Thursday, December 30, 2010

Lucas is an addict...

Addicted to Thomas the Train, that is.

My son gets all giddy when he receives anything Thomas-related. Be it towels, a cap, DVDs, books. But we can tell that he's happiest when he gets new trains to add to his collection. Amazingly, he knows all trains by name (well, at least those who are in Season 8).

 Kinikilig talaga :) This is why we can't resist buying him new trains.

 He loves arranging them in one straight line

  See? You can tell he loved what he just got

~*~
So, guess who got into panic-buying mode when they chanced upon the Wooden Railways series on Sale at Toy Kingdom :) Haha. Of course, it didn't help that JJ just received his SM Gift Cheques, a company Christmas gift.

We gave them to Lucas one by one. I think we still have 2 or 3 left wrapped and hidden inside our cabinet. We see that he appreciates them more and each gets to be his favorite train for a longer while this way. Of course, it's also one sure cure for his tantrums...

~*~
Moving on to my other toy addict (this one's a Transformer addict). We're looking for Prime Voyagers that recently went on sale. Would appreciate any leads :) Been to malls in the South already and sadly, they've all been sold out :(

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Our Linen/Silk Anniversary

I almost clobbered the hubby when he greeted me "Happy 3rd Anniversary" at a little past 1 AM this morning. A sweet gesture, yes. But he should've counted properly first. See, it's our fourth anniversary already :) I restrained myself (lest I have to drive him to the hospital (on our anniversary no less) with a head injury) and just said "Happy Anniversary Labs. But please count again" :)). Now, this kind of booboo would be unforgivable to some but lets give hubby a break. He really has issues counting years and months. But I digress, to celebrate our 4th year as Mr. and Mrs. Vallesteros, I would like to share pictures from the past years.


 Our 2006 Wedding. Gray skies but thank heavens it didn't rain. Think garden reception :)

 2007: Merely two months after our wedding, JJ was sent abroad for training. Took it as an opportunity to have our honeymoon overseas. This same year, after an HPT I took early morning of our 1st anniversary, we found out that we're gonna be Daddy and Mommy in about eight months.

 August 2008: Everyone was all eyes on the Olympic Games held in Beijing, China. A week after the opening ceremonies (August 15, 2008), I was watching the gymnastics competition in the Delivery Room while giving birth to our dear darling son, Lucas Ethan.

 2009: Big year for me and JJ career-wise. We also celebrated Lucas' first birthday.

2010: Yey! Lucas is big enough to take vacations with us! Still challenging but at least he already appreciates the change in scenery.


~*~ 
Looking back. I cannot believe how much our lives has changed in the past four years. I am looking forward to celebrating more years with you JJ. Cheers to a brighter future for our little family.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Farewell Lola

JJ's Lola Poleng passed away early last week. She was 88 years old. From what JJ and my in-laws told me, she lived a full life. Challenging, yes. But she emerged victorious. One just have to look at her six children to see that.

Though I've known Lola for only a short period of time, I felt everyone's loss because in that short time, I got a glimpse of the great mom and grandmother that everyone adored and loved.

I am sure that JJ will tell our children stories of how his Lola P braved the PNR commute to help him out with his assignments. How Lola took good care of him when he stayed in Morwood Drive.  

Farewell Lola. You will always be in our hearts.
~ * ~

With Lola and Tita Sylv, our 2006 wedding

 During the reception, where she made everyone laugh with her speech

Lola's 87th Birthday celebration

 Early 2009. First time she met Lucas.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Hollywood Siblings

Got these cute pics from People
Kingston and Zuma Rossdale


Heidi's Leni and Johann

 Madonna's Lourdes and Mercy

Ben and Jennifer's Violet and Seraphina

~*~
I just find the pictures cute okay? :P I am not hinting at anything here. Not yet :)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Proud Momma Moment

Lucas was playing with his toys outside our bedroom. Said toys were initially in a big plastic box. He was taking them out one by one and understandably, after a while every piece was out of the box and scattered on the floor. Lucas was having fun so I let him be. I went inside our bedroom and set up my computer where I can still keep an eye on Lucas while he's playing. One minute he was playing with his toys, next minute, he was jumping up and down on our bed. Surprised, I asked him if he's done playing and if Mommy can put his toys inside the plastic box already. He replied, "Cover Mommy, cover". When I looked outside, my heart stopped. The toys were inside the plastic  box already! Everything was inside, not one single toy was left lying on the floor. And all this he did without me asking him to. Wow. Proud and touched, I hugged him and said "Thank you" and praised him for doing such a good job of storing his toys. Kaya pala he was saying "cover", because that is all that's left for me to do. Cover the box :)

~*~

Friday, November 12, 2010

The Big 3-0

Yup, JJ and I just turned a year older. Here are snapshots of our birthdays:
 Looks can be deceiving. This chocolate cake from Shopwise looks simple but believe me, it's so yummy. Moist and soft. All for P300++.
 My boys.

Eugene and Eunice celebrated their birthdays by having a swimming party at Eugene's condo.

 Little Lucas loves to swim.

 Candle-blowing

 Lucas found a new toy 

 My cake - from Mom and Dad. Yeah, I was craving for Smores then...

 Wiser at 30?

 Our little cake lover

 See? Kailangan may QA

 Yummy Mommy :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Conversations with Lucas

While watching the Spongebob episode where Gary ran away from home...
Lucas: Mommy, where find Gary?
Mommy: Hmmm, I dunno....
Lucas (looking under our bed): Gary! Gary! Gary!
He went on to look for "Gary" outside the bedroom. I followed in his wake, explaining to everyone in the house who Gary is and why Lucas is looking for him :) We moved to Bikini Bottom na pala.

*~*
While playing...
Lucas: Mommy, say ahhhhh
Mommy (opening my mouth wide, showing him my teeth): AHHHHHHHH
Lucas: Oooh, shark! shark!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

What's new

Wow! It's been weeks since I last updated this blog. Feeling ko naman maraming bumabasa eh no? :) Haha, but for the sake of those who frequent my little space in cyberspace (JJ and Chissa), I would like to share that I can now drive. Not just inside the village ha? Yes, from Sucat to Fort Bonifacio :)

I took driving lessons at Smart Driving in BF Paranaque. Looking back, hindi ko akalain na aabot ako sa punto na hindi na ako mahihimatay after ko i-start yung kotse. I've gone a long way .Kudos to the driving instructors who were patient with me. For those thinking of taking driving lessons, I highly recommend Smart Driving. Sobrang value for money and I am proof na talagang matututo ka. They also gave assistance when I had my student permit converted into a non-pro license. It was such a breeze (well, just make sure na online yung San Juan LTO :) ).

Malakas rin siguro ang loob ko to actually drive alone because I took manual driving lessons. Automatic yung kotse namin so it was far easier nung actual driving  na. Thanks rin to JJ who was confident enough to let me drive on my own. 

So, if you see a '99/'00 Civic na sobrang bagal sa SLEX at sa C5, chances are it's me :)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Lucas turns 2!

Munchkin turned two last August 15. We celebrated the milestone at home by having lunch with our immediate families.
Here are some of the snapshots during our little one's big day.

Birthday banner made by  Tita Eunice (aka Chini)
Daddy did the QA work. We loved the ribs. Thanks Tita Cheese for coming early to cook Kare-Kare (yummy too!).

Knick-knacks for our nephews

While everyone was busy preparing stuff for the lunch party, the celebrant was busy too. He was running around the house, playing with the gifts he received earlier that day. Pawis pawis na :)
Mommy getting the cake ready. Celebrant can't help but taste the cake's icing.
Lucas, Ramone, Lighting and The King :)

Happy birthday sweetheart. Daddy and Mommy love you much much.

Friday, September 3, 2010

On Being a Mom

I dropped by Clarice's site and read this entry. I just had to re-post it here. Clarice got it from Kate's blog. Kate, on the other hand, got it from Indigo Manila.


It's a very nice read.
*********

Being a Mom


We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family."

"We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"

"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.

"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.

I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.

She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester be lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to k now that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.

TRY NOT TO CRY....

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

****************

Monday, August 2, 2010

Little Angels in our Family

A long drive was the order of the day yesterday when we trooped to Pampanga to attend my 3-month old nephew Enzo's christening. He is such a big boy now :) It is amazing how fast little boys like him fill up.

Here are snapshots of Lolo Popsy and Lola Momsy's grandsons...
Julian Matthew - MATTY


Juan Miguel - MIGGY


Lucas Ethan - LUCAS


Luis Jacob - LUIS


Lorenzo Macarius - ENZO

Popsy's been badgering us (his married children) to work on his granddaughter :) Haha! as if it's that easy...

~*~
The reception was held at Cabalen's in Robinson's Starmills in San Fernando. Buffet again. JJ and I probably gained five lbs. each with all that eat-all-you-can thing the past weekend :)

There's a mall-wide sale the same day so the family checked out the stores. Mom and Chissa loved the Mango and Plains & Prints outlet stores. Mom enjoyed shopping and was kind enough to buy tops for me and my sister. Thanks Mom :)

~*~
It was indeed a fattening weekend :) More please.... 

Happy Birthday Lola E :)

Lola E turned a year older last Friday, July 30. We celebrated her actual birthday at home with lamb chops and chocolate cake (both were so yummy! the cake was so moist!).

Saturday, the family had dinner at Yakimix MOA. Good thing Nice was able to call days ahead and reserve a table for us. First batch (Me, JJ, Lucas, Ate Michelle, Einar and Enrico) were seated by 6:10PM. We were there early so as not to lose our reservation. If we didn't come in by 6:15PM, our slot would have been given to someone else. Believe me, the line when we got there was pretty long already! 

We enjoyed the food :) Our little boy was running around the place after he had his fill of fried rice, blueberry cheesecake and ice cream. It was pretty tiring but what can a mom-to-a-two-year-old-who-loves-to-run do? :) As usual, loved the salmon sashimi and maki. Missed the siomai though.

After dinner, we decided to walk around the mall. We dropped by Booksale. It was HUGE! Ate Michelle and I enjoyed browsing through titles. Got lots of children's books for Lucas at reasonable prices. Ate Michelle and I left the place dreaming of days when we can browse to our hearts' content (translation: Just us, without the kiddos :) ). It will come, Ate. It will come.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Ate Mariel is back :)

Yey!

I am sure most of you are familiar with the anxiety that comes with a very good household help going on vacation. The past two weeks weren't really that difficult for us, thanks to Mommy E and Tita Nice who watched over Lucas while we were at work (one major perk of living with my in-laws :) ). 

But was I glad when Mariel sent me an SMS saying that she's already at Dumaguete airport's waiting lounge, waiting for the boarding announcement. Sigh of relief indeed. Now we can go back to "regular programming". Back to regular gym sessions, aero class and other "me-time" activities :)  Of course, date nights are back too.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

A month away from his second birthday

Lucas turns 23 months today! Whew! In a month, our little guy will turn two years old. Sniff. Sniff. I know it's such a cliche' but really, how fast time flies.

Here's a couple of Lucas's pics:
At Isabel's 1st Birthday Party


Hi Mom! Lucas watching the games for adults

Obviously, starstruck! He kept on pointing at him and shouting his name but he refused to go near Jollibee.

"Water!"

With daddy and with mommy...


Choo-choo train at Festival Mall

At a family dinner

MILESTONES:
  • "A" = apple, "B" = B, "C" = coo-coo (for cookie), "D" = Da, "E" = egg, "P" = P, "R"=R
  • Can count from 1-5, when he's in the mood. Can fill in the next number until number 10 (Thanks Tita Nice for patiently teaching Lucas)
  • Says the following words and uses them in the right context: Mommy, Daddy, Lolo, Lola, Ate, Danel (Daniel), Cwaker (Cracker), Yumyum, Up, Joo (juice), Igs (Migs), Bath, No, Ya, Cake, Cream (ice cream), egg, bread, jump, book, please (pwease), swim, etc. (forgot the other words na but he says a lot. he also imitates the words from his tv shows (Dora, Thomas, Sesame Street). Lolo G often calls him a myna bird.
  • Can identify the following animals and can say what they are aloud: dog, nyaw (cat), rabbit, frog (fwog), mouse, duck, pig, ipi (ipis or ladybug, ipi tawag niya :) ), elephant (elepa). He barks when he sees dogs and says "Nyaw!" when he sees cats.
  • Imitates actions
  • When he hears people call our household help "'day", he calls them Day too instead of his usual "Ate"
  • He sometimes calls his daddy, "J" and calls me "Chie" when he hears people calling me by name.
  • One day, he was writing on a paper. When we asked him what he's drawing, he replied, "Ipi" (ipis). Believe me, his scribble was nowhere near an actual ipis :)
  • He loves Thomas the Train. He'd eat, sleep, take a bath, travel, etc. with his trains. We love buying trains for him because his face lights up with delight when we show him his pasalubong.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Mini Shopaholic

I dropped by Amazon earlier today and saw the synopsis for Sophie Kinsella's upcoming book. Mini Shopaholic will be available by September 2010. Oh I just can't wait!

I got the UK version cover from Sophie's website

Click here to see the synopsis at Amazon.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Wimbledon 2010 Champion

Celebratory forward roll

At the Champions Ball
With Serena

Vamos Rafa!

Pictures by Julian Finney/ Getty Images.