Samberly Says...

Pan de Polvo

2010-12-20T20:27:00.004-06:00

For several years now, Sam & I have made a batch of Pan de Polvo cookies every Christmas. His Tita, which is really his Abuela, has made them every year & when we couldn't get down to Kingsville to get a batch from her, we decided it was time to take matters into our own hands!! Because you should never let a Christmas pass without enjoying lots & lots of Pan de Polvo!! Luckily, we have been able to find all the ingredients overseas & make them in the Philippines as well. And, I guarantee you, this is THE BEST Pan de Polve recipe you will ever find! So, please take the time to make them right & enjoy...

5 lbs. flour
3 lbs. shortening
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup anise tea (Boil a packet of anise tea, plus a couple of cinnamon sticks in water, according to the directions on the anise tea package. If you can't find anise tea, use whole star anise.)

Put all shortening in a very large mixing bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Add salt and baking powder; mix well. Add tea and mix well. Then, add flour, about 1/4 at a time and mix well. If it's too hard, add a little of the tea and mix well into the dough. Roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper to about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Cut with small cookie cutters. (You don't want large cookies, because they are very delicate & will break easily if they are cut too big.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
anise seed (can get from the tea bags, if needed)
cinnamon
sugar

Grind together to form a powder, adding more or less of each ingredient to your own taste. (You want them to have a distinct anise taste, so don't skimp on that!) Then, dust the warm cookies with this mixture.

There it is! It will make a gazillion cookies, so you will have plenty to give as gifts & share with family! Enjoy!

Reason Number 95,239 Why I Love Living Here...

2010-09-27T10:07:00.005-05:00

A very rare opportunity to view a whale shark, or butanding, up close!

This monstrous creature has been swimming the waters of Subic Bay for 5 days now & cannot seem to find his way back out into the ocean. This provided a unique opportunity for our family to watch him for a while. We were all mesmerized by his smooth, slow movement back & forth along the cement wall. We followed him as far as we could along the wall, then ran back to the other side to wait for him to appear again. And, it was thrilling each & every time we caught a glimpse of him! His graceful swimming & beautiful markings never ceased to amaze us!

(Article from Subic Times online website.)

I've said it before & I'll say it again... I am so grateful for the chance to live overseas & experience life in the Philippines! We loved it the first time around & we are loving it here again!!

Lucky Peterson

2010-06-22T10:25:00.003-05:00

When we moved back to the States in July 2009, I purchased an iPhone & was assigned a very lucky number! Apparently, my current phone number used to belong to a famous jazz musician - Lucky Peterson. In the year that I've owned my phone, I've received numerous phone calls & texts for Lucky. They average about 1 a day... for a year! This guy is definitely in demand!

Within the course of all those calls & texts, I had pieced together that Lucky was a musician & either lived or lives in Dallas. Until one day, I received a call from a very chatty man telling me all about Mr. Peterson. He finally told me I needed to Google him to learn more about this amazing musician. So, I did. And, I was amazed at what all this guy has done in his 45 years on earth.

He started entertaining at the age of 3 & has since been on the Ed Sullivan Show & The Tonight Show. He's played with Etta James & B.B. King. He's toured all over the world & he volunteers his time with a children's choir at a church somewhere in Dallas. (This I know from receiving multiple texts from the choir director.) I've received calls & texts from New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco & many more. From Paris, London & the Virgin Islands. I've received calls from managers & club owners, all wanting to book Lucky. I've received texts from friends asking to be put on the event list so they can get in to hear his music. Everybody wants a piece of Lucky!

However, it seems the one thing Lucky hasn't yet done is forward his mobile number & inform his friends/fans of his new information. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked for his new number. I might have been able to book some additional shows for him...

So, Lucky Peterson, if you happen to read this post, I have a few texts to send your way. (I had a few voicemails, as well, but I might have already deleted those.) And, if you want to pass on your new contact number, I will be glad to inform all those who continuously ask me how to reach you. Because, I can assure you, they get quite a shock when this white Texas girl answers their call! It's very comical to hear them get so flustered.

And, just for kicks, I'll include my very favorite text for you... one that I'll never erase:

"Peace to my blues brother- guess I may won't be seein you much ever agin. Dats da blues & ya gots to deal w it. Got another bluesfest dn here. Johnny walker bluesfest on St John. Last month was St Thomas. Somebody gots to gets you down here. The livins easy & womens hot cha cha cha cha. Peace Luck & hairgrese. Funky Ray"

You can't let Funky Ray down!! This guy needs you, Lucky!! ;-)

And, if you ever have a show in Dallas, I think my husband & I need to come meet you. We would LOVE to hear you play!

(Signing out with my new favorite closing line...)
Peace, Luck & Hairgrease,
A

Relay For Life - Walking for PawPaw

2010-04-07T09:45:00.008-05:00

As I wrote in a previous blog entry, I'll be walking in this year's Wylie Relay For Life event benefiting The American Cancer Society. Our 12-hour walk is only 2 1/2 weeks from today! I am so honored & humbled to be able to walk & raise money on behalf of those who have suffered from this horrific disease. Like Sammy's PawPaw, Early (Duke) Rogers.

I went to church all my life with Sammy's grandparents, but never really got to know his PawPaw until Sam & I started dating. At that time, he lived with his grandparents while he attended Texas A&M University at Kingsville. So, I was over at PawPaw's house a lot! Years ago, he had purchased some land in the country & built his wife's dream home. It was the perfect place for all their beloved Dachshunds! Which is the first thing you noticed about PawPaw... all the little weenie dogs that followed him everywhere he went! Sam tells me that the most he had at one time was 12 dogs!! TWELVE! And, they were his babies, no doubt about it. He spoiled them rotten.

PawPaw was also an excellent craftsman! When he built his house, he also built a garage where he could do all his woodwork. He made dining tables, toyboxes, benches, lounge chairs, cabinets & much more. We have been the proud recipient of many of his handiworks, including a dining table & bench. We have since replaced the table in our kitchen, but we proudly display his beautiful bench on our front porch. It is definitely a work of art! When our twins were born, we were blessed to get one of the huge, amazing toyboxes that PawPaw built. It was such an honor to have something for our kiddos from him. We wish they could have known their PawPaw, but they will always know what a talented man he was!

Sammy always had the utmost respect & admiration for his PawPaw, as did so many people in the church & in the community. He was a teacher in the Bishop ISD school district for many years, teaching mathematics. He was a leader in the church, working quietly behind the scenes to help out wherever & whenever his talents were needed. He was a devoted husband, father to three, grandfather to nine & great-grandfather to one before his death in 1999. And, like me & my Granddaddy, PawPaw was the only grandfather that Sammy knew. Sam adored his grandfather & therefore, I did too! I wish he were still here today to see the kind of man his oldest grandson turned out to be. I know he would be proud!

So, on April 23-24, I will walk in memory of PawPaw. As I circle the track, I will think back to the time I was able to spend with him & get to know him better. I will walk in the hopes that other grandfathers are spared of this deadly disease. I will walk for Sammy's PawPaw.

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I feel very strongly about the mission of The American Cancer Society. I want to be a part of a generation that finds a cure to this deadly & devastating disease. And I am asking you to help me do that by donating to my Relay for Life page. My hope & prayer is that the money I raise for cancer awareness will help to save as many lives as possible!

Thank you for your support. It is overwhelmingly appreciated!

DONATE HERE

Just another manic Monday...

2010-03-29T15:13:00.002-05:00

Nicholas has been having night terrors for a while now. He had a couple of episodes while we lived overseas, each lasting about 2 months. And, now he's started back up. I've read up on these & know that I'm not supposed to wake him from an "attack", but it goes against every fiber in my being to just let my baby continue to cry & scream, "Help me, Mommy!" Which is exactly what he did last night.

Usually, they are no more than uncontrollable crying & sobbing. Which is quite enough to tear at my fragile heartstrings. However, last night's episode was the worst yet. From the moment it started, he was babbling some incoherent phrases in between the cries. The words I could understand were "please", "no" and "they". That's it. And, then he started really crying out, "Help me, Mommy! Please help me!" And, of course, I cried right along with him. I held him & rocked him & talked soothingly to him, but of course, he can't hear or see me. He's completely asleep. So, while my reassurances may have helped me get through his episode, it did nothing to console him.

Eventually, he calmed down & I laid him back on his pillow. But, the pain of hearing him cry out to me & not being able to be in his dream haunted me for the rest of the evening. I will be so relieved when he finally outgrows the night terrors & is able to sleep peacefully through the night!

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Earlier today, the boys were standing in the kitchen, playing with their Legos on the island. They were talking to each other & I briefly overheard Samuel say, "Nick, I really missed you." HUH?! I was so shocked to hear my 8-year-old confess such sweet words to his younger brother that he tortures on a regular basis. Then, he said it again, while pointing to a Lego structure they were building, "Nick, there's something missing."

Ah yes. That makes more sense.

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Easter has snuck upon me this year. I have not planned for it at all! Not. At. All. So, I need some help. What does your family do to celebrate Easter? What does the Easter bunny leave in your childrens' baskets? I have a few family traditions that we'll continue to keep, but I enjoy hearing what you & your family do to commemorate this joyous occasion. Let me know...

Samuel Sleepwalking

2010-02-18T10:09:00.002-06:00

Samuel has started sleepwalking lately. This is something new for him (and us), so we are all learning as we go. For instance, I am heading to Lowe's today to get a top lock installed on our front door... just in case!

But, last night, I couldn't help but laugh at him. It was 9:30 & I was cleaning the kitchen while Sam was on the couch watching TV. As I was wiping off the stove top, I saw Samuel walk into the laundry room & turn on the light. Since he'd been asleep for 1 1/2 hours, I thought maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me & it was actually Sam walking in there to switch out the laundry. So, I looked back & sure enough, Sam was still sitting on the couch watching TV. I started calling Samuel, "Bubba, what are you doing?" No answer. "Bub?" Nothing. I start walking to the laundry room as he's walking out.

Mom: Samuel, why are you in the laundry room?
Samuel: I need to go to the bathroom.
Mom: Samuel, that's not your bathroom. Here, let's go this way.

And, so I proceed to take him to his bathroom where he does his business.

After a little while, Sam gets up off the couch to switch out the laundry. He asks, "Why is the washing machine leaking?" So, I walk in there to see what he's talking about & it's wet on AND in between the washing machine & dryer. Sam starts cleaning & we finally figure out that Samuel had actually started urinating in the laundry room in between the washer & dryer!!!! IT'S PEE!!!! I was cracking up so hard. He thought he was using the toilet! Poor kid. I'm just glad he did it on tile & not on carpet. Ewwww!

And, so begins our adventures with a sleepwalker...

American Cancer Society - Relay for Life

2010-02-02T22:48:00.005-06:00

Gilbert Marion McClanahan

November 18, 1914 - January 1, 1998

This year, I have the privilege to walk in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event. My family has participated in this event for several years & I am excited to start my own annual tradition of staying up all night to honor & remember those who have battled cancer.

I lost the only Granddaddy I knew to prostate cancer in 1998... 2 months before my wedding. When Granddaddy was hospitalized for the last time & it didn't look promising that he would be released, I dropped out of college to spend time at the hospital with him. My mom also quit her job to be there as often as possible. Together, we planned the details of my wedding in his hospital room.

I remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night on January 1, 1998. When your phone rings in the middle of the night, it's not a good sign. Sure enough, mom was told that Granddaddy had passed away. It was one of the hardest moments of my life. Up until that point, I had never lost anyone close to me. But, I was very close to my Granddaddy. I lived in the same town as my Grandparents my entire life (except for one year spent away at college). I went on week long (and longer) camping trips with them. I traveled across the country with them in their RV to visit my sister in Iowa. Granddaddy used to pick me up from school in his old VW van that looked very much like this. I used to be so embarrassed when I'd see him pull up in front of my school. But, I secretly loved riding in the front seat, much higher up than all the other cars around town. And, I loved being with my Granddaddy. He was fun, he was kind, he was gentle & he was very well respected in our town. He was perfect!

I never did finish college, but I have never, ever regretted spending those last few months in the hospital with him. There are a lot of things in my life I'd like to do differently, but that is one thing I know I would not change. The time we had together was precious & invaluable.

To this day, I miss his smile, his laugh, his "Who dat?", his hugs & his back scratches... oh those back scratches. They can't be beat! He was the best at it!

So, on April 23rd, I will walk from 7:00 pm until 7:00 am (with a few rests in between) in memory of Gilbert Marion McClanahan. I will remember the good & honorable man, husband, father, grandfather & great-grandfather he was. I will walk for my Granddaddy!

(Granddaddy, Amberly & Grandmother - 1995)

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Thank you for your support. It is overwhelmingly appreciated!

DONATE HERE

Thoughts...

2009-09-17T09:26:00.008-05:00

Maybe I should just aim for once a month blogging. It's definitely not priority any longer, but every now & then I want to document something good to remember. Like this...

This is Nick's Bible memory verse at school this week:

I John 3:16
This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ lay down His life for us.

This is Nick's version:

I John 3:16
This is how we know what love is. Jesus lay down his Christ for us.

I don't have the heart to correct him. It's too cute.

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We have been getting a lot of rain lately! A LOT! Which, in my opinion, is great! I don't mind the wet weather. I've heard several people complain & long for the sun again. I'm actually enjoying the cooler weather... the clouds... the drizzle. I think because it seems to match my mood these days. I just don't have that "sunshiney" feeling...

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I'm sharing some pictures that I haven't had the time to blog about. They remind me of times when we are all a bit more carefree & things were much less stressful. We really miss those days...

Nick with his good friend & neighbor, Ava

Nicholas & his best bud, Chan Woo

Sydney with her friend, Rania, at Nayong Pilipino

My handsome Samuel taking a trip with Daddy to visit historic Corregidor Island

All the sweet girls loving on Heather at Camayan Beach

Me & MP at Anvaya Cove

California Family

2009-08-16T12:40:00.004-05:00

We recently visited Sam's family in San Diego during our June trek back to Texas & while there, we were able to meet up with some of my family from the Los Angeles area. This was my first time to meet several of my family members & I was so excited to finally connect with my cousins!

Our entire clan...

Cousins - Mike, Amberly & Debi

The little guys
Alakai & Samuel standing
Nicholas & Sydney sitting

I was thrilled to spend an evening getting to know my family better. I can't wait to see you all again soon & meet even more family members!

All the pictures from our fun evening can be seen here.

Wishing for a Wii

2009-08-12T23:13:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, Nick & I were tossing a ball to each other down the hotel hallway. (We do what we gotta do to keep from getting bored!) While we were playing, Sam called me from work to pass on some good news. So, while we were still playing catch, I exclaimed on the phone, "That's great, Sammy! I'm so happy for you!" Nick immediately looked at me & excitedly yelled, "Daddy got a Wii?"

Ha!
Guess what Nick wants for his birthday...

Booty Bonking Twins

2009-08-10T10:51:00.003-05:00

Our Monday morning so far...

Samuel comes limping in my bedroom, holding his "private" area.

Mom: "What happened?"
Sam: "Sydney kicked me."
Mom: "In between your legs?"
Sam: "Yep."
Mom: "SYDNEY... come here please."
Syd: "Yes, Mom?"
Mom: "Did you kick Samuel in his private parts?"
Syd: "Well, he stuck his butt in my face."
Sam: (laughing) "It's true. I bonked her with my booty."

This hotel life is making us all a little crazy!

American Idol Finale Party

2009-07-01T01:38:00.009-05:00

In a final effort to have one last get together, Sam & I hosted an American Idol finale party in Subic. Everyone came over to eat, drink & watch TV. The adults watched in the family room, while all the kids were sent to the master bedroom. We had a blast teasing each other & arguing who should win. The pictures say it all...

The Espinosas

The Gulleys

The Men - Matt, Garth & Martin

Heather cuddling with Eva & Rebekah

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for:

And, the shocked reactions:

These ladies were devastated!

Tamra & Jackie - Rivals til the bitter end!
(Tam signing "A" for Adam & Jax signing "K" for Kris)

We all had a great time, as usual! I miss all of these people tremendously & can't wait to get together for a reunion sometime soon. We love our Subic crew!!

#11

2009-06-30T14:34:00.002-05:00

I had one other realization about life in the US vs. life in the Philippines...

11. Portion sizes at restaurants in the States are HUGE! Or maybe it's just Texas. Ha! But, the amount of food served on one plate is enormous compared to portions in Asia. I have only been able to finish half of my orders anytime we go out to eat... which is definitely not a bad thing!

One last comment about restaurants here... it's nice to be back in the land of convenience. Picking up a quick lunch or dinner at a drive thru fast food place is great! We are totally taking advantage of this!

Top 10 Moving Back Realizations

2009-06-30T10:26:00.004-05:00

Our Top 10 list of realizations after moving back to the United States from the Philippines...

10. Daylight Savings Time! We are not used to the sun being out until 9 pm. We are used to it getting dark at 6 pm in the Philippines. Needless to say, my kids have not been in bed anytime before 10 pm since we've been back to the States.

9. People are in such a hurry in the US. Life is way more laid back & leisurely in the Philippines. It is completely the opposite here in the States.

8. So MANY choices in the grocery stores! So many different kinds of cereal... salad dressings... Pop Tarts... toilet paper... makeup... It's completely overwhelming to go shopping!

7. Our family has a TON of laundry! Okay, so I knew this before we moved to the Philippines, but I'm sadly getting reacquainted with this fact. I can't keep up.

6. So many new rules/laws to learn. For instance, they changed the booster seat law, so my 7-year-old twins now need to sit in a booster seat until they are 8. I also learned last night that all riders in the backseat are required to wear seat belts, regardless of age. What else is new??

5. Traffic is much more manageable in the States! Drivers follow the rules here, use turn signals & stay in their own lanes! I still have moments when I want to pass a car illegally or use my horn at any given time & I have to constantly remind myself that these actions are either not allowed or highly frowned upon in the States. In the meantime, keep an eye out for me...

4. I don't have to ask for a check at a restaurant. Which kinda goes back to the fact that things are so rushed in the States... waiters/waitresses are in a hurry to get customers in & out of their restaurant. Before you are finished with dinner, your bill is already waiting to be paid. We haven't had to hold up our hands to make the common Filipino signal for "check" at a restaurant yet... although we've been tempted to try just to see what would happen.

3. The heat!! It is so unbearably hot in Central Texas! It was hot in the Philippines, but the humidity helped, in my opinion. This dry heat is scorching. I want to go to the beach!!

2. I'm in shoe heaven!! I can find shoes that fit my size 8 feet! And, I'm not looked at like a freak when I ask for my size. (Well, except from my petite sisters who have dainty little feet.) It's great to feel (somewhat) normal again. :-)

1. Sticker shock! Wow... we are paying a LOT for things that were so incredibly cheap in the Philippines! I miss inexpensive (but delicious) mangoes, foot scrubs & pedicures and fresh fruit shakes/cocktails, to name a few. We were definitely spoiled in the beautiful Philippines!

Chicago

2009-06-29T23:50:00.011-05:00

Sam & I just returned from a fun weekend getaway to Chicago. His brother, Jacob, got married on Friday evening & we enjoyed helping him celebrate the start of his new life with his new wife! (It was nice to finally meet our new sister-in-law before Jacob moves her away to Hawaii!)

We tried to make the most of our short visit & enjoyed a sampling of many tourist attractions. But as in all our travels, we realize there was so much we didn't see & do. We'd love to visit again someday to see all the wonderful museums & parks that we missed on this visit.

On Thursday, we arrived at Violeta's (new sis-in-law) house to meet her family. Afterwards, we checked in at our hotel in the charming little community of Oak Brook. It was a beautiful town with beautiful old homes! Our hotel was on the grounds of the McDonald's headquarters, but little did we realize we were staying right next to Hamburger University! No lie...

That evening, we met Sam's family & the wedding party at the church to participate in the wedding rehearsal. Unfortunately, the air conditioner in the church building was not working, so it was beastly hot during the entire rehearsal! We could NOT wait for the rehearsal to be over so we could enjoy the cooler air outside!

These cute kiddos did their best to keep their minds off the stifling heat inside the church building:

Friday, Sam & I slept in late, then enjoyed shopping & exploring around the small town of Oak Brook. We spent most of our time inside a Borders Bookstore... something we didn't have in the Philippines. I browsed for a gift for the soon to be married couple, while Sam enjoyed the cafe upstairs. We then headed to the wedding, only to find out that the air conditioner STILL was not working! (Those poor men in their suits!) Other than that minor glitch, the wedding proceeded beautifully! The groom was beaming & the bride was glowing. And, the rest of us were sweating profusely! But, it wasn't about us... so we sucked it up & celebrated the start of Jacob & Violeta's marriage. They made a beautiful bride & groom! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them, but got a nice one of Sam & I after the wedding:

On Saturday, we checked out of our McDonald's hotel & checked into a neat little historical hotel in downtown Chicago... Hotel Blake. This hotel is located in the old Morton Salt building & was renovated into a great little contemporary inn. We loved our overnight stay here!

After checking in, we met up with friends for lunch at the Chicago House of Blues. The hostess gave us a tour of the concert hall after we finished eating & was full of fun information about the House of Blues. We really enjoyed our time there!

We then ventured over to Sears Tower, which is now officially renamed Willis Tower. Since the new glass Skydeck was being remodeled, we could only go up to the 99th floor. But, that was enough for some amazing views of the beautiful city of Chicago:

When we returned to solid ground, we took off towards Navy Pier & Grant Park to enjoy the 2009 Taste of Chicago. We enjoyed a leisurely ride on the ferris wheel & snacked on ice cream, cotton candy & popcorn at the Pier. After chilling out for a bit & resting our tired feet, we ventured on an hour long river boat tour. We chose the architectural tour & enjoyed listening to the guide tell us all about the rich history of the buildings in downtown Chicago. It was truly fascinating! We then trekked over to the Taste of Chicago to listen to the Counting Crows free outdoor concert. We arrived just in time to hear their last song & watch Adam Duritz's famous dreadlocks walk off the stage. Huge bummer! We spent a bit of time sampling some yummy local food before heading to Millenium Park. Afterwards we walked back to the Pier to meet up with Sam's family for the Saturday evening fireworks show. It was a jam packed day full of Chicago fun!

View from top of ferris wheel:

Some interesting buildings along our architectural tour:

Millenium Park

A huge thanks to my parents & my sister for keeping the kiddos busy & happy while we were gone. It's so wonderful to be back in Texas with family nearby! We are blessed to be home!

Back in the US

2009-06-12T11:42:00.002-05:00

Well, we have been back in the States now for 6 days. We have done the following so far:

* Ate Sonic - YUM!!! I downed my Cherry Limeaid like it was gold!
* Ate Taco Bell - Not as good as I was hoping. Not sure why I expected much...
* Ate Papa John's Pizza - Sam was on Cloud 9!
* Okay, we have eaten a lot! I can't really list them all here. That's what happens on vacation, right?
* Shopped at a grocery store with tons of different options & choices in food... and all of it IN STOCK!!

We have NOT done the following:

* Shopped at Target! Why have I not done that yet?! I passed by one yesterday (on my way to Sonic) and didn't stop! It took all the willpower I had in me not to grab the steering wheel out of Sam's hand & turn the car into the Target lot. That is on my "to do" list today!

It's been great being back in the States so far. We are looking at everything with wonder again... through new eyes. And, we are appreciating it all!

Home Sweet Home

2009-05-28T21:16:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, we leave our Subic home for good. We have enjoyed a great year & a half in this home. Many parties + many kids = TONS of fun! We have been truly blessed to have the opportunity to live here. We will miss our home, we will miss our school, we will miss our friends & we will miss Subic Bay...

I will really miss this kitchen...

And this backyard...

I have loved our life here! Thanks, Sam, for bringing our family to the Philippines.

Language Barrier

2009-05-28T10:21:00.004-05:00

I posted a status update on Facebook that started an interesting discussion... I was wondering if I'll still use common Filipino phrases when I return to the States. I thought it would be fun to list those that have been mentioned in my comments section on FB. I'll update as more people comment:

US Version vs. Philippines Version

* McDonalds vs McDo
* Diet Coke vs Coke Light
* Last Name vs Surname
* Bathroom/Restroom vs CR (Comfort Room)
* Air Conditioner vs Air Con
* Refrigerator vs Ref
* Asking for your meal "to go" vs Asking for your meal "take out"
* Black Out vs Brown Out
* Clorox vs Zonrox
* Turn the lights on vs "Open" the lights
* Turn the lights off vs "Close" the lights
* Flip Flops vs Slippers
* Tennis Shoes vs Rubber Shoes

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One other thing I realized yesterday as I was bargain shopping at the local market is that I won't be able to haggle when I purchase items in the States. I'm finally getting good at bargaining for a price I want. However, I'm betting that won't get me very far at all in Target...

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Samuel asked me today why all of our family & friends back in Texas couldn't move to the Philippines with us. That way, we could stay forever. This is coming from my most sensitive child who had previously been begging us to move back to Texas. Now, he is having such a hard time leaving his group of wonderful friends behind in Subic. If nothing else, this experience will definitely help him learn to be more flexible and open minded in life... which is definitely a good thing! But, I honestly can't blame him. We are leaving behind such a beautiful country & terrific little town. Who wouldn't want to live here??

Future Hair Stylist?

2009-05-20T23:47:00.006-05:00

While cleaning out the toy room earlier this week, I ran across Sydney's work of "art"...

All of her ponies got trims (some even got scalped!) sometime recently. I'm betting this happened at the same time she took the scissors to her own lovely head of hair.

My Little Pony sports a mohawk! It's about time these seemingly innocent ponies let their wild side show. We could be on to something big here...

Even the Barbies received a makeover...

People may really go for this cut. The angled, blunt razor cut. I bet some women somewhere pay big money for this style. Sydney's future is looking bright...

Tadpole Club

2009-05-20T10:49:00.006-05:00

We have a water fountain next to our house that doubles as a breeding ground for toads! I love listening to them croak after a good rain. The sound is soothing & calming at night. And, we have definitely been receiving quite a bit of rain here lately. So, the frogs are out in full force!

One of the kids favorite things to do is go fish out the tadpoles from the stagnant water. (I know... sounds sanitary, huh? They're kids... they're supposed to be dirty!) They have watched these little creatures grow from tiny specks to even bigger specks with legs. Every time they show me a cup or bowl full of tadpoles, I make sure they return them to the water so as not to hinder the frog population in the Philippines. I want the next person living in this home to enjoy the same toad symphony that we hear on a nightly basis.

Sammy dubbed the kiddos The Tadpole Club. Enjoy their cute pictures!

The Tadpole Club - Eva, Cade, Samuel, Rowan & Sydney

The handsome ring leader

Important meeting...

Mission complete!

Tennis Wednesdays

2009-05-20T10:33:00.004-05:00

International Tennis Center - Subic Bay, Philippines

Every Wednesday, I meet up with my Subic girlfriends to play tennis from 9-11 am. These ladies have been playing long before I arrived here, so I'm very thankful they allowed me to join their group. And, I'm also very thankful they allowed me to stay when they realized what an amateur player I was. We have a great time together every Wednesday! I wake up on hump day looking forward to a few fun games of tennis, which is saying a lot for someone who is NOT a morning person! I will miss these ladies dearly, but look forward to playing tennis with them again someday soon. Let's plan on it!

(I took some fun photos from my last tennis Wednesday today. You can see them here.)

Wilma, Susan, Ratchinee, Amberly, MP & Heather

Action Pose

New Mommy Blogger

2009-05-19T17:48:00.002-05:00

I have to share with you one of my new favorite blogs... Texas Parenting Adventures. Jamie is a fellow mom & friend from my Wylie Moms group back home. She writes about a wide range of topics that can be downright hilarious & very thought provoking.

Great job, Jamie! Congratulations on your new writing adventure... keep it up!

Dive #8 - Coral Reef

2009-05-16T11:24:00.003-05:00

On Friday, Sam & I embarked on dive #8. We visited a coral reef in Subic Bay near Grande & Chiquita Islands. The reef was beautiful & amazing! We spent about 40 minutes exploring the corals & the colorful fish swimming among us. We saw several sea cucumbers, sea snails, a large crab & a medium sized cuttlefish. We also saw several clown fish, including the tiniest one I have ever seen. It was smaller than my pinky fingernail.

We had a great time, as usual!

Our destination when we arrived at the dive shop...

Our destination about 30 minutes later...
Thankfully, we only felt a few sprinkles.

One underwater shot before surfacing...

And Sam...

Heading back to the beach

Mother's Day

2009-05-16T07:49:00.004-05:00

I enjoyed a nice, relaxing Mother's Day Sunday with my wonderful family & great friends here in Subic Bay. I slept in after spending a fun Saturday night at a beach birthday party. And, after a late lunch, I got a 2 hour foot spa & pedicure with 2 fabulous girlfriends! My feet felt wonderful afterwards! (More fun pictures from our time at DBS Spa here.)

BEFORE...

AFTER...

For dinner, we met Brad & Heather at their favorite Indian restaurant. The kids ran around & played outside while we enjoyed catching up with good friends.

I hope every mother had just as wonderful a day! I am indeed blessed!

Ocho de Mayo Recipes

2009-05-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

We threw a late Cinco de Mayo party last night with so many of our wonderful friends from Subic (and Angeles). It was so much fun, despite the fact that I clocked my sweet daughter in the face with our camera. OUCH! Not my proudest mommy moment.

The food was delicious!! And, at the request of a few friends, I'm sharing my two favorite Mexican recipes...

This first recipe was given to me by one of my dearest girlfriends back in Dallas. Her husband and Sammy were friends at TAMUK, then they both got jobs in the DFW area after graduation. Now, they both work at Texas Instruments. His wife, Rocio, and I have been great friends since their move to the Dallas area. And our daughters are now the best of friends. Sydney cannot wait to move back home and see Rebecca again! And, I am excited about spending time with Rocio and her family soon.

Sopa de Tortilla

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, without seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. corn oil
1 16-oz. can of original style stewed tomatoes with onions, celery & green peppers (Del Monte)
3 14 1/2-oz. cans of clear chicken broth
1 10 3/4-oz. can of condensed tomato soup
1 pinch of sugar
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
8 corn tortillas, sliced in strips
1/2 lb. of sharp cheddar cheese
2 large limes
2 or 3 large avocados, cubed

Saute jalapeno, onions and garlic in oil. Add stewed tomatoes, chicken broth and tomato soup. Stir. Add sugar, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce. Leave 1 1/2 hours on low heat, uncovered. When soup is ready, fry corn tortilla strips lightly.

Preparation: In bowl, sprinkle some cheese, add tortilla chips, spoon in soup, squeeze in lime, then top with avocados and extra cheese, if you wish.

Yield: 4 servings

This second recipe was shared by a lady at our church. I think she made this for a ladies' event & sent the recipe for all of us to have. Although I didn't attend that event & never tasted her salad, the recipe sounded so delicious. I have made it several times since then, but this was my first time to make it in the Philippines. I forgot how wonderful it was!! Enjoy...

Layered Southwestern Salad

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. lime juice
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. sour cream
4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 large head Romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c. purple onion, chopped
1/2 bag (8 oz.) shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
1 15-oz. can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 c. crushed tortilla chips

Process first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Layer lettuce and next 7 ingredients in a 3-quart glass bowl. Pour vinaigrette over salad just before serving, and gently toss. (I didn't layer the salad because it had to be tossed anyway before serving.)

Yield: 8-10 servings

Labor Day Weekend

2009-05-03T10:41:00.004-05:00

We started off this Filipino holiday weekend with dive #7 to the Landing Ship Transporter in Subic Bay. This wreck was deeper than we have gone before, so our bottom time was only 20 minutes. We descended down about 32 meters or 110 feet. But, the visibility Friday morning was excellent & my descent was easy, so I was feeling good! Sam & I were the only ones from our dive shop to embark on this dive, but when we arrived at the site, 3 additional dive shop boats were already there. Our dive master said this typically indicates that something has been spotted in the area & others are hoping to see it. Sam & I got excited!

The descent was uneventful, thank goodness! When we achieved our neutral buoyancy above the wreck, we took off exploring. This ship has some great aquatic life swimming among it, including some really huge & beautiful angelfish that followed us the entire time! Sam said it was like they were policing us, making sure we didn't harm their habitat. I wonder if they're normally territorial?

At one point, our dive instructor pointed to something big on the ocean floor. He made all sorts of hand motions & gestures, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what he was pointing at. I could see a long, skinny sliver of something, which I assumed was an eel. Sam tugged on my fin & questioned what he was supposed to be looking for. I shrugged my shoulders & pointed to the eel looking creature. I wasn't sure if that was it, but it was the only thing in the area. After surfacing, our instructor asked us if we saw the huge stingray that he was pointing to. Mystery solved! We didn't see the stingray body, but we did make out the tail that I had assumed was an eel. And now we know the hand gesture for stingray! Next time, hopefully...

We also saw a school of barracuda swim overhead, although we didn't know it was barracuda until our instructor told us afterward. And lots of other great fish & sea creatures, including the beautiful & poisonous lionfish! On our way back to the beach, Sam told me that bull sharks are often spotted at this dive site. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if I had seen one. On one hand, I think it would be cool to encounter one (from a distance) during a dive. But, then on the other more nervous hand, I'm not sure I could stay calm underwater. It's probably best I don't tempt fate. And, it was a wise decision my husband made to wait until after our dive was over to share this piece of information with me!

Friday evening, we went out to dinner with friends & found ourselves in the middle of a Labor Day celebration crowd! Downtown was packed with people & cars enjoying the live music & fireworks display. Unfortunately, we enjoyed the fireworks show from our car as we circled the area looking for a place to park. After dinner, we decided to visit one of our favorite live music venues, Willis, in Olongapo. This great band, Bojo, plays a few sets every Friday night and we really enjoy their show.

This is not the best copy of their music, but it's the best I could find on YouTube. They are really great musicians! And, the lead singer graduated from Brent Subic, so there's another reason we love them.

Saturday, we spent a good part of the afternoon at the school swimming pool. Our family had the entire pool to ourselves for several hours & we had a great time! That evening, we welcomed a good friend back to Subic. MP's husband, Omar, had been working away for too many months & he is now back home with his family before they move back to the states also. We're glad he's back & we had fun welcoming him home! Too much fun maybe... We finally left their house close to 1 am after wearing out the karaoke machine. Great times!!

Sunday, was a day to chill! Sam & I watched the long awaited, but much too short Pacquaio vs. Hatton fight. We were thrilled to see him win so easily. That guy is amazing! Small, but mighty! Later that afternoon, we met friends at school for some ultimate frisbee. After frisbee, I enjoyed a quick jog around my neighborhood to wind down for the night. I've decided nighttime is the best time for a jog during these hot summer months. And, that Prince's Raspberry Beret has the best beat to motivate my feet to keep jogging up a hill! Those two combinations makes for a great run!

We're sadly counting down our weekends left in Subic... only 5 more to go...

Sydney's Tooth Post

2009-05-02T04:26:00.003-05:00

I'm long overdue to write about Sydney's first lost tooth, so here is a post just for her...

Sydney lost her first & second teeth within just a few days of each other. Her first loose tooth was loose for well over a month. I think she was just afraid of the pain of losing it & did not want to yank it out. But, once she realized how little it hurt, she worked hard on her 2nd tooth & got it out much faster. Now, both twins are missing their two bottom teeth. And, they look so grown up! Which doesn't make me too happy...

Right before she pulled her 1st tooth. It was hanging on by a thread... literally!

Right after she lost her 2nd tooth
(Thank you to MP for being there to snap this photo!)

Her new toothy smile!

Samuel's Winning Smile

2009-05-02T03:22:00.003-05:00

When I posted about Samuel's first lost tooth, I was contacted by Ms. Sheri Ann Bell-Rehwoldt who was running a photo contest for children. It was called the Toothy Kid Photo Contest. She allowed me the opportunity to enter Samuel's handsome photo in the contest. And, she informed me yesterday that Samuel was one of the four finalists in the contest! He will be receiving his prize in the mail soon.

I didn't tell him he was one of the winners... I just told him about the contest & started showing him the pictures of the winners on the website. I scrolled down until he finally saw his own photo. The excited expression on his face was priceless!

You can check it out here:
Toothy Kid Photo Contest Results

Ms. Bell-Rehwoldt also included a sweet letter for Samuel:

"CONGRATS, SAMUEL!!!

Tooth Fairy Extraordinaire Here!

Congrats on being chosen as one of the four toothless kiddos in my Toothy Contest! Your photo was so darn cute … so go hug your mom for taking the time to enter the contest, because you’re getting this personal letter and a prize. HA!

I wish I could personally deliver your congratulations, but I’m dead tired. I was up ALL night collecting teeth. It’s a tough job, but I love it. And if I might say so, I’m really good at it! My mom had the job before me, and her mom before her. Someday, when I have a little girl, I will hand the job over to her. But she’ll have to be a very special gal (like me!), because this job takes skill! And daring! And lots of courage and smarts!

Congrats, again, Samuel! Keep those teeth coming! Remember to always BRUSH and FLOSS! Right after breakfast, and right before bed. Otherwise you might get cavities. BLEEEEEECH! I hate collecting teeth with cavities!

Your BFF (best friend forever!),

Tooth Fairy

p.s. I’ve enclosed some of favorite toothy Knock-Knock jokes. Enjoy!

The Tooth Fairy’s FAVORITE Knock-Knock Jokes

KNOCK-KNOCK!
WHO’S THERE?
MICE
MICE WHO?
MICE TO MEET YOU!

KNOCK-KNOCK!
WHO’S THERE?
TUBA
TUBA WHO?
TUBA TOOTHPASTE!

KNOCK-KNOCK!
WHO’S THERE?
CLOSURE
CLOSURE WHO?
CLOSURE YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU’RE EATING! GAG! SEE-FOOD!

KNOCK-KNOCK!
WHO’S THERE?
ORANGE
ORANGE WHO?
ORANGE YA GLAD I TOOK YOUR TOOTH AND GAVE YOU SOME MOOLAH?

KNOCK-KNOCK!
WHO’S THERE?
POLICE
POLICE WHO?
POLICE STOP TELLING THESE SILLY KNOCK-KNOCK JOKES!"

Thank you so much, Ms. Bell-Reholdt, for telling me about this cute contest & choosing my son as one of your finalists! He is thrilled!

Here is his new, updated photo with both bottom teeth gone:

Such a cutie!

Dive #6

2009-04-26T08:53:00.005-05:00

We went out on our sixth dive today. (A huge thanks to MP for watching my kiddos on the beach, while her son joined us on the dive.)

Waving goodbye to my kids on the beach

Today, we explored a sunken landing craft unit in the Triboa Bay area of Subic Bay. (This landing craft wreck is near our friends', the Gulleys', private beach in Triboa Bay.) Again, I had very little problems with my ears today, which is still a huge relief. On one occasion, my right ear felt quite a bit of pressure, but it was easy to clear. Sam explored the inside of the unit swimming in & out of portholes. I opted to stay in the sunlight! It would be my luck to encounter one of the numerous lionfish while swimming in the dark opening of a sunken ship! I'm not willing to take that chance yet.

While the visibility was still relatively low, I did enjoy this dive more than the one last week. My goggles did not fog up and there was more aquatic life to enjoy. I prefer exploring reefs rather than sunken ships, so I got pretty excited & mesmerized when there was an abundance of fish or coral nearby. I'm still amazed that I can swim among these sea creatures & watch them interact underwater. It's a really cool experience! I truly wish Sam & I had not procrastinated for so long on getting our diving certificate. I feel we could have done so much more underwater exploring around Asia, but I'm just thankful that we did complete it & are taking full advantage of the opportunities while we have them.

On this dive we saw many lionfish, angelfish, butterflyfish & something called a spotted sweetlips fish. Interesting!

After our dive - Dean, John, Amberly & Sam

Amberly & Sam
(Ray driving the boat)

Samuel had fun digging a huge hole while we were out

(All our pictures from this dive can be seen here.)

To miss or not to miss...

2009-04-25T10:15:00.002-05:00

What I will miss when we leave the Philippines:

* Ummmm... almost everything!
* The beach
* Rosalie
* Our home
* Our friends
* The fresh fruit
* Frequent date nights with my hubby

What I will not miss when we leave the Philippines:

* All the insects that constantly plague our house - little ants, flying ants, cockroaches & spiders! Our home is really their home & there is not a thing we can do to keep them out. They are relentless!

Before I leave the Philippines...

2009-04-22T10:14:00.005-05:00

There are so many things I want to see & do before moving back to Texas in June. Two years is just not enough time to take it all in. I have thought of a few tonight worth mentioning:

* Visit the Banaue rice terraces - said by some to be the 8th Wonder of the World
* Massages, massages, massages! I need to take full advantage of these while here. They are so great & so incredibly inexpensive!
* Eat more mangoes. I never appreciated mangoes until moving to the Philippines. When they are in season, they are delicious!! And, extremely affordable. Mango shakes, mango daiquiris, mango salsa, mango jam... yummmm!
* Visit Sagada - Excellent caves, waterfalls & hanging coffins. How cool is that?
* Dive at Anilao
* Take a boat ride through the Pagsanjan Falls
* Stock up on lots more unique pasalubong for family & friends back home

There is much, much more to add to this list, but I get overwhelmed thinking of all I'd like to do before leaving. I certainly don't want to leave the Philippines with any regrets, but at the same time, I know it's impossible to see & do it all. Maybe someday...

*************************

I can't end this post without a couple of pictures...

At our hotel in Singapore, they had this enormous candle display in the center of the lobby. The first night we arrived to check in, I immediately thought, "Oh, please do NOT let my kids knock one of those over & start a fire!" Because anyone that knows Nicholas knows that he is the klutziest child alive! He is just an accident waiting to happen. (I wish I was exaggerating, but I am not.) Luckily, we made it 4 nights walking by that candle masterpiece several times & never knocked over a single flame! We blew a few out, but the hotel just had that coming...

Is this not the cutest picture ever?! I'm sure this could win some sort of award:

How Sammy got all 3 kids to pose & stay that way long enough for a picture, I'll never know. That man's got talent!

El Capitan Dive

2009-04-19T10:13:00.005-05:00

This morning, we went out for dive #5! We explored the wrecked El Capitan ship in Ilanin Bay. This was by far the easiest descent for me, because I had no issues with my ears. That was a huge burden lifted as I went deeper & deeper. I was pretty excited to finally explore underwater without worrying about my constant ear trouble. However, I was not thrilled with the overall dive itself because the visibility was very low & my goggles continued to fog up every so often. So in addition to not being able to see due to the murky waters, I was having trouble seeing clearly through my goggles. It was just frustrating. But, I have now have hope for future dives that I can regulate my ears quicker & easier.
We purchased a package deal with 10 dives included, so it looks like we'll be getting in a lot of practice before heading back to Texas...

Palawan - Day 2

2009-04-15T10:08:00.007-05:00

... finally!

Our 2nd day in Palawan was just as wonderful! The breakfast buffet was spectacular (as was all the food during our entire stay there). After breakfast, we decided to join the lagoon tour. There are 2 lagoons at Miniloc Island - the big & small lagoons. We first visited the small lagoon, with numerous coral reefs & caverns to explore.

The limestone cliffs were amazing! And, the beautiful clear, green water... truly indescribable. I was in awe at the beauty surrounding me.

We kayaked & snorkeled in both lagoons. It was so fun to kayak in & out of the coves & caverns surrounding the cliffs & explore the entire lagoon.

Amberly & Sam inside a cave

Heather & Brad in the cave
(We were a little cramped with 2 kayaks in a small cavern.)

After kayaking, we donned our snorkels & flippers & enjoyed swimming around the fantastic coral reefs. We were excited to use the camera to get up close & personal with the sea creatures.

Coral as far as the eye can see...

Clown fish in his anemone home

School of bright blue fish swimming towards Sam

This picture reminds me of the "drop off" part in Nemo.
This brave fish was swimming past the drop off.

After lunching at the Miniloc island resort, we headed to Entalula Island to work out with a little rock climbing. Our friends, Brad & Heather, are highly experienced rock climbers, so this was nothing new for them. They scaled the cliffs like the pros they are! Sam & I are beginner climbers, but you would never know it by watching Sam. He did a fantastic job on both climbs! I enjoyed my first, short climb, but opted to stay on solid ground while the other 3 ascended the more challenging cliff. We were all ready to cool off in the ocean after that hard work!

Mountain Man Sam

I made it!

This was a piece of cake for Heather!

... and Brad!

Entalula Island was by far, our favorite spot within the El Nido islands. The water is a beautiful crystal aqua blue. And the sand is white & powdery. We were definitely not ready to leave when our boat arrived to take us back to the main island, Lagen, for dinner.

Arriving back to our water cottages

That evening before dinner was served, the four of us enjoyed relaxing outside by the pool. Sam & I did a little reading, while Brad & Heather played cards. It was the perfect way to end such a great day!

One of my favorite photos... Sam took this from the other side of the swimming pool while we were lounging before dinner.

Twins' FINAL 7th Birthday Celebration

2009-04-14T08:38:00.004-05:00

We held the twins' official 7th birthday party on Friday, March 20th, after school. They had been planning for months what they wanted to do... I planned for a week! But, we pulled it off.

Sydney wanted to have a horse party at the local stables where she attends horse camp every other Saturday. My friend, Heather, volunteers quite a bit of her time at the stables, so she agreed to help us arrange a fun party for the girls.

Samuel, on the other hand, did not want to have his party at the stables. He wanted to have his friends over to the house, instead. And, I was not willing to have 2 separate parties for them... yet. I know that time is coming, but not this year.

As a compromise, Heather suggested the girls all meet at the El Kabayo stables to ride horses to our home. We could then celebrate with cake & refreshments at our house with Samuel & his friends. We live near the stables, so this was a great plan! And, of course, Sydney thought it was a wonderful idea!

So, that's what we did! All of Sydney's girlfriends met at the stables. They were issued pink ball caps with "07" embroidered on the front & their names embroidered on the back. They picked a partner to ride with & doubled up on the horses.

The girls riding up the hill

Meanwhile, Samuel & his friends were given khaki ball caps with the same number embroidered on the front & their names on the back also. The boys swam in the blow up pool in the backyard & bounced in the jumpy house. They all had so much fun!

Samuel, along with most of the other boys, decided to sit on a horse for a photo opportunity. Somehow, I never got a photo of Sydney on a horse, though. (I am definitely NOT a scrapbooking mom!)

Nicholas

The horses grazing across the street from our home

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T11:20:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter from our sweet dog, Dallas:

KIDDING!!

My mom sent me this photo in an email with the subject as "Easter Greetings". I completely believed it was my dog, Dallas. She has been known to enjoy the taste of baby bunnies (not that I'm proud of that) and it looks just like her! See for yourself:

Okay, well I now see that my sweet dog has a lot more white around her mouth. When did she get old?!

Enjoy your Easter celebration!

Twins' 7th Birthday Dinner at Home

2009-04-11T09:25:00.006-05:00

On their birthday, I invited some of the twins' closest friends over for a playdate & picnic dinner. Their actual party was planned for the next weekend, but they wanted to celebrate with friends on March 12th. So, a few kiddos came over to swim, have a picnic dinner in the backyard & make their own ice cream sundaes. They all had so much fun & even provided the adults with a song & dance show afterwards. We are so thankful for our great friends here in the Philippines!

Most of the group sitting down for dinner
(Rian & Rowan were working on the entertainment for the evening)

Sweet Girlfriends - Rebekah, Sydney & Madison

Handsome Birthday Boy

And, last, but certainly not least... our evening entertainment written & choreographed by Rian & Rowan:

Twins' 7th Birthday at School

2009-04-10T09:57:00.004-05:00

Brent Subic - First Grade

(Well... I'm about a month late on this post, but then again, when am I not late?!)

Sydney & Samuel had a great birthday celebration with lots of wonderful friends here in Subic! On their actual birthday, I took cupcakes & juice to their classrooms for a small party with their schoolmates. All the kids sung "Happy Birthday" twice... once for each of them. They were a little embarrassed standing in front of the class for that long, but enjoyed the one on one attention from their friends afterwards. Such sweet, shy kids.

Center stage with Sydney's teacher, Ms. Gomez

Samuel enjoying yummy birthday refreshments with his friends

Sydney & her friends eating cupcakes

Cupcake Mouth

Mom & her terrific twins!

The rest of Spirit Week...

2009-04-08T19:10:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from the other days during Spirit Week at Brent. I relied mostly on the kids' teachers to share their pictures with me (thank you Anna & Malen!), so unfortunately, I don't have any of Samuel. It's hard trying to be in 3 different places at the same time to get pictures of all my kids! And, don't even think about taking a group shot before school! That's impossible for my crew...

MONDAY - PAJAMA DAY

* By far, the easiest day of the week! Great way to spend a Monday at school!

Sydney with her friends in pajamas

Nicholas with his class in pajamas

TUESDAY - CARTOON CHARACTER DAY

* I thought for sure this was going to be a no-brainer for my three who LOVE to play dress-up. We have about a gazillion costumes in our playroom. Should be easy... but I was thrown a curveball. Nick wanted to dress up as a cartoon character whose costume we had previously given to another little boy... Samuel didn't know what he wanted to dress up as (story of my life with that kid!)... and Sydney, well, she's usually the easiest out of my kiddos. She followed my suggestion with no complaints. After more whining than I care to admit (me included!), we finally made it to school all decked out:

Sydney as a Barbie cheerleader with her classmates

Nicholas as Flash with his buddy Sebastian as Thomas the Train

(Samuel went as Buzz Lightyear... FINALLY.)

WEDNESDAY - CAREER DAY

* This day was fairly painless. Both Sydney & Nicholas decided they wanted to be veterinarians. We already had one white angel gown that easily passed as a lab coat & we had a duplicate coat made overnight at the market. They each carried a doctor kit & a stuffed animal to school with them. Voila! However, Samuel could not decide what career he wanted to dress as. I threw out a ton of options & he finally settled on being a Cowboy. It was a perfect choice since we already had all the necessary clothing. Then, 30 minutes before school started on Wednesday, he changed his mind... AGAIN! He decided he wanted to be a paleontologist instead!! WHAT?! Are you kidding me?? So, I told him he was responsible for creating his own costume & he had 20 minutes to do it. And, he did! He switched his cowboy boots for hiking boots... put on a brown, camo jacket... and gathered a few items as props - a magnifying glass, a paintbrush & a small brown bag of toy dinosaurs. It was awesome! I wish I had taken a photo, but I am looking forward to seeing one from his teacher soon...

Dr. Sydney with some of her classmates
(Love Javier's architect costume!)

Dr. Nicholas with his classmates

Thursday was Twin Day, as you've already seen & Friday was Jazz Up Your Uniform Day. Friday also happened to be track & field day for the kids, so we did nothing to jazz up their uniforms & I was relieved! So long Spirit Week! I definitely won't be missing it next year...

Speaking of books...

2009-04-08T06:10:00.003-05:00

I've been on a search for some great, new children's books lately. My mom has been fantastic about sending books to the kiddos that she gets from her local library sales, so the kids' bookshelf has finally been transformed from countless baby board books to ones more appropriate for their age. And now that we're on a roll updating their literature, I can't stop myself!

I recently ordered the following books from Amazon that I saw recommended on The Martha Stewart Show:

Who Is Melvin Bubble? by Nick Bruel
The Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin & Harry Bliss
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Could You? Would You? by Trudy White

These books encourage imagination & creativity, according to Books of Wonder owner, Peter Glassman. You can watch his segment on the show here. His passion portrayed for the books is infectious!

While browsing online for these, I also ordered the following books that got great reviews on Amazon:

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Robin Page

They are all waiting at my parent's house for the kiddos to open in June. I can't wait to check them out myself!

In addition to the books mentioned above, Sydney's first grade teacher has given me some great recommendations. I will be ordering some of these very soon:

* Wild About Books by Judy Sierra - I read this book to Sydney's class last year & they all really enjoyed it! They were mesmerized! Great book!
* Flotsam by David Wiesner
* Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew
* Anything written by Julia Donaldson, including a class favorite, The Gruffalo
* Anything written by Kevin Henkes, including one of my kid's favorites, Owen
* Anything written by Tana Hoban, including Look Book
* Anything written by Jim Arnosky, including Rabbits & Raindrops

I love discovering new & exciting books that my kids will enjoy for years to come! So... what are some terrific children's books that you & your kids can't live without? What other great recommendations do you have for my home library? Looking forward to your responses...

Same Kind Of Different As Me

2009-04-08T05:49:00.004-05:00

So, I've been on the search for this book for a while. All over the Philippines... Subic/Olongapo, Clark & Manila. When I couldn't find it at any bookstore in Manila, I knew I was out of luck in this country. Then I went to Singapore. They have EVERYTHING in Singapore. For a very, very pretty penny, but still... they have everything! Except this book! I figure if they don't carry it in Singapore, I won't find it anywhere else in Asia. So, BAD Girls, I tried. I really did! But, I cannot seem to get my hands on this book over here. So, if one of you wouldn't mind saving your copy for me, I would really like to read it when we move back home. Thanks!

Spirit Week - Twin Day

2009-04-02T10:12:00.004-05:00

My sweet twins

Today was "Twin Day" during Brent Subic International School's first annual Spirit Week. Each student had the opportunity to dress as a twin with another student in the school. The kids had fun planning their twin costumes...

All ready for Twin Day!

Twin Princesses - Joanna & Sydney

Boy Scout Quintuplets - Samuel, Javier, CJ, James & Daniel

Surfer Twins - Nicholas & Cade

Tomorrow is the last & final day of Spirit Week - "Jazz Up Your Uniform Day". For my kids, it's gonna be "Wear Whatever the Heck You Want Because Mom Has Definitely Lost Her School Spirit Day"!!

Samuel's Chapel Presentation

2009-04-01T12:07:00.004-05:00

Grade 1-B

Samuel's class recently led one of the Wednesday morning chapel presentations. They had a great lesson on doing what is morally right, versus what would benefit themselves. The kids were adorable, as always & did an excellent job on stage!

I love that all 3 of my kids are getting used to being on stage in front of their peers. I hope they never suffer from stage fright, like their mother does!

Handsome Samuel sitting on the stage

Good Friends - Yulianna, CJ & Samuel

My clown, Nicholas, showing off his cheesy grin

Scuba Diving - Day 2

2009-04-01T08:36:00.007-05:00

WE DID IT!! Sam & I are both now PADI certified scuba divers!

(Photo - L to R: Sam, Caden, our dive instructor Dean, John & Amberly)

Our second day of diving went MUCH better than the first for me. Although I started having fears of another panic attack, it never happened! YEA! I was able to relax more during our dives on Sunday and enjoy the beauty of the underwater world. I am constantly amazed by all the colorful, tropical fish & interesting creatures I witness in their habitat. Diving will never cease to thrill me!

On these last two dives, we first explored a sunken barge. Our second dive was down to the sunken San Quentin wreck. This site gives some history on the San Quentin wreck:

"Meanwhile, the wreckage of the Spanish gunboat San Quentin is considered the oldest among the sunken vessels in Subic, dating back to the Spanish-American War at the turn of the 20th century. A veritable symbol of the Spanish Galleon era, the San Quentin was sunk in 1898 as a last ditch effort to prevent US Naval forces from gaining access to the strategic channel passing through the islands of Grande and Chiquita. Easily one of the most popular wreck dive sites in the Philippines, the San Quentin continues to draw many divers because of its historical significance."

We were privileged once again to see the following fantastic aquatic life:

* Several stone fish
* More cool sea slugs and/or sea cucumbers. They were the size of a loaf of bread! And, slimy as snot! And, yet, it was amazing to be able to hold them!
* Giant clams - In 1999, the University of the Philippines secretly introduced giant clams to this dive site as part of a special project. They are huge & beautiful! We were able to stick our hands in the middle of the clam & watch as it automatically closed around our fingers. So fun!
* More anemone with clownfish
* More poisonous lionfish

I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to get my diving license & feel especially privileged that I did it in the Philippines! Such an amazing, beautiful & perfect place to dive! We can't wait to go again... if my ears ever get back to normal!!

Snorkeling above Sam

Jellyfish

Butterflyfish

John & Caden riding on the outrigger on the way back to the beach

Enjoying the boat ride back

Sam the Man

Scuba Diving - Day 1

2009-03-28T10:20:00.004-05:00

We embarked on our first "real" dive today. Last weekend we did a practice dive, entering the water from the beach. Today, we took the boat about 10 minutes out to an amazing coral reef. We performed 2 dives today, both descending to 12 meters, or roughly 40 feet.

On our first dive, I had trouble regulating my ears. I had trouble last week also, but hoped that some things I learned during the week would help. However, I still could not clear them! I tried every method shown to me, but in the end, just had to descend much, much slower than my dive mates. Eventually, the pain subsided & my ears cleared, making the dive more enjoyable. Once I reached the sea floor & joined my dive instructor & fellow classmates, things seemed manageable. Then, it hit me... "I'm sitting on the bottom of the ocean! What if I see a shark? What if I can't get enough air in my lungs? What if I start freaking out?" Which is precisely what I did! I started experiencing anxiety & had a mini panic attack. It was the same feeling I get when I have to speak in front of a crowd - accelerated heart beat, tightness in my chest, closed throat, shortness of breath. Not a good thing to experience 40 feet under the ocean! So, I quickly swam back to the rope attached to our boat with the intention to start making my way back to the surface. I figured a little fresh air was all I needed to calm me down. However, the assistant dive master was quickly on my heels & kept me down on the bottom. He signaled for me to look him directly in the eyes & to take deep, controlled breaths. I followed his lead & was able to rejoin the group moments later. That was quite a scary moment for me, though. And, one I hope to never repeat!

After we reviewed & mastered our necessary drills underwater, we began to swim around the reef & enjoy the sights.

I had a better experience on the second dive. We entered the water using the "walk in" method. We descended using the rope again & practiced a few more drills on the ocean floor. After mastering those drills, in which I accidentally took a big swallow of sea water (GAG!), we explored the opposite side of the coral reef. It was during this dive, that we experienced some amazing encounters:

* We saw a large, silver tuna bottom feeding
* We touched a sticky sea anemone, with a clownfish swimming among its tentacles
* We petted a blow fish (or puffer fish) that our dive master held in his hand
* We swam by a spectacular looking lion fish, one of the most venomous fish in the region
* Sam held a jellyfish in the palm of his hand
* We saw numerous variations of sea worms
* And, of course, we saw tons of beautiful, brightly colored fish swimming all around us

We had a great afternoon of diving & I ended up thoroughly enjoying my time spent under the water. Tomorrow, we will dive a sunken barge & a sunken Spanish ship. We will go a little deeper & I truly hope I can regulate my ears quickly enough to be able to explore this amazing world in the ocean blue!

Mothering Day

2009-03-26T00:46:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, at the kids' Wednesday morning chapel program, we had a special eucharist to celebrate the European holiday, Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday during Lent, but Father Rossouw prepared a special chapel lesson especially for us mothers with children in lower school. We were all able to listen & enjoy this wonderful presentation together with our little ones. Afterwards, each child was handed a rose to present to their mom. It was sweet watching all the kids eagerly searching the auditorium for their mothers. They were so proud to hand out their roses!

I was blessed to received three beautiful roses from my sweet munchkins! I got the best long hug from my sensitive Samuel, lots of kisses from my affectionate Sydney & a quick short squeeze from busy Nicholas who would rather be with his friends! I am so proud to be their mom!

Samuel's Illustration

2009-03-23T01:22:00.004-05:00

I had to scan in this drawing done by Samuel intended for his brother. Nicholas had, apparently, been a little aggressive with Samuel soon after he got his cast on his arm. Instead of physically lashing out at Nick (because Samuel didn't feel good), he drew this picture for him instead:

(I love that you can see the anger behind the all capital letters & the exclamation point. And, the arrows pointing to a "mean" and a "nice" kid.)

He was quite angry when he brought this paper to me & asked me to please show it to Nicholas so he would understand how to treat Samuel.

It's so hard not to laugh in front of your child when they are being so serious & passionate about something like this. I promised Samuel that I would talk to Nicholas (yet again!) about treating others nicely. Samuel also suggested I tape this paper to Nick's wall so he will see it every day! :-) It is a great illustration!!

This & That...

2009-03-19T10:34:00.002-05:00

Okay, I've tried keeping up with American Idol for the first time ever & I just cannot do it! I mean, first of all, how does anyone keep track of what days it airs? Or, maybe it just changes days in the Philippines?? I doubt it. I think I remember it doing this back in the states also. Second of all, I cringe whenever Paula starts to talk. She fumbles over her words so frequently & sounds as if she's on the verge of crying every time she opens her mouth. What is with that? Sam, who rarely watches the show, heard her speak last night & asked me, "Is she drunk?" I honestly didn't know... Third of all, I get completely annoyed when the audience starts booing anytime a judge gives honest feedback to a singer. I know it's all for show, but it comes across as such an immature reaction, in my opinion. Whew... good to get that off my chest!

While I'm still on the subject, I did watch last night's show & I think the wrong person was voted off! I heard Michael's performance & was less than impressed by it. Of all the contestants remaining, I thought he should have been the next to go.

And, wow, has Randy Travis aged!! I'm not sure what I expected, but that was not it. Same hair though! Just quite a bit grayer...

*************************

I got a call from the school nurse yesterday afternoon as I was packing up water bottles for the twins' soccer practice. Apparently, Samuel attempted a daredevil stunt off the slide & took a pretty hard fall. He tried to break his fall with his hand & ended up fracturing his wrist instead. On the recommendation of our wonderful school nurse, I drove him to an orthopedic surgeon in Olongapo. The doctor was fantastic & so patient with Samuel. An x-ray confirmed the fracture & Samuel was fitted with a half cast for his arm. He is pretty self-conscious about wearing his sling... always worrying about what other people are going to say to him or if they're going to stare at him. (He swears some guy in McDonald's made a face at him as we walked in to get his sympathy Happy Meal after the hospital visit. Where do kids come up with this stuff??) But, after his first day at school with the cast, I think he's already annoyed with all the attention. He acts so exasperated when someone asks him how he hurt his arm. I am thinking Hollywood is definitely not in his future... thank goodness!

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I had a dream the other night about my last day in Subic Bay. In my dream, I bawled like a baby! I think I just might do that in real life, as well. I am leaving so many great friends behind... some that are staying here in Subic & some that are relocating to various locations around the world. I am leaving behind a fantastic new family member, Rosalie. She is a 2nd mom to my kids when I'm not around, since we don't have any family living nearby. She is a sweet friend, an excellent helper & a great shopping companion. She is priceless! I am leaving behind beautiful, exotic beaches... lush jungle forests... easily accessibly Asian vacation destinations... and a great school for my kids with teachers who give 110% every single day! We do miss our families terribly, but we have loved every minute of living in the Philippines. It has been an adventure from day one & will be an adventure until the moment we leave. This country has so much beauty to offer! We are truly grateful for our time spent here & for the experiences that we will never forget!

In the blink of an eye...

2009-03-11T22:03:00.006-05:00

... my babies grew up!

How did we go from this completely unexpected surprise in 2001

to this so quickly??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SYDNEY & SAMUEL!!

Palawan - Day 1

2009-03-11T10:29:00.006-05:00

Our Sunday morning flight for Palawan left at 7:30 am out of Manila. We had family plans for Saturday evening, so we decided to leave Subic astoundingly early on Sunday, at 4:15 am. We met our friends, Brad & Heather, who were vacationing with us, so we could all drive to Manila together. Thankfully, we safely arrived with plenty of time to spare!

Amberly & Sam in the Manila terminal at 6:30 am

Heather & Brad on our tiny plane
(It's always a comforting feeling to have a pilot friend with you when you fly tiny, toy airplanes like the one we were in!)

Our welcoming committee at El Nido airport
(These ladies sang us a beautiful song in their native language while we all exited the plane. Such a nice welcome to our stay in paradise!)

Sam & Amberly on the boat, heading to the resort finally!

Our beautiful room!

The view from our private patio.
(We stayed in a water cottage, so our room was built on stilts in the water. It was pretty cool to sit out on our patio & watch the tropical fish swim by right under our noses. Such a great experience!)

The El Nido resort offers a wide range of activities to partake in during your stay in Palawan. The resort staff is great about offering you several different choices to fit your timeframe & your lifestyle. We wanted to do as much as we possibly could, so we hit the ground running...

Soon after we arrived at the resort & had a quick bite to eat, we decided to hike a trail that would lead us to the opposite side of the island & dump us out at a private beach. The trail proved to be steep & beautiful!

Sam tested out our new waterproof camera by diving right into the ocean.

Brad & Heather on a private beach with the limestone cliff backdrop

After our hike, we took advantage of an island hopping & cave exploration tour. We visited 3 different picturesque islands at El Nido & explored a couple of cool caves.

Heather & Amberly at Snake Island

Snake Island view

Sam & Amberly at top of Snake Island
(See how the island "snakes" out in the water. Thus the name...)

Stunning Paradise View

After visiting these islands, we went back to the resort for dinner. Sam & I were quite surprised to have a delicious chocolate cake delivered to our dinner table, with the words "Happy Anniversary" written across the top. The waitress then took our photo & left this sitting on our bed while we were finishing up our evening at the restaurant:

A momento of our 1st night in Palawan, celebrating 11 years of marriage! So thoughtful!

From our first moment at the resort, we knew we picked the perfect destination to celebrate our anniversary! (See all the great photos here.)

We had even more fun adventures on our second day there...

Palawan Teaser

2009-03-09T11:12:00.005-05:00

Sam & I enjoyed 4 beautiful days & 3 relaxing nights at El Nido Lagen Resort in Palawan, Philippines. It was amazing!!

We took hundreds of breathtaking photos, but haven't had a chance to sit down & organize them all quite yet. So, in the meantime, I will just post a few of my favorites. In the coming days, however, I hope to post our day to day adventures & escapades in paradise. I never want to forget our fabulous 11th anniversary celebration! I'm not sure we can ever top this... unless we come back! :-)

Our first day at the resort, we hiked to a private beach on the opposite side of the island. On the hiking trail, we passed this massive tree with roots that towered above us. It is hard to appreciate the enormous size of these roots until you see them in person.

Amberly & Sam exploring a cave

Snorkeling in paradise
(Have I mentioned how much weight my awesome hubby has lost?! Check him out...)

Nemo in his anemone home
(We have more great pictures of some beautiful clown fish up close & personal. They were pretty territorial & did not like us snapping photos of their home! Who would've thunk it??)

Baby Sea Turtles
(Born 30 minutes prior to this photo)

Entalula Island, Palawan
(My favorite beach!! Gorgeous!!)

Sunset at Pangalusian Island, Palawan

Amberly & Sam at Entalula Island, Palawan
(At 7 am! Which just proves how much I loved this beach!)

Where we spent our last morning in Palawan... ahhhhh!

School of fish at El Nido Miniloc Resort

Brightly colored fish
(Have no idea what kind!)

Elaborately patterned brain coral

More to come later... !!

Tooth Fairy's 1st Visit

2009-03-09T10:24:00.002-05:00

The Tooth Fairy finally made her first appearance in our household a couple of weeks ago!

Samuel was the first twin to grow a tooth & he is now the first one to lose a tooth... although Nicholas has tried numerous times to lose several of his teeth! Nick does have a couple of "dead" teeth, but Samuel is the first to experience a pulled tooth.

The way the story was told to me, Samuel took a tumble at the playground with a few other boys & knocked his lower tooth loose (which was previously pretty solid). He came home that afternoon with a very wiggly bottom tooth. The next day, he went to the nurse's office, complaining that his loose tooth was bothering him & he couldn't eat his apples. So, the nurse assessed the situation & yanked that tooth right on out! Amazingly, his adult tooth is already coming in quicker than I expected... although, not quite in the same place. I see braces in our future.

Here is my shaggy-haired handsome Sam, minus a bottom tooth:

Nick's Idea of Family

2009-02-20T21:29:00.002-06:00

Nick has lived a year & a half of his short life in the Philippines, so a lot of his ideas about everything are based upon what he has observed living here. Just a moment ago, Nicholas, Sydney & I were watching a Saturday morning movie. Two kids in the movie were taking a stray dog house to house, looking for its owner. As they visited the first house, a man was outside watering the lawn:

Nick: "Is that the gardener?"
Me: "No, it's the dad."
Nick: "Where's the gardener?"
Me: "They don't have a gardener. The dad takes care of the grass."

The two kids in the movie then walked to the next house, still looking for the dog's rightful owner. A woman answered the door:

Nick: "Is that the yaya?"
Me: "No."
Nick: "Is it the mom?"
Me: "Yes."
Nick: "Where's the yaya?"
Me: "They don't have a yaya."
Nick: "Why not? Why don't they have a yaya?"

Poor guy seriously could not comprehend it. We are all going to have a big adjustment moving back to the States!

Halls: Medicine vs. Candy

2009-02-18T10:44:00.008-06:00

I had a debate with my housekeeper this morning about Halls products - she says they are candy... I say they are medicated cough drops/throat lozenges. Because, I seriously cannot think of anything worse to eat as "candy" than menthol or honey/lemon lozenges! Gag.

Sydney has been a bit congested lately, so I kept her home from school today. As I was heading out the door to tennis this morning, I told our wonderful helper, Rosalie, "If Sydney starts coughing, you can give her one of these cough drops." I then handed her 3 different bags of Halls products - 1 bag of cooling menthol lozenges, 1 bag of honey lemon lozenges & 1 bag of raspberry flavored lozenges (which actually did look more like candy). She looked at me & remarked, "You buy too much candy, ma'am." (Ummm... blaming that comment on the gigantic bag of "kisses" from Mimi & Papa that were brought over in their suitcase!) I replied that they were not candy, but cough drops. She corrected me, saying that they were indeed candy. I looked on the package & sure enough, the description on the front said "Mentho-Lyptus Candy" and "Honey-Lemon Candy", just like what is shown in this picture. I asked Rosalie if she really eats these as candy & she was adamant that all Filipinos eat Halls as candy, not as cough drops or throat lozenges. I prodded further:

Me: "Even the menthol flavor?"
R: "Oh yes. That's my favorite!"
Me: "As candy?"
R: "Yes, ma'am. It makes my breath fresh."
Me: "So, it's more like a breath mint then?"
R: "No, ma'am. We eat them as candy."

(This explains why Halls menthol "candy" is handed out at birthday parties & stuffed in every goody bag my kids have ever received here in the Philippines! I never understood why the parents were handing out cough drops to little kids at parties!?)

I couldn't fathom it. Even as our 2-year stint here is coming to a close, I'm realizing there are still so many cultural differences I have yet to learn. Rosalie & I have conversations like this almost daily about so many different things, but mostly food. I've introduced her to kiwi & alfalfa sprouts (just today!). And, she has introduced me to calamansi & toyo. I will most definitely miss being immersed in a completely different culture when we move back home. It is a life changing experience that I am eternally grateful for!

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On a related note, Rosalie fixed a dinner for me that I regularly request when Sam is out of town... stuffed bell peppers! YUM YUM! Sam cannot stand anything having to do with a bell pepper, so this is my guilty pleasure when he is away. And, I have leftovers to eat the rest of the week. One of my favorite meals!

I am really, really going to miss Rosalie...

Soccer Twins

2009-02-18T04:38:00.006-06:00

Sam & I were thrilled to watch Sydney & Samuel play in their first soccer game last week. They traveled to Angeles City with their Babybacks soccer team from Brent Subic & had a great time playing with so many wonderful little soccer players.

Samuel & his buddy, Ramon, guard the goal

Sydney practicing her kick

Sydney also discovered her first loose tooth on the same day, so she had a really hard time keeping her hands out of her mouth. She wiggled her bottom tooth almost the entire time she was on the field playing. She has her priorities...

I happened to mention to Sydney's teacher, who also helps to coach the Babybacks, that Sam asked me to purchase school shirts at the bookstore. He wanted us to show up at their game wearing our full support for the team. I must have caught her at just the right moment because she offered to have a few extra shirts made for Sam, Nick & I... at our expense, of course. So, I jumped on that opportunity & she helped me create our customized tees...

We really enjoyed standing in the hot sun & watching our sweet twins play their little hearts out! They won their game, but most importantly, they had so much fun playing! We can't wait to watch more games in the future!

You can see all the pictures from their game here.

Art

2009-02-16T10:17:00.003-06:00

I've always had the desire, but never the talent (nor funds) needed to decorate my home the way I'd like. However, living overseas has given me the opportunity to do just that with beautiful, unique pieces on a budget. I am thankful to our friends, Tracy & Susan, for exposing me to some lovely artwork. And, especially thankful to Tracy for hauling it back from Vietnam! I can't wait to bring a little of Asia back to my Texas home!

Here are our recent purchases, framed at a fraction of the cost you would pay in the states...

Vietnam Ladies

Abstract Painting

Vietnam Scene

Red Tree (my favorite!)

I can't wait to add more to my collection!

Valentine Birthday

2009-02-16T08:25:00.006-06:00

On Saturday, Sam surprised me with an exciting evening away in Manila. He had big plans for us that got sidetracked by a sick little boy. We contemplated canceling our reservations, but were reassured by our wonderful helper, Rosalie. She has raised 5 children of her own & is a 2nd mother to our 3 when we are away. So, with the promise to keep in touch via texting, we left for Manila Saturday evening in order to make an 8:00 pm surprise appointment.

We quickly checked into our hotel & I was thrilled to discover a few gifts awaiting me...

A dozen beautiful red roses!

Delicious molten chocolate birthday cake!

Sam made arrangements with the hotel to have the roses & chocolate cake waiting in our room upon our arrival. They got a little concerned when we didn't arrive on time & called Sam to check in on us. I assumed they were being overly hospitable, but when we arrived to beautiful, fresh flowers & warm chocolate cake, I realized they were in on the plan the entire time!

Sam then quickly ushered me back into our car so we would arrive on time to my big surprise of the evening. We ended up at Araneta Coliseum for a romantic evening with Peter Cetera. I love Chicago & Peter Cetera! (I can thank my older sisters for listening to great music while I was young & introducing me to some good tunes!) We enjoyed a fun few hours of singing along to our favorite hits.

He looks MUCH older than the Karate Kid video I used to have memorized, but he sounds just the same. Great voice!!

After the concert, we made it to one of our favorite Manila restaurants before they closed for the evening, People's Palace. We enjoyed delicious Thai food in a fun, outdoor atmosphere. The waiter then brought over a yummy mango dessert & wished me happy birthday. My sneaky husband did it again...

Although we didn't get to stay in Manila as long as we had hoped, we thoroughly enjoyed the few hours we did have together. We came home Sunday afternoon to a tired, but much healthier little boy & 2 other kiddos who were thrilled to have us back. Despite the constant worry that seems to plague every mom, I was glad to have a small break from the virus that has been attacking my kids lately. And, it was good practice for our upcoming anniversary trip in March!!

Sam, thank you so much for planning a wonderful getaway for our Valentine's Day! I love you!

Nick's Billboard

2009-02-05T10:05:00.002-06:00

Here is another billboard with Nick's famous smile. This one is located in Olongapo, a town right outside of Subic Bay. He has definitely left his mark here in the Philippines!

Sydney's Point of View...

2009-02-05T06:21:00.004-06:00

One day Sydney will show her photos in an art gallery in Paris & I can say it all started with these "artsy" shots...

"Inside a Junk Drawer" by Sydney

"Spree Candy Box" by Sydney

"Brent Uniform Shoes" by Sydney

"Family Trash" by Sydney

"Moms Gone Crazy" by Sydney

"Elephant Bookend" by Sydney

"What the..." by Sydney

Kitty

2009-02-04T20:21:00.003-06:00

Another momma cat decided to give birth next to our back porch... again! What is it about our back porch that these stray cats are drawn to?

However, unlike our last kitten invasion, this momma is sticking around & taking care of her newborn kitten. The little thing is about the size of a rat. (But, much cuter & much less trouble!) It's eyes are not even open yet.

The kids discovered it on the day it was born & of course, are already very attached to it. We are feeding the momma cat tuna with rice & milk. And, she is diligently protecting her baby from the monstrous 3 kids that come check on it every chance they get!

Real Men Do Pilates...

2009-02-04T20:18:00.002-06:00

Toy Madness

2009-01-25T23:43:00.007-06:00

I have been meaning to clean our playroom for quite a while & am finally getting around to doing the unpleasant task today! I keep laughing at all the crap, i mean toys, that I'm stumbling across. So, I decided to keep a running list here. One day, it might be funny (for me) to re-read:

* 2 cherries to our Hi-Ho-Cherrio game
* 1 bell for our I Spy game
* 1 sleeping bag zipper that I might have accused Julie of losing (ummm... sorry!)
* 4 rubber vampire teeth... so far
* 1 headless Luke Skywalker
* About a hundred paper snowflakes from Christmas (Thanks Molly & Neele!)
* Too many McDonald's Happy Meal toys to count (That's probably not a good sign, huh?)
* A hay bale from our Old Macdonald Had a Farm game
* A Barbie head missing its body (Guaranteed to be the work of one of my boys!)
* More Pokemon cards than any kid ever needs
* A Hannah Montana game piece that does not even belong to my kids! (Sorry, MP.)
* A dusty goldfish cracker
* 20 mismatched poles from a princess tent Sydney used very few times

There will be so much more later! I'm not even halfway done...

Subic Trees

2009-01-17T19:56:00.006-06:00

Sam took some great shots of the trees & surrounding jungle during their Tree Top excursion. They deserve a post all to themselves...

My favorite picture!

Sam & Kids at Tree Top

2009-01-17T18:12:00.005-06:00

Unfortunately, Sam was not able to join us on our venture to Tree Top a few weeks back with Mom & Dad. So, he promised Sydney & Samuel that he would take them the first chance he could. The twins were thrilled to have some fun, quality time with Daddy! Luckily, the weather proved to be perfect for enjoying the beautiful Subic jungle a few Saturdays back. Although Nicholas is too young to enjoy the slow cable car ride, he & I went along to hang out & watch the action.

Sydney, Samuel & Sam getting all suited up:

Ready!!

In the meantime, Nicholas made a friend who was also too small to enjoy the treetop ride. They ran around together the full hour wait & had a great time playing! This adorable little boy's mom & I talked about getting them together for a playdate, but unfortunately, he lives in Manila. Would have been fun!

Just hanging out...

The twins are loving this!

They want to do it again!

Nick's turn for fun! The guide made a quick harness for Nicholas & took him on a walk on the hanging canopy bridge. Nick thought he was so big to go up by himself & walked it like a pro. The boy has NO fear whatsoever!

Waving to Mom

Mom & Dad in the Philippines

2009-01-17T02:53:00.009-06:00

We are so grateful that my parents were able to visit us here in the Philippines! We all were so anxious for their arrival & of course, sad to see them go.

While here, we were able to show them so many beautiful people & places in and around Subic Bay. Here is a sampling of their 3 short weeks with us...

Welcome to our home!

We were lucky to have Mom & Dad here while we also hosted our Up With People girls, Molly & Neele. Mom & Dad had the opportunity to get to know both of these lovely girls, as well as attend the outstanding performance the cast put on at the convention center.

I was thrilled Mom was able to attend the December Bunco get-together with me & meet some of my wonderful girlfriends in Subic! And, as an added bonus, Mom LOVED her White Elephant gift!

We had the chance to visit an hours old foal at the El Kabayo stables, thanks to Heather. The kids & adults alike enjoyed petting the soft pony... when mommy horse allowed us near.

Mimi & Papa enjoyed watching Nick's Lower School Christmas program. Nicholas was so proud to have them there on such a special day for him. And, of course, the little kiddos were adorable!

One Monday morning, after we dropped the kids off at school, we relaxed on a hanging cable car journey amid the tall Subic trees at Tree Top Adventure. We ended that outing with a thrilling zip line run, called The Superman. It was a great way to see the jungle of Subic Bay.
(Dad is showing off his big guns here!)

We all visited Ocean Adventure & had front row seats for the amazing dolphin & whale show. We also had fun "talking" to some rescued monkeys. Amazingly, the kids spoke their language!

The sunset at Punta de Uian beach resort was amazing, as always! And, the kind owners of the resort were so sweet to offer us a complimentary full spread meal for dinner. We love this place!!

Punta de Uian Sunset - Gorgeous!!

One of the most special opportunities I have had while living in the Philippines happened at Punta de Uian resort while my parents were visiting. We were lucky enough to be at the beach the day they decided to release over 100 endangered baby sea turtles. The Pawikan Conservation Project works hard to ensure these little creatures a good start in life. We felt blessed to be a part of their amazing journey!

Thanks to my friend, Jen, we took Mom & Dad to the beautiful resort at Anvaya Cove. We spent the entire day collecting seashells, lounging in the sand & playing in both the pristine swimming pools & the ocean waves. We had such a great day!

Mom & Dad were also entertained by a crazy kid wearing monster teeth!!

After I showed Mom & Dad the new Texas Instruments facility that Sam is working on, we had a very nice dinner at delicious C's Italian in Angeles. They probably have the best food outside of Manila! YUM-MY Panizzas!!

On their last night in the Philippines, we stayed at The Peninsula hotel in Manila. The hotel proved to be a great end to their 3 week Philippine vacation. The Christmas tree was a beautiful sight! We ended the evening lounging by the pool, enjoying the cool night air while the kids & Sam swam nearby.

And, I wanted to throw in one last picture... just for fun.
A Male Urinal on the side of the road in Manila! These are sparsely scattered along the main highway that runs through Manila, EDSA. And, while it's nice that there is semi coverage... you still know the reality of what's going on. Ewwww!
(I was trying to explain these urinals to Mom & Dad. So, this picture is for you guys...)

Mom & Dad, we all thoroughly enjoyed your visit. And, we all agreed that it was WAAAAAAY too short! But, we were so thankful for the time we had to spend with you both. Thank you for flying halfway across the world to come see us! We love you both!

Happy Anniversary & Happy New Year

2008-12-31T23:45:00.005-06:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my parents!! On December 31 every year, they get to celebrate (along with the rest of the world) their anniversary! Today, they are celebrating 43 years of marriage! WOW!!! You guys are amazing! I hope you both had a wonderful anniversary celebration today. We are so lucky to have you as examples of a loving, Godly marriage. Thank you!

AND..

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We enjoyed a fun celebration with friends overlooking the Subic Bay. At midnight, the numerous fireworks displays over the water were spectacular! We had a fabulous view from a beautiful deck up in the mountains.

HAPPY 2009!!

Julie, Stephen, Sam, Amberly, Tracy & Heather

More New Year's Eve pictures here...

Silly Kids...

2008-12-30T01:34:00.003-06:00

For the Christmas break, I allowed the kiddos to push the boys' twin beds together so they could all sleep in the same room. Last night, they were having a particularly difficult time settling down, so I closed their bedroom door, which they strongly dislike! After a minute or so, Nick opened the door & walked into my room. This is how our conversation played out:

Nick: (very sweetly) Mom, can we play quietly in bed?
Mom: No
Nick: (even sweeter) But, can we just do this? (He then proceeds to lay on the floor like he's laying in a bed & wave his arms & legs in the air, like a bug stuck on his back.)
Mom: No, Nicholas
Nick: But, can we just do this? (He is still laying on the floor on his back, but puts his arms & legs down & just starts moving his mouth, like he's talking without sound.)
Mom: No. It's time to close your eyes & sleep.
Nick: (very irritated now) Well, can we even breathe?

Nice attempt at a guilt trip. They learn so young.

*************************

Today, Nick's buddy, Cade, is over playing. At one point, all the kids & I were in Sydney's room picking out coloring books. Maybe I missed out on some important conversation going on, but out of the blue, Cade turns to me & says, "My mom says I can't say 'piss piss' because it's a bad word." I had to stifle a laugh & turn away before I nodded in agreement. I wonder if there's a story behind this... Tamra??

Nick's Visit with Santa

2008-12-28T07:25:00.004-06:00

Nicholas & Mommy

The lower school at Brent was privileged to receive a fun visit from Santa at their Christmas party this year. Each child was called to sit in Santa's lap & was given a wrapped present that Moms & Dads prepared beforehand. Nicholas was so excited to see Santa, but more excited to open his "jet plane" that he had written Santa about. Afterwards, a group of local kids from a nearby orphanage came to visit the lower school kids & receive their gifts that teachers & parents provided. All the kids played fun games together & enjoyed yummy refreshments afterwards.

You can see all the fun pictures of Santa here...

Santa & Nicholas with his new jet plane

Nick's Nursery A class sitting with Santa Claus

Nicholas is excited about his present!

Best Buds - Griffin & Nicholas

Nick's Christmas Program

2008-12-28T00:24:00.006-06:00

Nick's lower school grades at school performed a wonderful Christmas program, complete with adorable costumes & a Christmas carol sung in different languages. Nick's class sung "Joy To The World" in Tagalog, the native Philippine language. Other classes sang the same song in Korean, Chinese & even sign language. It was so special & sweet to hear & see so many languages being represented in one auditorium.

Nick's class was dressed as singers in a choir. They sported white choir robes & cute red Santa caps. They sung a beautiful Christmas song, then ripped off their robes & caps to reveal cute matching Christmas tee shirts & red, dyed hair underneath. They then broke into a fun rockin' Christmas song! It was great!!

Nick in his white choir robe & Santa cap reading his music upside down. The boy is talented!!

Nick & classmates rockin' out!

Entire lower school kids on stage

Sydney, Nicholas & Samuel after the performance

Daddy & Nicholas

Papa & Mimi with Nicholas

All the great pictures from his program can be seen here...

Treetop Adventure

2008-12-27T19:51:00.006-06:00

Well, Mom & Dad finally made their long awaited Philippine debut!! Sam, the kids & I have anxiously been looking forward to their visit & now the time has come & sadly, already gone. They flew back to Texas yesterday, after spending 3 short weeks with our family. It was honestly way too short!! We already miss them terribly. But, while they were here, we made the most of our time together... showing them a few beautiful beaches, the local markets & some new adventures along the way... including this excursion at Treetop Adventure.

While we meant to go out for a zip line tour in the jungle, the Treetop Adventure park provided a much slower paced way to view the lush area surrounding Subic Bay. We sat in motorized chairs attached to cables suspended from tree to tree. The chairs s-l-o-w-l-y moved from one tree platform to the next, providing us a wonderful & very thorough view of the beautiful greenery below & all around. Although it wasn't quite what we expected, we did have a great time & ended our visit with two very fast paced adventures... the Superman experience & the tree-drop experience. Both so much fun!!

We captured so many great pictures of our adventure! You can view all the photos here.

Amberly, Dad & Mom all harnessed up

Neele, Amberly & Molly as Treetop Angels

Heather, Amberly & Julie

Dad showing his muscles & Mom

They made it across the suspended bridge!
Julie, Heather, Mom & Dad

Heather & Julie - Cable car partners

Heather doing her best Superman pose

Julie, Dad & Mom coming in from their last "adventure"

Amberly rappelling down "Mission Impossible" style... just like Tom Cruise!

Brave rappellers safely on the ground!
Molly, Neele, Amberly, Heather & Julie

Cross Country Field Day

2008-12-27T12:57:00.003-06:00

The kids' school recently held a cross country field day. Each grade was able to participate & a great run was had by all!

The Brent school divides the children into two teams... Team Azure & Team Gold. Depending on which team you are on, you will wear that color of shirt on "house event" days. Throughout the year, the students participate in small competitions that pit the Azure & Gold teams against each other. Even the teachers get involved, as they are also assigned a "house color". It is all in good fun & the kids enjoy participating in some healthy competition events.

During the cross country event, each grade was assigned a certain distance to run. The younger kids ran one small lap, while the first graders ran two laps & it increased from there on. The middle & high schoolers were assigned a certain amount of laps to complete around the entire school grounds. It was fun cheering for our family's house color, Team Gold!

Nicholas in his gold shirt before we left the house that morning. He insisted on wearing Mommy's tennis wrist bands, saying they would make him run faster!

Teacher Malen warms up Nursery A with jumping jacks before heading onto the track field

And, they're off! The Nursery kids are running the loop...

Nick proudly poses with his posse of girlfriends...
(L to R: Chan Woo, Seo Jin, Nicholas, ?? & Ava)

Samuel & his friends are patiently waiting their turn to run
(L to R: Lawrence, Daniel, Samuel & CJ)

Samuel & Sydney pose with their British/Filipino friend, Lawrence

The remainder of the cross country event pictures can be seen here...

More Twins!

2008-12-27T11:08:00.003-06:00

Thank you for your prayers for my cousin, his wife & their twin girls. Their sweet angels were born on Friday, December 19, 2008. The girls are small, but mighty! And, as cute as can be!

David & Julia - CONGRATULATIONS!! We are so thrilled for your precious new family!

Julia & David holding their Christmas gifts

Ellie Jenay (3 lbs. 3 oz.) & Gracelyn Joy (3 lbs. 13 oz.)

(Although I'm not sure which girl is which in this photo, I'm assuming by the fullness of their faces, I've matched the names correctly. Someone let me know if I'm wrong...)

Fun at Camayan

2008-12-27T09:39:00.004-06:00

We spent a recent November Saturday out at Camayan beach... swimming, snorkeling, playing & relaxing! Life doesn't get much better than the beach!

Nicholas (sporting a chocolate ice cream mouth) & Samuel playing hard in the sand

Heading out to snorkel with Daddy

Surfer Sydney - She LOVES to boogie board!

Happy to be chillin'

Sydney's picture of Mommy

See more pics of our beach fun here

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-27T07:27:00.005-06:00

Sam & Amberly on Thanksgiving evening

I'm trying my best to catch up on my blog posts before 2009 rolls around. I have so many great memories I want to record & I keep procrastinating. So, here is my post & pictures from our 2008 Thanksgiving in Subic Bay, Philippines...

On Thanksgiving this year, we invited several American & non-American friends over to help celebrate this holiday with us. We had such a wonderful evening with so many people from Subic Bay & Clark. We had 3 turkeys, 2 hams & a crown pork roast... YUMMM!! Everyone brought tons of appetizers, vegetable side dishes, salads & desserts. We had loads & loads of delicious food!! Living in a third world country is a constant reminder of the abundant blessings we enjoy on a daily basis. Of these, we are extremely grateful for our many friends that have helped us adjust to life overseas. We could not have asked for better people in our lives!

Sam & his beautiful bird

MP showing off Ratchinee's delicious crown roast

Brad & Heather

Melissa, Tammy & Stephen

Jackie & Garth posing "Filipino" style!

Up With People Visitors

2008-12-27T06:04:00.003-06:00

We had the privilege of hosting 2 sweet girls from the world renowned organization, Up With People. Molly, who is on staff with Up With People, is from the States... Ohio, New York & San Francisco. Neele, who is a student with Up With People, is from Germany. We enjoyed 10 wonderful days with these great girls & were blessed to have them become a part of our family. If we have the opportunity to host again, we will jump at the chance!

Neele (in green shirt) & Molly (in pink shirt) with the Espinosa family. We took them to Rali's for dinner one evening after playing ultimate frisbee.

Neele (in blue shirt) & Molly (in pink shirt) with Donnell & Espinosa families. We hosted a fun BBQ at our house & enjoyed the company of several great new & old friends!

Neele & Molly taking a "jumping" picture with 2 fellow Up With People castmates

You can see more pics of our time with Molly & Neele here.

Sydney's Chapel Performance

2008-12-27T05:22:00.004-06:00

Sydney's First Grade class recently performed the story of Noah during the school's weekly Wednesday morning chapel service. Sydney was adorable as Noah's wife & sang beautifully with her entire class afterwards. They all did such a great job on stage!

More pictures can be viewed here...

I love the fact that Sydney, Samuel & Nicholas are all required to perform on their school stage so often. I hope they are learning to feel comfortable up in front of a crowd and not shy like their Mommy & Daddy used to be!

Sydney with her girlfriends, Gabie & Phoebe

Samuel sitting behind Sydney in chapel

Strange Sights...

2008-12-08T09:04:00.002-06:00

There is a hill you drive up when entering my neighborhood. I have driven up & down that hill several times a day in the past year. Today, I got an eyeful...

While driving down the hill on my way to tennis this morning, I passed a kid's playground which is also a very popular monkey hang out. (No, I'm not joking.) Balanced on the top bar of a chain link fence surrounding this park were 2 monkeys... ummmm... well... ahhhh... going at it! First time in the year I've lived here passing monkeys almost daily that I have had the displeasure of seeing that act of business. I could happily live the rest of my life without that image entering my eyesight ever again.

Then, when returning home after tennis, as I started ascending the hill, I caught sight of our neighborhood security guard relieving himself right next to a different fence. (Poor fences get so abused in my neighborhood!) Not trying to hide himself... not being discreet... out in full view of cars passing on either side. Once again, something I could happily live the rest of my life without seeing ever again!

Finally, as I was returning home from a grocery shopping trip this evening, I had to stop my car while climbing up the hill to wait for a rooster to cross the road in front of me. There are several jokes that could be made here, but I will refrain.

I'm excited for my parents to finally arrive tomorrow night so they too can experience all the fun & craziness that seems to surround my life! I love living in the Philippines! Life is certainly never dull!!

Prayer Request

2008-11-30T01:55:00.002-06:00

Please keep my cousin's sweet wife, Julia, in your prayers. She is almost 30 weeks pregnant with twin girls & the last I heard, she was admitted to the hospital on strict bed rest. (If this is incorrect, I'm sure my aunt or mom can respond with the most current situation.) Either way, I know David & Julia would greatly appreciate prayers for their precious little girls. We are thrilled that our twins will have another set of twins in the family!!

One quick question: Is it normal for a 6-year-old to pop her hip joint at will? Sends chills up my spine every time she does it.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T19:54:00.003-06:00

We will start our Thanksgiving celebration in 6 hours!! We have a great group of fellow ex-pat friends coming over to pig out with us at 4:00 for appetizers & staying for dinner at 6:00. There will be about 50 people here, so we have 3 turkeys, 2 hams & a rack of ribs... not to mention the numerous salads, casseroles & desserts everyone is bringing! Ugh... I will need to double my running time next week.

I hope you all have a wonderful celebration as well & enjoy the time spent with your family & loved ones. That time is so valuable!

Just one last bit of profound Thanksgiving trivia sent from my friend, MP:

If the Indians had given the Pilgrim Fathers a donkey instead of a turkey, we would all be having a piece of ass for Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

Car Accident - Follow Up

2008-11-26T09:57:00.002-06:00

So, the massive car accident I mentioned in my previous post was a tragic one, as I suspected. Sadly, I learned this afternoon that 4 people died in that accident. Two were military men. And, the other two were parents of students here at Brent school. These children found out about their parents deaths during school this morning. (I believe a relative arrived to deliver the devastating news.) The youngest child is a 7th grade girl & her older brother is in 11th grade.

I cannot begin to imagine the pain those poor children are suffering through at the moment. Please say a special prayer for them. They just lost their mother AND their father! Breaks my heart.

A slap in the face...

2008-11-25T08:08:00.003-06:00

Sam & I have been promising the kids a trip to Hong Kong Disney soon. We postponed it in order to travel to Malaysia during Halloween instead. But, we have a school holiday coming up, which means a long weekend & thus the perfect time for our much anticipated Disney getaway. However, I might have waited a bit too late...

I had all the details ironed out... great flight, perfect hotel & even a promo on the Disney tickets. (Buy a 1 day pass & get the 2nd day for FREE! Can't pass that up!) Sam & I sat down last night to determine our budget & I was given the green light to start making all the necessary purchases.

However, we ran into a snag almost immediately. We discovered that there is now only one airline flying from our destination straight to Hong Kong & that particular airline does not accept American issued credit cards!! I was asked if I had a Philippine issued credit card or if I had a friend that could purchase the airline tickets for me. Ummm... NO! It seems our only other option was to go through a travel agent. So, today, I traveled to Clark to pick up Sam from work so we could go purchase our airline tickets at a travel agency in Angeles. We asked the travel agency to go ahead & book our airline tickets, along with the hotel rooms. Come to find out, the perfect hotel at the perfect price I found online is perfectly booked solid this weekend! Long story short... we have no idea what our long weekend plans will be. The travel agency is exploring other options, but cannot give us any answers until tomorrow. I sulked back to our car, got in, sat down & started crying. Just due to the fact that I had it all planned out so carefully & it still didn't work out like I wanted. Woe is me!

So, on the way home, in the midst of my pouting, we arrive on the scene of a massive car accident. There are 2 SUVs involved, one of which is a camouflaged military truck. Both vehicles are flipped over and crushed beyond repair. We had to stop driving until the policeman could direct our car through the middle of the accident scene and therefore had a very up close & personal view of the destruction. My heart stopped. My breathing stopped. My eyes teared up again. There were bodies dressed in military gear laid out next to their vehicle. There were more bodies crumpled inside the second upside down vehicle on the opposite side of the road. The policeman very solemnly looked at Sam through my passenger window and instructed him to please drive carefully.

In an instant, all my pouting and petty frustrations came to a screeching halt. It was as if God slapped me in the face and once again reminded me of how blessed my life is and how much I have to be thankful for. My "perfect" vacation plans may be altered, but I am alive! I will go home to 3 kids that love me unconditionally! My trivial mourning over a trip is absolutely nothing compared to the mourning I suspect many Filipino families are currently experiencing. Life is just too short...

Be forewarned...

2008-11-24T10:31:00.002-06:00

My parents are planning to visit us here next month! To say we are excited is quite an understatement. If I had a penny (or peso) for every time I heard the question, "When will Mimi & Papa get here?", I'd have a nice, hefty amount in the kids' college fund.

However, I would like to give Mom & Dad a heads up about what to expect when they arrive in the Philippines. So, here is my puny little list on what to be prepared for when you visit the land of 7,000+ islands:

* As mentioned in previous posts, don't be surprised to see young boys & grown men alike urinating in public... on the street, on a tree, on the side of a building, on the highway, on your shoe...

* Get ready to be stared at! You're white & you're expected to be rich. No matter where you go, you will get stares. And, they're not subtle stares. They are full blown, follow you down the sidewalk stares. You'll get used to it... eventually.

* Just close your eyes while riding in Manila traffic. (Mom, you especially!) You will be scared out of your mind, but you will survive. Amazingly, there are very few wrecks... and very few traffic rules.

* You will hear lots & lots of horn honking! LOTS! That was a hard transition for me when I first arrived. However, honking a horn in the Philippines is not usually considered rude. Horns are very commonly used while driving here & very rarely used aggressively. It definitely takes some getting used to.

* There is no Wal-Mart, no Target, no Home Depot, no Olive Garden & no yummy Mexican restaurants. BUT... Manila has some fabulous malls & even a Chili's!

* You will encounter monkeys on the side of the road here in Subic Bay. They have been in our backyard, though not very often. But, they like to hang out on our street & along the main road going into our neighborhood. Sometimes, they'll even join us when we take the kids to the park.

* Always carry tissue or toilet paper with you when you go out. Public restrooms very rarely provide tissue since many toilets use a bidet system. And, while I'm already there... public toilets very rarely have seats on them at all. So, start practicing your squats now!

* And, of course, the beaches are breathtakingly beautiful! You'll never want to leave...

I'm sure I'll think of more to add later, but these warnings will give you a good start on what to expect when you first arrive. We cannot wait!!!

Philippine Desserts

2008-11-23T07:54:00.005-06:00

While reading a fellow ex-pat's blog, I realized how many strange desserts are served in this country. Well, strange in my American opinion.

For instance, probably the most popular dessert served in the Philippines is called halo-halo. I've never tried the stuff & probably never will (unfortunately, ice cream & I don't seem to agree), but here is a list of what is in halo-halo (give or take a few ingredients, depending on your preference):

* Shaved ice
* Milk
* Ice Cream
* BEANS!! (No kidding! Kidney, garbanzos, etc.)
* Fruit
* Sweet Potato
* Corn
* Rice

I fail to see how the combination of all these ingredients can come together to produce a dessert that so many people love. It boggles my mind.

You will also find the strangest ice cream flavors offered here in the Philippines. (Once again, this is only my uneducated opinion. I certainly do not mean to offend anyone... especially my sweet Filipino friends who think I'm crazy for mashing up an avocado, adding garlic, sour cream & tomatoes & calling it "guacamole". YUMMM!!) But, truly, these ice cream flavors are quite unique:

* Cheese Ice Cream (Thanks to my friends, Marga & Julie, I have tasted cheese ice cream.)
* Corn Ice Cream (No thanks.)
* Ube Ice Cream (It's bright purple & pretty... AND A YAM!!)
* Avocado Ice Cream (Now who's crazy?!)
* Durian Ice Cream (The durian fruit is known for his putrid, horrible smell! Just ask Mandy...)

As further proof of it's offensive odor, this sign is posted on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit forbidding durian fruit to be brought on board:
There is another type of cake that my housekeeper once told me about that sounded oddly disgusting. At the moment, I can't remember the ingredients, but I'll ask her about it when she arrives tomorrow.

In the meantime, I will be staying as far away from these desserts as possible! Which can only help me in the long run, right??

Sydney Tells It Like It Is...

2008-11-19T17:42:00.002-06:00

This morning, the kids woke me up for a change. After I finally got up, they all followed me into the bathroom and watched while I brushed my hair & teeth. While brushing my hair, I noticed for the 2nd time in my life, a couple of strands of gray/white hair. It's not hard to see these... they are short, wiry & stick straight up on the top of my head! I quickly yanked them from my scalp as Sydney watched in horror. She couldn't understand why I was pulling my hair out, literally:

"Mom, why did you pull your hair out?"

Me: "Because these hairs are white and they don't match my brown hair."

Syd: "Well, it's because you're getting old Mom."

OUCH!

I could have made a snide comment about her & her brothers being the reason my hair was turning gray, but I resisted. I'll take the gray hairs for them anyday!

Sam's Boxing Match

2008-11-16T23:11:00.005-06:00

Most of you don't know that Sam has been taking boxing lessons in Angeles during his weekday lunch hours. Since he works such long hours, he joined this gym to get some form of exercise in during the day. His trainer starting working with Sam on boxing moves & exercises & Sam quickly realized how much he enjoyed the drills. His trainer has also said how quick Sam is on his feet & that he has a strong, hard hit. So, he asked Sam if he would be interested in sparring one round with a guy who owns a bar & has a boxing ring inside. The trainer thought Sam & this guy were about on the same fitness level, so it would be a fair, even match. Sam agreed & we headed to Angeles on Sunday evening.

Sam waiting his turn

We followed his trainer to this so called "bar", which ended up being a barangay festival!! There were atleast 500 people in attendance. And the 1 round Sam was expecting to box turned into a possible 3 rounds! We found ourselves in the middle of a boxing exhibition with several boxers going up against each other. The entire situation was so hilarious!! And, of course, I was the only foreigner for miles... except for the trainer's Australian friend who lives in Angeles.

Entrance

But Sam got all suited up, got up in the ring & boxed like a champ! After 2 rounds, his opponent had to call it quits, so Sam won his match! He was treated like a rock star afterwards. It was SO FUNNY!! Good times in the Philippines!!

Sam & his entourage! They all had bets on him.

Getting him ready

This was the hit that did his opponent in.

Celebratory dinner at C's afterwards

More pictures of his boxing debut can be seen here

Another Nicholas-ism

2008-11-14T10:42:00.003-06:00

The other day, Nick announced he needed to visit the bathroom. (Or, the "Comfort Room" or "CR", as we call in the 'Peens.) He always feels the need to announce this particular occasion, even though he can do the routine by himself. He's all boy!

So... I escorted him to the toilet & waited for him to finish up. After a while, he looks at me and asks, "Mom, does it stink in here?" I answered that yes, as a matter of fact, it most certainly did. And, with exaggerated exasperation, he looks at me and demands, "Well, get out of the bathroom then!"

My pleasure!

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

2008-11-14T09:05:00.004-06:00

First off, thank you to everyone who gave me great book suggestions to read to Sydney's classmates. I ended up reading this book & the kids loved it! None of them had heard it before & they were so attentive throughout the full 10 minutes or so that I read. Plus, it was a perfect book to read during "Book Week". I highly recommend it!

Our family recently enjoyed a Malaysian vacation to Kuala Lumpur then to Kota Kinabalu. We spent a few days in each city, but thoroughly enjoyed our lazy days in KK. The resort was beautiful & the numerous pools kept all three kids busy & happy. Here are a few favorite pictures from our time there...

Amberly & Sam enjoying a Happy Hour sunset

Sydney patiently sat for 3 hours to have her hair beaded.

Samuel & Nicholas had a great time playing in the pool.

Sydney loved giving Nicholas piggyback rides from the pool slide to the stairs.

Such a handsome boy!

Mom & Samuel

The rest of the pictures can be viewed here...

Book Suggestions Needed

2008-10-27T10:20:00.002-05:00

I am reading to Sydney's first grade class on Wednesday, but I have yet to choose a book. Her teacher would like us to read a book that either had special meaning to us as children or has special meaning to our children. Or, Sydney's favorite book. Or, a book that tells about our American culture.

HELP!!!

I am drawing a complete blank! Sydney's favorite books are all about princesses & Barbie. Not quite what first grade boys want to hear me read. And, I just cannot think of anything else that fits into any of the other categories.

So, I would love to hear your suggestions, if you have any. I have tomorrow & Wednesday morning to find a great book at the school library. What would you read?

Famous Smile!

2008-10-26T02:17:00.004-05:00

Nick's Toddler Class at Brent last year was photographed for the new school posters, website, literature, etc. His million dollar smile is now plastered online & around town with the rest of the adorable children from his class. I don't think they could have picked a cuter set of kids!

Here he is underneath the billboard that sits on the road in front of the school:

(On the billboard, he is the 3rd from the right.)

Flowers

2008-10-24T22:32:00.004-05:00

Here is a photo of some beautiful flowers that line our front sidewalk. (I'm ashamed to say I have no idea what kind they are, but I try to imagine that I live in Hawaii every time I look at them!) Our wonderful gardener that has worked at this house for over 15 years keeps the gardens looking spectacular through the blistering sun & torrential rains. I can only dream of having a yard this beautiful in Texas. (Or of having a gardener come tend to our Texas lawn twice a week!)

Sam has recently surprised me with a dozen fresh Baguio roses. The first time he brought them to me, we were meeting for dinner at a new restaurant & the staff assumed it was our anniversary. I told Sam how sad that they think I would head to our anniversary dinner in jeans with my hair pulled up in a ponytail and not a stitch of makeup on! But, we didn't correct them...

The second time he brought home a dozen white roses, but I didn't take a picture before they met their trash can grave. They were beautiful though! I wonder what color I'll get next...

Happy Birthday Sam!

2008-10-08T00:03:00.003-05:00

Happy 33rd birthday to my sweet husband! We spent the weekend celebrating in Manila with friends & then enjoyed dinner out with a few families on his actual birthday last night. We had a great time!

Sam, the kids & I love you very much & are so thankful that you take such great care of us all!

A visit to NASA...

2008-10-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

Okay, not really. It's about as close as we'll get until we move back to the states.

This statue was outside the TGIFridays restaurant we ate at on Saturday & the kids wanted their picture with it, of course! After 3 hours in the opthamologist office & another 2 at the dentist, it was the least I could do.

Crashed!

2008-10-01T11:38:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how they can be comfortable, but after a full day of playing with friends, they crashed hard:

Nicholas

Samuel (with boxing gloves & glasses)

Passed out!

Speaking of Lizards...

2008-09-29T19:17:00.003-05:00

This is our new backyard "pet":

We've seen him around our yard a few times, but I was never able to get the camera in time. Well, yesterday, he hung around for much longer than was necessary. In times past, he has quickly run off when we move towards him. Yesterday, he did NOT!! We hit the window, I stomped my foot outside, the kids yelled at him... NOTHING!

He likes to hang out in our little drainage ditch that surrounds our patio

and poke his head out periodically to look around.

Which, as you can imagine, is quite unnerving if this is your first glimpse of our lizard friend. I thought it was a snake & about flipped out when I saw him by myself a few days ago. Then, I saw him slowly lift one leg up out of the grate, then another & crawl out completely.

The kids think he looks like a baby alligator. I have to agree!

So, any ideas on what it is? I've done a little research & he looks to be a water monitor, which is common in the Philippines, but I'm not entirely sure. Maybe some of my Filipino readers can help me!!

Either way, he needs to go. Not a big fan of mini alligators in my backyard.

Uninvited Guest

2008-09-29T06:42:00.003-05:00

Most parties have atleast one guest who people look at and question their presence. This was ours:
This is the toko that I mentioned in my post quite a while back. (As you can see, it's shedding it's skin.) Who would've thought an overgrown gecko could make such a loud noise!!

Nick's 4th Birthday Party

2008-09-28T10:15:00.005-05:00

For Nick's 4th birthday, we hosted a fun pool party at his school swimming pool. The weather had us a little concerned since we had not seen the sun much the days prior to his party date. But, thankfully, we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day & no rain during party time. It was perfect!

I wanted to do things super simple for the party (which is VERY unlike traditional Filipino birthday parties!), so we set out several bowls of chips & candy & iced juice drinks/sodas. (Several times, I had to remind my sweet helper, Rosalie, that I would not need her assistance making spaghetti or pancit or rice or any other dish that is typically served! Simple all the way!) I also purchased several blow up beach balls, blow up whales & octopus, water guns & bubbles. Instead of handing out party favors at the end, each kid grabbed several items as they arrived so they could play with it during the party. The pools were filled with plastic, inflatable toys! Kids were running around squirting each other with water guns. And bubbles were floating amidst all the chaos. It was fun!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day & the rest can be viewed here:

Nick attempting to blow 2 party horns at the same time!

Samuel after devouring Daddy's yummy chocolate cupcakes!

Cute girls: Ava, Sydney, Phoebe & Rebekah

Titan & Griffin

Nick's best bud, Chan Woo

Sweet Sumin enjoying her lollipop

The whole crew wishing Nick a "Happy Birthday"

Dad, Mom & Nick with his "4" candle

Nicholas Stories

2008-09-24T04:35:00.002-05:00

I wanted to remember a couple of stories about my recent birthday boy...

Last week, we were talking in front of the school with a few other friends. One of my girlfriends was sitting on the bench with her children, while Nicholas & I were standing in front of them. Nick bent down to get something, lost his balance (as usual) and smacked his forehead hard on my friend's bent knee. She immediately helped him up and searched for a beginning bruise or raised bump that might be forming where he came in contact with her kneecap. Instead, she told me, "I can't tell where he hit because he has so many scars already." Sad, but true.

Today, Nicholas came up to me and sweetly announced, "You are my best mom in the whole world!" Nothing melts my heart faster than hearing words like those spoken from my children. I eat it up!! Love that sweet boy!

Four Years Old!

2008-09-23T21:51:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Nicholas

It is unreal how quickly my baby has grown up! I vividly remember my LONG pregnancy with him... all the complications & scares he gave us while in the womb. It should have been my first indication of how often he would scare me outside of the womb. One hernia surgery, two sets of stitches, two "dead" teeth & numerous scars later, my new 4-year-old is still going strong! He is definitely a tough kid. And, also a sweetie.

Here are some pictures of my birthday boy:

Drinking lemonade at a stand he set up with his classmates

Nicholas & Samuel at Nick's pool party

His new Power Rangers mask

Eating ice cream at McDonald's

Like Mother, Like Sons

2008-09-17T00:03:00.004-05:00

Sydney, my budding photographer, took these photos of us on Sunday. See any resemblance between my sons & myself?

This & That Thursday

2008-09-10T23:17:00.002-05:00

Today is September 11 here in the Philippines. This day just comes and goes without so much as a television news special on the tragedy that occurred 7 years ago. (WOW... 7 years!!) I do have a good friend here that lived in New York at that time and we have talked a little about her experience on that day, but I'm thinking today might be a good day for us to go get a foot massage and chat some more. We were both pregnant on September 11, 2001. Her oldest daughter was born about a month later. And, my twins were born 6 months later. Such an important time in our lives and yet what seems to stand out is the sheer devastation on that day and afterwards. I feel for those families who lost so much.

Going back to the Philippines... tonight is the premiere of The Amazing Race Asia, Season 3!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am to watch! I LOVE The Amazing Race! And, I've talked to several people here that have agreed we think the Asian version is so much better than the American version. I have built it up so much in my mind, so it'll probably be completely anti-climactic when I watch tonight, but then again, maybe not...

I finally have a house full of healthy kids! I didn't realize what a luxury this was until I had almost 3 full weeks of sick kids at home. As of today, the kids have had 24 school days, but combined they have missed a total of 9 of those days. Sydney was first. And, she is my healthiest of the 3, so I know when she gets sick, all of them are bound to get it. She ran a fever for a couple of days then had the weekend to recover. She was back in school the next Monday. Samuel started exactly one week after Sydney, on a Thursday also. I was hoping he would follow the same pattern: sick Thursday, sick Friday, recover on weekend and back to school on Monday. But, unfortunately, he was sick throughout the weekend as well, so he also missed school on Monday. But, he was back on Tuesday, while Nick stayed home with a fever on that day. Nick missed Tuesday through Thursday, then returned to school on Friday just in time to help his class sell lemonade at a stand they set up in front of their cafeteria. Nick was pretty down and out over the weekend, but we couldn't figure out why. He slept quite a bit and didn't eat much of anything. (If you know Nick, you know this is not his personality at all!) He never ran a fever over the weekend, so I took him to school on Monday, even though he did not want to go at all. (That was another red flag because this kid loves his school!) He cried and cried and I cried as I left him in his classroom crying for me. At the end of the day, his teacher told me they took him to visit the school nurse because he did not play at all on the playground and would not eat any of his snacks. But, the nurse could not find anything wrong, so they sent him back to class. That evening, he slept from 1:30 pm until 6:00 pm!! That's when I really worried. Living in a foreign, third world country, you just never know what kind of diseases, amoebas, parasites, etc. your kids will encounter. I had already made up my mind that we were going to a pediatrician first thing Tuesday morning to run some blood tests. However, at about 10 pm Monday night, Nicholas vomited chocolate milk ALL over my bed! He had been complaining that his stomach hurt for a few days, but nothing ever came of it. Until Monday night. He slept after that, but threw up several times Tuesday morning. So, of course, he did not go to school on Tuesday. But, by that afternoon, he was able to hold liquids and oatmeal down. On Wednesday morning, he announced he was all better and wanted to go back to school. Thank goodness! Today is Thursday and I am thankful all the kids are back in school and are healthy. I hope this streak continues for a long time!

Enjoy your Thursday... whenever it may come for you!

Bed Hog

2008-09-03T22:53:00.002-05:00

This is why I do not enjoy sharing a bed with Nicholas...

Before I took the above photo, I was laying on the left side of Nick & Sam was laying on the right side. We barely had any room to breathe. He just can't sleep vertically.

(Normally, we don't sleep with him, but he has been sick for the past few days & comes to get in our bed when he wakes up in the middle of the night. At that time, I'm way too tired & lazy to take him back to his room. And, to be perfectly honest, Sam & I usually sleep right through any bed intrusions from our kids. We love our sleep & don't like interruptions!)

Such a bed hog!