One for the Hubby

I’ve been writing a lot about my little boys that I figured it’s about time I write something about my dearest Hubby…

• Seven years older than me (still can’t imagine that when I was in sixth grade, the person destined for me was already in college… okay, okay… next bullet please because he hates the topic)
• Spends more time in the bathroom than I do
• So well-read that there are endless things to talk about when I’m with him
• Gifted with the sexiest shoulders I’ve seen
• Hates the taste and smell of chicken curry and laswa (a vegetable dish we, Ilonggos, love)
• Once upon a time, woke up in the middle of night and declared, “We’ve got… so much… powerrrrr!!!!” Then, he went back to sleep. You should have seen how shocked I was and how I couldn’t stop laughing after realizing what just happened.
• Hid behind the name “Johnny” when I wasn’t allowed to take phone calls from him (and my landlady was too d*mb to notice!)
• Looks like Romnick Sarmenta (He’ll hate me for this!)
• Sings like Jose Mari Chan (You should hear him sing “Deep in My Heart!”)
• Dances like Anjo Yllana (Kanta na lang ulit, babe! Love you!)
  

Seriously, I consider myself lucky and blessed to have Hubby in my life. Accepting his proposal to become his wife is one of the best decisions I have made.

To my Hubby, thank you…

• For holding on to “us” when I easily gave up the first time
• For the trust to give it another try
• For going to the point of no return with me
• For all the love letters you wrote and the cards you made for me
• For patiently waiting outside my class to spend the rest of the day with me
• For convincing me to try “fish balls” and “squid balls” … you were right… hindi sulit ang UP days without them
• For moving to UP so we can see each other more often
• For the quiet after-dinner walks around the academic oval
• For singing every love song for me
• For arranging almost everything for our wedding (not to mention paying for everything!)
• For standing by me through labor pains as I was about to deliver our firstborn… and our second… and our third
• For working hard to give me and the kids the comfortable life we are living right now
• For putting up with all my sumpongs
• For driving me to and from work most of the week
• For waiting patiently in the car while I stay late in the office
• For waking up during the night to adjust the A/C
• For giving me kisses in the morning when I wake up, before you leave for work, when we see each other again at the end of the day, and before we sleep
• For holding me close to sleep every night
• For the “I love yous” at the end of every text message you send (kahit pa nagsusungit ako)
• For the hugs, kisses, and “I love yous” in between
• For buying what I always say is my “dream phone” … (I know you wouldn’t spend as much for yourself. But, for me, you would.)
• For putting the kids’ and my needs (and wants) first before yours
• For being faithful to me all these years that we have been together
• For making my dream of a happy ever after come true
• For the promise of forever and for keeping it
  

You once asked me if I can handle having you around for the rest of my life… Baby, I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Mommy's Kind of High

Little joys for Mommy yesterday:

• Getting reunited with an old pair of jeans I tossed a few months ago because of stubborn post-pregnancy pounds (I finally got rid of a few of 'em!)
• Dunkin' Donuts munchkins I've been craving for since weekend (Uh-oh! Konti lang naman e, pwamis!)
• Finding out that the Kuyas have done their homeworks on their own
• Hubby arriving on time to pick me up from work
• Seeing my baby enjoy his dinner (boiled squash and rice)
• Going to bed early and having almost eight hours of sleep (Yey! We turned in before 9pm!)

So you see, Mommy is so easy to please... even the simple things can make her day. :)

Nature or Nurture?

The proud mom can't help but share this with you...


Makulit man, our not-so-little boys always make Mom and Dad extra happy and proud by making it to the honor roll and bringing home these medals every year.

Hubby and I talked about it once and we asked ourselves if it was nature or nurture... syempre, konting yabang and we agreed that it was... BOTH! Hahaha!

Yipee!

Yipee! A new look for our little nook! :)

I looked everywhere, searched here and there, and finally found the one I like most!

Happy me! :)

Text Scam Magnet

No matter what mobile number I use, I always end up receiving text messages saying I won either a brand new car or a huge amount of money (please see previous post).

Well, here's another one. I got this after lunch today.

NOTICE:/ Ur simcrd#won P650,000.00 In Our 2nd Anniv. Prerfle Drw on 10/12/2009. frm Metro Pacific Club Inc. 4 more Details, Pls Call Me Now! I'm Sec. BILL F. YAP

Yeah right.

Bamboozlers

Last Monday, somebody sent this to me through SMS:

From The PHIL. CHARITY FOUNDATION INC. hereby inform that your mobile no. Won Php950,000.00 drawn on 10?03/209. DTI NCR#9857. Pls. call me now, I'm Leah Lopez

I told Hubby about the text and he replied that he got the same message. Today, here's what I received:

Frm: ARIEL DE OCAMPO, TAYAAN NINYO ANG SUERTRES #(267) NG 300 PESOS, RMBLE 100, TWAG PGKTPS TMAYA PARA DI PALITAN ANG #, HATI TAU SA PANALO PARA SA FOUNDATION!

There were other messages I received prior to these and if I am to put together all my "winnings," I should have about 4 million pesos in my bank account and a Honda Jazz parked in my garage. But nuh-oh, Hubby is still driving our ever dependable Lancer and we are about 4 lifetimes away from having 4 million pesos in our account.

People behind these text scams should find something else to do. They can try scrapbooking, cross-stitching and even knitting... anything to keep their hands off their mobile phones. See the look on my baby's face? Pestering Mommy is a big no-no!

The Baby Turned 1!

The Baby turned 1 year old last September 2, 2009. How time flies!

Simply Irresistible!

Yesterday morning, Hubby and I found out that Kuya Baby failed to submit an assignment in Reading. We are both very particular about teaching the kids to be responsible and not being able to submit a school requirement is a big no-no in the family.

Because of this, it's a "No Facebook and No PSP" weekend for the Kuya Baby. But Maki, ever the ultimate kulit, kept bugging Hubby and me, hoping we'll have a change of heart. His first few attempts were unsuccessful as I wanted to be firm about the consequence of his action.

Finally, and I think this is his ace up his sleeve, he handed to me certificates of recognition for being 3rd in class and the Best Reader for the 1st quarter of the school year with matching, "Uy! Reading din?" He also handed his Kuya's certificates to us. The Kuya ranked 2nd in class and got the Best in Reading and Oral Communication awards for the 1st quarter of the school year.

As I am writing this post, he's just there with his hopeful and paawa look. Hubby is already asking if we can lift even just the No PSP thing. With two makulits around....sige na nga! Pero next time ha!

20 Things About The Family

1. All the boys in the family are named Michael -> Michael (the Dad), Michael Romulus (the Kuya), Michael Remus (the Kuya Baby) and Michael Ramius (the Baby).
2. Hubby got the name Romulus and Remus from a book entitled The Brotherhood of The Rose. Meanwhile, Ramius came from The Hunt for Red October.
3. Birth months in the family are May and September. Hubby and the Kuya are May babies. Wifey, Kuya Baby and Baby, on the other hand, were all born in September.
4. The family loves out-of-town trips so much that Hubby and Wifey always plan for a family getaway every now and then.
5. Pizza Hut's Cheesy Pops is a family favorite.
6. Visits to Trinoma are always capped off with Dairy Queen blizzards.
7. The Hubby and Wifey have a weekly dinner date which is always spent at Mister Kabab. They both love ox-brain!
8. An ideal date for the two, however, is to start the evening with a visit to the spa.
9. Hubby always falls asleep midway during the massage.
10. Hubby spends more time in the bathroom than Wifey.
11. Hubby and Wifey love to watch zombie and vampire movies.
12. Wifey is always outnumbered when it comes to choosing which show to watch on TV. The boys all agree on basketball, wrestling and cartoons!
13. The family sleeps together in one room. They will share one bed if they can find one that can accommodate all five of them!
14. Every Saturday morning, Hubby, Wifey and Baby drive all the way to Meycauayan, Bulacan to buy pandesal from Pan de Manila because the Baby loves early morning long drives.
15. Wifey introduced Facebook to the boys but they are now more addicted to it than she is.
16. Christmas season is the family's favorite time of the year!
17. The kids write to Santa Claus every year which include wish lists to help Santa decide on what presents to give them.
18. The family always watches The Nightmare Before Christmas during Christmas Eve and Passion of The Christ every Good Friday.
19. The Kuya Baby is the ultimate "kulit" of the family.
20. The family can watch Mr. Bean over and over and still get a good laugh everytime!

Yellow Fever

The first periodical exam of the Kuyas was last August 12-14. Since they now study on their own, Hubby and I usually ask if they found the exams easy or difficult and so over breakfast this morning, I asked the Kuyas how the exams went. The two shared that they were asked to write something about Pres. Cory Aquino. Kuya Miko, said that there was an essay part on their Filipino exam asking if Pres. Cory Aquino should be declared a hero. Meanwhile, the younger Kuya, Maki, shared that they were asked to write a paragraph of 5 sentences about Cory Aquino.

Since the family had been watching almost all the coverages and specials for Pres. Aquino and we even wore yellow shirts during her funeral day, I wanted to know what they wrote. Here goes:

Kuya Miko: Karapat-dapat maging isang bayani si Pres. Cory Aquino dahil iniligtas niya tayo sa batas militar na itinatag ni Pres. Ferdinand Marcos.

Kuya Maki: Si Cory Aquino ay dating pangulo ng Pilipinas. Siya ay mahilig sa dilaw. Siya ang nanay ni Kris Aquino. Siya ay namatay noong Agosto 1, 2009. Siya ay inilibing sa Manila Memorial Park.

Not bad...I think Kuya Miko watched the documentaries while the younger Kuya saw the showbiz magazine shows. =)

Boracay Break

During our short visit to Roxas, Hubby and I made it a point to squeeze in a trip to Boracay. We wanted to make the most of the vacation and since Boracay is only three hours away, we just had to go there and let the kids enjoy the white sand.

We stayed at Villa Criselda Resort. For only P2,500 a night, we got an airconditioned room with two queen-size beds, a refrigerator, a TV, a comfort room with hot & cold shower and a nice veranda. Now that, I think, is what getting your money's worth means. The place also has a wi-fi signal allowing us to surf the net for free. Villa Criselda Resort is also very near 'D Talipapa...where you can find the wet market, mini-grocery stores, kainans and souvenir shops. This, to us, is a big plus because we have a baby with us so we didn't want to go very far for our meals. Most importantly, and much to the delight of the Kuyas, Villa Criselda is a few minutes (as in super few!) walk to the beach. Because of this, they got to enjoy the beach the entire afternoon (even to early evening on day 1) and the entire morning (on day 2) of our visit.

The kids loved the clear water and white sand of Boracay! Here are a few pictures of the kids having fun in Boracay (more on my Facebook account). :)


Villa Criselda Resort (lobby)


Inside our room


The veranda











Although Hubby and I did not have the chance to really go around Boracay (i.e. bar-hop, resto-hop and shop), just seeing our kids have fun was more than enough for us. Besides, nag-enjoy naman si Hubby drinking beer and FB-ing while I savored my yummy oreo cheesecake. Hehe!

Tribute to Mama

Dearest Mama,

Mommy posted some of my old videos for you and Ninong Mark...hope you'll enjoy watching them!

Love and kisses,
Mako

- - -
MAKO'S FIRST MEAL


APPEAR, DISAPPEAR, ONE HALF, ONE FOURTH... ONE FOURTH, ONE HALF, DISAPPEAR, APPEAR! (Nasa appear pa lang po kami...hehehe!)


KISSING SCENE

Close...Open!

Although Mako learned how to open and close his hand months earlier, he showed us that he understood the words "close" and "open" when he learned how to associate them with the actual hand movements at five months... much to the delight and pride of Daddy and Mommy.

Foto Fever

The kids had an unscheduled photo session last May 10 (Mother's Day). We passed by Great Image studio and initially wanted to have our family picture taken but decided to re-schedule so we can prepare for the shoot... as in wear color-coordinated shirts. :) I think (and the photos show) the kids had fun... including Mako who smiled generously at the camera.

Roxas after Ten

Ten random things, ten years after my last visit to my hometown…

1. Life will lead you to many places but no matter how far you go and how happy you have become, a yearning will grow and will make you want to go back to the people and places that shaped you. It’s a sign that you’re getting old. :)
2. Somehow, the years have mellowed down my father and the once strict dad had transformed into a doting “lolo” to his grandchildren.
3. The house that was witness to my childhood will always pull a few “senti” strings …no matter how old it has become!
4. The “ulams” that I once hated as a child now make a sumptuous meal for me ... I’m talking “alimango, pusit and hipon!”



5. Metro Manila salary can go places in Roxas. Hmmmnnn… will the simple lifestyle work for my family here in Manila???? Not! The malls and restaurants here in Manila are too hard to resist! Hehe! :)
6. The errands that I usually do for two weekends in Manila will only take one day to finish in Roxas! I can go around the city in just one morning because the place is essentially free from heavy traffic. It’s easy not to be late in Roxas where you don’t have to worry about traffic jams.
7. Further on that note, working people in Roxas are lucky because less travel time to and from work means more time to spend for other interests and hobbies. People in Manila spend hours just going to and from work.
8. No matter how many Ilonggo restaurants Hubby and I have visited in Manila, nothing compares to the taste of batchoy and puto in Roxas. Now our standards for these food chains are higher having remembered and experienced the original thing all over again!



9. For a moment, I thought that the cakes baked by Tracy’s in Roxas might not really be that yummy considering how fond I have become of cakes here in Manila (i.e. caramel cakes of Estrel’s, sans rival of Goldilocks and chocolate caramel cake of Red Ribbon). Baka naman mababa lang talaga ang expectations ko dati as a kid. Kahit ano, basta cake masarap. But having ordered a mango cream cake from Tracy’s for my youngest and having seen the satisfied look of my hubby and kids, I now firmly believe that Tracy’s can really compete with cakes here in Manila. They bake super yummy cakes and their cheese rolls taste great, too!!!



10. The quiet days in Roxas ironically made me miss the busy life in Manila. Hahaha! Manila lifestyle has gotten its way into my system, I guess. :)

I plan to, want to, need to and will visit Roxas more often from now on. Here’s wishing for more promo fares from servicing airlines!:)

Blessings

"Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good."

I often think about this line when I look at our three adorable kids and a warm feeling usually embraces me. I am amazed at the miracle of life... hubby and I brought in three wonderful persons in this world!

Miko (The Kuya; leftmost)was born last May 19, 1998. Nothing can compare to the happiness I felt when I first saw him...our firstborn. The exhaustion of having been in active labor for eighteen hours and the pain of childbirth were all forgotten the moment I held him in my arms. He was perfect. The joy of finally being a Mom was beyond what I had expected. Miko is turning 11 on Tuesday next week. My cute and adorable baby has grown into a good-looking kid. He’s a little shy but very “mabait” and generous. His sketches never cease to impress me…he got that talent from his Dad. Miko, who learned how to distinguish shapes and colors before he turned two, also excels in school. He is consistently in the honors list and recently joined the school's varsity team for basketball.

Maki (The Kuya Baby; center) was born last September 27, 2000. Labor pains were not as bad but I almost had a C-section because of coiled cord. Maki is our bundle of surprises...He was conceived at the most unexpected time and because of this, our OB Gyne initially thought we will be having a baby girl. Maki is our Kuya Baby because he was our bunso for almost 8 years. Maki is my "little me." He is very "makulit" but very sweet. He is also the "Mr. Congeniality" in the family. Even as a toddler, he easily made friends with other kids...kahit pa yung mga nakikita lang niya sa mall! He is also as smart as his Kuya. He recently won 3rd place in an academic competition against other schools in the city, on top of being consistenly part of the honors list. While the Kuya is busy with basketball, our Kuya Baby is part of the boys' choir. :)

Mako (Our Baby; rightmost) was born last September 2, 2008. He was an answered prayer. Giving birth to him was like reliving my delivery to Miko. The labor was long and the contractions were really painful. Twelve hours after the first contraction, however, he came and made everything worthwhile. When we held him for the first time, it felt like we were holding our firstborn again. He looked so much like Miko! He is our bundle of joy... always smiling, making us forget about our worries at work and reminding us how blessed we are to come home to him and his Kuyas.

So you see, this is how blessed I am and I still think that for me to deserve all these... somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.

Photo Ooops ala Vivas

The Wife is a big fan of Joey de Leon's Photo Ooops! It's a collection of his travel photos but with a twist as they still show how witty he is even through pictures! You can find them in PEP.

Anyway, the Wife hopes to have a similar collection of fun photos and her first attempt was during their recent trip to Boracay...



Need I say more??? :)

Big Dates for the Family

The family looks forward to these dates every year:

• January 24 - wedding anniversary of Hubby and Wife
• May 19 - birthday of The Kuya (Miko)
• May 21 - birthday of Hubby
• September 2 - birthday of The Baby (Mako)
• September 23 - birthday of Wife
• September 27 - birthday of The Kuya Baby (Maki)

The Name

Twelve years back, Hubby (then BF who would write letters for Wifey-then-GF during days they did not see each other) handed Wifey a letter. Hubby wrote it after an inspiring afternoon at work. He and "H" had the chance to talk about life and relationships...the two agreed on the thought that a relationship is like a box and that everyday, you put in a little something to fill that box. Hubby, in his letter, shared this with Wifey and the two promised to take care of their "box" and to put in a little something everyday.

Fast forward twelve years, Hubby and Wife still believe that their "box" is witness to everything they have been through. Hence, if they are to share their life with family and friends, it would mean letting them have... a peek inside their box.