Life Update

I realized I haven't blogged about life for quite a while now. Nothing to it, I've just been really busy trying to make ends meet. Life has actually been good (Praise God!). Work has been good. It's great to see God's Hand on this. Amazing how He's kept us afloat all these years.

The Old has Gone.
The New has Come.

A
My not-so-little girl starts fourth grade on Thursday. A has her old classmate from ABS-CBN in her section this year, so she's pretty excited. I think excited is an understatement. I haven't seen anyone as hyped and psyched about going back to school. Meanwhile, I'm halfway through wrapping her books and labeling her stuff. Thank goodness for the holiday, I get an extra day to work on things at home.

Two Saturdays ago, she went through Victory Weekend and got baptized. I pray she walks passionately with the Lord. My heart can't be any happier to see my kids choose life.

How to Eat a Mango

RL
The baby isn't a baby anymore. Nope. RL speaks in sentences. His words actually surprise me. Although there are times when he prefers to baby talk and pretend to be a baby again, there's no stopping this little boy. He can be very persistent at times. We actually see a lot of his funny side. I've been sharing his funny moments on FB. He can be quite the comedian.

He has this thing for mangoes lately, and eats about 2, sometimes 3 a day. He loves the seeds, so we slice the mangoes in such a way that the cheeks are thin, and the middle part gets all the meat. This has become a dilemma for me, now that summer's over. Can't find nice mangoes anymore. What used to be P20-P30/kilo is now about P60-P70/kilo (plus smaller in size). And they're not as good nor as sweet. I heard from the lady down at the neighborhood fruit store that her mango stock next week will come from Davao, and that they will be more expensive and a tad sour. Man!

I was thinking about letting RL start preschool this year, but decided to homeschool him instead. He just turned three (yes, time flies) anyway, and I want him to enjoy his toddler years. He has mastered his A-B-Cs and can count perfectly from 1 to 10 (and backwards!); he's learning 11 to 20 and can actually do simple addition (well as much as his fingers can help him). Which is pretty good, I think. He knows his colors and knows a ton of words. He loves adjectives and can play synonyms with us in the car. So yea, time flies.

R
The truth is, I haven't kept in touch since he moved back south. It's easier for me and the kids when we're not attached to empty promises and unfulfilled plans. He called me Friday to let me know he was visiting again. I'm not sure what to make of it. But I take everything with a grain of salt - more like keeping the peace for the children's sake. Oh and excuse me, I've heard enough of "it's stupid to stay together for the kids' sake", because girls, we aren't together. We're friends. So live with it. Any step R takes from this point on is his own doing. I haven't done a single thing to influence his decisions. Well, other than praying for him.

Click on Photo!

K
Well, what's up with me? Nothing much, just working my butt off to make living life a little easier. I've taken on more responsibilities as a volunteer in church and I must say, I'm enjoying every bit of it. NappyCakes has taken a back seat for now (I haven't been accepting orders because of work) and I realized I want to stop doing this (well, for now). The stocks are taking up most of my attic space, which I want to convert soon to the kids' playroom. We've started purging and selling some stuff over on Shop From My Closet - mostly baby stuff for now, as I need to find time to sort and take photos. Right now, we're saving up for RL's tuition and maybe a trip to the US with family next year.

Upper Left Clockwise: Katniss in Boot; Hello Mickey!; Eye Love You; A and her Katniss: We're Friends; RL's Baby. 

MICKEY AND KATNISS
Our shih tzu has taken on a new friend. If you follow me on Twitter then you probably already know that my mom's driver gave us this kitten, who A insists on calling Katniss (I blame it on the movie). She's Siamese, I think, and has the loveliest blue eyes. I was told that she's about 3 months old (I haven't gotten her actual birth date from my mom's chauffeur), but yea, she's a keeper, don't you think? My brother's girlfriend had Persian kittens as well, and we were about to adopt another female, but when we tried to introduce her to our home, she cried all night. I don't think she was meant for our family so we decided to give her back. Besides, Katniss is fairly new (she's been here for almost a month now), and I would love for her to enjoy being the center of attention first - which, of course, Mickey objects to. But they're friends and all is well.

Overall, life has been good. Trying, at times, but we're still blessed. The past months have seen healed relationships, new friendships, renewed ties, financial blessings, new work, etc. I can not ask for anything more.

Well, maybe an iPad for the kids. LOL! Uh, Lord?