Life As I Live It

2012

2012-01-10T14:40:00.002-05:00

i cannot explain what happened on the later half of 2011...things got busier and busier and i ended up not posting anything after july 22. i am so sorry..

i don't think i can post photos after that day but i will still be making my layouts (for project 365-2011) and i will just post them once i get all the photos organized and the layouts done.

just a quick recap of the last year...the months when you didn't hear from me..

1. i finally got a part time job!!! i work in the bakery section of METRO, a grocery store here in Canada.

2. my mother and mother in law got their visas approved last september, they flew in last november and will be staying with us until may!!

3. we bought our own house!!! that is the super news of all!!!

2011 has been a wonderful year for me and my family... we are truly blessed in every way.

i will start 2012 very soon and will keep you posted with our daily adventure!!

i hope you will still share this journey of life with us...

22 JULY 2011: day 203 (week 29)

2011-09-21T12:42:00.019-04:00

friday is tennis night for me and nitz.. but of course we have the whole crew with us (i mean my little monsters..hehehe)! these are our new tennis friends.

21 JULY 2011: day 202 (week 29)

2011-09-21T12:42:00.016-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOFIA!!!
today sofia turned 4. (the party is not til saturday...). to celebrate her birthday, i allowed them to play in the little pool (with proper clothes!). it was a perfect day to dip in the water.

when they have cleaned up, we let sofia open up her gifts from us.

i am so proud of rafael. he bought her sisters (yes...both isabelle and sofia!) gifts! when we went to the mall to buy sofia's gift, rafael brought his money and asked sofia what she wanted. he felt isabelle wanted something too. then he said, 'even if it is not your birthday, i will buy you something too!'. he spent his 20 dollars for the gifts. that was so sweet of him. i am so proud of you son!!

20 JULY 2011: day 201 (week 29)

2011-09-21T12:42:00.014-04:00

nitz put up sofia's swimming pool to make sure everything is in good order. of course the girls couldn't wait to try it out. so with their clothes on...they splashed!

19 JULY 2011: day 200 (week 29)

2011-09-21T12:41:00.004-04:00

isabelle was invited by cole (her classmate last school year) to their house for some playtime. cole's mom picked up isabelle...

18 JULY 2011: day 199 (week 29)

2011-09-19T15:32:00.021-04:00

time to plan for the double birthday celebration of rafael and sofia!
this is the card i made!

17 JULY 2011: day 198 (week 28)

2011-09-19T15:32:00.020-04:00

it was time to go home...
after breakfast, we cleaned up the cottage. then we took some group pictures!!
this is how big the group was... 8 families! we all had a great time!

16 JULY 2011: day 197 (week 28)

2011-09-19T15:32:00.019-04:00

day 2 at CAMPBELLFORD..
our tents...

right after breakfast, it was time for fishing...

me and nitz tried the paddle boat..

rafael's first catch!!!

lunch time!!

after lunch we went to river not too far away from the cottage -- crow river. we enjoyed the whole afternoon just relaxing and listening to the sound of the water.. the place was beautiful!!

15 JULY 2011: day 196 (week 28)

2011-09-19T15:31:00.023-04:00

our first ever camping trip - CAMPBELLFORRD!!
my brother and his friends do this annual camping trip. they have a friend who owns a cottage at campbellford and she rents it out to her friends. this year we got invited to join their camping! i thought we would be in the middle of wilderness with no electricity and bathroom. but i was so surprised that the place was fully equipped with everything..but was still in the middle of wilderness.
as soon as we arrived, my brother helped nitz set up our tent. eventhough there were rooms in the cabin, we opted to sleep in the tent.

after we have settled in, the owner of the cottage arrived with their boat and gave us a boat-ride around their area.

this is the view of the cottage from the lake..

we caught the sunset on our way back...beautiful!

we ended the day with a bonfire..

14 JULY 2011: day 195 (week 28)

2011-09-19T15:31:00.015-04:00

my hostas in full bloom! i never knew they have flowers...

13 JULY 2011: day 194 (week 28)

2011-09-19T15:31:00.014-04:00

bbq baked ribs, grilled veggies and mashed potato for dinner!

just a photo of nitz and sofia before dinner... as per sofia's request!

12 JULY 2011: day 193 (week 28)

2011-09-19T15:31:00.013-04:00

volleyball!! i just love vb nights!

11 JULY 2011: day 192 (week 28)

2011-09-16T10:28:00.022-04:00

made blueberry and strawberry smoothy for the kids...

10 JULY 2011: day 191 (week 27)

2011-09-16T10:28:00.021-04:00

another tennis day for the kids! i love seeing them on the court..

09 JULY 2011: day 190 (week 27)

2011-09-16T10:28:00.017-04:00

first tennis lesson for isabelle and rafael. they were very excited (though i think i was more excited than them...hehehe). here are some photos of the whole session...

i am so proud of both my kids..they have done well for beginners. rafael showed a very big potential and even the teacher said he has the correct swing. i think we will definitely enjoy tennis this summer!!

08 JULY 2011: day 189 (week 27)

2011-09-16T10:27:00.018-04:00

we also enrolled for tennis! can you see all the tags on our shoes? rafael, isabelle, nitz and i are all having tennis lessons this summer. me and nitz have lessons on friday nights while the kids have lessons on saturdays and sundays. (
(sofia was trying to sneak in her slipper with our shoes...hahaha)

me and nitz in action...hahaha.

07 JULY 2011: day 188 (week 27)

2011-09-16T10:27:00.017-04:00

i hope you are not getting tired of my vb pictures...hehehe its another volleyball game night for me!

06 JULY 2011: day 187 (week 27)

2011-09-16T10:27:00.016-04:00

nitz left the car for us to use. rafael had a dentist appointment, i need to pick up my prescription from the pharmacy, and then brought the car to the shop for tire check. the kids are getting used to my driving now...hehehe.

and when we got home, they had some popcorn while watching a movie..

05 JULY 2011: day 186 (week 27)

2011-09-16T10:27:00.015-04:00

volleyball night! love the long summer days...we play longer!

04 JULY 2011: day 185 (week 27)

2011-09-14T11:39:00.022-04:00

just a lazy day at home... movie and popcorn!!

03 JULY 2011: day 184 (week 26)

2011-09-14T11:39:00.019-04:00

another friend of ours invited us. they discovered a nice park near their area and she thought of my kids. you could tell my kids had so much fun..
thank you rosalie and paolo for inviting us!!

02 JULY 2011: day 183 (week 26)

2011-09-14T11:39:00.018-04:00

ronald invited us to an event of their church.
the kids got cotton candies as soon as we got there.

isabelle got a flower on her face..

and played a little golf

rafael tried this..this.. i really don't know what it is. hahaha

and sofia just enjoyed drawing..

after we have tried out all the games, there was nothing left to do. so we decided to go to woodbine beach.

01 JULY 2011: day 182 (week 26)

2011-09-14T11:38:00.022-04:00

finally i made it to JULY!! i know, i know... i have a lot of catching up to do. but don't worry...i will get there!
anyway, we had a little gathering at tita tess' house. she invited fr. anthony and his family for lunch, and we the gonzales-alonzo families got invited too!oh, tita malou (a close friend of tita tess) was there too..
so here is the whole group!

the hosts (tito carlos and tita tess) with tita malou and ate mel.
time to eat!!!

it was a beautiful afternoon so we enjoyed our lunch at the backyard.
notice my apple green pants and apple green slippers and apple green cup..?!! hahaha

fr. anthony with his brothers

a group photo just before we said goodbye.

30 JUNE 2011: day 181 (week 26)

2011-09-14T11:38:00.017-04:00

first day of the summer vacation and isabelle already has a party invitation...hahaha!

just a little after lunch she was back with the goodies from the party.

29 JUNE 2011: day 180 (week 26)

2011-09-14T11:38:00.012-04:00

last day of school for the kids! they brought home all their schoolwork. poor isabelle, she was carrying a heavy bag full of her stuff.

28 JUNE 2011: day 179 (week 26)

2011-09-14T11:38:00.011-04:00

volleyball night!

27 JUNE 2011: day 178 (week 26)

2011-09-12T16:45:00.033-04:00

isabelle brought home something she made in school, she said it is her gift to all of us!

her very own work of art!!!
thank you isabelle

26 JUNE 2011: day 177 (week 25)

2011-09-12T16:45:00.031-04:00

we left the cabin after breakfast. here we all are with ben, the owner of wolf den.

it was a beautiful sunday for canoeing!!! we went to algonquin outfitters to rent the canoe and all the equipment.

here we are all set to go!

with an unsteady boat and water all around us, i still took the risk of bringing my camera on the canoe trip. it was difficult taking pictures of us but i just had to capture the moment. (this is the difficulty of not carrying slr...i should have brought a lighter point-and-shoot one...grrr).

my poor little girl fell asleep during our trip...

just me and my son after our successful adventure.

time to put back the canoe...

25 JUNE 2011: day 176 (week 25)

2011-09-12T16:45:00.017-04:00

we visited ALGONQUIN PARK!
Algonquin Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in Canada. It is about 300 km north of Toronto, Ontario and about 300 km west of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada’s capital.
This was the cottage we stayed in.

And this was the main house where everyone could cook food and eat, or just hang out at the mezzanine.

this was the weather forecast for the weekend... it was a gloomy and rainy first day for us.

nonetheless, we went on with our tour of the big park. first stop was the information center where we got the list of where we could go. love this sign i saw..

then we headed to the visitor's center.
algonquin park visitor centre has world class exhibits on the park's natural and human history, a relaxing restaurant and an excellent bookstore. a theatre presentation sums up the Park story and then takes you out to the viewing deck from where you can admire a breathtaking panorama of wild algonquin landscape.

the algonquin logging museum brings to life the story of logging from the early square timber days to the last of the great river drives. we started our visit with a video presentation that summed up the logging history of the algonquin area. then we walked the 1.5 kilometer tour around the park.

we drove to a nearby open park near a lake where we had lunch!

we ended our day with a little hiking.
hardwood lookout trail was a 0.8 km trail introducing us to the ecology of a typical algonquin hardwood forest and culminates in a fine view of Smoke Lake and the surrounding hills.it was a spectacular view at the top. really worth the climb.

yes it was gloomy the whole day and drizzling every now and then but we had a productive day still.

24 JUNE 2011: day 175 (week 25)

2011-09-12T16:44:00.013-04:00

driving test today!!!!

we (me and my driving intructor) arrived there half an hour early. i was so nervous. as we were parked at the back of the building waiting for my test administrator (i don't know how else to call him...), i saw this girl in her car crying. my instructor said, 'this is the forth time she failed. i see her here all the time'. and the guy in the other car was arguing with the test administrator! my instructor told me, 'that is not a good sign. that is how it is when one fails'. oh my...panic panic panic. then it was my time.
the test administrator seemed nice, he got in my car and introduced himself. he told me to just listen to his instructions and follow them. it was the longest 30 minutes of my driving!!! i reallly tried to be calm the whole time but i know he could tell i was nervous. the area where i took the test was busy! super busy!!! then we were back at the parking lot. the guy was quiet, writing on the test sheet (omg..!!!) i was waiting for him to enumerate my mistakes and give me a lecture about my driving. and then he spoke, 'go inside and get your driver's license. you passed.' he was emotionless. i was shaking and i was happy!!!!

23 JUNE 2011: day 174 (week 25)

2011-09-12T16:44:00.012-04:00

my two girls were showing off their new nightgowns. their tita mayan bought it for them. they had to wear it at the same time...hehehe.

22 JUNE 2011: day 173 (week 25)

2011-09-12T16:44:00.011-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to may dearest son, rafael!!!
rafael is now 12! i baked something to bring to school. it wasn't really for his birthday celebration but the class was having a little potluck and the cake was his contribution. (it was one of my driving-lesson-day and i had to ask my teacher if we could pass by my son's school to drop off the cake...she was kind enough to say yes).

and late that afternoon we took rafael to the mall to buy his birthday wish...
hmmmm which one do you think he chose...?

he chose the jordans!!

to my son...i love you so much...more that you can imagine.

21 JUNE 2011: day 172 (week 25)

2011-09-12T16:43:00.002-04:00

just enjoying a pot of tea and angelika's chocolate! remembering you my friend.

20 JUNE 2011: day 171 (week 25)

2011-07-08T13:10:00.008-04:00

it was angelika's last day in canada. since we still have the whole morning and early afternoon to go around, we brought her to bluffer's park! we brought some food and had a little picnic there.

i couldn't believe her visit was over and it was time to go home. i still remember the time when i invited her and it seemed like a long wait! and how nervous i was that she was finally coming and i didn't know how to bring her around.
well, everything has its end... i really had a wonderful time seeing toronto with her. and i do hope she had a wonderful time with us...
you take care always, angelika! we will miss you. until your next visit!

19 JUNE 2011: day 170 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:09:00.040-04:00

driving back to canada...

i promised angelika i would take her to niagara falls. we didn't get to go there during her first three days in canada. nitz said we would definitely bring her there on our way back from chicago.
so here you go...NIAGARA!!!
we showed her cliffton hill, the busy surroundings of niagara falls. we were lucky we got there a bit early, it was still bright.

then the FALLS!!!

we walked back up cliffton hill when it got dark. we saw the surroundings at night time.

then we had dinner at kelsey's, thank you angelika for the treat!

we got home a little past midnight.

18 JUNE 2011: day 169 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:09:00.039-04:00

the day started with breakfast at IHOP (International House Of Pancakes). i honestly love this place...but i have to admit i cannot eat there too often. just imagine having steak with your pancake or waffles!!
anyway, we were such a big group you would notice how long our table was! yet we didn't fit there. nitz, bong and angelika sat on the next table.

here is just a few of what we ordered!!

a group pix just outside the resto!!! thank you to paul for taking the photo..

after the super heavy breakfast (that made us skip lunch..!) we all headed to auntie sonia's house. the kids and the boys stayed there while the girls went to the mall to shop!

and late that afternoon we were invited at my cousin's house (aris) for dinner.

drinks...

madjong...

and food!!!

17 JUNE 2011: day 168 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:09:00.038-04:00

bong took us to downtown chicago to see the sights! it was such a beautiful day to go sight-seeing!

we only had half a day to see downtown chicago. it was like a hop-on-hop-off tour. bong would just park along the side street and put the hazzard lights on, and the rest of us ran and took photos as quickly as we can.
we did get to see almost all the sites in the city:
FIELD MUSIEM

BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN

the BEAN

NAVY PIER

UNITED CENTER

around 3pm. we headed back home to get ready for the big night...auntie sonia’s surprise party!
it was my uncle who organized the suprise party. but my aunt admitted she did sense something was cookin’. a lot of people came and i think my aunt was most surprised to see us there! her grandkids performed during the party and even isabelle shared a song with grace! then there was lots of dancing after the program. it was a bit challenging to try line dancing. but all in all it was a wonderful celebration.

16 JUNE 2011: day 167 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:09:00.013-04:00

after our adventure in toronto..we brought our guest to the USA!
here we are at the border..

destination...CHICAGO!

when we arrived at my cousin's place, we were welcomed very warmly by bong (my cousin's husband). he prepared a very good soup for us! my cousin was till at work that time. when my cousin arrived, it was another round of story - telling. then we tried out the rock star band game and it was so much fun.

15 JUNE 2011: day 166 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:09:00.012-04:00

we just spent the day at the mall to buy some stuff for angelika to bring home. then late that afternoon we headed to my brother's house again for...BBQ!

14 JUNE 2011: day 165 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:08:00.029-04:00

2nd day of adventure!
we had to bring sofia with us (which was an added adventure..hehehe).

first stop -- ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTER

some photos inside the OSC... i have to say we weren't as thrilled about it. too much space and not to many interesting things to see..

2nd stop -- THE DISTILLERY HISTORY DISTRICT
i thought we would be seeing a museum for manufacturing beer ..or something like that. but instead we saw old manufacturing building converted to different shops and art galleries!

now waiting for our bus...

3rd and last stop -- ST. LAWRENCE MARKET

from the st. alwrence market we walked to find the subway...it was such a beautiful day to see downtown toronto.

after dropping off our stuff at home and picking up the kids, we went to kuya ed's house for some bbq!

13 JUNE 2011: day 164 (week 24)

2011-07-08T13:08:00.021-04:00

ok...this is the first day of our adventure! i have to say i was very nervous about the whole adventure thing. i am not yet familiar with the subway and all, and i haven't been to too many tourist spots here in toronto. i am a 'tourist' myself!! hahaha! i did prepare (googled and printed directions) and the main goal was not to get lost.

first stop - CN TOWER

angelika took this shot of me...i love it!

and here she is standing at the glass floor of the tower!

2nd stop -- CASA LOMA
we got there without any problem. but it was mostly angelika showing me the way...hahaha.

inside the castle listening to our audio guide..

some photos inside the castle.

the view of CN Tower from one of the towers of the castle... pretty sight!!

3rd and last stop for the day - ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM
when we got off the subway, we saw this writing on the subway walls...we were at the right place!

this is the best shot of the two of us that i can show you...hehehe.

me admiring those on display...hehehe. love this picture angelika!

so we got home safely! it was a successful day. we didn't get lost!!! and when we got home, angelika gave her gifts to all of us. and BIG THANK YOU for all of these...

and before i forget -- THANK YOU to my sister-in-law who watched over sofia for the whole day and to bro. edmund for looking after rafael and isabelle after school.

12 JUNE 2011: day 163 (week 23)

2011-07-08T13:08:00.013-04:00

after 2 weeks of research of where to bring my guest and a week of cleaning the house...she finally arrived!! welcome to CANADA angelika!!!

11 JUNE 2011: day 162 (week 23)

2011-07-08T12:16:00.004-04:00

we finally bought our GPS!! getting ready for our big trip...

10 JUNE 2011: day 161 (week 23)

2011-07-08T12:15:00.016-04:00

kuya ed is starting the renovation of our basement!!

09 JUNE 2011: day 160 (week 23)

2011-07-08T12:15:00.013-04:00

another volleyball day for me! i have pictures of me but they were just so aweful! so let me just post a photo of our ball... trust me, this is way better that my photo..hehehe.

08 JUNE 2011: day 159 (week 23)

2011-07-08T12:15:00.012-04:00

dress-down day for the kids at school!

dress-down day means the kids can wear anything they want to school but they have to pay a dollar. it's a fund-raising activity so we didn't mind paying 2 dollars for the kids. besides, they were so excited to go to school not wearing their uniforms!

07 JUNE 2011: day 158 (week 23)

2011-07-08T12:15:00.011-04:00

i love to dry the clothes under the sun...

06 JUNE 2011: day 157 (week 23)

2011-07-08T12:14:00.011-04:00

took a photo of the kids on our way home. since the weather is getting better, rafael takes his ball to school so he could play with his friend during break time.

05 JUNE 2011: day 156 (week 22)

2011-07-08T12:14:00.010-04:00

my hosta has grown beautifully!

04 JUNE 2011: day 155 (week 22)

2011-07-08T12:14:00.007-04:00

another birthday celebration for nitz!!!
ronald and aileen came over and brought nitz a birthday cake.

thank you ronald and aileen!!!

03 JUNE 2011: day 154 (week 22)

2011-06-06T18:58:00.019-04:00

we were waiting for kuya ed to pick us up to go to church when i found my kids checking something on the ground...?
so i asked, "what are you guys doing?"... and they all shouted, "watching ants, mommy!" well, ain't that interesting...hehehe

and i disturbed them for a bit to take a better photo.

02 JUNE 2011: day 153 (week 22)

2011-06-06T18:58:00.017-04:00

ok... so we love gatherings!! i guess by now you have noticed how often we 'get-together' for some reason or even for no reason...hehehe! it is always nice for friends/family to get together! not to mention the good food everytime (wink, wink..to donna!)

01 JUNE 2011: day 152 (week 22)

2011-06-06T18:58:00.016-04:00

having a little bbq in our backyard!! well, our grill is indeed quite 'small'...hehehe.

31 MAY 2011: day 151 (week 22)

2011-06-06T18:58:00.011-04:00

it was a beautiful day! and a perfect day for drying my laundry outside!
i am not a big fan of the dryer.

i was invited by my friend, ronald, to play volleyball. i was really excited and nervous at the same time. volleyball is one sport i really love (the other one is badminton!). the volleyball group was very friendly and welcoming... it doesn't matter if you are good or not. i really enjoyed my first volleyball game!!

30 MAY 2011: day 150 (week 22)

2011-06-06T18:57:00.018-04:00

our femily celebration of nitz birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA!!

nitz reading the cards the kids made.

just a couple more photos before we went home.

29 MAY 2011: day 149 (week 21)

2011-06-06T18:57:00.017-04:00

first time i used my new pot! i love it!!!

28 MAY 2011: day 148 (week 21)

2011-06-06T18:57:00.016-04:00

an early birthday celebration for nitz!!
nitz didn't really want any party/celebration but ate mel insisted that we give him one. so here it is!!!

27 MAY 2011: day 147 (week 21)

2011-06-06T18:57:00.015-04:00

i had driving lesson today!
every time i have driving lesson, i bring her with me and we( i mean me and driving instructor) drop her off to my brother's house. my sister-in-law is kind enough to look after her for an hour while i practise driving. at the end of my lesson, we pick her up.
she fell asleep on our way home and i brought down the car seat (with her in it) so as not to disturb her sleep.

the letters on the board ís part of the welcome bag she got from school. she has been playing with it since she got home yesterday.

p.s. i am really hoping to take my driving test and get my license before my guest arrive...

26 MAY 2011: day 146 (week 21)

2011-06-06T18:56:00.006-04:00

kindergarten orientation day!
sofia was so excited to 'go' to school for her orientation.
here she is with her 'welcome to kindergarten bag'!!!

we first gathered at the gym. a teacher gave welcome speech and the whole time sofia was checking out her bag...hahaha. after the not-to-short speech, we went to check out the classrooms.
sofia was so excited!!! she was so happy...

i think she looks cute in this...girl verson of 'bob-the-builder'!!

25 MAY 2011: day 145 (week 21)

2011-05-25T16:26:00.014-04:00

i stayed up a little bit late to make isabelle's props for her class presentation
about the people who works in our neighborhood. don't you think my mailtruck is cute..?

24 MAY 2011: day 144 (week 21)

2011-05-25T16:26:00.010-04:00

my neighbors gave me some floweing plants so here they are...i just planted them. i don't exactly have a green thumb but i will try my luck to make a garden!!

23 MAY 2011: day 143 (week 21)

2011-05-25T16:26:00.008-04:00

kuya ed came again to chop the branches and get the backyard cleared up. he had some little helpers to do the chore!

22 MAY 2011: day 142 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:25:00.011-04:00

we bought the kids this mini-badminton set. they took turns playing.. and sofia was the most difficult to play with...hahaha but they had to let her join. rafael was patient with his sisters.

21 MAY 2011: day 141 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:25:00.010-04:00

kuya ed (with ate mel and grace as usual) came to cut the tree branches hanging over our neighbor's backyard (where the pool is). they requested if we could cut the branches because the leaves would be falling all over the pool. they did offer to help but suprisingly they were not home (but i did mention to them that we would cut it today...).

since it was such a beautiful day, i brought the food outside and we ate at the backyard!

and that afternoon, ronald and his family came to join our first bbq!!! we enjoyed our little backyard picnic.

and we ended the night with some singing...

20 MAY 2011: day 140 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:24:00.012-04:00

no school today for the kids!! it was such a beautiful day... i let the kids play outside...

19 MAY 2011: day 139 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:24:00.011-04:00

i was rushing outside to catch the bird in the bird-bath at the back yard. sofia requested first that i take a picture of her...so here she is...hahaha.

and here is the bird having a bath!

18 MAY 2011: day 138 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:23:00.013-04:00

i took a picture of the tree in front of our house...

and this the the pear tree of our neighbor's in full bloom. im really excited about it...hoping our neighbor will give us pear again just like last year.

17 MAY 2011: day 137 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:23:00.012-04:00

sofia and i were waiting for my driving teacher. i took a picture of us and sofia was pretending to do the same with her 'camera'.

now i took a picture of her and she took a picture of me!!!

16 MAY 2011: day 136 (week 20)

2011-05-25T16:23:00.011-04:00

isn't that lovely!!! it is not our lawn...sad to say. it is our neighbor's. that is actually my goal (more of a dream now...) but with the rate i am digging up the weeds, winter will come sooner that me finishing up the weeds...hehehe
let us just appreciate out neighbor's lawn at this time.

this is OUR lawn... and the weeds have matured. i have stopped digging them at the moment because my hands are aching too much. i need to rest them.

15 MAY 2011: day 135 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:22:00.026-04:00

we finally got our(but mostly for nitz ...hahaha) exercise machine! it was a bit difficult putting it together.

14 MAY 2011: day 134 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:22:00.025-04:00

i want to thank my friend meg for this shirt! she sent it last year but i didn't get to wear until now. i love it meg!!!

13 MAY 2011: day 133 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:22:00.024-04:00

digging the weeds again!!! @##$&*&^($^!!! what more can i say...? i really try to remove as much as i can...

12 MAY 2011: day 132 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:22:00.018-04:00

i was cleaning inside the house when sofia went on the bed and said, "mommy, picture me like this!" so i did! hahaha

and would you believe she turned around and said, "picture my feet too!"?!... i was laughing as i took the picture.

11 MAY 2011: day 131 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:22:00.017-04:00

this is actually my third day of pulling the weeds... i spend at least one and a half hours in the morning and in the afternoon in our front lawn doing it. i have to say every night when i sleep my hands are both numb...!! but the following morning when i see the weeds again i cannot stand them so i end up working on them again.

i didn't ask the kids to help today. i let them play while i work.

10 MAY 2011: day 130 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:21:00.010-04:00

i cut some of the tulips from the garden and put them inside the house... they look so beautiful!!

09 MAY 2011: day 129 (week 19)

2011-05-25T16:21:00.009-04:00

the tulips are in full bloom!! they are beautiful!. we have red and some yellow...

and while the tulips are blooming, so are the weeds... the kids helped to pull them out. it was hard work for us...

when nitz got home, he mowed the lawn. it would be easier for me to see the weeds and remove them...

08 MAY 2011: day 128 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:48:00.017-04:00

MOTHER'S DAY!!!
we had lunch with our friends..

then we went to blufffer's park...it was our first time there. it is not too far from our place. it was a beautiful afternoon for a walk.

then we went home after a little past 5pm(because my feet were aching...gosh i was wearing heels!). since it was stillearly, we decided to bring the kids to the park to play for a bit before dinner.

and these are the gifts i received --
projects made by rafael and isabelle at school

poems they made for me!!

from the Castillo family...thank you!

it was indeed a wonderful day and i enjoyed it with friends and family. i am proud to be a MOM and i love being a one.

07 MAY 2011: day 127 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:48:00.007-04:00

that morning, nitz brought the kids to the park so i could peacefully clean and cook.

then that afternoon after mass, we went straight to the ALFON residence for a little get-together.

we stayed to watch the pacquiao vs mosley fight. pacquiao won that fight!

06 MAY 2011: day 126 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:47:00.014-04:00

you may not understand this...but this is one of the best food for me... fried rice, dried fish (sapsap sent by my mom!) with chocolate drink (this is actually to pour on my rice...hahaha). the chocolate was actually home-made (back home i mean...). we grew the cocoa, my mom harvested them, then dried them, then brought them to the person who toast and grind them to make them into chocolate balls. so when i use them, i put a ball of chocolate into a cup of water, boil, add a little sugar then it is ready!!oh..how i miss my childhood days... i miss 'home'... and i miss my mom.

05 MAY 2011: day 125 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:47:00.013-04:00

it was such a beautiful morning... i could really feel spring(finally)!! i took the kids to the bus stop and i noticed the trees around starting to have greens. when i got back home, i took my camera, ran outside (again!) and took some photos.

and i can't wait for the tulips to bloom! i think they are red.... not really sure.

04 MAY 2011: day 124 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:47:00.007-04:00

look closely at this easter lily. i noticed the water at the tip of the thing (what do you call it..?) at the center of the flower! it looked like a tear... it was like the flower was crying because of the long winter...hehehe

03 MAY 2011: day 123 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:46:00.013-04:00

the tulip buds in front of our house...

02 MAY 2011: day 122 (week 18)

2011-05-09T09:46:00.012-04:00

these are the goodies from the philippines!!! thank you very much ingrid for the shirts!... and to my mom, kuya val and michelle for the yummy goodies (sapsap, tabliya at polvoron)!

01 MAY 2011: day 121 (week 17)

2011-05-09T09:45:00.020-04:00

kuya ed's friend (julio) was in ontario for a business trip so he decided to visit my brother while he was here.

(l-r)ate mel, lorna (julio's wife),me (at the back), julio, niz (at the back), paolo, rosalie and kuya ed.

30 APRIL 2011: day 120 (week 17)

2011-05-09T09:45:00.016-04:00

we attended aiya's birthday celebration. it was held at Fantasy Fair, Ontario's Largest Indoor Amusement Park located inside Woodbine Shopping Centre. we arrived at the venue early and the kids had a chance to enjoy the rides ahead of the party.
i was suprised to see isabelle with her face painted!!!

party time!!!

here is rafael trying to say the longest 'happy birthday aiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...' and he won!!!

isabelle was the only one with a painted face in the party...hehehe.

and this is aiya...the birthday celebrant!!!

here we are with the family of the birthday celebrant and some of their friends before we left the mall.

29 APRIL 2011: day 119 (week 17)

2011-05-09T09:45:00.008-04:00

i didn't get the chance to watch the whole ceremony but i saw this kiss on tv when it happened!!! i love the expression of (not the royal couple!) the little girl on the lower left corner of the photo...hehehe.

28 APRIL 2011: day 118 (week 17)

2011-04-28T22:43:00.004-04:00

have you heard of 3D reading?... so heard of it here first...hahaha.

27 APRIL 2011: day 117 (week 17)

2011-04-28T22:42:00.031-04:00

i love this edible arrangements! ordered one for the royal couple on their wedding on friday!...hahaha just kidding. it is my friend's birthday on friday and i thought i would surprise her with this.

26 APRIL 2011: day 116 (week 17)

2011-04-28T22:42:00.029-04:00

it is srping..?!

look at the easter lily in our house, more buds have bloomed!

and this plant (i wish i know what is is) is starting to come out from the soil...

and the tulips are budding too!!

25 APRIL 2011: day 115 (week 17)

2011-04-28T22:42:00.025-04:00

it is easter monday and still a holiday..(except for nitz..huhuhu)!

kuya ed picked us up and we all went to the lindt outlet store not too far from our place.

24 APRIL 2011: day 114 (week 16)

2011-04-28T22:42:00.021-04:00

happy EASTER!!!

we were supposed to have the easter celebration at my brother's house but the venue was changed the last minute. we had it in our house! it was a gathering of 4 families and the celebration wasn't all about easter egg hunt (that was just for the kids), it was also a time for us adults to relax and bond.

so while the big kids were busy surfing the net...

we gathered the small kids outside to do the easter egg hunt. my sister-in-law explained the mechanics to the kids. each got a number and they were to get 'eggs' with their number written on them. as simple as that.

then the hunt was on....

sofia did manage to find her eggs...

it didn't take the kids so much time to find the eggs... we didn't have too many eggs to hide anyway. and we have limited hiding places at the back yard.

but there were more eggs inside the house that didn't need 'hunting'... hahaha

and our guests:
MASANGCAY FAMILY

ALFON FAMILY

i didn't get a photo of kuya ed and his family!! my bad...sorry.

the party ended around 7pm. me and nitz started cleaning up. after we were done, ronald called to bring the car seat we are borrowing. it was really nice of him. since we still have food from the party, i asked him to have dinner with us. so our last guests for the day was the..
CASTILLO FAMILY

23 APRIL 2011: day 113 (week 16)

2011-04-28T22:42:00.013-04:00

here is my easter lily with more flowers!!

my friend ronald and his family came to visit. actually we were supposed to visit them but they had problems with the electricity in their building ( so they couldn't cook!!!). so we just decided for them to come over and have our little gathering in our house.

22 APRIL 2011: day 112 (week 16)

2011-04-28T22:41:00.011-04:00

Good Friday...we attended mass in the morning.
it was a beautiful day. right after mass, the kids played a bit at the church playground.

then in the afternoon we visited greensides farm in marmora (ontario). here is the story of that farm--

in 1990, john and shelagh greensides went on a pilgrimage to medjugorje with some family and friends. during their visit, mr. greensides consecrated himself and his family and all that he owned tot he Blessed Mother. on returning home, the family decided to hold a day of prayer and thanksgiving to our Lord for allowing His Mother to appear in medjugorje. Little did they know that that day of prayer, peace and love would continue to this day. in their farm now is the stations of the cross and rosary trail beautifully situated throughout the woods.

21 APRIL 2011: day 111 (week 16)

2011-04-28T22:41:00.009-04:00

a bud has finally opened...ain't that beautiful!!!

it was Holy Thursday and we attended mass. it is on Holy Thursday that the 'washing of the feet' is done.

20 APRIL 2011: day 110 (week 16)

2011-04-20T14:25:00.011-04:00

isabelle brought home the easter egg they made in school.

19 APRIL 2011: day 109 (week 16)

2011-04-20T14:25:00.010-04:00

i baked this marble cake to bring to this gathering we were invited to.

a priest from the philippines was visiting canada (toronto). he happened to be a friend of one of our friends. they gathered some people to listen to the priest talk, a kind of mini-recollection/retreat for lent.

here he is blessing our food.

after dinner we listened to his talk.

these were all the people who came.

18 APRIL 2011: day 108 (week 16)

2011-04-20T14:24:00.019-04:00

i bought this easter lily plant at the church (last saturday after mass). it was a fund raising activity of the youth group at church. i can't wait til all the buds bloom.

17 APRIL 2011: day 107 (week 15)

2011-04-20T14:24:00.018-04:00

when we woke up and it was snowing (again!!!)! it surely felt like a snow storm! but it didn't last long and snow quickly melted. and all the while i thought winter is over...hahaha.

16 APRIL 2011: day 106 (week 15)

2011-04-20T14:24:00.017-04:00

we attended mass, an anticipated mass for Palm Sunday. we have these leaves to commemorate Jesus' entry to Jerusalem. the lady beside us was kind ennough to make crosses out of our leaves.

after mass we attended the birthday celebration of our friend's son. he turned 6.

15 APRIL 2011: day 105 (week 15)

2011-04-20T14:24:00.009-04:00

since nitz started working with canada bread, we have (at any point in time..)at least 3 kinds of bread in the house. exceptionally, today we have 5 -- (clockwise) english muffin, flat bread, bagel, loaf bread and dinner roll -- all multi-grain!