A Letter For Amber On Her 6th Birthday

To my ever dearest Amber,

You turn six today.

You revel on being called a kid now. Yes, you don’t want to be called a baby anymore. But you know what? You will always be my and daddy’s baby, even if you are already 30 years old! You will never stop being our baby. I can almost hear you say, “What?! That’s crazy!”, in your funny American accent, which I will always be amazed of hearing since none of us in the household speaks that way.

You are very inquisitive. I’ve never heard so many WHYs in my life! But I’m glad that you never hold back in learning. You are never scared to ask us anything that baffles you or are new to you. I hope Daddy and I would always be able to satisfy your interested mind. If we do not, just keep on asking us... ;-)

You enjoy simple things. Despite that your playmates own high-end gadgets and expensive toys, you never once asked us to buy the same things for you. Instead, you enjoy playing with the things that you already have.

You are very creative. When you are done playing with your toys, you ask for paper and you make this:

There are so many paper cut-outs among your toys but I never dare throw them away no matter how crumpled they become because I know that they are your creations. That for you, they are made for something, that they mean something.

Every day, I still and always thank God for you. Every moment, I am loving you more!

Love,

Mommy Lanie

It’s Nanay’s Birthday!

We celebrated Nanay’s birthday by having lunch at Uncle Cheffy in Festival Mall. Yay! I was so excited that I’ll get to taste Cheffy Cheesecake again!

Since I didn’t eat breakfast that morning, I wanted to order everything that’s on the menu, so I just let Nanay and the Hubby decide what they want on our table as long as I’ll have my cheesecake later.

We wondered why Amber kept on standing on her seat then the Hubby discovered that ghost-like image of a little girl on the mirror on the other side of the resto. 

 

Was she trying to scare herself of her own reflection? 

And because I didn’t get a picture of everything that we ordered, I will not talk about them anymore but have to mention that I love the Tiuey Noodles!

At least I got to ask the Hubby to take a picture of the Rolled-up Panizza that I assembled!

 

Quite proud of my masterpiece. ^_^

I was disappointed when my Cheffy Cheesecake arrived.

It lacked the beauty that their branch in Venice Piazza presented on plate. I was looking for the choco shavings and the bed of chocolate fudge where the cheesecake should be seated but they weren’t there. This plate was as simple as it can be. Even the taste seemed different. Oh well, at least the crew here were nicer and very attentive.

May I also add, that in most desserts na may cherry, ‘save-the-best-for-last’ ko yang cherry na yan. Ngayown, while I’m taking a picture of the cake, may nakaabang na sa kawawang cherry.  

At the end of it all, what’s important is that we had a sumptuous meal.

Happy birthday, Nanay! My wish for you is to have more happy, strong and healthy years with us. I may not tell you this often but I’m sure you know how much I love you. I’ll forever be grateful for all the sacrifices you made for me. I may have questioned some of your decisions before but now that I’m already a mom myself, I came to understand why you chose not to do the things I thought you should have done, I respect the decisions you made and I admire you for weathering the storm alone for me. I love you, Nanay!

A Very Intimate Children’s Party

Felt great to be among the only few guests invited to a children’s party! Well, it wasn't really a party but a simple celebration. Basta, feeling ko, nasa 6-14 year old bracket lang ako. Haha!

We celebrated my boss’ children's birthday on Aug-8. Katuwa ano, pareho talagang August 8 ang birthday nila. My boss is very fond of numerology, astrology and stuff. So connect na lang what’s so important about 8/8. According to him, it wasn’t planned at all, purely coincidental!

Going back to the party. It was very cozy and intimate. As in 3 lang kaming guests, save 1 teenage classmate ng celebrator who came in late, and none of us can be considered a child. On a children’s party? Ang bongga di ba? But it was still fun. Namaos ako kakasigaw sa videoke! LOL!

The good thing about being a guest in a party this size, with people you know very well, is that nobody will mind if you’re out of tune. Even if they do, they’ll just shrug about it. Wala talagang basagan ng trip! Kanya-kanyang panahon lang yan. When it’s their turn on the mic, you just busy yourself searching for your next repertoire para di mo rin sila mashado naririnig at walang temptation na mambasag ka ng trip! Ang saya lang talaga!

Anyways, happy birthday Kuya Jim King! 

The first time I stepped in your daddy’s office, you were barely a year old. Ngayon, abah! Binata ka na! Hmpft, makes me feel old again. Huhu! I’m happy that you are growing up a very respectful, polite and well-mannered young man. Keep it up!

Happy 6^th birthday naman to this cute and sweet girl! 

She’s my bestest friend na, ever! You know why? When I got there, she keeps on looking at me. Then after a while, she approached and tugged me on my arm and whispered, “maganda ka”. Oh di ba? C’mon, kids don’t lie! Haha!

After the pukpok-palayok game, she approached me again and with all smiles handed me 3 1-peso coins. Di ba ang sweet? Maybe she thought she should give me some coins because I didn’t get any from the palayok. Eh kasi, alangan naming makipag-agawan ako sa mga bagets di ba? Parang nahiya naman kasi ako. OR! She thought I looked like I don’t have pamasahe pauwi? Hahaha! Either ways, thank you, sweet Jexcel. Stay sweet and thoughtful!

Here are some pictures from that day:

At shempre... I'm so planning to make this an obligatory shot everytime I go out. Harhar!

Happy birthday, kids!

*Photos courtesy of their Tita Margie. 

Mama's Post Birthday Celebration!

We celebrated Mama’s birthday last Saturday. And what better way to do it? Malling and eating! Both our favorite pastimes!

We went to Fairview Terraces. That’s the newly opened Ayala mall in Fairview. Amber didn’t like it there that much because she prefers to go to the lumang mall. That’s SM Fairview just across Fairview Terraces. Eh dahil berdey ni Mama, her choice prevailed! The little girl didn’t get a chance. ;)

We had a hearty lunch at Gerry’s Grill. Ako ang may pakana nyan, because I craved for their inihaw na pusit!

Clockwise from Top: Inihaw na Pusit, Crispy Fish Fillet, Pancit Bihon, 
Seafood Rice, Bulalo and Shrimp Gambas. 
Crispy Pata, Mama's special request, is not in the picture. :)

And so, we pigged out. :D

After eating, we had enough food left to takeout for dinner. We even had an extra Pork Binagoongan, which we had for free! Or we only paid for a hundred bucks because we bought their Circle of Friends card for P100. 

This is like a loyalty card that enables you to avail of a free dish every time you reach a food purchase of P1,500. Since we can already make use of it that time, we bought one and had ourselves an extra Pork Binagoongan for dinner! Sad thing I don’t eat anything with bagoong. But the rest of the gang was delighted!

Mama doesn’t want us to buy her a cake anymore because it has been already more than a week since her birthday. Instead, we just had dessert at Banapple, located inside the Wellworth Department Store.

White Chocolate Truffle Berry Cheesecake, Dark Choco Tiramisu Cheesecake,
Blueberry Chessecake and Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake.

Happy birthday, Mama! Wishing you more and more healthy years!  

A Letter For Amber On Her 5th Birthday

My dearest Amber,

Today, you turn 5 years old and I feel so giddy about it. ^_^

You can read now. And you love reading! You read every word you see around you and often ask me what it is about. I guess it will just be a matter of time before you finally get to read Mommy’s blogs about you. I’m so looking forward to that and know what your thoughts are about everything that Mommy writes!

Oh! We still need to get pass your picky-eating stage. Argh! How I wish to see you eat with gusto. I’m beginning to be bothered by your skinny arms and legs. People, who I know care, told me that I shouldn’t worry too much as long as you are active and do not get sick too often. Well, not only that you are very active, you are so TALKATIVE, too, if I may add!

Yup, you are getting more and more talkative. Not a day goes by that you do not fill the house with your random songs, monologues and blabbers.

I talked to your teacher, Sister Henrietta this morning, and she said that you are very quiet in class. She was surprised when I told her how you are at home.

I still wonder why you seem to fold up everytime you are surrounded with people you don’t know very well yet. The chatty you just hides there somewhere and it takes a long time for you to warm up to someone.

In your previous school, it took you a semester to open up and mingle with your classmates. The same happens with your cousins when you see them again after a long while.

Please know that it’s okay for you to always have new acquaintances and new friends all the time. It is okay to say hi and smile back to people and children you just met [as long as they are not suspiciously creepy-looking strangers]. That’s the first step to friendship after all. ;)

Sadly, we already came to the point where we have disagreements. A lot! But I cherish the moments when we kiss and make-up. You always find ways to tell me that you’re sorry even without having to say that you are.

Just very recently, when I decided not to talk to you because you have once again tested my limits, I could feel how you have been glancing at me but I had to hold my ground. When we went to church and I was following you and Daddy while you walk hand in hand. You suddenly stopped, let go of Daddy’s hand and ran to me, took my hand and led me to the pew. So sweet. That simple gesture made my heart melt. I already understood.

But I just hope that we don’t have to argue at all. And if it really can’t be helped, that there will be something we both can learn from in our every disagreement.

And I promise to keep in mind that you’re only 5 years old, not 16. :)

I love you, forever and ever! :)

Love,

Mommy

P.S.: Please try to eat some more, okay? :)

Par-TEA for 4!

Hindi ko keri ang mag-plan/host ng party kasi madali akong mangarag. I tend to panic and over-think.

But for the love of my baby girl, I prepared a tea party for her and 3 of her friends on her birthday last June 14. I thought of giving it a try because there will only be four of them. Four little girls! How hard would that be, right? :D

I decided to DIY everything. From the invites, party hats, food, decors, games, etc...

I only realized it wasn’t a walk in a park when it was already 3PM and there were still a lot of things left undone. The curtains and decors weren’t up yet. The chicken lollipop was still in the deep fryer. The sandwiches weren’t assembled. And the birthday girl hasn’t taken her bath yet. And the party starts at 3:30! 8-?

Two of the girls already arrived while we were putting up the curtains that will serve as the backdrop of the party (okay, okay, the curtains are really there to hide the clutter on that side of the garage. It served its purpose well :D). They didn’t mind that everything is still in the works because they were busy putting stickers on my new tea set (yes, on my NEW, immaculately white, TEA SET! ARGH!).

When Amber’s guests arrived, I started serving them tea, which is really apple-flavored iced tea in a teapot. Of course I asked the kids’ guardians if they are allowed to drink iced tea before serving them. Otherwise, I would have served them fruit juices. I don’t give Amber iced tea yet but for her party, I’m giving a little leeway. :)

With their tea, I offered them mini-cupcakes, mini-chocolate chip cookies, pretzels, mini-cream puffs, mini-sandwiches, hotdogs-on-stick and yogurt sticks, which they enjoyed the most.

For the adults, we served (and failed to take photos of) spaghetti, chicken lollies, lumpiang shanghai and sandwiches. All were cooked by the mighty, Ate Judith!

When they finished their tea, we had the Catch-The-Tea game. This is a version of the Pin the donkey’s tail game, only we used teapot and cups to match the party theme. The kids had so much fun! They were all very excited when I gave them each their personalized cut-out cups.

They decided to declare Rafa the winner. Check out why...

LOL! Kids and their humor.

A birthday isn’t a birthday without blowing a birthday candle – on a yummy cake.

Amber personally chose that cake from the selection we showed her.

Next activity is the Dress-A-Princess game. I handed them each a Disney Princess paper doll with 4 matching dresses each. The dolls were a hit! They spent quite a long time trying on the different dresses on their dolls.

After a while, the girls asked if they can dance. No, they actually insisted that they wanted to dance. And since this is the part that I failed to consider when planning this party, I do not have a playlist prepared! Thanks to the TV and internet, I was able to search dance songs – mostly Amber’s favorites, and played it on Youtube while the girls dance.

At 7:30PM, they still didn’t want to leave. Well, I guess that meant that they enjoyed the party. So I had to promise them that next year, they will be having a teddy bear & pajama party so they can stay late! I hope I can live up to that promise. Teehee!

And the birthday celebrator looked like she enjoyed her party, too! I received a generous amount of "It's cool, Mom!", "I love it!" and "You're the best!" from the little girl. I am so relieved,... exhausted but very pleased.

Thank you to Amber's friends who gave life to the party and a memorable birthday for the birthday girl.

Happy 4th birthday again, sweet girl! 

A Letter For Amber On Her 4th Birthday

@}-,------

My dearest Amber,

This day, you turned 4.

Whenever I look at you, I still can’t help but feel amazed. You are still a baby yet you look so grown up in many ways.

I forgot when you began being so talkative. The house is always filled with your cute, tiny, sometimes shrilling voice. You talk all the time. All. The. Time!

Your Dad and I find it cute when you make up excuses for things we ask you to do but do not want or feel like doing. At 4 years old, you’re already making up excuses? Really? I find it somewhat unusual. But we find your wits in doing so very amusing.

At this stage, you love to perform.

You dance every time Daddy plays Bruno Mars’ Locked Up In Heaven, Maroon 5’s Move Like Jagger, Nikki Minaj’s Starship and J.Lo’s Dance Again. Are you aware that you dance on the streets most of the time? I don’t intend to make you feel embarrassed but yes you do. A lot of times! Whenever Daddy plays these songs while he washes the car, you just storm out of the house and make the street your center stage. You don’t care if strangers pass by.

When you don’t do your usual monologues, you fill the air with songs of your liking. You sing Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe. At least we can make out the tune even if you’re making your own lyrics. Well, you wanted to make the song your own so be it. :D

You show so much interest in a lot of things. In my heart, I vowed that I will do my best to support you in all the things that you want to do. That if I be permitted, I will go with you in every rehearsals, recitals and competitions... in all of your endeavours.

You never cease to fill my heart with an overwhelming joy whenever I look at you. You make me so proud of you just the way that you are now.

Happy 4^th birthday, my baby. I always thank God for the blessing that is you. And we pray for the good Lord to guard, guide and bless you always. I love you. Daddy and I love you so much.

Love,

Mommy

P.S., Oh! I just have to mention with pride that you now use the big toilet bowl! Yipee! Oops, sorry sweetheart if I still had to post that... you’ll understand me someday. ;-)

Happy Birthday, Ate Judith!

March 18

Thank you for looking after the little one while Mommy and Daddy are at work.

November Celebrations

Hiyah!

I’ve been very busy these past few weeks, especially during weekends, that I did not post any weekend activities of my little girl.

It’s a good busyness though. ^_^ My newfound business is doing well. I’m not running out of daily inquiries and I’ve sent out orders the past 2 weeks and I still have an unfinished batch sitting at home. Thank God for the blessings! Sorry if I don't talk about its details here kasi I made a pact, since the time I constructed this blog, that that I am keeping this blog very personal. Chos! Sabi ko lang yun, I'll talk about it din soon. Hehe!

Heniweyz, going back to my not-so-personal life... ^_^

We celebrated 3 birthdays in the office this month. The 4^th birthday will be held this Wednesday but I can’t wait until then to show the pictures of the past 2 celebrations anymore (mine kasi I’ve already shown previously). Not naman because the pictures are grand, nothing really unusual, it's just nice to talk about it. Saka I remembered that I haven’t introduced my office buddies in this blog yet. That’s so not nice of me considering that they are who I share my everydays with. Mas matagal ko pa nga silang kasama kesa sa anak ko di ba?

So without further ado, here are my officemates, the ones I usually spend my days with... ang dahilan ng kakrung-krungan ko most of the times.

This is Kuya Rey. I will not mention how old he is already because it doesn’t really matter. He looks, thinks and feels younger than us anyways. LOL!

His birthday is really October 28 but because it fell on a weekend and our other tropa went back to her hometown the following day, we celebrated his birthday on November 5.

We used to be the Power Puff Girls and Danny Bravo until Margz resigned.

We refer to Kuya Rey as the natural Scorpion. Kasi ang trait daw ng taong born under the sign of Scorpio, eh yung pag may pinakisuyo ka, hindi pwedeng walang reklamo. Madalas, kokontra pa yan. Pero in the end, gagawin naman. Yan! Yan si Kuya Rey.

Pero very dependable yan. Sobrang maasahan talaga! Sha ang Rey of all trades namin sa office.

Meet Miss Novel. Let’s also skip the real age part. What’s important is that she looks fairly young compared to her age. LOL! Totoo naman di ba?

  

She turned –tythree last November 17 and since it also fell on a weekend, we were treated to a hearty lunch on the 19^th.

If you look at our pictures, it seemed that they were taken on the same day, at the same time. Pasensha na po, sa sobrang cute ng office namin, that spot is the best place where we can dine in together. And we actually prefer dining in the office than dining out, ang init kaya sa labas! Wag na lang pansinin that that table is actually our boss’ table. Eh wala naman sha kaya keri na shang dining table. Hehe! 

Opsie, I missed making kwento a lot that I’ve been typing all away na. Parang nobelang flop na ang entry na ito so I’ll end it with a - BOW! ^_^

I Love November!

Do you know that November is my favorite month? Why?

Because 13th month pays are given this time of the month. That means I have extra cash to spend. Yipee! THAT IS IF I HAVEN’T BURNED MY CREDIT CARD YET.

Because there are usually 4 holidays in this month, sometimes less, really depends if Nov-2 gets to be declared. Nevertheless, holidays are fun. 

Because by this month, I begin feeling the cool weather already. It’s just very Christmas-y.

And most especially, people are nicer to me during the first week particularly, because Nov-6 is my natal day!

Big thanks!!! 

To the Hubby for my chocolate caramel cake. It would’ve been yummier if “SEXY” did fit. LOL! 

To the little girl at home for making my day complete with a big warm hug and a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMY!!!" as soon as I got home.

To the two officemates who I always have lunch with, for sharing with me another simple, but felt like a Sofitel's Spiral Buffet, Kenny Rogers Roaster lunch. :)

To my friends and family who showered me with so much greetings in Facebook.

Thank you! Thank you!

Dear Lord, my saviour, my only God,... thank you for a wonderful year. I am always grateful!