EARLY

I woke up early this morning because I had to be Ruther's alarm clock today. Their bowling tourney last night ended at around 10pm and I'm happy to say that Ruther had great scores: he made a 141 and 142. Really not bad because before, he would score less than a hundred. I'm glad he's improving and having fun at the same time.

Anyway, when he got home, we spoke through Skype and for some particular reason, the boys just wanted to talk to their dad (which does not always happen) so the three of us were squished in this chair in front of the webcam. I would not have minded their enthusiasm if it weren't for their weight on my lap. My boys have just grown so much. Anyway, Ruther thought of taking a shower after our talk (which was around 12am in Japan) which I think was a bad idea because he lost all sleepiness after. He asked me then to wake him up today just to make sure he gets up in time for the office. And I agreed. It's really no problem for me because I can always nap later in the afternoon. I'm just worried about Ruther getting to the office on time. He told me last night that he had a lot of things to do and will probably be home late which worries me too because I don't want him to lose sleep again. Well hopefully, he won't be too late tonight and he'll be able to sleep earlier.

.....

It was great having Ethan all to myself this morning. Although he and Nikki love playing together (and sometimes not), it's nice to have a bit of one-on-one with my bunso (youngest). There are days when I try to differ their nap times so that I could spend some alone time with Nikki and then when he naps, Ethan and I bond. Being a second child too, I understand Ethan's need for private bonding moments with Ruther and me. It's also important that he feels at times that he's the center of everyone's universe for even a few minutes, with no distractions, with no sibling, with no competition. I want Ethan to enjoy being himself, a personality and attitude not dictated by the people around him, by circumstances or by comparison to his older brother. I love my boys' uniqueness. Sure, they drive me crazy sometimes but I love how different they are and how they manage to get along (sometimes).

Anyway, it was a cold morning. It rained the night before so the ground was wet but not too wet. Ethan is like me. He enjoys nature. He likes taking strolls, he enjoys looking at the trees, he does not mind getting dirty when he plays with sand. He has this artistic eye in him and I could tell he really appreciates his surroundings. Unlike Nikki, he does not merely look, he sees. So I really enjoy taking Ethan outside. He loves bugs most of all and when we spotted (from a distance) a really hairy caterpillar, he thoroughly enjoyed that. We also got to see a lot of millipedes because of last night's rain. We also saw a chicken walking along the street looking for something for breakfast. He also loved that. Anyway, I bought some pandesal (buns) at the nearby bakery and had some for breakfast with a cup of coffee. Really yummy. Just wish Ruther were here to make me enjoy it more. Anyway, after a few minutes, Ethan asked for some milk and now he's asleep. I'm not surprised. He usually gets up at around 10 in the morning (considering we sleep late in the evenings). So I guess for now, Mommy has some alone time in her hands. =D