These Days

We've been a lot more consistent about telling Neil a story before bedtime.  He asks for it now, even when it's not bedtime!=)  He says "Read a story!" (more like "reeedas stowri") even though we typically invent them. Lately, I've been asking him to contribute to the stories.  And it's really fun because you can never predict what he comes up with.  Case in point... Neil: Reeedas stowri! Me: You want a story about? Neil: Little panda. Me: Ok. Once upon a time there was a little panda.  The little panda was walking, walking, walking... Where is the panda going? Neil: Go to the mountain. Me:  The little panda was climbing up, up, up the mountain.  And what did panda on the mountain? Neil: Eating. Me: What is the panda eating? Neil: Pizza. Haha!

VCF had a 2-week preaching series a few weeks ago entitled NXT Generation .  The first topic, "What Do You See?" was very meaningful to me because it was about parenting. By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. (Hebrews 11:23) We know Moses.  He was adopted by Pharoah's daughter, educated as a member of the royal family, and yet let go of all these personal 'benefits' to lead the slaved Israelites towards the Promised Land.  He was the leader of 600,000 men (plus women and children). He was faithful and communicated with God personally.  Today, Moses would be referred to as The Man! *** Moses' life did not start easy,  During his time, it was mandated that all baby boys born to the Israelites be thrown into the Nile.  Moses' parents defied the king's edict by keeping him alive because "they saw he was no ordinary child." ...

My version of the growth chart. =)

I came across a post from Zen Habits entitled Lessons We’re Learning Riding Mass Transit .  Check it out.  It's an interesting list of the things the author, Leo Babauta, learned by relying on public transportation... I can relate to this because for more than a year, we gave up owning a car.  We were taking the jeep, bus and taxi to where we needed to be.  And with a baby in tow. It was not always easy or convenient but we made it through months of 'carlessness', together as a family.  Some people would think this is unbearable, especially with a toddler, but we made it work.  Admittedly, I sometimes thought we weren't doing right by Neil when we had to sometimes walk under the rain to get to the bus stations.  (We were still attending church in Alabang and would take the bus to and from Makati.  We had to walk from Festival Mall to Star Mall where the buses were.)  But it was his own demeanor that told us it's ok.  He was enjoyi...

I love you, Pang!

Our team at work had buffet dinner at Red Crab on Tuesday.  We were more than 40 and reserved a few days prior. I expected better food service from RC.  First of all, they were running out of food and took time to replenish.  I did not eat rice just because none was available the times I checked.  Two, desserts were few and just not worth it.  There was just ice cream (tasted like iced sugar), tiny cassava cakes and buko pandan, which I heard wasn't good.  Hahay... But we were really there for the crab and that did NOT run out.  It was delicious and we ate to our hearts' content (and stomachs, too).  The rest of the meat dishes were really good, too... With Red Crab, you have to manage expectations.  There aren't as many choices but the ones that are available are pretty good.  The crab is definitely worth it.  Again, just ignore the dessert. Happy campers! *Sorry, no close up food photos.  I was busy with crabs and...

Restaurant of choice for this year's birthday is Mr. Jones.  I bought a voucher from Groupon weeks ago, specifically for this day.  It wasn't a random buy.  I've read reviews about the restaurant from a few blogs and it seemed promising.  Here was a chance to try a new restaurant at 50% off, so I grabbed the deal. We were there for lunch on June 18.  We were seated outside initially, where it was warm but were able to transfer inside when some of the patrons left.  Air-conditioning made lunch more comfortable. Ok, on to the food!  We ordered the following: The Threesome (P395)  Melted "Old Bay" Crab and Dory Thermidor (P395) Garlic Portobello Steak and Eggs (P525) The food were seasoned really well and servings were large enough for sharing.  We were 4 adults and still had leftovers!  We thought the dory had too much cheese and could use more rice, but overall still a good dish.  I also think the steak would have tasted ...

New Crocs for the boys. We bought these during the Crocs Megasale at the NBC tent.  The products were already discounted PLUS we had 50% off vouchers bought from Groupon.  It pays to know deals! Em bought shoes, too, and we paid a total of ~P1800 for the 3 pairs.  Ok na no?  Good for the rainy season and as replacement for Neil's almost outgrown croc-croc.  Hehe... We went there June 10, Friday night, and had just an hour to scour the place for what we wanted to buy.  Mission accomplished! *** Flashback: Neil and his first Crocs, July 2009.  He just learned to walk here.

Whew!  I am finally done with back-blogging the US trip from last year. Lesson: Blog as close to the events as possible! This is really the fault of Facebook.  Once I posted the pictures there, I just forgot about blogging about it.  And since it was a year ago, I don't recall most of the anecdotes and stories.  That's why the posts are mostly pictures...  But hey, I'm happy there are pictures. Here's a recap of the dates and what we did on the month-long trip. May 7 - Flight from Manila to Atlanta May 9 - Georgia Aquarium May 10 - 13 - Sales and Marketing Team Meeting May 13 - North Georgia Premium Outlets May 15 - Zoo Atlanta May 16 - CNN Studio Tour, World of Coca-Cola , Centennial Olympic Park May 18 - Atlanta Botanical Garden May 22 - Atlanta to LA May 26 - Universal CityWalk May 28 - Lake Balboa May 29 - Knott's Berry Farm May 31/June 2 - SeaWorld June 4 - Knotts Soak City June 6/7 - San Diego to LA, LA to Manila =)

Back-blogging last year's trip to the US. We were taking off from LA for the flight back to Manila.  We decided to take the Amtrak train from San Diego so that Nang Lani and Chuck won't have to drive us to LA.  It was a good decision.  The train ride, although a bit long, was enjoyable.=) Irvine Station Meal at a fast food before going on the train. On the train. At the airport and on the plane... Hello again, Manila!

Back-blogging last year's trip to the US. Lots of family time during our stay in San Diego (May 29 - June 6, 2010).  I especially cherish Neil finally meeting Luke and Kuya Dong.  Neil and Luke are about the same age... On the bed. With cousins. In and around the house. The neighborhood. It was a blessed time with family.

Back-blogging last year's trip to the US. Time for fun in the water! Getting ready. Water playground. Baby slides, etc. Fun day! Knott's Soak City San Diego 2052 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista CA 91911 http://www.knotts.com/public/park/soakcity/san_diego/

Back-blogging last year's trip to the US. We went to SeaWorld twice on this trip, May 31 and June 2.  SeaWorld had a promo on the tickets so we took advantage of it.  Most of the family came on the first visit but on the second one, it was just Richard, me and Neil. Everyone on Part 1. =) Creatures. The Shamu show. The new (then) Blue Horizons show. Captive audience. Neil getting wet near the Atlantis ride.  I love this set.  He really enjoyed this part.=) Happy kid.=) If you're with very young kids, it will take more than a day to see everything.  I'm glad we had the opportunity to go twice and enjoy SeaWorld at a more relaxed pace. SeaWorld San Diego 500 Sea World Drive, San Diego, CA 92109 http://www.seaworld.com/sandiego/

Back-blogging last year's trip to the US. I have been to a few theme parks in the US but never to Knott's Berry Farm so that's where we decided to go for the big family outing on May 29, 2010.  We were coming from LA and meeting Nang Lani's family there.  Richard will go back to LA for more family time, while Neil and I will go with Nang Lani to San Diego. First meeting. Family! We went on a few rides. And wrapped up the day early afternoon for the drive to San Diego. Knotts Berry Farm 8039 Beach Boulevard Buena Park, CA 90620 (Map) (714) 220-5200 http://www.knotts.com/

Back-blogging last year's trip to the US. I knew we will have a few days in LA so I researched places we could check out that's not too far from the house.  Lake Balboa came up and so that was our agenda for one afternoon. We had difficulty finding the entrance to the park and had to drive around a bit but once we found it, the place afforded a relaxing change of scenery. It was a warm and sunny afternoon. A squirrel. At the playground. By the lakeshore. With family. Lake Balboa 6300 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406 http://www.laparks.org/dos/aquatic/facility/lakeBalboa.htm

A day to honor and appreciate the two special fathers in my life... Happy Fathers' Day To my Papang: And Neil's daddy: We love you!