My Finals in ASL

I studied American Sign Language, and finally finished and passed the course.  I am passionate about helping the deaf and mute in communities, and hope to be a blessing to these people someday.  :)

 

Here we are goofing around in our pics.  :)

 

 

 

 

Our DD's Reunion with Kinder Friends

Dancing Queen and her former preschool classmates and teacher!  From little ones, to pretty ones!  



 

In the sweetness of friendship

let there be laughter,

for in the dew of little things

the heart finds its morning

and is refreshed. 

Kahlil Gibran

 

Couples Night-Out

Our DS's section night-out for couples at the home of a co-parent and friend.  :) What a great way to unwind and bond with new friends...  

  Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them.  Francesco Guicciardini

DD's Gr. 4 RAD Exam

Dancing Queen just finished with this year level's RAD of Royal Academy of Dance Examinations.  Just like in the past years, we hope she'd get a high grade for promotion  :)  Will keep you posted next time...  Here she is with her classmates/partners  :)  



 

They who love dancing too much

seem to have more brains in their feet

than in their head. 

Terence

 

DD's Pictorial

Pictorial day for the STEPS 19th Dance Workshop and Concert at the CCP  :)  This one, though, is an informal shot of Dancing Queen from our camera!  

 

The truest expression of a people is in its dance and music.

Agnes de Mille

 

Jazz Time

Our Dancing Queen joined a new dance class starting today.  She will need this dance form when she applies for a dance scholarship someday --- Jazz!

 

 



 

When the music changes, so does the dance.

African proverb

 

 

DH's Birthday

It's DH's many happy returns of the day!

 

May God's blessings abound to you
In every little way
May you taste and see His goodness
Every time you kneel to pray
May your day be brightened more
With your Father's loving touch
And may you sense He's with you now
And loves you very much.

M.S. Lowndes



 

Easter Quail Egg Hunt 2013

Our yearly Easter Egg Hunt around the rooms upstairs is in full swing, even Milkshake is excited to go on hunting for what's in store for her!  :)

   

 

For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born. 
Alice Freeman Palmer



The Study Room

We finally finished renovating the spare room in the first floor, and converted it into a study room.  It turned out nicely, and it will also be used for tutorials for children who need help in the neighborhood.  Will keep you posted on this new baby soon.  :)

 

  We are all geniuses and the world needs our contribution! Author Unknown  

Dancing Queen's New Smile

Finally!  After a total of 3 years, our Dancing Queen's orthodontic appliance can be put to rest  :)  We came from a scheduled check-up with her Ortho two weeks ago, and she gave us the green light to remove DD's mouthpiece.  Her jaw has moved to the right place, and her teeth have moved to its desired position too. 

 

I can still clearly remember, when DD first had to wear a FACEMASK -- to correct what is called a Class III Malocclusion -- something that we were not all aware of then.  Thanks to our practitioner, her highly skilled and trained eye spotted DD's jaw which grew "abnormally" at the very start. 

 

It was a hard thing for our DD to endure discomfort, and at times, pain, in wearing her mouth appliance, but years of perseverance, and patience in wearing her Facemask paid off.

 

And soon after the Facemask wearing came her RETAINERS, which she wore everyday, day in and day out -- taken off only during meal times, but had to be worn again, especially when sleeping.

 

It is quite an adventure for us to have undergone this, as we were also brought to the fact that we even had to HOMESCHOOL our DD to sort of "fast track" everything with regards to her jaw bone.

 

The results are favorable, and we thank God for helping us all in our journey.

 

To read all about our DD's Class III Malocclusia adventure, please click all labels marked as "Facemask".  We would be glad to be friends with you and lend some encouragement if you are experiencing what we have undergone.  :)

 

 Patience and perseverance have a magical effect

before which difficulties disappear

and obstacles vanish. 

John Quincy Adams

 

DS's First Ever Soiree

What an exciting day this was!  Our DS and his all-male classmates are had their first ever soiree with another all-girls' exclusive school somewhere near our home city. 

All parents are excited, and we are glad that another co-parent has opened her home to host this fun event in the lives of our dear 1st Yr. highschoolers.

 

 

While our boys went partying together, some parents, including yours truly (with the Hubs), gathered and met for dinner and coffee nearby.  It was equally fun exchanging notes and thoughts about our young men, and how this soiree will turn out to be. (It was a huge success, by the way.) :)

 

 

 On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet.
George Gordon Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
 

Kitty, Our New Molter

This is Kitty, one of our four Hermit Crabs, who buried herself over a month ago in substrate, and finally re-surfaced again this evening. She emerged from her old exoskeleton, and has grown a new left limb! The wonders of stressful regeneration after months of patience and waiting in darkness. :)

 

Hello again, world!

 

Kitty's antennae grew longer too!

 

Time to buy a bigger and prettier shell for this new molter.

 

Kitty's spanking new left limb just after her big pincher.

  

Any glimpse into the life of an animal

quickens our own and makes it so much

the larger and better in every way.

John Muir

 

Post-Valentine's Day Dinner

Dining out is one of our favorite ways to celeberate any month's special occasion!

 

 



 

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Valentine's Day 2013

I received a number of food gifts from my Grades 6, 4, and 3 students. 

After work, DH and I headed to DS's school, to have a chance meeting/counseling with the campus chaplain.  It was an "ambush" appointment, as we didn't expect to be accommodated right on the spot. 

 

He is a kind priest, and listened to us, as DH recounted our "story" to him, and what we wanted to happen by the end of this year.  He will re-wed us in Catholic rites on the 27th of December, and baptize DS and DD too.  I told him about my fervent prayer to Mother Mary (Nov. 6, 2011), and the bouquet of yellow roses in my dream just before waking up that particular morning of Nov. 8th -- only two days after my prayer.  And then, the truckload of live, long-stemmed, and potted roses that greeted me along our village's main street later that same day, which served as my answer and confirmation for the things I prayed about.

 

It was a nice, and great day for DH and I. 

 

As evening approached, I received a book of Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host' from DH.  The kids also got their favorite, Baby Ruth chocolate bars from him. 

What a memorable Valentine's Day this is for DH and I.  It wasn't lavishly celebrated, but great and promising things happened today.

 

Loving is not just looking at each other,

it's looking in the same direction.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939