Howdy, y’all!  I hope y’all are having a great week!  As for me, my week is turning out great, just as I have envisioned.  Visualization works, I tell yah! *wink*

Take for example…yesterday.  Abby had her usual tennis lessons.  The day turned out to be gorgeous.  It was a surprisingly nice day to be out.  It wasn’t as hot as it normally is, the tennis court was unusually shady and believe it or not, birds were actually chirping!  It was a Snow White in the woods kind of moment.  I could have bursted into song – “Ha-a-a-a-a, ha-a-a-a-a”. Hee hee.  Abby was cheerful the entire time she was taking her lessons.  Some days, if I may be honest, she gets frustrated and does a John McEnroe, you know, with matching throwing of her tennis racket on the ground and stomping of her feet.  Not good, I know!  She gets a lot of scolding for that.  But there was none of that yesterday, thank goodness!

Today was another great day.  I went out with “the girls” (Who? I’m not going to tell!) for lunch and then we did a little shopping…just a bunch of clearance stuff, promise!

Tomorrow, I already know, will be another great day, because we’ve already made plans to see a movie and hang out with some friends.  And it will just keep getting better and better.

Life is too darned short to be spent ranting, sulking and wallowing in negativity.  So I choose to be happy, which, to most people I know (and who know me!), is not a secret. :)

I leave you with some photos I took of Abby yesterday, while she was blowing bubbles in front of our house, just after we got home from her tennis lessons.  That should explain while she is so….sweaty.   Just so you know, and to rub it in some more, I had a great time taking these photos!

Still every bit as pretty in spite of being sticky and sweaty. :)

One, two, three…blow!

Sing to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”: “There are bubbles in the air, in the air.  There are bubbles in the air, in the air.  There are bubbles in the air, there are bubbles in your hair, there are bubbles in the air, in the air.“  (I learned this from Gymboree.  :D)

Cheers, y’all! *clink*

Mga tuyong dahon ng laurel (bay leaf)…

12:02 pm: Pahabol lamang ang pangalawang litratong ito.  Madilim daw kasi yung  litrato sa itaas sabi ng asawa ko. Oo nga naman. Hmp.  Aperture…shutter speed…hmp ulit!

Isang ulam ang madalas na pinupuntahan ng (mga) dahong ito kapag ako’y nagluluto…adobo.   Iniisip ko ngayon kung saang ulam ko pa ito naisama at ang naaalalala ko ay callos na noong Thanksgiving pa ng nakaraang taon ko nailuto. Nakakatuwang isipin na parang inilaan ng kalikasan ang dahong ito para sa adobo.  Hahaha! :P

Mabuhay! :)

Pahabol:

Maraming salamat sa aking mga kaibigang Edwin at Alet na ipinagkatiwala sa akin ang kanilang 50mm na lens. :D Akin na lang! :P *mwah*

“Happiness is…tying your shoes for the very first time.”

How old were you when you learned to tie your own shoelaces?  I can’t exactly recall how old I was but I’m pretty sure I was already more than 6 years old when I did.

That can’t be said about Abby.  One of the skills my little princess mastered before she bid pre-school goodbye was tying shoelaces.  There were several times when I picked her up from school and I’d catch her sitting on the floor helping a classmate lace his/her shoes.  Why not Abby’s own?  Because I always made sure she wore shoes that have velcro straps. :D  Here’s the thing.  All those times I’d see Abby tying a classmate’s shoelaces, I always thought they were merely attempts and that she only made knots out of the shoelaces.  Imagine hubby’s and my surprise when, last Thursday, Abby demonstrated to us with an old pair of shoes that she CAN tie shoelaces…

Clap, clap, clap, clap! :)  Proud mommy moment yet again! ;)

oOo

Inquisitive Abby

Abby has been extra extra inquisitive these days.  Some questions leave me speechless.  Some questions leave US laughing…to Abby’s dismay and for which we had to profusely apologize. :(  Bad parents!  Never, never laugh at your children’s questions, however funny you think they may be.  We do encourage Abby to ask questions because that’s one of the best ways for her to learn. ;)  We just have occasional lapses.  Tsk.

One time while we were washing hands…

Abby:  Mommy, have you ever liked two boys at the same time?

Say what?  Now where the heck did that come from?  Next question! :P

One time during breakfast…

Abby:  Mommy, do they have bread in the Philippines?

This was the question that got us in trouble because we couldn’t help laughing.  We have to have a Pinas vacation soon so Abby doesn’t think that the Philippines is like, well, the boondocks! To make up for our mental lapse, we had to apologize over and over again.  And then,  Abby got a crash course on Philippine breads: pan de sal, kababayan, mamon, “tasty”/pan americano, etcetera, etcetera!

Just a few hours ago, it was my turn to be inquisitive.  We were talking about her classmates who have their grandmas pick them up from school.

Me:  Abby, your classmate Madelaine…is she Spanish?

Abby:  No.  She’s just regular.

I guess that makes us “special”. ;) It took a lot of willpower to keep from laughing after I heard Abby’s answer. Hee hee.

That’s all for now.  Have a great week ahead y’all!  Cheers!

The first line of my Facebook status yesterday reads:

Happiness is…birthdays, thoughtful friends and family, bountiful blessings, answered prayers and a God who is good…all the time.

I’m a year older, yes.  Hopefully, wiser, too. :)  And I am ever so thankful.  My heart is always overflowing with gratitude, more so yesterday.  God gives and God takes but He always gives more and He can never be outdone in His generosity.

Thank you, God, for another birthday, one that is most happy and meaningful.  Thank you most specially for granting my one birthday wish. Thank you for the many blessings you tirelessly shower us with.  Thank you for everything that I am and for everyone and everything that I love and have.

God granted a special request for my birthday.  In closing, I will push my luck and make another wish, the very same wish I made on my last birthday, and that is “that God may make everything right for all of us…you, me and the people we love”.

Cheers y’all and mabuhay! :D

Ilang linggo na rin akong hindi nakakasali sa kasiyahan sa Litratong Pinoy (LP). May tatlo o apat na tema yata ang nakalampas na hindi ako nakasali.  Nag-aabala-abalahan kasi ako.  Hee hee!  Kaya ngayong linggong ito’y muli na naman akong makikigulo. ;)

Para sa temang “Basa” (“wet” sa Ingles at hindi “read” :P), narito ang ilang piling litrato ng aking paboritong modelo.  Kuha ang mga ito noong Araw ng mga Ama nang mapagpasyahan namin at ng aming mga kaibigang magkaroon ng munting salu-salo sa park kung saan ay may lugar upang ang mga bata ay makapag “wisik-wisik” sa mga palaruang shower jets.

Masayang naglaro si Abby at ang kaniyang mga kapuwa bulilit na mga kaibigan sa mga shower jets sa park.

May mga lobo silang pinupuno ng tubig at ibinabato.  Ngunit kadalasan ay nagtatakbuhan lamang sila’t naghahabulan o di kaya’y nakatayo lamang sa isang lugar at naghihintay ng pagbuga ng tubig mula sa mga shower jets.

May dalawang oras na naglaro sila Abby dito sa bahaging ito ng park.  At dahil mga bata, ang dalawang oras ay bitin pa rin!

Pagkatapos magbasa, maganang kumain ang mga bata.  Nagutom siyempre! :)

Marahil bago muling magsimula ang pasukan ay magkakaroon pa kami ng ilang pagbisita sa park na ito. :)

Isa pang lahok para sa LP:  Basa sa Founders Plaza

Mabuhay! :)