We couldn’t convince Kuya Topher to get a trim, and even Josh didn’t want to sit in the chair at first so I had to carry him while his hair was being cut. But it really helped that the stylist was a Filipina so she spoke to Josh in Tagalog. The lollipops were a God-send too.:)

In the end, it was all worth it — he looked so gwapo and grown up, as you can see.

We had a very good attendance as my sis/ bro-in-law are well loved. Friends and family gathered to shower them with gifts and well wishes.

I was organizer, photographer, DJ/ party host/ game master — all for the love of my dear sister who has done so much for me and my family. We had a raffle where participants bought tickets for $1 that went into Coy’s “diaper fund” — I drew several winners who took home door prizes. We also played baby charade and other traditional shower games. Fun!

And here are photos of my two kulit bulilits enjoying the adjacent playground.

Since I have two boys, the whole family is REALLY quite excited to meet Coy & Ferdie’s little angel. It won’t be too long now!

We pray that you will continue to be blessed this yuletide season & always.

~Chris, Monet, Topher & Joshua

PS. Sharing larger versions of our photos taken by Stacy Toeniskoetter.

The morning and afternoon were spent at the annual NR Windows picnic. This year, it was at the Okeeheelee Park!

Great company, tons of food, lots of games and prizes equals an awesome time!

In between, we also attended Charmae’s 8th birthday at Jump & Slide.

Then in the evening, we went to the Marasigan’s for a Halloween party and Nico’s birthday celeb.

Unfortunately, Topher and Joshua didn’t wear their costumes long enough for a decent photo to be taken. Well, maybe next year.:)

And Elmo and his Sesame Street gang did not disappoint. We all had a great time! We are now scouring the net to find out when Barney is coming to town.:)

Chris and I celebrated our birthdays jointly at the Okeeheelee Park with family. It was a hot and humid day in September. But as I had prayed for all day, there was no rain. Another wish granted.:)

Our menu consisted of pancit, menudo, lumpia, grilled hotdogs/ burgers/ salmon/ tilapia, bbq ribs, suman.

And desert was of course, our favorite, ube cake!:)

The boys had a grand time, as usual. It’s always a treat to celebrate milestones with family.

But the reason I took time out from “life” today is because I wanted to greet my wonderful husband, a happy anniversary (my entry is a day late as we were wed on 12-18-04). Yes, it has been 5 blissful years. Of course, it hasn’t been sugary sweet all the time, but for the most part, it has been amazing.

Click on the link to travel back in time and view our wedding photos.

I love you Mahal! Happy 5th! And looking forward to 50 more!

That evening, he had a huge celebration at Ninong Syrus and Ninang Kristine’s wedding reception — all the guests sang him a birthday song!:)

The following day, the Garcia clan threw him a birthday party at their home, complete with bounce house, lechon and “live entertainment”!

We had one happy birthday boy, for sure!

The day after we came back from LA, we threw a party at his preschool and the kids had a blast! We served pizza, chicken nuggets and the cutest green dinosaur cake. Joshua sat and ate with the rest of the big kids. Topher, on the other hand, entertained his classmates by playing “Twinkle, twinkle little star” on his cello. Everyone had a good time!

Then that weekend, we had our grand finale — Topher’s birthday bash at the Nautica Isles Clubhouse. The theme was out-of-this-world green.:) As most of you already know, Topher is an astronomy buff, and his favorite color in the entire universe is Go-Go-Go Green!

At the request of the birthday boy, I made D-I-Y party hats with miniature planets (because I couldn’t find any in stores or online). Our give-aways consisted of loot boxes (that contained out-of-this world stamps and stencils, planet stickers, inflatable mini-beach balls, crayons, gummy candy, chocolates and small musical instruments) and D-I-Y out-of-this-world coloring books. The invite design, on the other hand, was a labor of love by the very talented Melisse.

We hung inflatable planets as decor and used miniature celestials to adorn the cake. There were lots of prizes for the kids. And of course, the life of any party — good food and good company!

As a special surprise for the birthday boy, we hired an All-Around Express Train — a huge hit for the little ones and the young ones at heart!

The train took them round and round the soccer field, taking breaks only so that Topher can blow his birthday cake and the kids can join in on the games.

As always, our whole family is overwhelmed by your support and prayers (just as Topher was overwhelmed when he opened his gifts).

Our not-so-little one is now 4, and he is happy and healthy. May he continue to be that way all throughout his growing years and beyond!

I will not attempt to make excuses but just know that aside from the trip to LA and the birthday parties we had, I also transferred to a new job.:)

I will, however, try to post all the important events little by little…

Starting with the main reason we went to LA in the first place — the wedding of my cousin Syrus and his lovely wife Kristine.

Chris and I stood in for my sister/ bro-in-law as veil sponsors while Topher was a first time Bible bearer. On the Friday we arrived in LA, we attended the rehearsal at the Holy Family Church in Artesia.

Topher was so obedient! He was such a good boy during the rehearsal. (Unfortunately, on the wedding day itself, we had to interrupt his nap so he was cranky).

The rehearsal was very detailed and organized — kudos to the church and their staff! After that, we had dinner a few blocks away at the Prince Restaurant.

Syrus and Kristine’s wedding day dawned bright and beautiful. It was the same day as Topher’s birthday!

As we were active participants during the ceremony, we had very few pictures.

But we more than made up for it during the reception. The cocktail hour was set against a picturesque backdrop, made more beautiful by the sight of the gorgeous couple mingling and taking pictures with their guests.

(Topher took these two pictures using our DSLR — galing nya no!)

The gazebo was picture-perfect!

The reception was loads of fun too — even the kids had a blast dancing the night away! Sy & Kristine even called on Topher (and the other celebrant that night) so everyone could sing and wish them happy birthday.

Congratulations and best wishes to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Sarsadias!

I’ve been itching to blog for the past few days but just can’t seem to find the time. So many things to finish… but here I am… taking a break from all my pending “to dos”.

September is such a busy month for us — 3 birthdays in our family! We had dinner at a Chinese resto for Chris’ bday then had a joint celebration at the park for the two of us this past weekend (pictures to follow). On my actual birthday, we might go Italian– Carrabba’s perhaps.

I have been spending late nights completing all of Topher’s party-related stuff. I know it’s a couple of weeks away but… we are going to LA next week for a wedding! And in order to enjoy our short trip, I’d like to complete the preps before we leave. Topher will have a party at school the day after we arrive and then another party that weekend. Thank goodness, I let go of the idea of having a Jollibee party in LA — that will be too much. He will have a Goldilocks birthday cake at our family reunion though, and I’m sure Topher will love that because he likes to blow candles.:)

I can’t believe Topher is 4! His favorite past time is coming up with quizzes and giving you multiple choice answers.;) If you get the question right, he blurts out — “Correct!” If you answer before he gives you the choices, he tells you — “Oops, try again!” and then repeats the question.

Joshua, on the other, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. He is such a charmer. When my mood changes because he prefers to play rather than eat dinner, he will put his hands to my face and direct it towards his own and say: “Tawa, Mama, tawa…hehehe”. And he won’t quit until you laugh along with him.:) He also loves giving big slurpy kisses. His favorite activity — roughhousing with his Kuya.

Chris and I have also been spending some quality time together — watched The Time Traveler’s Wife 2 weekends ago. And on the 24th, we will be watching Journey at The Hard Rock! Suffice it to say that even though things have been really busy and I am constantly under a lot pressure and stress, he never fails to undertand and reassure.

Work-wise, I have good news too but I’ll blog about that some other time. So many blessings indeed.

And finally, I did end up buying this…

and a few other things on my wish list.:)