Celebrating Rinoa
Posted on | September 24, 2009 | 8 Comments
A few weeks ago, we celebrated Rinoa’s 5th birthday. It’s interesting to note that this year, Rinoa was old enough to understand, for the first time, the concept of birthdays. She knew children get gifts on their birthdays – and she was excited. She’s been wanting this wooden kitchen set from Target, and one starry night, while we were outside on the driveway, she pointed to the brightest star she could find and made a wish.
A week after she made her wish, and just a few days before her birthday, this is what happened:
Rinoa: Mommy, I told the wishing star I wanted the kitchen set for my birthday. Does that mean you’re going to give me the kitchen set on my birthday?
Mommy: Well, if you made a wish, that’s between you and the wishing star. That doesn’t mean you will get a kitchen set from me.
Rinoa: Does that mean the wishing star will give me the kitchen set for my birthday?
Mommy: You just have to be patient and see if your wish will be granted.
Now, her concept of birthdays go beyond knowing she’ll get gifts. This is what she said the night before her birthday:
Rinoa: All of you have to hide tomorrow and surprise me.
Mommy: Why do we have to do that?
Rinoa: Because that’s what people do when it’s someone’s birthday. Everybody hides and when I come in and I don’t see anybody, I’ll say ‘Aawww, there’s nobody here and it’s my birthday!’ And then you’ll all come out and shout ‘Happy Birthday!’ and I will be happy.
Mommy: Where did you learn that?
Rinoa: I saw it on TV.
Mommy: Uh-huh.
Rinoa: So are you going to hide?
Mommy: No.
Rinoa: Aaawww. Why not?
Mommy: Because surprises don’t work that way. You can’t tell someone to surprise you on your birthday because then, you won’t be surprised anymore.
Rinoa: Ok.
Anyway, she did get surprised. The next morning, when she woke up and came downstairs, one of her gifts was already set up against a wall and waiting for her. (Not really hard to guess what it was.)
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| Just look at that big smile on her face. (The kitchen set, btw, was a pain to put together, according to Troy.) |
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| And here she is, opening more gifts. This one is from Mica. |
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| Mica got her a Tinkerbell doll and a new princess tiara, since she broke Rinoa’s old one. |
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| Rinoa chose to have cupcakes rather than one big birthday cake – so I baked her two kinds – a cloud cupcake (meringue frosting) with pink sprinkles and a fruit cupcake with mascarpone frosting. She’s making a wish here before she blows out the candles. |
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| Two of her friends, Zoe and Maddy, came to celebrate with us. |
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NY 2009, Part 3: Girls’ Night Out and a Celebration
Posted on | August 19, 2009 | 2 Comments
| This post is the 3rd part of a 2-week series about my recent vacation in New York. |
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During Jessi’s baptism, I met more of Ivy’s aunts and cousins. (If I haven’t mentioned it before, Ivy belongs to a really large clan.) Her family is amazing. You know how sometimes it feels awkward to meet new people because you may not know what to say? Well, my sister-in-law’s family makes you feel like you’ve known them for a long time. They’re so warm and inviting. What’s really great about the relatives I met is that Ivy’s cousins are in Mica’s age group – the girls bonded in no time and went out on that same day for a fun evening in Manhattan.
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| Here’s Kayla, Gisella, and Mica at M&M World in Times Square. |
[As a sidenote, I found two new M&M flavors - Peanut Butter & Strawberry and Coconut - weird but interesting at the same time. I love the Peanut Butter & Strawberry - it tastes kinda like PB&J. The Coconut I wasn't even going to try but after reading reviews online, I became curious - so that's going to be in my grocery list.]
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I didn’t go out with the girls because Rinoa was tired and I knew I’d end up just carrying her – which would definitely not be a good thing. The “Tres Marias” ended up chaperoning them.
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We were able to share in the celebration of Jessi’s 3rd-month birthday while we were in New York. Yes, her parents actually buy a cake every month – ironic since the celebrant can’t eat cake yet.
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| My sister-in-law Ivy, my brother Jay, and Baby Jessi. |
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| With Mica and Rinoa. |
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| Ok, now they’re just goofing off. =) |
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Tomorrow, I’m sharing about our trip to Cape Cod – yes, still part of the 2-week “NY 2009″ series. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:
NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
Posted on | August 18, 2009 | 5 Comments
| This post is the 2nd part of a 2-week series about my recent vacation in New York. |
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I love family reunions – and this visit to New York is a family reunion. Never thought my siblings and I would end up being scattered – My sister and I live in Illinois, my brother lives in New York, and my mom still resides in the Philippines. Because of this, get-togethers become all the more important to maintain an unbreakable family bond – especially as our family stems out into the next generation.
Mica, Rinoa, and I have actually been anticipating this reunion because it’s the first time we’re going to see my new niece, Jessi. And what a delight! My two girls just adore their cousin!
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A few things I realized:
- Jessi loves putting her whole fist in her mouth – I guess thumb sucking is old school.
- Mica definitely loves kids. When we visited my friend’s family last year in Vegas, she took charge of watching over my friend’s toddler. This time, she jumped at every opportunity to take care of her cousin. (Although she still walks away at the site of poopie diapers. Didn’t say she was the perfect babysitter yet.)
- Next to a 3-month old baby, it really shows how much Rinoa has grown and matured. She’s not my baby anymore. Sob! Sob! (Next thing you know, my two girls are off to college — Whaaaa!)
Like I mentioned yesterday, two of my aunts and a cousin from California and Texas were also able to visit – so we had a blast. I’m sure it was a challenge for my brother and his wife to house so many guests. But it just adds to the fun – all packed like a sardine in one house.
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My two aunts are awesome. I always have a great time with them. You see how cool Tita Liwie is – doesn’t even care that she’s still in hair rollers in the photograph. And Tita Maricor is the epitome of homeyness – she always brings homebaked cookies and other goodies whenever she visits family. This time, she even brought some fresh produce from her garden.
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This is my cousin DJ. Love love love my cousin. He’s such a hoot – there’s never a dull moment with him. He’s probably going to strangle me for posting this picture of him but it makes for an interesting subject. That morning, my brother’s neighbors were violently arguing outside that I almost called the cops. They were so loud but my cousin, being a heavy sleeper, was not disturbed a bit – didn’t even have a clue on what happened.
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This is my sister’s best friend, Madz, with Rinoa. She’s been friends with my sister for so long that she’s become part of the family. I’m glad she was able to join us.
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And here we are playing cards – a staple in our get-togethers. Not for the faint of heart though as these games heat up pretty fast. Unfortunately, after that weekend, everybody else had to fly back home to go back to work.
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More family affairs in this 2-week series coming tomorrow. If you want to read the first part of this series, please go here.
NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
Posted on | August 17, 2009 | 6 Comments
This summer, my two daughters and I spent two weeks visiting my mom and my brother’s family in New York. Allow me to indulge as I share my experience in this 2-week series, starting with my niece’s christening.
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The main reason why we flew to New York was to attend my niece’s baptism. I was excited to learn that a few of my relatives from different states were able to get time off work to take part in the event.
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| Here’s our 3-month old celebrant, Jessi, with her mom and dad. (My cousin DJ and I are behind them.) |
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| That’s me, peeking in between my brother and Mica, teasing my sister who ended up taking the pictures. |
Did I mention that I’m the proud godmother of Baby Jessi? Yep! I don’t know what Jay and Ivy were thinking. (lol, j/k – I’m actually deeply touched!)
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| Me again, blessing Baby Jessi. |
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| My sister-in-law, Ivy, with my newly baptized niece. Isn’t Baby Jessi adorable? |
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| My sister Jona, Tita Maricor, my mom, and Tita Liwie outside the church. |
After the baptism, we all went to the East Manor for the reception. The East Manor is an incredible Chinese buffet restaurant – your eyes will pop at how huge the selection is. They even have a sushi station (which isn’t exactly Chinese – lol!)
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| My cousin DJ with my lovely daughters, Mica and Rinoa. Gotta wonder why Rinoa is pouting. |
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| Here’s my mom with Jessi. My mom lives in the Philippines but has been visiting my brother’s family since May. |
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| Here we all are in one table. There’s also Cary, Jay’s best friend from grade school, with his girlfriend Chris. |
Of course, we aren’t the only ones there. Several of Jay’s and Ivy’s friends attended as well. I was also able to meet Ivy’s aunts and cousins from New York …
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| And finally, after partying all afternoon, the celebrant is fast asleep on her daddy’s shoulder. |
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Watch for the second part of this 2-week series tomorrow -where I simply share more of my family affairs. Thanks for reading. =)
Birthday Greetings
Posted on | February 20, 2009 | 1 Comment
Last month, on Troy’s birthday, Rinoa greeted him with a very special song:
And today, it’s my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday Nanny! Rinoa has a special song for you too:
Rinoa’s First Visit to the Dentist
Posted on | January 8, 2009 | No Comments
Recalling the time I had to bring Rinoa to the dentist because her front tooth suddenly turned black. It was last October. She was so brave and well-behaved. She didn’t even flinch when the dentist probed inside her mouth. I’m sure it helps that we have a really nice dentist.
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Just disappointed that I can’t say the same for the oral hygienist that cleaned Rinoa’s teeth today. She was so snappy and as charming as a rock (for a lack of a better metaphor) that Rinoa got too scared to finish her cleaning.
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Posted on | January 6, 2009 | 1 Comment
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Yesterday, we drove my mom to the airport. Just like that, her visit was over. You’d think we’re used to her coming and going – but everytime she leaves, we feel a little sad. We had to bribe Rinoa with ice cream just so she’ll stop crying. We’ve gotten used to her preparing us meals that we’ll surely miss it.
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