Toy Madness

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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