This & That Thursday

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

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!

Homework... ARGHHH!!!

Confession time...

I loathe doing homework with my kids! We get it done, but it is rarely a pleasant experience. I just plain don't have the patience needed to get these basic concepts through to my children. Which is why I knew I never wanted to be a teacher in the first place. God bless the awesome men & women that have taught my kids & that will teach my kids in the future. I admire them! But, it is definitely not a profession for me!

I am hoping & praying that this learning how to read business will eventually "just click" as I've had so many people tell me it will do. In the meantime, I think it's really best to leave the teaching to the professionals at school that know what they're doing. Surely they have more patience with my children than I do... I hope!

Dinner Menu

This should be so easy for me, but truly, it is not! Our household helper, Rosalie, has asked me to come up with a weekly dinner menu that she can follow. Obviously, it would make grocery shopping easier & would solve the 4 o'clock dilemma of wondering what in the world we are having for dinner every evening.

I actually used to follow a very simple dinner menu back in Texas. The only problem is that so many convenience items on that menu cannot be found here in the Philippines:

* Breaded Fish Fillets or Fish Sticks - Not here! You can find the real deal here anywhere you look, but we like the masked taste of fish that you find with Gorton's breaded stuff.

* Frozen Raviolis - There is not a large freezer selection of foods here like in the states. Apparently, it is difficult to keep frozen & refrigerated items here... well... frozen & refrigerated. So, they don't even attempt it.

* Pork Chops - We've decided we're not big on pork in our family. Except bacon. My kids could probably eat a whole pig if it was fried up like bacon!

* Popcorn Shrimp - Not available. Huge shrimp that you have to clean & peel & de-vein & get all slimy, they do have. Little cute breaded shrimp pieces that you buy frozen in a Gorton's box, they don't have.

Okay, after looking at the entire menu again, I realize that most of the items are available after all. With a little tweaking here & there, I can make it work.

But, I still would love to have some new, fresh dinner ideas from all of you. Keep in mind we can't find the following items here in Subic:

* Refrigerated biscuits/croissants/pie crusts of any kind (I miss Sunday morning cinnamon rolls & my sister's chicken pot pie recipe)

* Water chestnuts (Which I have surprisingly needed a lot of lately. Mom, I was gonna talk to you about that...)

* Sausage rolls, like Jimmy Dean's stuff (Kelley, I really, really miss your delicious sausage & artichoke stew!! Mmmmm...)

* Any canned items that differ from the norm - Mexican/Italian style stewed tomatoes, etc. (It's a hit or miss issue. Sometimes you can find it. Most times not.)

* Fresh salmon (Which is a shame because we love salmon!)

So, if you had someone willing to cook dinner for your family during the weeknights, what sorts of meals would you include on your menu? That 3 & 6 years olds would also enjoy? (Just narrowed down the selection quite a bit, didn't I?) Let me know because I am definitely looking for some yummy ideas!

LASIK Rocks!

On the morning of July 26, Sam & I finally had the chance to give each other our 10 year anniversary gift - LASIK surgery at the American Eye Center in Manila. I have been requesting this surgery since I was in high school! My opthamologist suggested I wait until my vision stopped changing for atleast 3 years. That didn't happen until recently. And, thankfully, since we are overseas, we are able to get quality healthcare for about half the cost! Our LASIK surgery literally cost less than half of what we had priced back in Dallas. So, with that in mind, Sam decided we could both afford to have to surgery done. We made a little weekend date out of it, while our fabulous helper, Rosalie, stayed with the kids for a few days. We also owe a huge thanks to our great friends, the Davises, Tamra Gulley & MP Powers, for arranging playdates with our kiddos during the day. I don't think Sydney, Samuel or Nicholas even realized we were gone!

Here is our last picture together with our glasses on:

(These self-portrait shots are never flattering, in my opinion!)

The last time we'll need these things!

And, my favorite photo! I couldn't resist snapping this one in the doctor's office.

Robotic Sam

It has now been one month since the surgery & we both are seeing 20/20! It's amazing! My eyeglass prescription was a -6 & -6.5. Sam's eyeglass prescription was a -5.5 & -5.75. And, we are both seeing perfectly! Sometimes I'll still reach for my glasses in the middle of the night. Sometimes I'll lay down & think, "Oh, I need to take off my contacts." Sometimes it just feels like I'm still wearing my contacts all day long. After wearing glasses & contacts for 22 years, it's still so surreal that I don't have to mess with that any longer. I love it! And, Sam does also. We couldn't be happier with our results!

Kittens

As many of you know, I despise cats! Really, I do! I've never been fond of them... ever.

So, I shocked even myself (and especially Sam) when I took the time to care for 3 abandoned kittens the kids found in our backyard. Those kittens were pathetic sounding... mewing & crying for some love & attention. And, they got plenty of both from Sydney, Samuel & Nick. Seeing my 3 sweet kiddos treat these tiny animals so lovingly softened my heart a bit. I found a box & an old towel & created a cozy, warm home away from the torrential rain. We diligently put out warm milk & a plate of crushed up tuna for a couple of days. The kids would wake up & immediately go sit on the back porch to hold the kittens. They stayed out there practically all day long petting them & playing with them. As hard as it was, I explained that we needed to take the kittens to a rescue shelter so that they could receive better care. Sydney accompanied me on that trip & made sure they were going into good hands. My friend, Heather, reports that the kittens are now almost 6 weeks old & very healthy! She is trying to convince me to take one (or two), but I haven't softened that much...

The kids named them Tinkerbell, Peter Pan & Spongebob. Thought we were going for a theme, but Nick threw us for a loop with his name! :)

Love that tuna!

First Grade & Pre-K

While all of my friends are busy sending their kiddos off to their first day of school in Texas, we are well underway here in the Philippines. (We've already had 2 days off for Filipino holidays! Holidays are a serious business around here!)

The kids started back to school on August 7th this year & so far, they have had a great few weeks! Nicholas moved up into the pre-kindergarten class with Teacher Malen, who is extremely calm & gentle with the kids. We are hoping some of her calmness will rub off on Nick! Sydney & Samuel are separated again this year, but they are perfectly content. Sydney was blessed with a sweet, easygoing veteran teacher, Miss Anna Gomez. Samuel has Mrs. Melissa Quattlebaum. This is her first year teaching, so the hope is that she'll have enough energy & patience to handle my rowdy boy. Samuel likes his teacher & likes saying her last name even more so I think it's a good match!


I hope all of our first-time school friends out there have had a great start so far. I want to hear from all of you... Rebecca, Ava, Jackson and Matalee. Send pictures!

Lemon Pepper Nostalgia

It's funny what can trigger a special memory from my childhood. This week, for instance, it was a certain seasoning. Lemon pepper. And not just any old lemon pepper, but only Adam's Lemon Pepper Seasoning. I'm not even convinced that was the seasoning we used growing up, but it's the only one that tastes familiar to me & takes me back to my childhood. Not Lawry's. Not McCormick. Only Adam's.

My grandmother, it seems, used to season anything & everything with lemon pepper. I loved it! It was kept on the dinner table, right along with the salt & pepper shakers. Last week, I steamed some zucchini, arranged the slices in a baking dish, sprinkled on the lemon pepper and covered it all with grated cheese... just like Grandmother does it. Perfection! I kept offering bites to my kids, who looked at me as if I were offering them liver. Not a one decided to take that trip down memory lane with me. I was all alone. I savored every single bite of lemony pepper cheesy zucchini solo & it was great!

My dad also used to make me egg sandwiches seasoned with lemon pepper. Mmmm! To this day, I cannot eat an egg sandwich without lemon pepper sprinkled on the egg. It just doesn't taste as good as Dad's without it! Toast, mayonnaise, lemon pepper & a fried egg. An excellent midnight snack!

I'm grateful that I have been able to find Adam's Lemon Pepper Seasoning in the Philippines. Any little thing to make my home here feel like home is treasured beyond words!

Red, White & Blue

Fourth of July cupcakes courtesy of Susan J.

A big thank you to our friends, Omar & MP, for hosting an awesome Fourth of July celebration! We had a great time at your house relaxing with good friends, delicious food & rockin' music!

And, thanks also to Camera Tamra for allowing me to steal her photos!! What would I do without you?!

Sam & Amberly, Tamra & Matt, MP & Omar

Oh no... we did NOT plan this!! We are just that cool!
(Blue, white, red... blue, white, red!)

Fourth of July Hot Mamas

More July 4th pics here...

Tennis Twins

The twins have now taken about 6 tennis lessons & so far, they still enjoy it! It's fun to watch them learn a little more at each lesson & work on improving their skills. I hope this is a sport they continue to love as they get older.

Warming up with Coach Allan

Samuel practicing his backhand

Sydney working on her backhand

Perfect serving position

Sydney serving one over the net

And, of course, Nicholas cannot be left out

You can see many more pictures here.

Random Musings

Samuel & Nicholas were sitting on the floor earlier today, rolling a ball back & forth to each other. At one point, Samuel's roll did not land between Nick's legs like it was supposed to. Instead of jumping up to get the ball, Nick just stared at it. Samuel finally said, "Nick, go get the ball!" Nick responded, "But, I'm little. See, I have a little bellybutton & you have a big bellybutton. You go get it." Now, this might be true of any other big/little brother duo, but not my two! Any of you who know Nick's bellybutton history definitely know that his is MUCH bigger than Samuel's & probably always will be! But, for some reason lately, he has been obsessed with it. He remembers getting it "fixed", as he calls it. However, he has recently said that the "doctor didn't fix it right" because it doesn't look good. I have no idea where he got this from?? I wonder if another kid said something to him... Either way, his bellybutton actually does look good & we're confident he will grow into it as he gets older.

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I think it is so much easier to have friends over to play with my kids rather than listen to my three bicker with each other all day long! The arguing stops & they actually all play together really well when friends are here!

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Either my taste buds are completely off or I just ate a handful of bad M&Ms. Can M&Ms even go bad? It's gotta be my taste buds...

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Here are a few conveniences from the States that I miss:
- Drive through ATM machines
- Drive through McDonalds (They do have these in Manila & Clark, but not in our area.)
- Online bill pay or automatic withdraw options to pay bills
- TARGET!!!!

Sad Face?

Have you ever seen a sadder face?

Just so you know, Nicholas wasn't truly pouting in this photo. He was trying to make a funny face & this is how it turned out. Not too funny initially, but when you realize he was being silly, then yep... it's pretty funny!

He is such a ham!

Video of Nicholas Posing

This is my very first video download! Don't know what's taken me so long, but I can't wait to post more videos soon. However, I'm not sure how to edit or change the direction of it. If anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. Otherwise, I'm sure I can search online to get some answers.

While we were waiting at Sydney's & Samuel's tennis lesson today, I took this cute video of Nick smiling at the camera. He thought I was taking a still photo & posed for quite a while. He was too precious!

(Unfortunately, you also get an up close view of his dead tooth. He's knocked it loose so many times now, I'm honesty shocked it hasn't fallen out yet.)

Sam's New Friend

Sam went to a seaside restaurant to pick up dinner for us last night & made a new friend while walking inside to order:


I wonder if this little fellow escaped from the kitchen, narrowly missing the next order of crab cakes. Mmmmm... I love crab cakes!

Jogging Thoughts...

While jogging this afternoon, I was thanking God for blessing me with such a thoughtful and adoring husband. This man works hard 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday. And, on Sundays, instead of sleeping late like he deserves, he gets up early with the kids and lets me sleep in late. Then, it struck me that my priorities in life are completely wrong! Instead of putting the importance on sleeping in late on Sunday mornings, we need to start focusing on getting our family back into a worship service. It was a much easier transition while living in Manila. We found a great church near our condo unit that had a wonderful children's ministry program. We enjoyed the singing and the sermons and the fellowship. Once we moved to Subic, we knew finding a church home would be more difficult. There are a few Christian churches nearby but we have only visited one a few times. It was quite a different experience, but after our first visit, the kids said they wanted to go back. So, we did. Then, the novelty wore off for all of us. There are no organized children's classes, which made it all the more difficult for my kids to enjoy attending. After the few times we attended, we gave up and never visited again. Instead of trying a different congregation, we took the easy way out and just quit making church a priority altogether. My goal is to change that. Starting Sunday!

In the meantime, I downloaded a few sermons from our home church back in Richardson, TX to listen to on my jog today. I listened to one from our friend & spiritual formation minister, Houston. And, two from our preaching minister, John. All three lessons were refreshing and uplifting. I felt as if I were back home amongst familiar places and faces. I'm so grateful that Richardson East uploads their Sunday sermons online so that I can stay connected in this way. Thank you guys! It was exactly what I needed to hear today!

Back to my amazing husband... today, after tearfully admitting a character flaw of mine that I try my best to keep hidden from him and everybody else, he reinforced for me the reason God chose for him to be my spouse. Not only did he build me up and assure me of his love and admiration for me, but he took partial responsibility for my feelings of inadequacy. Which was completely unnecessary. This man, whom I pledged my life to over 10 years ago, continues to bless me daily with his unconditional love and support. He proves to me that I can be real and honest in all situations and he will still be the husband to me that God called him to be. Thank you, Sam! I love you & I am grateful for your love in return!

Fourth of July Hike

We started our July 4, 2008 by taking a 6 mile hike! It was quite muddy, but the weather was beautiful. Our halfway point was a picturesque rocky "river", according to the locals. (Personally, I'd call it a creek.) Sam & I decided we needed our photos taken in just the perfect spot, so we risked our lives (or so it seemed) to climb a rock overlooking the creek. I have to admit... it was worth it for the great background!

We are gonna make it!

Having doubts about jumping over

Amberly & Sam at Pastolan River

Happy Fourth of July!

It is already starting out to be a wonderful Fourth of July in Subic Bay! Sam took the day off work... it's not raining (yet)... and the kids are sleeping late! In my book, this is a perfect start to our morning.

We will celebrate today, by joining a few friends on our weekly Friday morning hike. We usually hike for about 3 hours. It's great exercise and an excellent way to see the Philippine jungle up close and personal. Last week, we hiked through grass and shrubs so tall, we all had to lift our arms up over our heads so our exposed skin wouldn't get all scratched up.

After our hike, I need to run some errands, one of which hopefully includes buying a new pair of tennis shoes. With all the walking/jogging/hiking/frisbee/tennis I've been doing lately, the tennis shoes I brought from home are pretty much hanging on by a thread. They are in sad shape! And, I am living in the best place to buy new athletic shoes. Subic Bay has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different athletic wear outlet stores. I don't know what's taken me so long to make this purchase, but I think I'll celebrate America's Independence with a new pair of running shoes. And, maybe some wrist bands for tennis. I'm tired of sweat dripping down into my eyes.

Tonight, Sam & I are going on a date. We just haven't decided what we'll do yet. The only movies showing here are Hancock & Kung Fu Panda. We've already taken the kids to see Kung Fu Panda, so we're thinking of watching Hancock. Or, maybe taking a trip to Clark to see Wanted. Has anybody seen either of these movies?

I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July holiday when it rolls around there in the states. Enjoy the fireworks that I will definitely miss! Enjoy your independence as an American citizen! Show your gratitude to those who daily ensure your freedom remains!

Batty Saturday

The kids & I ventured out to a friend's new condo unit this past Saturday. We enjoyed swimming in their new pool & playing at the nearby playground. It was a great way to spend a Saturday while Daddy was at work.

New Hanjin Condos

Lap Pool with Playground in Distance

Shallow Kid Pool

Playground

Kids Swimming in Shallow Pool
(Nick's friend, Seo Jin, on left side)

Strong Swimming Brothers

Sydney Swimming in Bubbles

Nick's Friend, Chan Woo

On the drive home, we noticed hundreds of bats flying overhead. It was their daily migration time. We pulled the car over, rolled down our windows & stuck our heads out to watch these amazing creatures up close & personal. I was glad I had my camera handy to snap some great photos.

Bats

Favorite Bat Photo

Bats Hanging in the Tree

Thank You!

Thank you so very much for your prayers & well wishes on behalf of Mitchell! I received the following email from my dad earlier this afternoon:

"Amberly, Mitchell's operation went great. The doctor said that Mitchell's body tolerated the operation so well that he will not be putting him in the ER for 24 hours as they normally do....he went back to his same room. They stopped the bleeding and put a plate in his head...about the size of a quarter. The great news is that it all went perfect...Praise the Lord. So, if you wish, you may call him at that number I gave you. You were not able to reach them when you called because they started operation procedure an hour earlier than they thought they would and nobody was in the room.
Love you, Dad"

What a huge relief! I appreciate all your kind thoughts concerning this very unfortunate situation!

Urgent Prayer Request - My Nephew, Mitchell

I have an urgent prayer request...

My 12-year-old nephew, Mitchell, was dropped on his head by a high school boy at his church lock-in this weekend. The boy asked Mitchell not to tell anyone what had happened, saying that it would be their secret. After complaining to his 15-year-old brother (my oldest nephew) that his head was hurting, his brother called home to his parents. My sister & her husband picked up Mitchell, who then told them for the first time what had happened. They took him straight to the Emergency Room & a CAT scan revealed a 4 1/2 inch crack in his skull. He was then taken to Dell Children's Hospital in Austin for a more thorough head scan. The scan revealed internal bleeding. He was kept overnight & monitored. And, he has been there ever since. They just performed another scan on his head to see if the bleeding had stopped & it hasn't. So, the doctors made the decision to operate. They will cut a portion of his skull & cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding. They have assured my sister & her husband that this is a routine procedure & he will be fine by tomorrow. The surgery will be done this afternoon & will take approximately 1 1/2 hours.

If you have a chance, please say a special prayer for my nephew. I know hearing the words "routine surgery" should instill a sense of peace & calm in our family, but they are cutting open my nephew's skull for heaven's sakes. It's a scary thought!

Also, I know the high school boy's family must be feeling terrible about all this. They all go to the same church & I'm sure his parents are just completely distraught over the fact that their son caused this. As a mother, I can't begin to imagine the shame & disappointment & anger his own mother must be struggling with. Please remember them in your prayers also.

Thank you so much! Your thoughts & prayers are truly appreciated!

(Here is a family photo so you can see who you are praying for... Mitchell is the shorter boy with glasses.)