just had Tapsilog from the same place the previous week, we still want more!!! :D

After, I cooked Dylan's favorite pasta for dinner.  If I cooked chili prawns for Dana, Dylan also deserves my cooking :) And of course, pasta is my other specialty hahahaha  I guess you could say I had a few satisfied customers that night LOL

Dylan, my baby boy, it's tough that you're beset by your slight AD/HD and speech problems.  It's tough having to learn and it's tough on me to teach you as well.  But I'm proud that we're pulling through it together, that I see a lot of improvement.  I'm also fascinated by how your mind works, how you perceive things.  You're no ordinary son, that's for sure and you make me happy in ways that I simply cannot count.  Happy Birthday!  We love you!!

Tagging along on a Photoshoot for Top Gear Philippines

March 10, 2012

In Patrick's line of work, sometimes you have to compromise and combine work with pleasure, especially when he has to work during the weekends.  On this day, he was scheduled to interview a cousin, Jan Paul (technically he is my uncle by blood relation but he's younger than me so we just call each other cousins for simplicity), because his car will be featured in the magazine for their Japanese Issue.

So, while they're busy with their work, the kids were busy with riding their bikes and just having a terrific time.  You don't have to worry about them bumping into other bikes like you would if you go to Quezon Memorial Circle.  You also won't worry about other cars passing even though technically we're in the parking lot.  It's just nice to be out and about in the park, enjoying the sun and the breeze, eating your morning taho.

I love this shot :)

Love the sun on her face :)

 What better way to end the photo shoot/bike trip than with tapsilog at Rodic's :)

Happy Birthday Dana!

March 03, 2012

Happy birthday to my first born, to my only daughter, Dana! :) In life, we're not always as blessed as the year before so we do what we can to make our children's birthdays still special despite the slight budget.  I'm just fortunate that my kids, both Dana and Dylan, do not expect parties and grand events to celebrate their birthdays.

For breakfast, we wanted to surprise her with something that she loves.  So here - Jollibee pancakes! We just forgot to open the packs before taking the pics LOL

For lunch, I prepared her favorite - chili garlic prawns and that was a feast in itself.  :)

To cap the day, we had Pizza Hut delivered for dinner.  Nothing beats the taste of Coca-Cola too :)  It's also special because they're not supposed to drink Coke but it's a rare occasion so there :)

I look forward and will definitely treasure all the other milestones that are sure to come your way.  You're such a bright and intelligent girl (can't believe you came from us!) so we really are lucky to have you in our lives.

WE LOVE YOU AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Welcome to the World, Olivia Tracy!

February 26, 2012

Now, if you read my previous blog posts (click here and here), you know that we've had a pretty busy day yesterday.  So, when we got home in the evening, everyone just wanted to rest and relax so it was pretty early when everyone had gone to sleep.

I got woken up at 5AM by Den who said that she was already having contractions and that they were becoming painful.  That shook the sleepiness and the groggy-feeling right out of my body! :D It was a good thing that she was packed and ready to go to the hospital so it was just a matter of finding a taxi to get to the hospital.  Patrick had to stay home for the kids who were still asleep.

So, by 530AM we were at the hospital, she was admitted to the Labor Room while I was outside arranging for her room and just basically texting my brother and sister (Den's mom) about the news.

By around 7PM, I was just bored to death because I forgot to bring a book with me so I just took photos of the room where she will be staying.  It's a ward for 4 people but it seemed like a private room since there was no one in it but her anyway.

I was surprised when they brought in this set of breakfast.  I thought it was for Den but when I checked, it was for me woohoo! The longganisa was really good.  It didn't matter that I had no utensils hahaha I used my hands and I was so messy because I'm not used to eating barehanded hahahaha

Around lunchtime, Den hasn't come back yet and the rest of the family had arrived.  Sofia was content playing under the bed.

At around 1230, we got the call that Oliva Tracy was born and that she was in the nursery.  Naturally, we all trooped downstairs like mad men earning evil stares from the nurses on the floor :D So, here she is, Olivia Tracy weighing 2.7 kilos and 51 cms long.

Congrats Den! You're now a mother.  It's time to grow, be mature and think a little less of yourself and more of your child. :)

Dropping by R & J Bulalohan, Tapsilogan atbp

One of the nicest things about having a car is that you can just take off at the drop of a hat.  Well, that's exactly what happened today.  After an exhilarating time eating at Dampa with Sharon and her family, Patrick and I decided to go out and have dinner at R & J Bulalohan in Mandaluyong after seeing its reviews on TV.

But first, we had to drop by Ford Club Philippines' 10th Anniversary at the Fort in Taguig, Metro Manila.  Naturally, it was a photo opportunity waiting to happen :)  After Patrick was done with his work and the kids had ample time to go around and check the cars out, we all went to R&J Bulalohan in Mandaluyong.

For some time, Patrick had heard of R & J Bulalohan from his friends at work and we recently saw it featured in a foodie TV show which really piqued our curiosity.  So, since there was an opportunity, we grabbed it.    R & J Bulalohan is located along Bonifacio Avenue, just around the City Hall roundabout, in Mandaluyong.  It's famous for its Bulalo (of course!) and people from everywhere really make it a point to drop by and enjoy the food here.  Parking may be a problem though as they don't have a huge parking lot.  Here's a map to guide you.

We ordered Bulalo Regular (special is the one with brains and we didn't really fancy that haha).  We also ordered lumpiang shanghai for the kids, some fried tofu and lots of rice.  The bulalo comes with unlimited refills of soup so that's a good thing.  They said that the bulalo we ordered was good for 2-3 people, but I think it can only fill one really hungry person.  The meat wasn't really filling because the bone was bigger hehehe but the soup was really excellent.  Add 4 bottles of soda and our bill was only under P500! :D

The place is nowhere near fine dining.  It is open-air and you share your environment with people drinking beer and singing videoke.  If you're not too fond of smoking, you need to find seats far from the crowd.  The service is fast though and the crew is pleasant enough.  The bathroom leaves a lot to be desired but if you're desperate, no questions asked, right? ;)