Kumusta Kaibigan!

Wealth makes many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor. (Proverbs 19:4)

HELLO FRIEND! Naomi's newest happiness comes from waving hello =) She used to only wave to Mama and Papa, but now she likes to wave back to those lovely people who smile and wave at her. Mimi waves both from side to side and more recently, she'd been closing and opening her hand. It's too cute!

Her best buddies are the kids at school. Since the weather has been nice, they have been spending some time playing in the backyard. Here's a darling photo of Mimi sitting on a tricycle... eyes wide open! "Look at what I got!"

From Out and About

Naomi had a fun playdate last Friday with her new friend Malaya Kaelah. Naomi and I met Malaya and her mommy Hidhe at a cafe called Sadie Dey's. It's a fun place where kids can explore and play while the adults do whatever it is that we do at cafes =) Some parents were on their computers, while others like me and Hidhe were catching up with each others lives. Malaya just turned 1 year old but she's been walking since she was 9 mos! Little Mimi was loving the freedom to crawl around and discover what the big kids were doing. Mimi had grilled cheese and Malaya shared her peanut butter & banana sandwich, too. We'll definitely go back to Sadie Dey's again =)



Hidhe and Malaya only live a few blocks away so when the play cafe closed shop, we headed over to their place. This was when the girls really got to hang out. Also, Malaya is proof that "Your Baby Can Read!" I know you've seen the commercials! She's been watching the programs since she was a month old and watching her in action was amazing! Not only does she read the word out loud, but she does the action, too. Like sniff for "smell" or smile for "happy". The true test of whether it's memorized or not came when Hidhe wrote "mimi" on the board and Malaya said it! Well sorta... she read it with the short 'i' sound - which totally makes sense. Then Hidhe tried another word that Malaya has never seen: "apat" (four in tagalog)... and she said it perfectly! WOW! I'm a believer!

When it was time to go home, Malaya got gigil on Naomi =) Gigil is kind of a difficult Tagalog word to translate. The best definition I saw online to explain 'gigil' was this: "the irresistible urge to pinch someone because the person is well liked/loved". That pretty much sums up how Malaya must have been feeling towards Mimi. It was so adorable because Malaya hugged Mimi several times but with absolute gigil! The expression on her face was like she was squeezing Mimi so hard with joy! Malaya was even shaking a little bit, but her hug was still very gently and not suffocating at all =) Naomi was just looking at her like, "what is this little girl doing?" No worries baby Ganda. Malaya knows a sweetie when she meets one ;)



Both girls seem to have the same gentle temperament and I have a wonderful feeling that they will be getting to know each other a lot better for a loooong time. Same goes for my new friendship with Hidhe. Another fabulous mommy for me to bond with and another buddy for Mimi-Girl, too! Praise God for good friends and the faith we share in Him!

Arabella's Carnival

Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away. (Nehemiah 12:43)

Last weekend, Naomi went on another roadtrip down to LA... Torrance to be exact. We drove down to celebrate cousin Arabella's first birthday. It also happens to be Anthony's birthday, too, so a super-sized Father-Daughter festival was surely in store. Along with Tita Angie and Grandma Lily, we left the Bay Area on Friday at around 8pm and got to Torrance at about 2am. Mimi and Mama sat in the back and slept while Papa and Grandma were on a journey... not only down the I-5 but spritually as well! They talked about their faith and our Savior Jesus with open communication and the Holy Spirit present among them =)



On Saturday, we had a lovely breakfast compliments of the hotel and in the afternoon, we headed to the Carnival. From a distance we could see the giant astro jump on the front lawn. When we got to the house, we saw the face painting booth and the cotton candy machine! Guests were encouraged to dress up w/ a Brazilian or Carnival theme in mind...Grandma wore a festive costume and The Boyz were fitted in green Soccer T-shirts =)



In the backyard, not only was there tons of delicious food, but to set the mood, a Samba band was playing their instruments and singing along to Brazilian tunes. Before we got around to the Dora the Explorer pinata, two lovely Samba dancers grooved to the beat... definitely proof that this was a party just as much for Anthony as it was for Arabella! There were also two delicious cakes to enjoy. Later the Manny Pacquiao boxing fight ended the night.

From Arabella's Carnival

The next day, while Papa and the uncles golfed at the Trump Resort, we enjoyed Pink Berry frozen yogurt. Mimi was in love with the tasty delights and she was being such a sweet heart.

My favorite moments of the entire weekend had to be when Bella and Mimi were interacting together. Both babies were about to take a nap, but woke up when they realized they were in each other's presence. Arabella and Naomi started smiling at each other. They ended up wrestling playfully and it was totally a "Kodak moment." Auntie Leia and Auntie Genina grabbed their camera's and the girls were hamming it up! The Birthday Girl gently placed her arm lovingly around her baby cousin and they struck this pose for a whole minute! So CUTE!!!





The photos above are from BBM. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera at home (plugged into the charger!) Grandma Lily brought her camera, but we still have to borrow it to upload her pics. Bella's personal professional photographer was there so I will definitely add a link to those pics when its available, =)

THANKS COUSIN ARABELLA FOR A FABULOUS CARNIVAL EXPERIENCE!

A limerick

But as for me, I am like a GREEN olive-tree in the house of God: I trust in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever. I will give thee thanks for ever, because thou hast done it; And I will hope in thy name, for it is good, in the presence of thy saints. (Psalm 52: 8-9)

Hello Friends, Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Time to get spirited, have fun and play!
Pinch a stranger... just for fun.
Let your smile shine like the sun,
Winter is done - Hip Hip Hooray!

I just wanna pinch this li'l sprout's cheeks!!

10 Months already?

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16)

Time Flies! I can't believe that it's been a month since I last blogged. I've been so busy going back to work and just wanting to hang out with Mimi every chance that I get. Lots has happened in the last month including celebrating the first birthday of cousin Weslee and having her first Valentine's Day (which is also Grandma Lily and Grandpa Rally's anniversary).

From Happy Heart Day

Now that Naomi goes to "school" everyday, her development has come a long way. She is officially a crawler! There is a cool tunnel that Ms. Adela puts out every now and then and Mimi used to just scoot into the entrance. Now she can go all the way through and does it several times in a row =)





Now that she's super mobile, we set up some soft foam mats in the living room so that she can crawl around on top of the hardwood. Even though she crawls around, she still seems to prefer to stand up and hold onto her activity table. Now the only problem is that she doesn't like to sit in her high chair for very long. She used to eat a whole meal sitting down... now she'd much rather play while she dines. I can't really complain though because when she's in the chair she clamps her mouth shut but when she gets to move around, she opens her mouth wide and smiles while she eats. =) Looks like she still sits in the chair at school though... at least long enough for a picture:

From Daycare is Fun!

Speaking of which... she's kinda over the baby food. Now we mix her babyfood with our good eats and she's good to go. Also, she is definitely Richie's baby because little girl LOVES her crunchies! Richie loves chips and Naomi loves those little cheetos and recently has fell in love with Veggie Sticks. She chomps on those like there's no tomorrow!

Unfortunately, Naomi got another ear infection since Super Sick Sunday. Apparently it was her right ear at first. Then a couple of weeks ago, she was fussy again at night and had a low grade fever. When it was her turn to see the doctor, she began tugging on her left ear... sure enough, that was the side that was infected! More meds and ten days later, she's back to normal.

Well, yesterday Baby Ganda turned 10 months old and today, Daddy brought her to see Dr. Tracy. She now weighs a nice 16 lbs. The doctor said that she is kinda on the petite side, but as long as she's still gaining weight and is eating well, there isn't anything to be concerned about. This was the first time that Richie was taking Mimi to get her shots and as usual, Naomi was a champ!

We're going to LA this weekend to celebrate cousin Arabella's first birthday. It's gonna be lots of fun. But there's still one more day of school to play with her new best buddies!