We're having a 2-day youth camp (today and tomorrow) for several of our friends' pre-teens. Will post pics when it's over.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Mom's Birthday
Right, so today is my dearest Mother's birthday and she's out with my Dad.
I found out that this morning Alina woke them up to give my Mom the card that she'd made for her -- so kind. Yesterday she kept telling me about the "solar system card" she was going to make for her grandma. I still haven't seen it, but I heard that it even has the name of the planets written on it.
Last night my parents had a special "mini-barbecue" to celebrate my Mom's birthday, which we all eagerly joined when we got back from busking. We just sat around eating and drinking and having "family time".
That's one thing that I really like about my Mom, she's so generous and always includes others. She's never had a "just my family" attitude. So much so, that she kindly shared her birthday chocolates and bubbly wine with all of us, so sweet.
We (me, my siblings, and Dad) usually get her a present, but this year she kept saying she didn't want anything and since we're all saving up for our family reunion, I guess it'll be a present-less year for all of us. According to my Dad, all she wants is love and respect, which is for free, so yay! :D
Needless to say, my Mom is the best mother in the world and a good sample of almost everything important in life. Having lived with her for my whole life, I sometimes get familiar. However, I consider it (the former) a blessing, because through it I've received excellent training in motherhood and being a decent citizen. :D Aside from the fact that she gets to enjoy a couple of her grandchildren.
I found out that this morning Alina woke them up to give my Mom the card that she'd made for her -- so kind. Yesterday she kept telling me about the "solar system card" she was going to make for her grandma. I still haven't seen it, but I heard that it even has the name of the planets written on it.
Last night my parents had a special "mini-barbecue" to celebrate my Mom's birthday, which we all eagerly joined when we got back from busking. We just sat around eating and drinking and having "family time".
That's one thing that I really like about my Mom, she's so generous and always includes others. She's never had a "just my family" attitude. So much so, that she kindly shared her birthday chocolates and bubbly wine with all of us, so sweet.
We (me, my siblings, and Dad) usually get her a present, but this year she kept saying she didn't want anything and since we're all saving up for our family reunion, I guess it'll be a present-less year for all of us. According to my Dad, all she wants is love and respect, which is for free, so yay! :D
Needless to say, my Mom is the best mother in the world and a good sample of almost everything important in life. Having lived with her for my whole life, I sometimes get familiar. However, I consider it (the former) a blessing, because through it I've received excellent training in motherhood and being a decent citizen. :D Aside from the fact that she gets to enjoy a couple of her grandchildren.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wee Words of Wisdom
I got up at 7:45 this morning and found Alina all neatly dressed with her hair brushed as well, eating a humble breakfast of 2 slices of pineapple, a tiny cup of milk, and a slice of bread. I commended her on her neatly made bed and diligence in doing her chores, and then asked her who had served her breakfast. She proudly replied, "I did, of course. When there are easy things like this I can serve myself." (Duh, Mom.)
It was kind of funny because she was so proud of herself and feeling all grown up, especially because she had poured her own cup of milk which is the hardest thing for her.
Latest news flash: Laura just peed on me. Pause.
Back to Alina.
Yesterday, several of us were having a snack while the kids played nearby, and I was skimming through some prehistoric mags when I came across this joke:
An engineering student was walking on campus one day when another engineer rode up on a shiny new motorcycle.
"Where did you get such a rockin' bike?" asked the first.
The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said 'Take what you want.'"
The second engineer nodded approvingly. "Good choice, you wouldn't wear her clothes anyway."
Once the laughter died down, Alina read the joke to herself and then smartly commented, "Of course he didn't get the clothes, he's a boy!" :)
It was kind of funny because she was so proud of herself and feeling all grown up, especially because she had poured her own cup of milk which is the hardest thing for her.
Latest news flash: Laura just peed on me. Pause.
Back to Alina.
Yesterday, several of us were having a snack while the kids played nearby, and I was skimming through some prehistoric mags when I came across this joke:
An engineering student was walking on campus one day when another engineer rode up on a shiny new motorcycle.
"Where did you get such a rockin' bike?" asked the first.
The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said 'Take what you want.'"
The second engineer nodded approvingly. "Good choice, you wouldn't wear her clothes anyway."
Once the laughter died down, Alina read the joke to herself and then smartly commented, "Of course he didn't get the clothes, he's a boy!" :)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Our Fun Day
We had a one-day spiritual retreat here at home today and, aside from that important happening, Gabriel and Marina (my sister) had a good "fight". The photos of which I will post for your entertainment.
It was our day off, well, Gabriel had half of the day off because he was being such a happy helper cleaning the house for the retreat. We went out to a nearby restaurant for lunch, just to get away from everything for a short while and have husband and wifey time. And now most of us are having a great "bonding time" sitting around talking, playing games and having some deeeelicious drinks that my baby is once again making.
Now, on to the pics.
Marina teaching Laura how to swipe watches:
Gabriel and Marina setting the tables (goofballs):
Notice Marina's long legs, hehe:
It was our day off, well, Gabriel had half of the day off because he was being such a happy helper cleaning the house for the retreat. We went out to a nearby restaurant for lunch, just to get away from everything for a short while and have husband and wifey time. And now most of us are having a great "bonding time" sitting around talking, playing games and having some deeeelicious drinks that my baby is once again making.
Now, on to the pics.
Marina teaching Laura how to swipe watches:
Gabriel and Marina setting the tables (goofballs):
Notice Marina's long legs, hehe:
Latest Developments
The under-the-couch move:
Day dreaming:
Cruising:
She proudly sits on her throne:
So concentrated:
Still trying to crawl:
Miche "forcing" her to drink from a bottle:
"Grrrrrrr!"
Having sister time:
The happy caterpillar:
Making a silly face:
Ultra-concentrated look:
"I can stand!"
I'm sure she felt all grown up in her fancy satin Tweety Bird pajamas:
At last, a pic that shows her two prized teeth:
Little Red (and checkered) Riding Hood:
Her "blah" face:
Day dreaming:
Cruising:
She proudly sits on her throne:
So concentrated:
Still trying to crawl:
Miche "forcing" her to drink from a bottle:
"Grrrrrrr!"
Having sister time:
The happy caterpillar:
Making a silly face:
Ultra-concentrated look:
"I can stand!"
I'm sure she felt all grown up in her fancy satin Tweety Bird pajamas:
At last, a pic that shows her two prized teeth:
Little Red (and checkered) Riding Hood:
Her "blah" face:
Friday, May 22, 2009
For Portuguese Speakers
A couple of days ago, while studying about words with a til, I read the caption of a picture in Alina's schoolbook:
Me: Branca de Neve e os sete?
Alina: Leitões!
Me: Branca de Neve e os sete?
Alina: Leitões!
Me in the Kitchen
Alina wanted to write and type the captions to these photos, as well as the title of the post. So here goes.
Making pastéis with my auntie Marina and Rodi:
Eating pastéis for snack:
Standing on the tree stump:
Making pastéis with my auntie Marina and Rodi:
Eating pastéis for snack:
Standing on the tree stump:
Alina's Schoolwork
Part of Alina's school for today; I thought the last sentence was funny. She took a while to write it because she was trying to figure out how to word it, based on her great knowledge of George Washington from the story "The Teacup Tempest".
Here's the title of the above "story" (don't ask me what it has to do with it). Notice her neatly written name in cursive.
This one is from a few days ago and obviously her writing was much neater. I don't think she was too inspired to write about George Washington today. It gets boring after a while because all these guys were good, honest, and brave ... and read their Bibles, heh.
Another sample of her schoolwork. I think the sentences she comes up with are so cute.
Here's the title of the above "story" (don't ask me what it has to do with it). Notice her neatly written name in cursive.
This one is from a few days ago and obviously her writing was much neater. I don't think she was too inspired to write about George Washington today. It gets boring after a while because all these guys were good, honest, and brave ... and read their Bibles, heh.
Another sample of her schoolwork. I think the sentences she comes up with are so cute.
Monday, May 18, 2009
In-House Gourmet Dinner #2
We had our second gourmet dinner (restaurant thingie) this last Saturday and once again, it was a success. 30+ people showed up and so we were on our feet till almost 3 in the morning. So exhausting! My back didn't help any, but at least I made it through the night. It was an interesting experience, not the most comfortable because I'm soooo not a people person, but it was good nonetheless.
I went to bed around 4:00 a.m. and Laura was up at 7:00 a.m., ready to start her day. Aaaagh!! I don't know how I had managed to go traipsing around the zoo for 3 hours with the kids later that day after having slept so little.
Anyhoo, here are a few pics from the dinner.
Now a closed-eyes shot:
Some of the guests:
Mom, Grandma, and a friend cooking up some yummyness:
Dad serving a drink:
I went to bed around 4:00 a.m. and Laura was up at 7:00 a.m., ready to start her day. Aaaagh!! I don't know how I had managed to go traipsing around the zoo for 3 hours with the kids later that day after having slept so little.
Anyhoo, here are a few pics from the dinner.
Now a closed-eyes shot:
Some of the guests:
Mom, Grandma, and a friend cooking up some yummyness:
Dad serving a drink:
Family Day Fun
Alina had been wanting to go to the zoo and have a picnic for a quite a while, and this Sunday it worked out for us to do so. It's a pity that we don't go there more often, being that we live 5 minutes away from it.
We took Rodi (Alina's classmate) and Cri (who was taking care of him) along with us. The kids had a great time and we were actually able to see most of the animals, which is quite a feat due to the size of this zoo. Laura was good enough to sleep for most of the time. It's not like she knew what she was missing.
It was already midday when we left home so almost all of the felines were asleep. Such a pity because the kids really wanted to see the tiger.
As is normal, here are a ton of pics from our fun outing.
The tired fat one:
Rodi and Alina checking out the elands:
Looking at the chimpanzees:
The little chimp:
She loved seeing the giraffes and zebras ...
And greatly disliked this Nile crocodile (so much so that she didn't want to be in the picture, heh):
Having a picnic:
Notice Laura asleep in the stroller ...
All of a sudden we see these two little hands grabbing the side of the stroller, and out pops this little monkey:
Joining in on the fun:
Munching on the straw from Alina's coconut:
With Daddy:
Checking out some other monkeys:
These were the only animals that Laura actually watched (naturally, since they were jumping around non-stop):
There's this lovely mini botanical garden on the way out of the zoo. We quickly went around it for the kids to see all the different types of plants, flowers, etc.
A monkey in a tree:
The macaws were screeching non-stop, hence the plugging-the-ears pose:
Alina's ecstatic comment: "Mommy, this toucan looks like it's made out of plastic! Its beak is so pretty it looks painted!"
We took Rodi (Alina's classmate) and Cri (who was taking care of him) along with us. The kids had a great time and we were actually able to see most of the animals, which is quite a feat due to the size of this zoo. Laura was good enough to sleep for most of the time. It's not like she knew what she was missing.
It was already midday when we left home so almost all of the felines were asleep. Such a pity because the kids really wanted to see the tiger.
As is normal, here are a ton of pics from our fun outing.
The tired fat one:
Rodi and Alina checking out the elands:
Looking at the chimpanzees:
The little chimp:
She loved seeing the giraffes and zebras ...
And greatly disliked this Nile crocodile (so much so that she didn't want to be in the picture, heh):
Having a picnic:
Notice Laura asleep in the stroller ...
All of a sudden we see these two little hands grabbing the side of the stroller, and out pops this little monkey:
Joining in on the fun:
Munching on the straw from Alina's coconut:
With Daddy:
Checking out some other monkeys:
These were the only animals that Laura actually watched (naturally, since they were jumping around non-stop):
There's this lovely mini botanical garden on the way out of the zoo. We quickly went around it for the kids to see all the different types of plants, flowers, etc.
A monkey in a tree:
The macaws were screeching non-stop, hence the plugging-the-ears pose:
Alina's ecstatic comment: "Mommy, this toucan looks like it's made out of plastic! Its beak is so pretty it looks painted!"
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