IF YOU WANT TO CATCH UP...

Here are some newsbits and photos of what's been happening in the past few months when I was MIA in the blogging world...

1. Enzo turned 1! Last September 20, our youngest turned 1 year. Wow. I can still remember bringing him home from the hospital and now he's a year old! Where did the time go? Anyway, we celebrated his birthday on the 18th, a Sunday so that we'd have guests. We had his birthday at Lost Eden, Bioresearch, a place near our home so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle getting there. It's an educational and recreational park and I thought it would be nice for the kids to go around, see the animals and plants and just have fun on their own, instead of giving them the usual party clown/magician/face painting extravaganza. It was a good plan. Everyone had fun, even the adults! I ordered food and everyone enjoyed it. My mom flew in from Zamboanga days before and I was happy she made it to the party. My high school friends also made it so it was a reunion of sorts. The kids had fun touring the place (there's just soooo much to see) and they brought home a fish and hamster each. It was really wonderful. It took me quite a while to prepare for it but in the end, it was all worth it. From the bug antennae to the cute bug-themed cake, it was just a lot of fun. Oh, we decided on a bug-themed party because it's not a common theme here in the Philippines and we really wanted a unique party for Enzo. Also, we thought Enzo was "cute as a bug". So bug it was.

2. September 22, 2011 - Ruther's father died from complications due to long-term smoking, respiratory problems and some renal problems as well. No one was surprised at this because he was in and out of the hospital a few months before his passing. He was just getting weaker and weaker. He died on his birthday. It was supposed to be his 70th birthday. Sad, but we're just all so glad he's in a better place now.

3. November 29, 2011 - Nikki turned 10!! My goodness. I see all my boys as my babies but once one of them hits the double digits, it's such a reality check. I'm getting old! Hahahaha! Nikki's growing up very well. I know he still needs to improve in some areas (like limiting his OCness, not being too hard on Ethan when he makes mistakes, etc.) but he's very smart, sympathetic and strong inside. I know he has a long way to go but I'll be there to support him when he needs me.

4. November 2011 - Ruther's paternal grandmother died. We don't know if it was because of the death of her son that made her weak but we suspected that part of her demise was sickness plus depression. She also suffered from respiratory problems but it was due to pneumonia (unlike Papa who was a smoker). Like I said in my previous post, 2011 brought many deaths to the family...

5. December 18, 2011 - We flew to Zamboanga to spend the holidays with my mom and dad. It was Enzo's first airplane ride and he practically slept the whole time. Ruther arrived a few days after us, on the 23rd. It was nice getting away from the bustle of the metropolis but all of us were sick one time or another when we were there! I was coughing the whole time, Enzo developed impetigo, Nikki had UTI, Ethan had fever and Ruther had fever and cough! What a vacation! Good thing, the week before we came back, we were all better and still had time to do some of the things we planned on doing. Here are some photos...

Christmas 2011

















Enzo's first time at a beach












New Year! Doing our traditional greeting. Welcome 2012!