You get what you pay for...

Here's a picture of the gazebo we set up in our backyard. Alas, a picture is all we have left as strong winds brought down the gazebo yesterday. When we got home from church we saw the gazebo all broken on the ground. It didn't even last a week! Grrr...

We only had it for a couple of days but at least we got some use out of it. Even if it was only for a few hours. Oh well, it's not a total loss, I think we can still use it if the weather's not too windy. It was only a cheap thing but I guess one gets what one pays for.

My Busy Face

I was watching the Australian Open tennis on TV tonight and my daughter approached me wanting something. She was in the middle of explaining what she wanted and I have got to admit that I was distracted because of the tennis on TV. That's when she said, "Daddy, you can't play with me because you're busy!"

I asked her, "How do you know I'm busy?"

She said "Because you have your busy face on." I then asked, "What does my busy face look like?"

She then pursed her lips together and squinted her eyes in perfect imitation of my face when I'm concentrating on something. "Like this!" she said adorably, "You only play with me when you have your happy face on like this." And she broke out in a huge grin.

My kids know me so well...

HOT!

Today's temp at 5 PM!

Heat Wave!

Adelaide is experiencing a very bad heat wave. It's been hovering between 37C and 45C for the past 3 days now. The weatherman is saying this is going to be the hottest 72 hours the state has experienced since the 1940's!

Needless to say, the kids have been cooped up at home, just trying to stay cool as our ducted evaporative air conditioner is struggling to cope with the extreme heat. It's too hot to go outside and the malls and beaches are full with families trying to escape the heat.

Yup, this is the Adelaide summer and it's HOT!

We went out yesterday night to buy a cheap, temporary gazebo. We thought we could set it up over the kids' little paddling pool so they can at least have some shade if they wanted to play in the backyard.

So, we spent over an hour last night setting it up, getting all the pieces together and tying it down tight. And do you know how long the kids spent in the paddling pool today? Only 15 minutes!

Oh well, it was probably too hot anyway... :) Hope the cool change will come soon.

The Big Rocking Horse

Because we still had the car for another day, we decided to make the most of it and go on another drive to visit the big rocking horse. Excuse me, that should say The Big Rocking Horse. This huge edifice is actually a famous South Australian landmark and tourist attraction. It was build partly to promote the wooden toys produced at the local toy factory. The horse and factory is located in a town called Gumeracha, about half an hour's drive from the city to the northeast in a region called the Adelaide Hills. The last time we were there, the boy was only a few months old so it was quite a treat for both the kids to go this time.

We left a bit late in the morning and the drive took us through the hills, past pine tree forests and the lake reservoir and vineyards. When we got to the town, it was already almost lunch so after playing a bit on the horse, we just grabbed some hotdogs from the local cafe and ate at one of the many picnic benches there.

We then checked out the toy factory and the kids had a grand time looking and playing with the various hand made wooden toys for sale there. They even took a couple of wooden motorcycles for a spin around the toy shop! Although, it wasn't long when the girl was already bugging us to buy something, so we spent some time looking around for small toys to buy and bring home.

Adjacent to the toy factory was a mini bird sanctuary and it was free to get in so we went there after we were done with the toys. It has quite a variety of birds like ducks, peacocks and black swans so before we went in we bought a bag of bird feed to make sure we get a chance to be up close to the birds. Although most of the birds were ok, it was the swans that were actually a bit aggressive. They would crowd us hungry for feed and I even noticed that another girl there got her hand pecked. They're even big birds! Bigger than the kids even. After we finsihed feding the birds, we started back but not before purchasing a couple of peacock feathers to bring home as souvenirs.

All in all, a nice day. One thing disappointed me though. The last time we were there, the cafe served some excellent fried chicken that reminded us of Jollibee Chicken Joy. Unfortunately, this time they had the chicken off the menu so we had to settle for the hot dogs. Not that the kids were complaining though. ;)

Our Mini Holiday

We took a day-trip to visit what is known as South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. The Fleurieu is a short drive from south/southwest of Adelaide and is known for it's many wineries, farms and coastal towns and beaches.

We've been in Adelaide for more than 3 years now and this is the first time that we've actually driven around and saw more of the state. We only planned for a daytrip this time and our goal was to reach a town called Victor Harbor which is one of the biggest towns in the Fleurieu boasting of many tourist type attractions. We figured we could take the long way to Victor, stop and have a picnic lunch at a small town along the way, and then go back up to Adelaide in the late afternoon.

The day was a bit overcast when we started and it remained so throughout the day. This actually suited me fine because a blazing summer sun would be sure to have given us sunburn through the untinted windows of the rental car. We started early, around 8:30 and arrived at our first destination, Strathalbyn, an hour later. There we stopped and had a picnic at the park and the kids had a chance to check out the local park and the local wildlife ( ducks! )

Strathalbyn is a small picturesque country town and it had the small country town feel. There were quite a few old buildings and wide open spaces and the folks we saw there were friendly. We managed to strike up a conversation with a couple who were walking their dogs. The kids were a bit shy at first about petting the cute little terriers but they got over it right away.

From there, Victor Harbor was only an hour away and we managed to get their without getting too lost ( ok , I took a slightly wrong turn! ) and we got there on schedule. The sky was still cloudy and it was even a bit cold as we got out of the car which was to me quite unusual for the middle of summer. It's a good thing my wife insisted on bringing warm jumpers for all of us!

We thought we had it all planned out and we'd see a few of the main attractions like looking at penguins and see the Whale Centre but our kids had different ideas. They spied a carnival near the foreshore and I got roped into a Jumping castle with them not 10 minutes after we arrived!

After that, we attempted to walk to Granite Island, a small island off Victor Harbor connected via a railway bridge. We weren't too keen on taking the kids down a 2KM walk over the bridge to look at the penguins so we ended up playing in the sand instead. It's a pity it was a bit cold as the kids would have loved jumping into the water.

We then had a little stroll to the busy Victor Harbor town center and had lunch at a little fish and chips shop. The kids were then a bit restless at this point, raring to burn off some energy so we took them to the playground ( again ) and they had a great time playing with all the other kids there.

By mid-afternoon, we decided to head back to Adelaide. On the way back we stopped and did some strawberry picking. It was a good experience for us as this was the first time we actually got to pick strawberries. We stopped at the Agon Berry Farm shop front along the highway, paid for a plastic punnet ( only $6 which would hold about a kilo of strawberries ) and drove down the opposite side of the shop to where the strawberry fields were.

It seems that it's pretty popular place as most of the strawberries in the nearer bushes were picked clean and we and a few others had to go to the other end of the field to really start filling up our punnet. Of course, both kids had a grand time doing this, searching for the red strawberries and coming to us with one berry at a time! It took a while but we eventually got enough to fill our punnet and then some.

On the way home, we passed lush McLaren Vale scenery. McLaren Vale is home to many of Australia's top vineyards and wine producers and the view from the top of Mt. Compass was a nice change from the view of drab motorways and roads.

The drive back home was uneventful and we got home safe and sound. It didn't seem to bad with the kids in the back seat and because we still missed a few sights and attractions this time around, we would definitely be going back for more next time.

Nico can Read!

When Nico turned 2 years old, we noticed he was quite interested with letters and numbers. Hence I printed out big letters and numbers and put them on the kitchen walls to make them familiar to him. A few months later, he learned to sing the ABCs and count up to 20 all by himself. We started reading books to him, and at first he would just be quiet and take it all in. But one day, when I wasn't looking he picked up a familiar book and started to read the words out. Now, that was amazing!

Now that he is about 3 months away from his 3rd birthday, we noticed he can read a few words. Here are some examples that happened recently:

1. I was reading an article on the computer and he wanted to sit on my lap so that he can have a hold of the mouse to get his computer games started. And so to distract him, I pointed to the title of the article I was reading that written in big letters. At first I asked him what the letters were in each word, and he got them all. Next I asked him, 'what does that say?', and then he said "Let ... It ... Go'.

2. While were were inside a shop today looking at beds, he went back to the entrance and started jumping on the welcome mat. I assumed he was trying to find a way out and push the door open, but he stayed there. From a distance, it looked like he was talking to himself. When I came closer I heard him calling out the letters of the word on the mat. At the end of all the letters he paused for a moment and just blurted out ... 'Welcome!'.

3. When we were on the tram, I noticed that just before each stop he would say 'next stop' and would go down the seat as if he was going down from the tram himself. At figured, he was just being restless as usual. But soon I noticed it was just happening too often. He kept pointing to something behind me shouting 'next stop' again and again. And so I looked behind me and there it was a sign that said 'NEXT STOP'. And it would light up whenever people would be going down on the next tram station.

Looks like he is well on his way to reading, even sooner than his big sister. It also worth mentioning that Bianca's love of reading has rubbed off on her little brother. There are even times she would insist on reading the books to him to give me a break. Thank goodness!

Road Trip!

We're going on a road trip tomorrow! Nothing far, just a short jaunt down the coast to a seaside town. It would be the first time we'd be taking the kids on a long(ish) drive so we'll see how we fare.

We also rented a car for the occasion. It's not because our own small sedan couldn't handle the drive but I've always wanted to find out how it feels to drive an SUV and I figure this is the best chance I have of getting behind the wheel of one.

The kids seem excited and I hope they behave during the drive. Wish us luck!

Kid Funnies Part 7

We were sitting at the table eating dessert and I was holding on to the spoon. The kids were coming to me for their next spoonful of jelly and I was dutifully dishing it out to them. The girl then says to me, "How about one for Jesus, Daddy?" She's learned early on that Jesus and God were all around and invisible and she always refers to them as part of the family.

So, I took a spoon and raised it over my head acting as if I was feeding someone there. The girl laughed and said, "A little lower Daddy, Jesus is a kid!"

First Visit to the Dentist

For some people, visiting the dentist can be quite scary ... especially if you did not have a pleasant experience with them when you were young. Hence, I wanted to make sure that my kids do not go thru life with a fear of the dentists. After all, if you teach them early enough to take care of their teeth, then going to the dentist should not be so unpleasant.

Today, we scheduled my daughter's first visit to the dentist. It was a brand new clinic close to home. When we got there, I filled out a form and Bianca was given a choice between two stuffed toys she could bring inside - she chose a grey poodle named 'Frenchie'. It was a bit of a wait, but she was happy platying with her new friend 'Frenchie'. When she was called in by the dental assistant, she was eager to go and sit on the chair. The lady dentist then explained to her that they will raise and recline the chair, and have her lie down. Since the light can be bright, they got her to wear some shades.

She was asked to open her mouth, and the dentist proceeded to count her teeth: 10 up and 10 down, for a total of 20. I was also told that in the next 12 months to expect all her 4 permanent molars to come out - ouch! They also performed a little cleaning with a tutti-frutti kind of paste, and finished of with a flouride solution that was painted on her teeth to keep them strong.

After this she was asked what it tasted like, but she did not know. "Maybe bubblegum ?", the dental assistant prompted her. "Mommy, what is bubblegum?" was the response she got. I had to explain that she's not much into the sweet-stuff like chocolates, candies, soft-drinks. Thank goodness!

One question I was dying to ask the dentist was "Are we cleaning her teeth well enough?", and to this she said 'yes'. Whew! All that effort to get them to brush their teeth since they were about a year old finally paid off. Must keep it up for the next 20 years, ha!

She was very well-behaved during the whole session that the dentist gave her a special sticker that she proudly stuck on her shirt! At the end of it all, she returned the toy to the receptionist in exchange for some more stickers ,colouring pages and a new toothbrush ... a pink one ofcourse.

For me it was really good to see that they make it a pleasant experience for both child and parent. It was so good that Bianca mentions the dental visit as the 'most fun thing' she did today. So good it was for me that I booked an cleaning appointment for mylself next month! Too bad I could not bring my little boy just yet ... I don't think he will sit still long enough for the dentist to count his teeth, hehehe.

Fun at the Adelaide Aquatic Center

We did promise the kids that we'd do something fun today and that we did. We went and spent some time at the Adelaide Aquatic Center. After the hot day yesterday, I guess we were raring to hit the pool. We started early, around 9:30 and I'm glad that we did because the parking lot to the Aquatic centre was almost filled with families who also had the same idea.

This was actually our first time to be at the center so it was a good experience for us. The center was huge. Imagine 2 olympic size swimming pools, a diving platform, several recreational pools for kids of all ages, a water slide, spas, hot tubs and a gym all under one roof. It even the usual cafe and sort of pro shop. Even the change and locker rooms were large! No wonder, the place was packed even that early in the day.

We queued up to get in, paid a small fee and went straight to the kiddie pools. We just stayed in the shallow area cordoned off for the toddlers. Even though it wasn't too deep, the kids still had fun just splashing around in the water and playing. There were a lot of other kids there too and it didn't take long for them to start playing together. Our kids make friends quite easily which is good to know.

As for us parents, we were pretty much content to just sit in the water with them and play along. It was nice to get out of the heat of yesterday.

We didn't stay too long because as it got later a lot more people were coming into the center and our kids seemed to have had their fill of the water. So we bundled them up to the separate locker rooms and got changed. A quick snack of fries and juice and off we went. All in all, not a bad first outing to the Aquatic Centre.

Late Spring Cleaning

For almost a year now, we could only park our car outside our house despite the fact that we have a serviceable garage. Accumulated clutter was taking up the space where our car should go. We decided once and for all to do a thorough clear out and to finally make room for the car again.

Now, normal rubbish collection would not do when one is attempting spring cleaning so we used our city council's hard refuse collection service. It's basically a truck that goes around that picks up people's old junk, from old refrigerators, bed mattresses to large cardboard boxes and other such items that won't fit in the rubbish bin or recyclables. We had to book a time for the pick up almost a month in advance. Despite the long lead time, we couldn't just put our junk outside as this would be considered littering and we had to wait until the day before the scheduled time to put it outside.

That's basically what we did all day today, sorting and carrying junk out to the front of the house where the truck can pick it up. We started early because we knew it was going to be another hot day. We threw out quite a lot of old stuff like old pillows, cardboard boxes ( from kids toys ), broken chairs etc. While we were also in a cleaning mood, we went ahead and threw out an old mattress and re-arranged furniture inside the house as well. All that plus we had to keep the kids occupied throughout the day. And all this in 34ºC heat! ( that's 93.2ºF )

We know that the kids are getting pretty antsy these school holidays. The girl has been very vocal about her boredom lately so we hope to be able to take them to the pool tomorrow. After a day like today, we all deserve it.

---

Before photo.

---

After the cleanup.

---

What we threw out!

---

Proof of our succcess.

---

Kid Funnies Part 6

The wife was retelling a conversation she had with the girl today. She wanted to draw Tigger and she was having a hard time. She asked my wife to do it for her, but my wife isn't exactly that good with drawing. My wife started drawing as best she could but couldn't get it quite right.

Daughter: "I think I can copy this, Mommy".

Daughter takes another sheet of paper and finishes the drawing.

Mother: "Well done! That's great!"

Daughter: "I did it because I'm so clever!"

Wife: "That's right..."

Daughter: "... and you're not!"

LOL! Out of the mouths of babes...

Happy Birthday Mother Dear!

Everyone who's ever met my mother will always say how grateful they are to have known her. In her work as a doctor she has helped a multitude of people in and around our home town. She had a reputation as one of the nicest doctors around to a point she'd have patients from neighboring provinces come to see her at her clinic. I remember spending time at the clinic and marvel at the volume of people who would patiently wait to be seen by her. I always felt proud just sitting there and knowing that all those people were there to see my mom, knowing that they held her in great respect and trust.

Our mom did her best to impart in us the right values while we kids were growing up. Even though my mom was probably one of the busiest doctors in the city, balancing life at home and work came easily for her and we kids never lacked for anything. She'd always say to us that the parents commitment to the kids was first and foremost education. We got that and more from her. We got love, understanding and caring from the best mom we could ever hope for. If my wife and I do well by our own children, then it is in no small part thanks to her and dad who have been an inspiration.

It's because of her that I am the man I am today, that I face parenthood with the joy and enthusiasm that I have seen in her.

Happy Birthday Mommy, we love and miss you and hope to see you soon.

PS. Call you soon! :)

Birthday Photos

Bianca's Day

Last year, we had a party held here at home with all the trimmings. This meant lots of prepation for home-made party food, balloons and even a party game or two. This year, we decided to have a low-key celebration - just for the family. Easier said than done ... soon enough the celebrant was asking why she could not have a party and invite her friends? So we tried to explain that this birthday will be different, just a day out to watch a movie and visit the beach, and then back home for some birthday cake and home-made spaghetti. She did not look happy with that explanation. Until a few seconds later, she said in an excited voice - "Mommy, I have an idea! Can I invite my toys to my birthday party ? ". With our consent, she chose which toys were coming and made party hats for them with paper. Gee, talk about seeing the silver lining among the dark clouds! Some kids would have performed a full-bown tantrum in this situation. However, she knew how to make the potentially bad situation into a good one.How did she do that?! I must admit, that's great attitude for a 5 year old ... making us even more proud of her than ever before.

This special day started with her opening all her birthday presents, most of which were things to get her ready for school that starts in a couple of weeks. And then we all went out to watch "Chicken Little". I must say this was the best experience we've had watching movies with kids. For the first time, we did not have to leave our seats to run after our little boy! For lunch we went to the city and rode an old-fashioned tram to go to the beach. We had lunch and ice cream, then proceeded to play in the sand for a little while. Upon returning home , we were able to get phone calls from the the grandparents and they wished her a happy birthday. She really enjoyed that.

To cap off the day, we all had a spaghetti dinner and cake, which was yummy! The cake was decorated with pink ballerinas and candles ... that really made her day. We took a slice of the cake with candles and she blew it again in front of her toys. Ofcourse, Nico wanted to have a turn at blowing the candles so we lighted them up this a couple more times.

At the end of this very busy day as we were putting her to bed, we started talking about the highlights of the day. She enjoyed the movie, the phone calls from the grandparents and the birthday cake and party with the toys. She did like the gifts we gave her to use at school but then she said, "Next time, please get me something I can play with." Something to keep in mind for next year, she's still a little kid after all.

A Birthday Today!

Five years ago we spent New Years Eve in a hospital room surrounded by duty nurses and other expectant mothers. We watched the New Year's Eve fireworks on the teeny tiny hospital TV set. We were up that whole night waiting for the big one but it didn't come.

My wife and I spent the next morning walking around the hospital grounds hoping that gravity would do its work but to no avail. The morning stretched into the afternoon, and the afternoon stretched into the evening. Finally the evening went past and it was indeed already late at night and we couldn't wait any longer. The doctor finally went and performed the operation at 2AM and the first cries of a newborn baby filled the air.

Our bouncing baby girl finally arrived and our world has been all the better for her.

Happy Birthday, to our darling daugther. Know that your big family loves and adores you and wishes you that all good things come to you this day. We love you!

Fireworks on TV

Happy New Year!!

Thoughts and Thanks on the New Year

Ever since I could remember, New Years Eve celebrations have always been a big thing in my family, oftentimes bigger then Christmas. There would always be parties, parlor games and lots and lots of food. We would get together with our neighbors, our extended family to celebrate the coming of the new year. During the evening, there would be parlor games for us kids, lots of food and as midnight rolled along, fireworks.

These past few years, my New Year's celebrations have been low key. It's all different now living in another country and having no close family to celebrate New Year's Eve. We'd usually end up watching the fireworks on TV after a quiet ( relatively! ) dinner with the kids. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Sure, it's not as noisy as I am used to but it's still meaningful. The relative quiet gives me time to reflect on the past year and the blessings that we have been given and before 2005 ends, I'd like to put those down.

We're very grateful first and foremost for the good health and well being of the kids. It's not easy raising a family relatively on our own but somehow we manage and dare I say, thrive. Both the boy and girl are growing to be happy, healthy kids and we feel so blessed for that.

Work has been extremely good to me, personally. It's not like I struck it big time but I'm lucky to have a job that affords me the flexibility to be with the family more and to be financially rewarding as well. Meme also has tried working the early part of the year and it's good to know that she can always go back to it if we need to.

I'd to thank my wife for being there for all of us when we need her. For caring of not just the 2 kids but me as well, the biggest kid of all. Thanks mahal!

Beyond that, I'm happy that my own family are mostly together in the US. You guys, I'm glad that you're all together there and supporting each other. It's not easy starting again in a new country but it's good that you have each other to lean on.

Another blessing I shouldn't forget has been my bro becoming a full fledged doctor. He's starting a career ( kuno ) in the Philippines and I wish him all the success in the future.

So, I'll end this last entry for 2005 now. I see the fireworks are about to start on TV and the kids are tearing me away from the computer. Time to focus on what's important.

Happy New Year All!

Christmas All Over Again!

Just a couple of days ago we received a package from the grandparents in the US. It was like Christmas morning again! The kids were eagerly waiting for us to open the big box and they weren't dissapointed. There were a lot of gifts and they just adored the presents they got.

Thanks for the package, we really appreciate it! Click here for more pictures!

---

Christmas morning again!

---

You're Number 1!

---

Learning to share again!

---

Nice earrings!

---

Open this now!

---

City Sights

It was still a holiday on Tuesday so the family decided to visit the city. Ever since my daughter visited the museum she has been very insistent that the boys ( her brother and I ) go and see it too and we thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Most of the city shops and malls were still closed because of the holiday ( yes, I know, malls closed on a holiday! How quaint! ) but Adelaide's more cultured attractions like the State Library, Art Gallery and Museum were still open.

Adelaide, unlike a lot of cities, was planned from the very beginning. The city itself is laid out in a square a mile wide crossed by neatly laid out streets. It's bounded on all sides by parks and rivers which provide a ring of nature around an otherwise concrete city. The museum and other such buildings are situated in the northern part of Adelaide.

A short drive from our house brought us into Adelaide and after we found parking, we went to have brunch at the pancake house, an Adelaide institution that serves some of the best pancakes around. The kids loved the strawberry milks they served and our daughter enjoyed the chocolate smothered pancake she ordered. Myself, I had a traditional pancake breakfast complete with bacon and eggs and the wife had something with bananas on it. Unfortunately, the boy was a bit restless and didn't want to have any of the pancakes and spent the time just being sulky and crying a bit.


At any rate, we finished up and a short walk later we were at the museum. That area has been recently refurbished so the pedestrian walkways into the museum, library and art gallery were all spruced up and they looked extremely nice.


At the museum, our girl ( who was there before ) was all excited and started telling us where we should go first. She made sure that we got to see dinosaur bones and some of the stuffed animals that the saw the first time. However, she made extremely sure that we skipped the mummy and Egyptian exhibit as she thought that it was too scary for her.

We spent some time just wandering around the place looking at the exhibits and getting the kids to try some of the more hands on displays. It wasn't too long that we thought we'd seen enough and we set for home.

Before going home, though, I went and took them to my comic book shop to collect my order of comics for the month. Which to me, was the highlight of my day!

Looks Familiar

And one more thing...

When the boy was running along the sand with his towel and hood on, he looked very familiar to us. What do you think? :)

Boxing Day Photos

You can click on photos for larger images.

---

Boxing Day at the Beach

Here in Australia, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas and is also an official holiday. Some say its for 'boxing up' the unwanted gifts you got on Xmas day. Others say its just a day to recover from your Xmas celebrations. Lately, the shops use it as a day of great sales. Therefore, its is now a tradition of shopping for the ladies, men staying home watching TV and the kids playing with their new toys.

However, we chose to start our own tradition on this day. We go to the beach! Its the best time really, not much people around so we can even get really good parking spots. We started going about 3 years ago when Nico was just a baby and we struggled to push the pram into the sand! In hindsight, that was really crazy. Last year we brought along some sand toys so we spent some time playing in the sand. The kids had so much fun playing with the sand that they asked us to bring home a bag full of sand!

This year, we did not have to bring the pram as Nico was big enough to walk with us. It was funny though that we saw another family struggling to push their pram in the sand. Also, we finally braved the cold waters! Bianca was very keen on getting into the water this time. However, Nico was not .... as soon as he saw the waves coming in towards him he pointed towards the shore saying "That Way!". He wanted me to take him back to shore where the waves will not reach him. However, after showing him that he could stomp and splash his way into the water, he stayed a bit longer in the water.

We all splashed around for a while, until we felt a bit cold. At this point, we made sand castles. Bianca made a big sand castle and decorated it with shells that she collected in the beach. She also asked if she could make a sand angel, just like she'd seen on TV. And so she did, and Nico gamely copied her even though the sand was getting into his eyes!

For lunch, we took our picnic rug out of the sand and into the park near the playground. We just ordered some of the traditional aussie summer food - fish and chips. When our food arrived, the kids we so hungry it was not hard to convince them to leave the playground for a while and have their lunch .... that was a pleasant surprise! After lunch, Bianca wanted to go back to the playground to 'make room for dessert. A few minutes later, she was back and we got her a nice cool ice block. Perfect for this nice summer day that we choose to spend at the beach each and every year.

Photography Attempt #2

Nico's Shots
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

The boy was getting restless during Christmas Eve mass and to quiet him down, one of the things I did was give him the camera, hoping it would distract him. Big mistake! He began taking random shots at the people around him, with the flash going off every few seconds.

He really enjoyed it and the people around him didn't seem to mind judging from the smiles they gave.

I guess we have a budding photographer in our hands.

Merry Christmas 2005

Christmas morning came and went, the kids eagerly opened up their presents and had fun playing for the most part. We got the kids a few presents but our relatives in the Philippines also sent them a lot more, thanks very much!

We were also able to hook up my family in the US with a live webcam feed of the the whole event so it was nice of them to be able to share that little moment of joy with us and the kids.

After that, the whole day was just spent at home, the kids with their toys and gifts ( which they played probably for over 2 hours only! hehhe ) and just us parents chilling out.

The kids are still trying their best to play together. The little boy still hasn't gotten the concept of sharing well. It's a good thing that his big sister knows this and is really very patient with him. But when they do share in things, it's such a nice sight to see. I guess we just have to keep at it and constantly remind and teach them that sharing is always a good thing.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

And I'm dead tired. It's been a very very busy day and it's not over yet.

We were having friends over for lunch and we actually started cooking last night so we didn't have to be rushed in the morning. The day started early as I had to get up first thing and pick up some prawns from the seafood market a few minutes across town. I had to get there early because everyone was likely to have prawns or seafood for Christmas. I was there at 7:30 and the parking lot was already packed. Inside, there was already a queue for customers with more people coming in by the minute. It was a good thing that I came when I did as I was served relatively quickly and got home before 8. That was menu item #1 taken care of.

At home, I then got to work to cooking menu item #2, pancit canton. I chopped and prepared the ingredients while the wife finished the chicken pastel we started cooking last night, menu item#$3. She already done her leche flan yesterday so that was dessert already in the bag as well. Before 11AM, we already had lunch ready and waiting, which is quite a record for us considering we don't have guests very often.

The kids were not exactly in the most cooperative of moods all morning, as they constantly quarreled about toys and computer game playing time. Anyway, lunch went off without a hitch and it was nice to meet those friends of ours again. The kids were mostly cooperative but as kids are wont to do during get togethers, they really didn't eat much, preferring to play with our friends' daughter.

Our friends left around 4PM and we had to get ready to go to Christmas Eve mass at 6. This time, the kids were already sleepy and cranky and by virtue of that were quite unruly and restless during mass. We had to do our usual distraction techniques to get us through the whole mass with our wits intact. We saw some friends after mass and stopped to chat but by then, it was already 7:30PM and we knew the kids were dying to get home.

When we arrived, we had to quickly feed the kids a little something before bundling them off to bed at 8PM. There was no great fuss to go to bed this time because they knew that when they wake up tomorrow, presents would be waiting.

That is, the presents would be there if we could set them up in time! We have to spend the next few hours assembling some of the gifts we bought for them and probably wrapping up a few as well. After all that, I think Noche Buena is out of the question. :)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Twas the Week Before Christmas...

And we've been very busy. School holidays have started and the wife has been trying to kids occupied all day and every day. We're still in the midst of wrapping presents and planning a small pre-Christmas lunch with friends.

Work has been busy of late. With people going on leave, a lot of stuff needed to be finished before the Christmas break. Here in Oz, we've got Christmas and Boxing day holidays so ( with Christmas being on a Sunday ) we've got Monday and Tuesday off.

What I'm trying to say is that we've been too busy to blog this past week! :)

Kindy Christmas Concert

The end of Bianca's kindergarten (or kindy) year was marked with a Christmas concert for all of us parents, friends and other relatives. The kids have been working on their acts for quite some time now, counting the number of sleeps before the all-important concert. Bianca even revealed a few days ago that she will be playing the part of an angel. This being her first concert, I think I was more excited than she was.

When we got there this morning for the concert, I saw a glimpse of her in the window. She was wearing a while angel's costume, complete with a big white dress, a silver tinsel tiara and wings. She was sooo cute! She saw me and gave me a big wave. Now I was really excited to see the concert.

A few minutes later, all the kids came out in front of this eager and excited audience. When they were in their right positions, the teacher called Bianca over and started whispering something to her. Bianca then said in a loud voice 'Welcome everyone ... we hope you enjoy our concert!'. Now that was a pleasant surprise, for her to be chosen to do that must have made her feel special. I know it made me so proud of her, that I forgot to take photos of that memorable moment!

They kids proceeded to sing 'Three Wise Men" and while other kids dressed appropriately acted it out in front. At the end of that song, they sang 'Jingle Bells' and Santa Claus made an appearance going out of a pretend chimney together with his reindeers and helpers. They sang and danced a couple more Xmas songs until Bianca was taken aside by the teacher again to make one final announcement saying "This will be our last dance, thank you for coming and we hope you enjoyed our concert". Now I did not see that one coming either, so again ... no photos!

Needless to say, we are so proud of our little girl. It gave me a different kind of thrill to see her perform ... I just hope I won't turn out to be one of those stage moms!

Computots

One advantage ( or disadvantage ) about working with computers and being with computers in my spare time is that I inevitably pass on my habits to my kids. They are both very proficient with the computer now and are heavier computer users than their mother. To illustrate, our kids were able to use the mouse at age 2 and surf websites six months later. I think they learned how to type their names first on the keyboard before learning to write.

Lately, our son has taken to hogging the computer most days leaving my wife with no recourse sometimes but to lock him out of the room. He generally doesn't like it and throws tantrums if he can't use the computer. Even when his favourite TV shows are on, he'd rather play and surf. When it's meal time or dinner time and he's in front of the computer, we have to carry him out kicking and screaming. Before, he would be satisfied with just sitting on our laps while we use the computer. Now, he just grabs the mouse and takes control whenever he wants.

He surfs like a pro these days. He knows how to navigate the bookmarks to places like Sesame Street, Noggin, The Wiggles or ABC Kids. His sister is also an expert and both of them spend quite a lot time playing the games together, partners in crime! I have to say though that the quality of these kid websites are really good and they do offer a lot of educational material. Stuff like puzzles, reading, counting and number games both entertain and teach them the basics.

Ok, I better finish this quickly cause I can hear the boy coming, I think he wants his time on the computer again!

Waiting...

Waiting...
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Here's Nico waiting patiently for Santa to call his name from the "nice" list. Aint that cute?

Kindy Report Card For Posterity

It's the first report card so forgive us if we feel like sharing. :)

The First Report Card

This week is our daughter's last week at kindergarten and her teachers have given us a sort of report card on how she has fared this past four school terms. It was not without a bit of pride and joy that we read through what the teacher had written down about our girl.

Bianca has had a busy time at Pre-school. She has accessed a wide variety of activities, particularly enjoying the Art/Craft activities. She is able to follow through simple instructions and work on a task independently. Her happy, friendly nature has endeared her to many of her peers during her time at kindy.

Bianca has advanced literacy skills. She can recognise all the letters of the alphabet as well as a large number of sight words, and has developed excellent word attack skills. She is an articulate child who enjoys conversing with others. Bianca is and attentive listener who is able to contribute confidently and appropriately to our group discussions.

Bianca is able write her own name and can trace, colour and cut neatly. She applies herself well to set tasks and is always keen to share her work with others. Bianca has accessed the outdoor environment with enthusiasm and imagination. Her gross motor skills are developing well.

Bianca is a responsible, co-operative child. She is always willing to help others and has been a good role model for her peers. She is looking forward to school and we know she will make a valuable class member. Bianca has been an absolute pleasure to teach and we wish her all the very best as she begins her new adventure at school.

I'd like to think we had a little something to do with that. :)

We're so very proud of her and what she has accomplished so far. It may not be much and the assesment may be the same for most of her class but I do hope this sets her up to do well in school next year.

Salvation Army Christmas

We got invited to go to our local Salvation Army's kids Christmas celebration today. My wife brings our kids to the Salvos playgroup regularly these past few years and we never fail to go to these Christmas celebrations. It was nothing fancy, just merely a chance for us to join in the kids songs and watch them perform. There was a nativity scene presentation as well as visit from Santa Claus. I guess it's merely a way for the Salvos to show appreciation to all the kids and families that join in their fellowship this past year.

The kids had fun getting pressies from Santa and playing with some of their friends. Bianca got a set of ballerina stationery which she really liked because she said that Santa knew she wanted to be a ballerina. Nico got a book which I know he'll learn to read someday. In the meantime, he was just happy to run around with the children.

As kids, even the littlest things really are well appreciated.

Wiggles Concert Pictures

Reading Excellence

Bianca's teacher at kindergarten came up to me today to tell me that Bianca is doing very well with her reading skills. She mentioned that one time Bianca even read out a book to her classmates. Bianca came home with a 'WOW' sticker on her hand that day for this worthy achievement.

Her teacher was so amazed at this that she mentioned this to another teacher in the reception level (or grade 1) and said they were very also impressed. Apparently there are kids much older than her cannot even read that much. She's quite sure that she will be in the advanced level of reading and that the teachers in her next school will be able to pick that up and be able to give her reading materials that will continue challenge her.

My thoughts .... I guess all those nights of reading books to her paid off. So much so that she's reading books like Dr. Seuss' books to me now, and most especially to little brother Nico. Its also rubbing off on Nico who loves to copy her, so now I find him reading books on his own now. Having a love for books and reading is something I've always wanted my kids to have. It feels great to be validated and acknowledged as a good parent and that we are doing right by our kids.

Surviving A Wiggles Concert

The family just came back from a very much awaited Wiggles concert. By way of a quick introduction, The Wiggles are a group of four middle aged guys in skivvies who are the most popular children's act that Australia has ever produced. Their simple songs and dances have spawned countless TV shows, videos, DVD's, CD's and books. They started out as musicians with degrees in early childhood education and they've been able to turn their hobby and passion into something that's endearing not just to Aussie kids but to kids around the globe. They've been at it so successfully for over 13 years that they were listed last year as the Australia's richest entertainers and biggest export to the world.

I don't know what it is about these Wiggles but the first time my kids have heard their songs and watched their videos, they were hooked. I mean, hooked! They would stop whatever they were doing, whether playing with toys or eating their food and just watched these 4 guys on the TV doing a simple song about Hot Potatoes or Fruit Salad! It was like my kids were hypnotised or something. We find that a sure fire way of keeping our kids quiet and entertained for a while was always to put on a Wiggles video. We've done this so often all of us now know all the words and actions to all sorts of songs the Wiggles have ever sung!

So, naturally, when we found out that the Wiggles were having a concert here in Adelaide, we figured that now was the best time to go. The boy was already old enough to understand what was going on and the girl would be simply thrilled. After buying the tickets a month ago, and counting down the days till the big event, the day arrived and we finally found ourselves right smack in the amidst hundreds of screaming fans. I tell you, those Wiggles are like the Beatles for the kindergarten set.

Things weren't quite as peachy in the beginning though. Unfortunately, one of the Wiggles, Greg, couldn't make it to the Adelaide show because of illness and a replacement had to be brought in. Now, Greg has always been our daughter's favourite. Even before the show, she was telling us that she was excited to see Greg because he was the singer of the group and she like him because she sang songs as well.

When the announcement came over the loudspeakers that Greg was not going to be appearing, our poor little girl was crushed. She was so looking forward to seeing Greg that she seemed almost heartbroken when he didn't show. We tried our best to cheer her up, telling her that we'd be writing to Greg to get well soon and all that but she was on the verge of tears for almost thirty minutes. She refused even to watch the show at one point. It took some time but the Wiggles songs and the dances slowly wove their magic on her and soon enough, she was clapping and laughing and stomping her feet with the rest of them. It was a big relief for us because we didn't want her first Wiggles concert experience to be a big disappointment.

The boy, on the other hand, was not disappointed in the least. From start to finish, he was waving and dancing and singing to almost every one of the songs they sung. He was thrilled and enthralled by everything. From the Wiggle's Big Red Car, to the big balloon of Murray Wiggle, to the dancing and the obligatory Santa Claus appearance. He was fun to watch considering a few kids around us were already getting antsy halfway through the concert.

Overall, the concert was great, but a few things we should remember next time we decide to watch another Wiggles concert.

1. Book tickets early. Tickets were on sale since July 1 this year. When I booked the tickets a month ago, all they had available were seats in the nosebleed section. It wasn't too bad, but you do want better seats so your kids can at least see their idols up close. ( ok, ok, our idols too ! ). Ticket prices are surprisingly affordable and all tickets are priced the same no matter where you are seated. So, it's just a matter of getting in early.

2. Bring cash. And lots of it. The stuff that your kids ( and yourself ) would like to get after the show cost a mint. T-shirts, balloons, Wiggles toys etc. are available before and after the concert. If you want to get in and out of the ever lengthening queue, bring cash.

3. Go to the toilets before the show starts. 'nuff said.

4. Bring snacks and drinks. The kids get tired after all that wiggling.

5. Handle disappointments. That thing with Greg threw us for a loop. Just be prepared for extra cuddles and to do everything you can to keep your kid from bawling their eyes out.

6. Prepare to get up and dance. I admit that the Wiggles are infectious and you do would want to stand and get into the act with your kids now and again. Keeps us parents young.

Hey Diddle Diddle

Our daughter is quite the craft person. She takes empty boxes, cardboard tubes, egg cartons and lots and lots of paper and makes them into trees, cars, flowers and anything she can think of. Of course, she quite a mess but the creations she comes up with are quite amazing works of art ( at least to us her parents! )

She also loves making puppets and puts on shows for us and her brother. It's not much but for a kid of nearly 5, it speaks volumes about her creativity and imagination.

One time, she made up a whole cast of characters for the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle". She made egg carton cat, with blue ears and tail and a star fiddle. She made a cow made up of two old boxes, and a paper cutout of a moon she stuck on the wall. She took an old puppy dog toy, and dressed up a wooden spoon and a paper plate.

We were quite impressed by her show, and I hurriedly took pictures of it. I hope we can keep on encouraging her imagination to grow. Who knows, we might have an budding artist on our hands.

Curioser and Curioser

We were eating today and the daughter started asking a lot of big questions. She first asked where do men come from. At first, we didn't understand the question and I asked her what she meant. She started telling us some men came from mud and that God made men. I agreed with her and said some people say that God made man from mud and shaped them like clay and breath life into them. She was happy with the story for a little while.

Then, out of nowhere came the follow up question. She asked "How do men die?" We were stunned for a second or two as we didn't expect it from the 4 year old. At any rate, we said that some people grow old and some got into accidents. She then said, "We're not old! Then we won't die!" I assured her that we won't die soon and that if we're careful we won't be in any accidents.

She cheerfully accept this and went back to her dinner. My wife and I looked at each other and let out a big sigh and a smile. :)

Gee, we didn't see that one coming!

---------

Do kids just mature faster nowadays? Our daughter is not five yet and the questions she throws at us sometimes leaves me a little flatfooted. I have to think about how to answer them in a way that's easy to grasp for a child. Personally, I feel that the best way is to really talk to her in simple terms and not to sugar coat some of the harder concepts, like death and the uhmm "birds and the bees". I'm not looking forward to the talk but at the rate she's going with her questions we might have to prepare for it sooner rather than later.

Happy Birthday Zai!

Happy Birthday to you, my coffee slinging, club hopping, shopping mad, crazy cool, angst riding, love sharing, fat fighting, food devouring, bestest little sister a guy can ask for. Miss you much!

That Will Do Pig

For most of us who did not grow up in the country side, the sight of live animals was few and far between. As a child growing up in Manila, the only place to see them was the Manila Zoo for school excursions. By the time I was in college, I remember there was once a petting zoo they set up inside a Makati shopping center where you could feed the rabbits and pet other small animals.

Here in Adelaide, there are people who actually bring these small farm animals to your local kindergarten or playgroup. We had our turn a few weeks ago at our playgroup. On this occasion, the baby farm animals were put into a small enclosure in the parking lot and kids were allowed to roam freely among them. There was a small cow, some chickens, rabbits, piglets, lambs, goats.

Lately, I've noticed that Bianca and Nico have started playing with each other more often, with less fights about who gets what. Bianca is turning out to be a great big sister, she reads him books, do games and puzzles together, teaching him some words. Also, they have learned to work together.

This was pretty evident when they were in the enclosure with the farm animals. As soon as they saw the piglet, they started working together to get the piglet into a corner. At this point they started to take turns in touching the piglet gently. It was a site to behold! A few minutes later, they went their separate ways chasing after other animals. At the end of the day, I was just glad to see them working together (like partners in crime) and get in touch with nature even for just a short moment.