All about family

Happy Birthday!

February 21, 2012

Oh well, we all get old, a year at a time. For one who feels less accomplished, it becomes less of a celebration. Still it needs to be celebrated, after all a year added to life is already a blessing to thank for.
The Big Boy and his Dad's cake
It’s Husband’s birthday today, but none of a  tear-jerking surprise from me. He had his ‘gift’ early this month that he’s quite happy of. So for today, the most I can do is to be nice to him :-)  :

1.     I volunteered that we hit bed early at 10pm last night rather than at 1am (he struggles to put me to sleep early)
2.     No massage for preggy me last night
3.     I managed the kitchen chores last night (this is his task) while he taught the Big Boy Maths (substraction). He peeped later to say he felt a sense of fulfillment that the Big Boy finally can subtract multi-digits by himself (we’re still complaining his Math learnings are mostly done at home, and hoping his teacher was much better in explaining the lessons).
4.     I woke up five minutes ahead than him this morning (this is his task - again) to prepare breakfast for the three of us, plus I lit his birthday cake (from JW Marriot – bought at 50% off. Yeah, we also make the most of discounts on occasions. Vienna Café sells their cakes at half the price between 5pm to 9pm daily).
5.     I’ll abstain from making fun of him today. I have this habit of teasing him as ‘physically-not-so-hunky’.
6.     Probably no massage for preggy-me tonight
7.     Thank you Entertainer voucher – this task is made easier – I booked a dinner at Farriers Restaurant at Meydan Hotel.
Family dinner at The Farriers, The Meydan Hotel
Both busy. The celebrant tinkering with his white-colored 'gift'.
The Husband’s blessings are all a family affair. As we look forward to another blessed year, we’re greatly grateful for the past year highlighted by our Little Precious One. On travels, while a planned Sri Lanka trip was stalled by my getting preggy, we visited Turkey last year.  On career, which we believe was the reason behind Little Precious One’s coming into picture, Husband relocated for work in Muscat last August , which he eventually has to leave five months later due to my pregnancy. But graces still, he continues to work for the company now remotely. There’s really so much to thank for than be smirking at getting old :-)


And my prayer said through my pastries :-)

All about our Superman

A Gremlin's Prayer

February 19, 2012

While we await  for the five-year-old Gremlin to improve in writing down his thoughts, his school activity below is another of his writing feats (as far as his parents see it, hehe) that made me smile.

He leads our nightly prayers so he’s familiar with this activity. On writing though, it’s still too incomprehensible, but seeing him write “manstr” in reference to “monster” made me grateful that he is developing his faith in prayer. He doesn’t mention monsters in his nightly prayers except on saying he doesn’t like dreaming about them.


I believe the teacher has guided him here: “Dear Lord God, Thank you for all your blessings. Please guide (me/ us against) monsters.


And it seems without his teacher guiding, he meant “Dear God Jesus, I will pray. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit”

All about family

Celebrate Love

February 11, 2012

The town is being painted red ahead of February 14 when people celebrate Valentine's Day.

Our Big Boy saying "I am a kuya!" to our Little Precious One  in my tummy (29 weeks at this time).  

In Dubai, there's a thousand and one ways that malls and shops highlight the event, such as the floating hearts of red roses in our background above.

All about family

Our Christmas 2011 and New Year 2012

February 10, 2012

After more than a month, my blog welcomes this first post for 2012 -- my traditional journal for our Christmas 2011 and New Year 2012 celebration (ooops as late it may be).
The Nativity by the altar, is a scene  I always long for in the desert. Rarely is this seen outside the Church and at home. 
Ours was highlighted by attending the Christmas midnight mass at Saint Mary's Dubai. “Christmas brings the message of hope, love and joy”, came the Priest’s sermon. It was our first midnight mass yet in the sandpit, as we decided not to host friends over Christmas eve which we had been doing over the years. It was the most low profile Christmas eve we had – just the three of us plus Little Precious One in my tummy, but having attended the midnight mass well over makes up for it and is the most fulfilling.
To show how near we were to the actual Church altar. 

The altar for the night with the mosque at the background. Christmas is one of around ten masses we attend all throughout the year, we came not to know that at this day, the celebration gets officiated outside. 

Our family Christmas meals were home cooked – grilled turkey (my other first), paella and buko salad. And our Christmas tree saw its third year with us, with a big Christmas gift box beside after the Gremlin slept.

For Christmas gifts, Husband and I made a pact of not surprising each other with any gift – big nor small and instead pooled what we have to surprise our Gremlin with a big boy’s drumset. Yet the Husband violated the pact and handed me a necklace-earring gift set, with an alibi that he acquired it with his flights miles points, no cash outlay. I shed little tears of course accusing him unfair =)
The Christmas tree and its ornaments on their 3rd year with us, with a big present beside it. But here the  Gremlin was more excited to guess what was inside the smaller gift addressed as his.

Yes, he was too happy to see it's the same airplane book he was eye-ing at Kinokoniya bookstore. Anything  of airplanes and make the Gremlin really happy.

And the big thing inside the big box is a big boy's drumset.

Then came the new year. With much zest, we welcomed the year 2012 as we --
-       Collected as much round fruits, a Chinese belief adopted by Filipinos
-       Had friends joining us on the 30th Dec, 31st Dec and on the first day of the year
-       Had crispy pata, sisig, pansit Malabon, spaghetti, siomai, ube halaya, ice cream, cake -- all outsourced, we bought or brought by friends.
-       Midnight was at Dubai Festival Center for the fireworks where we assumed the least traffic – and true of course. Our previous Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab destinations were a no-no for preggy-me who needs to troop the toilet a lot and cant withstand a two-hour ant-paced traffic.

It was a great start indeed =)

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