This next photo was taken on Abby’s  first day of Pre-Kindergarten, taken in August last year…

Just last May, Abby had her formal spring portrait taken in school…

It’s an awkward smile, yes.  Hee hee.

Last Saturday, June 20th, Abby graduated from Pre-K.  Here is her formal graduation portrait…

I love the cap.  I love the toga.  I love Abby in all her pre-school grad glory!  Hee hee.  The graduation ceremony lasted for all of 30 minutes.  It was far from pre-school graduation ceremonies that we have back home in that there was no program, no awards, no song numbers.  It was very informal yet heartwarming.  The kids were simply called one by one and handed their “diploma”.  Informal as it was, I had to hold back tears.  Kahiya naman ano?!  Hee hee.

After the graduation, there was a carnival in Abby’s school for all the students and their families to enjoy.  We all had a blast and I volunteered to do face painting yet again.

Haaay!  Nakapagpatapos na kami ng anak…sa pre-school. 

Here are more photos of Abby from her pre-school graduation…

It’s true, too, you know!   While I’m making and packing Abby’s lunch, hubby prepares Abby’s breakfast.

And here’s the Father’s Day card that Abby made for her dad.  I should have scanned it against a colored back ground though.  Sorry about that!

The card cover

The top half of the card when it is opened.

The bottom half of the card

Happy Father’s Day to my dearest Munchkin!  Abby and I love you very much!

And to all you awesome dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

...multiplied by a couple hundreds] plus [strong winds and rain] } multiplied by 10 minutes equals….

Last Thursday, Mother Nature had a surprise for North Austin: hail which varied from pingpong to tennis ball sizes (in the worst hit areas) that lasted for more or less 10 minutes and huge funnel clouds, which, thankfully, didn’t touch the surface of the earth to become a tornado.

Here’s a photo of our neighbor’s outdoor sofa.  It’s blurry because I took the photo with the blinds drawn.  Hee hee.  Stalkerish, I know!

Here’s a big piece of glass from Hubby’s 2nd floor office window.

So where’s the lid that’s supposed to cover this hole?

Here it is, several feet away!

I always say that I fell in love with Texas, Austin in particular, at first sight.  I doubted that love during the 10 minutes when we were invaded by balls of ice.

We thank God for keeping us safe in such terrible weather condition…again.  Prayer works wonders!

Have a wonderful week ahead, y’all!  It’s going to be really great!

Over the weekend (thanks to an ice skating birthday party hosted by our friends), my Li’l Munchkin gained the confidence to explore the ice on her own after only some very basic instructions from an ice skating instructor.  I was beaming with pride as I watched and took photos and videos of Abby balancing on her skates without having to hold on to anyone.  My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath every time she fell.  But after every fall, she got up again and tried to skate.  Abby’s not exactly gliding and sliding on ice yet, but before the summer is over, I’m guessing she’ll already be an expert skater.

Here are the photos…

Abby listens intently to Ms. Kate for some basic instructions.

Holds on to dear life, that is, Ms. Kate’s Jacket.

Oops!

Getting some help from Ms. Kate…

…and Abby agrees to let go.  Way to go!

At 4 years old, Abby was the youngest of the birthday party guests to go on the ice. I just thought I’d mention that.  Can’t help it, sorry!

Abby wants to go back on the ice soon.  And she will.

I’m sharing the videos, too, of course!  But first, a message to my Mom…Mimi, it might be better if you don’t watch the videos.    But if you insist, please, don’t scold Abby’s well meaning parents.  Hee hee.

And to all of you, don’t think we’re horrible parents, ok?  Because really, we’re not…most of the time. 

I’m calling this next video, “Daddy to the Rescue”.

The girl at the end of the clip is Nikki, if not for whose arrival at the party, Abby wouldn’t agree to go on the ice.  Thank you, Nikki!  Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Hubby isn’t much of an ice skater.  But he looked very convincing, didn’t he?  As for me, I too shall conquer the fear of ice skating and falling on my big behind.  I’m giving myself until the end of the year. It shouldn’t be any different from cooking. Har har!   Seriously, I’d love for the three of us to skate together someday soon.

Have a great week y’all!  Cheers to bravery and courage!

Alam mo ba na ang “largest zoological experience” dito sa Texas ay mararanasan sa Dallas Zoo?  Aktibo sa research at conservation ang Dallas Zoo.  Sa katunayan, ito ang kanilang misyon: “Long term conservation and management of species in captivity, as well as in the wild”. Ayon sa website ng Dallas Zoo, Ginagampanan nila ang misyong ito “through our strong commitment to a sustained and comprehensive conservation and research program that supports both basic and applied research in the field and in captivity.”

At alam mo ba, na dito rin sa Dallas Zoo  matatagpuan ang Jack L. Hamon Gorilla Conservation Research Center?

Alam mo ba ang itsura ng matampuhing gorilya?  Ganito…

Hee hee.  Ayan, di na siya nagtatampo, mahiyain lang pala.

Later today, the Little Munchkin will have her first tennis lesson.  She has a cute Dora the Explorer racket by Wilson.  She’s been hitting a few balls with her dad and her Tito A, our dear friend and one of hubby’s tennis buddies.  Let’s see how she likes it. *cross fingers*

oOo

If you hate the Twilight series and the movie, this is your cue to, err, exit.  See yah!

There’s rarely anything good on tv on weekends.  I don’t know why.  So yesterday evening, I found myself in front of the computer as always while half-watching the MTV Movie Awards.  I was going to watch Iron Chef America but flipping through the channels landed me on MTV.  What got me interested was Twilight.    Well, since the movie, which was mostly a disappointment, save for the hunky Rob Pattinson and a few others, my insanity over the saga has calmed down.  That insanity was stirred a bit last night.

I think last night was the first time I ever watched the MTV Movie Awards.  I found the awards they gave away quite amusing…Best Kiss, Best Fight, etc.  What’s even more amusing is that Twilight swept most of the awards, including Best Movie!  Hee hee.  Only at the MTV Movie Awards can Kristen Stewart win over the likes of Kate Winslet and Angelina Jolie.  I don’t know.  I really do think she’s a little stiff.  Well, what do I know about acting?!

Twilight fans had a real treat last night.  The first ever trailer for the 2nd book/movie in the Twilight saga made it’s debut.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure, just in case you haven’t seen it yet or none of your Facebook friends cared to post the video…

Taylor Lautner (Jacob) did bulk up to keep the role, didn’t he?  And Rob Pattinson…*whistles*…is a hunk…*insert teeny bopper shriek here*.  Hee hee.  I have high hopes for the 2nd movie.  But Kristen…*sigh*.  Did you see how she asked for her 18th birthday present? Tsk tsk.

The movie hits the theaters on November 20th.  I have to say, I’m suddenly excited.  I might just give the book another read.  My little girl will already be in kindergarten then.  That should give hubby and me some time to squeeze in a movie date, a very early one! Haha!

I wish you all a great week ahead.  It’s the first of June!  June, I feel and know, will be a wonderful wonderful month!  Cheers!

I’m very much aware that I haven’t been updating this site as diligently as I used to.  It’s not that I’ve ran out of stories to tell, because really, I have plenty that I want to share.  It’s just that I probably have become just all too comfortable here, my home in cyberspace.  If this is my cyber home, then Cafe Munchkin is my cyber work place.  In recent months, Cafe Munchkin has been bringing me so much excitement, thus keeping me really busy. And just like real life, by the time I come home (meaning here!) from work, I’m a little tired already.  I’m truly sorry about that.

While this space has suffered a wee bit of neglect the past couple of months, giving it up is farthest from my mind.  The comfort I feel here is different from what I feel when I’m at my two other blogs.  It just is.

I’m glad I have this outlet where I can articulate my thoughts and feelings.  And since our move two years ago, this little exercise in writing helps keep my mind sharp.  Because really, there isn’t so much thinking involved when one does the laundry or vacuums the floor. Having this place to maintain keeps me from getting bored.  Not once have I uttered the words “I’m bored”.

I’ve made some very wonderful friends through this blog…friendships that are more than a mere exchange of links.  Ehem!  Hahaha!  It is these friends who make me feel that I’m actually talking to someone whenever I share my thoughts here, password protected or not.

In celebration of this blogging milestone, I hope to break the lazy spell I’ve been under.  It’s been too long already!  And I have a blog anniversary blow out, of course!  Only, in lieu of a contest, I’m choosing to donate a humble sum to a worthy cause, “No More Slums”. Feel free to join me.  The more the merrier!

Thank you for keeping me company the last 4 years!  Cheers and God bless! *mwah*

Ang paglubog ng araw…

…hudyat ng pagtatapos ng isa na namang araw.  Sari-saring emosyon ang nararamdaman ng mga tao sa bawat pag lubog ng araw.  Saya at pasasalamat at natapos na naman ang isang araw ng pagtatrabaho.  Lungkot at panghihinayang kung pagtatrabaho’y hindi pa tapos at hindi pa agarang makauwi.  Pag-asa…dahil lumubog man ang araw, bukas ay sisikat din itong muli.

oOo

LP #58:  Lahat ay Payak

Payak…hindi mataba.  Mali!  Payat yun.  Payak…sigurado.  Mali!  Tiyak yun.   Ang kahulugan ng payak, ayon sa aking asawa at sabi rin ng aking ina ay simple…walang kulurete…walang dekorasyon.   Maaring gamitin ang salitang payak sa paglalarawan ng isang tao…ng bagay…na pamumuhay.

Isa sa mga ipinagpapasalamat ko sa aking ina ay ang paulit-ulit na pagpapaalala sa akin na maging payak.  Tulad nga ng paulit-ulit ko na rin nabanggit dito sa aking personal na mga salaysay, bata pa ako ay pinaniwala na ako ng aking ina na ako’y maganda.  Hahaha!  Hindi ko raw kailangan ng make-up.  At kahit anong gupit daw ng buhok ay babagay sa akin.  O hindi ba, talagang inang-ina ang dating ng nanay ko?!  At aaminin ko, napaniwala niya ako!    Kaya naman pag nagpupunta ako sa paborito kong salon, matapang kong naipapabahala sa aking paboritong taga-istilo ng buhok na bahala na siya.  Hahaha!  Pero magaling naman talaga siya…si Matt.   Nakapaglagay lang din ako ng nailpolish para sa pagtatapos ko sa kolehiyo (graduation).  Manang na kung manang!

At iyan din ang lagi kong ipinapaalala sa aking anak…

Karaniwan na kasi ngayon para sa mga bata ang maglagay ng nailpolish.  At napakarami na ring mga laruan ngayon na para sa pagme-make-up.  Natutuwa naman ako’t naiintindihan niya. Bukod sa pagiging payak sa sarili, ipinapakita rin namin sa kaniya ang mga payak na pamamaraan ng pagsasaya…

…tulad ng pagpunta sa park para maglaro sa playground, magbisikleta at kung anu-ano pa.  Hindi kailangang lahat ng usong laruan ay mayroon siya.  At hindi rin naman ibig sabihin na kapag mas mahal ang isang bagay, ito ay mas maganda.  Hindi rin naman ibig sabihin na kapag simple, ay isinasakripisyo ang kalidad ng isang bagay.

Kapag mas payak ang pamumuhay, kadalasa’y mas payak din ang mga suliranin.

Mabuhay!

…a frozen Pomegranate Rita.

As a post Mother’s Day celebration, my super mommy friends and I watched a movie (and ate dinner at the same time!) and had a round of drinks afterwards.  The after movie drinks was just an afterthought really.  The decision wasn’t made until we had to make a choice between turning left at the street that will take us to the waiting dads and kids or going straight to the restaurant bar where frozen margaritas were waiting for us.  What the heck, we chose the frozen margaritas!  Hahaha!

Where were our better halves and children the whole time we moms were having a night out?  They were all holed up in an undisclosed location playing PS3, Wii and sharing a very healthy dinner of 4 huge boxes of pizza among themselves.   Hahaha!  They’re all such darlings!  Not one phone call to check on us!  Being a good example perhaps? 

The hubbies have been forewarned though…you know…not to get any funny ideas for a post Father’s Day celebration.   Oh they can get some time off, too!  Only not at night!…much as we, uhm, love and trust these good boys.

Have a great week ahead, y’all!  Cheers!

Hold them up high, so clean and bright

Clap them softly, one, two, three

Clean little hands are good to see”

My left hand…

My right hand…

They’re clean and bright, all right!  After what seemed like forever, they finally had a taste of what they used to enjoy quite often in my pre-domestic goddess life…a manicure and a good massage.

At around midday today, I got a 35-dollar manicure at Spa Reveil, a posh day spa at The Domain, the Austin equivalent of Bonifacio High Street or Green Belt 4.  Hold-up ‘no? Not really, because I got my manicure for free!  Woot woot!  All I had to do was take a little tour of the 6-month old spa.  So I did just that on Mother’s Day and voila!  I’ve got happy hands!

Aaaah, abundance comes in so many forms.  Freebies are just one of ‘em. Love it! Love it! Love it!   Thank you, my lucky stars!