A New Blessing

Like a blank page, today is a new day for God to direct His plans and purpose for my life.  Thank you for a BLESSING I just received this evening, Lord!  

  A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9        

Memo To Myself

I need to remind myself of this nowadays ---  



Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10   

   

DD's 12th Birthday

Our dearest Dancing Queen,

Happy 12th birthday, Bunny! Time does really fly swiftly, because you are now a tween.

 

Dad and I praise and thank the Lord for giving you to us because you are one of the reasons life is beautiful.

 

A lot of the opportunities we missed in our lives years ago have been totally worth it because it led us to have a daughter like you -- and when we became your parents, our ordinary lives became extraordinary -- which is the only job we love without getting paid, and that’s all because of you (and Kuya). But Dad and I thank you for making parenting feel like the easiest job in the world.

 

Don’t grow up too fast, and always remain our awesome, little pre-teen daughter we have forever. We love you always, and continue to shine on with your talents for the Lord. 

A daughter may outgrow your lap,
but she will never outgrow your heart.
Author Unknown

 

Easter Quail Egg Hunt 2014

Just listening to them laugh, and have fun as they hunt for quail eggs in every corner of our three rooms upstairs make DH and I praise and thank the Lord because   HE is ALIVE!  :)  

 Our DD!

 

Our DS!

 

 

A HAPPY and BLESSED EASTER, Everyone!  :)   Go quickly, and tell His disciples
that He is risen from the dead.
 Matthew 28:7    

Blessings for our Daughter

Blessings abound these days -- as our DD won a Taylor Swift tote bag from Cornetto Ice Cream!  The bag may be a simple prize, but winning it is truly a blessing and reward for her!  Thank you, Lord, for making our daughter win a  Taylor Swift-related prize!  :)  

 

Children see magic because they look for it.

Christopher Moore,

'Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal'
    

DH's Birthday

 

It's DH's birthday and we had a sumptuous dinner at our favorite restaurant!  Praise God for blessing DH with another great year!  

I am glad that you work hard for us,

I am glad that you provide for us.

There are several things that you do

and for so many reasons, I keep loving you.
Jennifer Ronald

Dancing Queen's Moving-Up Day

Our DD's Moving-Up Day! 

 

We are very proud and happy for the hard work she has done this year! 

 

She received another 1st honor medal, and we are thankful and grateful to the Lord for all His blessings to our children.  :)

 

If you want your children to be intelligent,

read them fairy tales.

If you want them to be more intelligent,

 read them more fairy tales.

Albert Einstein

DD at Becca Fitzpatrick's Book Signing Event

 

This is another exciting day for our DD -- she got her Hush, Hush book series signed by one of her favorite authors, Becca Fitzpatrick!

 

We had to go early, and brave the crowd of fans inside the book store where it was held.  Still, we were rewarded by the endless and infectious smile from our DD. 

 

Anything to make this daughter the happiest...  :)

 

 “If you can’t feel, why did you kiss me?”
Patch traced a finger along my collarbone,
then headed south stopping at my heart.
I felt it pounding through my skin.
“Because I feel it here, in my heart,”
he said quietly.
Becca Fitzpatrick, 'HUSH, HUSH'

   

DS's Soiree

 

Our DS had another soiree this evening.  He had  a great time meeting new friends from this exclusive school for girls, and enjoyed bonding with his classmates too. 

 

We are happy that every so often, DS's section in the Ateneo gets to have an activity such as this to improve on their social skills and add more friends to their circle.  :)

 

There are big ships and small ships.
But the best ship of all is friendship.
Author Unknown

 

 

DD's Taylor Swift Concert Tickets

Our DD is blessed to have concert tickets of her favorite artist, Taylor Swift.  She is ecstatic and very excited for TS's The RED Tour Concert on June 6 this year.  :)

 

This is partly our gift to her as she turns 12 in April.  :) 

 

And for being a good daughter to us.  :)

 

Losing him was blue like I'd never known
Missing him was dark grey all alone
Forgetting him was like trying to know
somebody you've never met
But loving him was red...
 Taylor Swift, "RED"

 

Happy Hearts Day!

We celebrated ours a day and two after --

because I was sick with the flu, and being a school day,

the kids were also busy in school and extra-curricular work.

 

DH gave each one of us chocolates on the 15th,

and we took out yummy Yang Chow fried rice and assorted dim sum on the 16th.

 

Here, however, is how the littlest one in our family celebrated it,

and it is the only photo we got this year for V-Day 2014!

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, EVERYONE!

 

Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine,

love, thou at every day my Valentine!

Thomas Hood

 

Mom's Back in the US

Feeling sad and heavy today...

 

My mom left this morning, back to her home in NJ.  Seeing each other again won't be too soon...  Her little, over two-weeks vacation/stay in Manila didn't do much for us to be able to enjoy each other to the fullest, but we are happy that she was able to spend most of her quality and quantity time with DS and DD. 

 

Both of us lead busy lives, and hers is set on the other side of the globe.  As for us, we have built our own here, and also for our children, who are both heavy in the academics and the arts.

 

Thankfully, technology has bridged the gap, and there is always social media to serve its purpose in bringing people closer, plus the very important Magic Jack, which we always use to talk to Mom every evening.

 

We all miss her, and the kids did tell us that too, the minute she left.  As I have told my friends in my Facebook account (and I do say here too, again), -- Whenever my Mom leaves, I always feel sad, and can't help but cry the whole day. I guess there is always an inner child in each one of us that longs for a Mom every time distance gets in the way...  <3 :(

 

As always, life goes on...

 

A mother is the truest friend we have,
when trials heavy and sudden,
fall upon us;
when adversity takes the place of prosperity;
when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us;
when trouble thickens around us,
still will she cling to us,
and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels
to dissipate the clouds of darkness,
and cause peace to return to our hearts.
Washington Irving

 

New Year 2014

From our family to yours,   HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

 

Claiming that it is going to be an AMAZING 2014 for us!

 

We will open the book. 
Its pages are blank. 
We are going to put words on them ourselves. 
The book is called Opportunity
and its first chapter is New Year's Day. 
Edith Lovejoy Pierce

December Rocks!

Today is a special day!

 

First up, my Mom just arrived from NJ,

and will be with us until the early weeks of January.

 

And secondly...

 

This.

 

 

 What greater blessing to give thanks for at a family gathering
than the family and the gathering.
Robert Brault