Happy Birthday, Gabriel!

My son Gabriel turned 4 today. We had so much fun at Chuck E. Cheese's at his birthday party last night. :D


I didn't actually expect for the party to be nice and smooth like it turned out knowing Chuck E. Cheese's is always crowded no matter what day or time you go but the one in Woodbridge, Virginia where we had it held is actually nicer, newer and cleaner than all the other ones we've been to. And since it was a week night party, we didn't have the same crazy crowd and we even had unlimited time at our tables instead of just the usual 90 minute-limit on their birthday parties. So anyway, everyone had a lot of fun, even the adults!


Gabriel received some cool presents from family and friends that included a giant train Imaginarium from his dad, Thomas the Tank train set, play-dohs, and random little cars and books. No, he didn't get an XBox which is becoming a typical present a kid gets these days. Gabriel certainly doesn't need anything like that anytime soon. ;D

Anyway, to all our family and friends who helped celebrate Gabriel's birthday with us: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gabriel is currently enjoying his new toys (presents) as I'm writing this entry. ;D

Gabriel is going to be Four

It's been a year this month since my boys Gabriel and Jaden and I visited my family in the Philippines. It didn't seem that long ago. We even got to celebrate Gabriel's 3rd birthday there last year.

This Friday- July 3rd, Gabriel is turning four. Dan and I decided to give him a Chuck E. Cheese party this year which we're doing one day ahead- tomorrow. We've invited a few friends here in Woodbridge and their little kids so it should be so much fun! I'm always the last minute preparer of things so today I went to the local Safeway and ordered a "Cars" themed sheet cake. Cost me about $32 but I figured it's better to have more than enough for everyone. There will probably be about a dozen kids and a dozen adults who are coming. I also went to Party City for party hats, favors and confettis.

I'll be sure to post photos of the birthday party by the end of the week, I promise! :D

Happy New Year 2009

Hello friends,

It's hard to believe the year is almost over. The new year is coming and before you know it, it's going to be over again. My! Don't we all get old fast!! :D

Anyway, I know I haven't posted on my blogs in a while. So much changes going on in my household lately. The past few weeks was all about new transitions and family events: me getting a new full-time job out of home, getting our boys in daycare, went on a weekend vacation, then the holidays... etcetera, etcetera.

To start off the New Year right, first, I want to wish everyone a great and prosperous New Year 2009! I have so much excitement to share with you all. In the meantime, let's all meet the New Year with a happy heart, bright outlook, and the peaceful knowledge that there is a Higher Being above that looks over each one of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

How was your holiday?

The holiday with the family was nice. I didn't cook a lot since it's just Joe, me, and the kids. No guests or anything.

On Christmas morning, we try and make it a tradition to gather around the Christmas tree (although we didn't put up our Christmas tree this year) to unwrap gifts and take pictures of the kids. I managed to save money buying toys this year since I get a lot of free toys for my work on Hip Mama's Place. I saved up some of the ones I randomly get in the mail, wrapped them up for Christmas and voila! I had some really nice toys for my boys' presents and I didn't have to buy them. ;D

Anyway, here are a few pictures I took on Christmas Day- some at our house and a few at my friend's house. My boys are growing big and strong, aren't they? Something I'm very grateful and thankful to God about. ;D










For Joe, I got him something nice to wear for work. I would have bought him a couple of those trendy-looking silk ties that I saw on a men's fashion mag recently, but I never got the chance to order them online. Oh well..maybe next time.

For myself, my 'special friend' got me just what I've been dying to get for myself: a Garmin GPS tracking system for my car. Awesome, huh? Since I am really, really bad with directions, he gave this to me for my Christmas present. I gave him a big hug and a kiss for this. ;D ... I love it! Now I don't have to go to freakin' Mapquest all the time, write down my directions (since our printer is broken), and glance at my sorry scribbly notepad with my directions while I'm driving somewhere new. Gosh, I know it sounds pathetic but you should know I don't really drive long distances and I am a still a scaredy cat driving in state highways and such, even after nine years of driving, LOL. I could literally picture myself getting hit by somebody and vice versa glancing at my directions while I'm driving. Ugh! So I am glad I finally got my GPS tracking system. It's absolutely heaven sent! :D

Anyway, how was you all's holiday? Any special event or some really wonderful gift you received that you are truly thankful for? I would love for you to share it in your comments. :D

Out On the Beach Today

We went to the beach today for my nephew Angelo's birthday who turned eight years old. It was a great day to be out on the beach- the weather was almost perfect and the whole family were together having fun.

We left the house a little over ten a.m. My sister drove me, my boys, and the nanny in her car. The drive was about 30 minutes from the house and it had started to feel warm inside the car while we were driving so my sister was whining a little bit about how much money she recently spent fixing her auto air conditioning system. Other than that, the ride went smoothly and we all had fun at the beach all day. :)

We Sold Our House in Texas

A couple of months ago, I posted here that we're selling our house in Texas because of our move out-of-state. Well, I'm happy to share with you all that we've finally sold our house last two weeks ago.

Looking at our house in photos makes me want to cry. :(

*Front View of the House

*Family Room

*Entry

*Dining Room

*Kitchen

* Backyard

Well, at least it's sold and the worries about trying to sell it is now over. :)

Anyway, another reason for this post is because I had a recent conversation with one of my very good friends who also just sold her house in Houston, Texas. She told me about this cool website where she found her eal estate agent- a houston realtor- who helped her with listing her house for sale and sold it quick for her. She told me she didn't have to wait long selling her house- she sold it within a month. I told her she is lucky. We didn't have to wait too long to sell ours too, but we didn't sell it in a month like she did. She told me she didn't regret hiring the realtor from Houston.

Getting Our House Ready

So this past weekend hubby and I just worked on cleaning our house and getting it ready for the MLS listing. Gosh, I am soooo exhausted right now. I think we did a good job, though. Considering we got a 3,000 sq ft house and two little kids to tend to. :)

We hope the house will sell quickly. My hubby has to be in Maryland in July for the new job there.

Anyways, here are a few pictures of our house that my husband took yesterday to include with the listing.

*Front View of the House

*Family Room

*Entry

*Dining Room

*Kitchen

* Backyard

If anyone is interested about the details on the house, please let me know. And if you have friends or family looking to purchase a house in the Dallas/Fort Worth area- our gorgeous house is for sale and is in a very desirable, sought-after neighborhood in multi award-winning and beautiful Flower Mound! (Can you tell I am REALLY TRYING to sell it?) :)

Snow In Texas!

In Texas, we don't get a lot of snow in the winter. So last evening, my husband and I were so excited when it snowed. So we took our toddler out to play and make snow balls with him and took some pictures. It was funny that our toddler was excited and yet a little scared when daddy threw small snowballs at him. He was running towards the house acting silly like he's scared. He was touching the snow balls with a puzzled look on his face and yet he had this big, fascinated smile.

We also lighted up the fireplace and we enjoyed the warmth it brought to the house.

Anyways, I'm posting a few pictures here from last night and and some I took in front of our house and the back of our yard this morning. I love snow! :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Jaden!

Our little baby Jaden turned one year old today! Click the play button to check out a few of our fave photos of him from 2007 to present. :)

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Our Trip To West Palm Beach, Florida

So Saturday afternoon, my hubby, two little boys and I headed for West Palm Beach, Florida on a rented big van. The whole trip was enjoyable, although my boys had their 'cranky' moments. Overall though they were both good travellers.

So anyway, the funeral service for my father in-law wasn't until Tuesday morning, so when we arrived Sunday night we planned the next day Monday to be just an easy day- fit for sightseeing and 'hanging out have a little picnic at the beach' day, and visiting old familiar places. West Palm Beach is only about 45 minutes drive to where we used to live in Pembroke Pines/Miramar area before we moved to Dallas. We opted to go to Hollywood beach, where we are familiar. My boys had such a wonderful time while at the beach, especially Gabriel (our toddler) who never want to stop digging the sand with his little plastic pail and shovel his dad bought him at the dollar store..just soooo cute watching him so occupied with his digging (pictured here), LOL. Our little one had a nice time too and was babbling the whole time. He looked so cute naked sitting on the beach blanket, sitting up with just his little swimmers on. :)

So after the beach, we headed to our favorite Cuban restaurant called Las Vegas Cuban Restaurant in Pembroke Pines. My hubby and I both had the "Lechon" (pork asado), a Cuban dish that's similar with the Filipino cuisine. Then had a beer with it. Yumm, that was good. We were pigging out, LOL. So after this big lunch, we were craving for coffee so we went to our old favorite coffee place called "The Coffee Scene" which is only like three doors down the Cuban restaurant. As soon as we opened the door, the big picture of Ramiele Malubay (the Filipino-American girl who made it to the Top 24 in this season's American Idol) in the middle of the coffee shop greeted us. Remember in my earlier post about her, I told you all that she used to be just a neighbor when we used to live in Fort Lauderdale? The shop 'barista' later told us that every Wednesday, Ramiele used to sing at their coffee shop lounge to entertain guests, before she went to audition for American Idol and that they (co-workers at the coffee shop) convinced Ramiele to do the audition because everyone thought she had real talent. And they were right. Anyways, we were also told that she served as a waitress at the sushi restaurant next door to the coffee shop.

So there you have a little trivia on Ramiele Malubay.

All in all we enjoyed the trip. I know it's a little weird to say this, since it was mainly to attend my father in-law's funeral service. But I was trying to cheer up my husband the whole time and I think it worked.

My baby is getting to be a year old!

Wow, I can't believe he is getting to be one year old. Yes, on March 2nd my baby Jaden is going to be a year old.

Right now, he's showing signs that he might be an early talker, unlike his big brother. He babbles a lot, laughs a lot, and is very easy to please. People always comment on how he hardly fusses or cries. As long as he's fed and his bottom is dry and clean, he's good to go. It's funny whenever his brother plays around him, he just likes to watch what his brother's doing and starts making happy noises--
like he's saying, "I want to play with you, Gabriel". Whenever I change his diaper, he starts kicking his feet and getting so excited. I think generally, he loves the interaction with people. Like if you start talking to him, he'll instantly have this big bright smile telling you that he's happy. I think he's going to be a very active little boy too, just like his brother. My husband and I was just talking about this yesterday. We both can't believe how quickly our boys are growing. Soon there'll be two little rascals running around the house! (LOL)

Anyways, for Jaden's first birthday, my husband and I decided we'll just have it as a laidback family day. No invited guests or party. I ordered his cake, bought a few presents to open, and that's it. It was this way with Gabriel on his first birthday too. But party or not, I am sure it's going to be a special day. :)

Fun Saturday!

Today, my hubby and kids went to this huge new indoor playground in our neighborhood that we've been wanting to go check out for a while. We met with some of my mommy friends and their hubbies and kids there as a playdate and pizza kind of thing.

We enjoyed this playdate and had so much fun!

My toddler used to not like going through those big mesh mazes, the kind where kids crawl, jump, and climb up to. I think for him it looked a little too intimidating. But today he actually tried it and was loving it he wouldn't stop! My husband and I had to take turns climbing it with him as we didn't want to leave him alone being that he is inexperienced and there were a lot of bigger kids up there with him he might get hurt. There were small and big slides in it too, so we enjoyed sliding down through it with him. It was actually an exercise for me and my husband going through the maze with him.

We're definitely coming back to this place again, and it's only a few miles down the road from our house so we could even go there for playdates during the week.

Here are a few pictures of the playplace and my toddler and his dad in action. :)

My New Year's Day

This is how I spent my New Year's Day. :)

This morning after the usual chores, I started taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the ornaments. Of course, that's in between taking care of the kids and cleaning the house here and there, LOL. Before lunch time, my husband and I suggested we go out and cruise around, and treat ourselves to a nice lunch somewhere.

We ended up in Addison, a nice little city of itself here in Dallas. It's a little upscale commercial place with all kinds of fancy and not-so-fancy little restaurants and quaint little shops, just about 10 miles where we live. So anyways, I was craving for some hot Asian soup (think wonton or egg drop soup) since I still had a little cold. After about an hour of driving around the main strip of Addison we settled for a laid-back little Chinese restaurant called May Dragon. I had the "Five Flavor Shrimp" with my wonton soup and steamed rice. My husband had a "Smoked Duck" with his. We were satisfied, although not totally. I guess my husband and I are a little 'spoiled' since at the time we still live in Houston, we used to check out all types of cuisines and fancy restaurants there. (This was before the kids, LOL). Houston (Texas) is very famous with having the best eats and the many varieties of restaurants you can find! :)

Anyways, I was checking out the May Dragon Restaurant's decor and I noticed in one corner of the room was a red banner that said, "The only 4-star Chinese restaurant in Dallas". Hmmm, so I guess we didn't make a bad choice anyways. Besides the good food, we liked the quiet, laid-back ambience. The place wasn't crowded too and we were seated in a big four-seat table in the middle corner of one room. It was a conducive little corner fit for one stroller, two diaper bags and a slightly restless toddler. Over all, we enjoyed our meal and the time together.

Afterwards, we went to get some grocery items at the Walmart store a few blocks down our house.

This evening, after I put our kiddos to sleep, I will try and finish putting away the Christmas stuff. Then get ready for tomorrow, and call it a night. Hopefully I'll be in bed before midnight, as this is actually one of my New Year's resolutions--is to get at least five hours of sleep at night. Huh! Lucky me! ;)

Our Wedding Anniversary...

..is today! :)

Yes, this our 4th wedding anniversary. This morning actually my husband greeted me first and said: "Happy anniversary, baby. Thank you for 4 years of caring and loving me". LOL, I thought that was cute. I had to remind him of course, that it's 6 years total (we've lived together 2 years before we got married).

So this evening, we're leaving our two munchins with a friend and hubby and I are going on our wedding anniversary date. Gosh, I don't remember the last time we ever went out just him and I, so it's a little exciting for me. I am so glad I have friends here I can trust to look after our kids in times like these. :)

Halloween Parade Costume

One of my personal missions for the day yesterday--besides taking my kids to the Halloween craft event at the mall- was to find them a Halloween costume for our moms group Halloween parade/pumpkin patch event on October 28th. This is going to be a big event, with about a dozen of us moms going with our husbands and kids in costumes, I am really looking forward to it. :)

So anyways, this mall I went to yesterday was one of those outlet malls where everything in the stores are on sale, or so they say. ;) So I went to the Disney Outlet store and every costumes were marked half off the tag price. I've been doing some research and I wanted to make my boys' costumes related to each other--such as a pair like Batman and Robin, or Tigger and Pooh, since they're little and they really can't pick what they want to wear yet. So I went got the Tigger and Pooh pair instead. My toddler loves Tigger and Pooh TV show anyways, so I figured I will get something that he can recognize. Anyways, the costumes were like $17 each, tax included. So I ended up paying like $38 plus change. I think that this was a good deal, compared to some costumes, they actually cost you like $25 to $40 each. I'm pretty sure I got a good deal waiting this long to get them the costumes. What do you all think?

This morning after their morning breakfast, I tried the costumes on my boys and they were just looking so adorable!!! LOL, (a mother's delight!). The material on both costumes are so soft you just wanna cuddle them all day, LOL. So I think I am pretty happy with my choice. Now I'm waiting for that big day. This will be the first time my little boys will be together on a Halloween costume parade. :)