Almost Christmas

The most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us! And I still don't have a Christmas tree topper nor gifts under my tree. Gotta remedy that real soon. I didn't decorate much for the holidays coz we are spending it with my parents in the Philippines. Only this little corner:

It's 6 more days until our flight. I'm so excited! It's been a long four years since I've been home, and I can't wait to spend time with my family. Hubby is looking forward to having a mini-vacation from work. He never really had one after he retired last April, and before getting his new job. So this trip is really important to us.

Tala has plenty of cousins back home so she is going to have a blast playing with them. We decided to hold her baptism there so that we could gather all our friends and relatives in one place and have them meet our little girl.

I'm looking forward to reuniting with family and friends, eating all the crazy good food that I've been missing, visiting my old office, and having a great time with the hubby and the little one on their first Christmas in the Philippines.

To the few people who read this little blog, I wish you and your family a very wonderful Christmas! Cheers!

My Girly Girl, Tala

I definitely have a girly girl under my wings. She loves playing dress up, it's like having a living doll! This was her outfit for Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I love taking her pics.

Another Wonderful Blessing

I've been keeping a little secret for about three months now. It's the greatest blessing and now I can't keep it any longer. We have another bun in the oven. Tala will be a big sister in about seven months. We already have names for a boy or a girl. We actually had the names figured out even before I got pregnant. Yup, that's how much we wanted another baby as soon as Tala turned one.

This time, I didn't experience nausea. I hope I don't jinx it by saying it out loud. And my blood sugar levels are better. I still have to watch what I eat, but it's not as bad as when I was pregnant with Tala. No cravings either except for that one time when I woke the hubby very early in the morning to ask him to buy crabs. Nothing unusual that he couldn't handle ;p

I tell Tala every once in a while that she's gonna have a sibling soon, but I don't know if she understands yet. She loves to hike up my shirt to touch and kiss my growing belly. I melt a little each time she does. It's a wonderful time for me and my family. If it's up to the hubby, we'll have another bun after this one. We'll see about that though. I think I'm happy with two, but you never know.

 belly belly happy :)

September Ramblings

The little one will turn 14 months tomorrow. I still have to take her to a studio for her one year old portrait. I still haven't gotten around to making her baby book. Or printing her pictures. Oh and writing her birth story. I surely will. It's only a question of when. Riiiight.

But I'm happy to report that she loves her veggies and fruits. I'm so thankful that I never have to struggle to feed her healthy foods. And she drinks plenty of water. No juices as she eats enough fruits. No junk foods either. It helps that the hubby and I introduce her to a wide variety of food. It can get tiring though, as any parent knows, to patiently feed a toddler and make sure he/she gets the right nutrients. But the upside is our family is forced to eat healthy too. I've never filled my fridge with different kinds of fruits and veggies in my whole life. I had to have a baby to do so!

I'm slowly unpacking our boxes that are stored in the garage, but I'm done with the essential ones. The big job will be to look at each and every box and decide which stuff goes for donation. We have boxes that are still unopened from our move from Japan almost four years ago. I can't wait to get rid of what we really don't need.

We are almost 100% sure of spending Christmas back in my home country (Philippines). Dear hubby's boss approved his two-week leave. My family will finally get to meet Tala. They will go crazy over her. I might have to make sure they don't try to kidnap my beautiful baby. Lol. I can totally see my mom crying when she finally holds Tala in her arms. It would be pandemonium at her house, what with four granddaughters, plus Tala,  under the age of 8 staying there. 

Christmas in the Philippines! Nothing could be merrier!

A Poem for Tala

A little something that I wrote for my jelly bean's first birthday. So thankful that she came into my life. I'm becoming a better person because of her.

TALA

Today you turn one

You’re beautiful, happy, healthy

All the things we pray for you to be

You amaze us with your smarts

You’re quick and sharp

I wonder where you get that

From Nanay perhaps? :)

Yes you can be stubborn

And feisty as hell

You never wanna go to bed early

What is up with that

And sometimes you’re snobby

You never want your hand touched

Not by anybody, not even by us

But that’s very seldom

For the most part you’re real sweet

You melt our hearts each time

You press your lips to ours

And when you laugh

Your sweet glorious laugh

It’s like the angels are singing

And the world is all good

You erase all our fears

All our worries

All our doubts

Only love and happiness

Reign in our hearts

Today you turn one

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, DEAREST CHIBI

May you always know you are loved

Since before we even met you

And now and forever

To the moon and back.

The One About Family Reunions

Hubby's family holds a reunion every two years at a campsite here in Texas. It's always a lot of fun. There's plenty of Mexican food, dancing, drinking, singing, and non-stop chatter. Each family stays in a cabin with bunk beds and some in their RVs. This is the second time that I attended and just like the first time, I had a blast. We stayed in the same cabin we where at two years ago. This time we had an addition, our one-year old Tala. We had two kids and four toddlers in our cabin so it was absolutely crazy. Tala was so happy playing with her cousins. It's amazing how her face lights up whenever there are babies/kids around.

Even though it was scorching hot, we managed to enjoy a dip in the lake. Hubby's cousin brought a pedal boat so that was pretty cool. Because of that boat, we are thinking of getting a truck. Which will come in handy for various reasons. Plus we always borrow my sister-in-law's truck so maybe it's time to invest in one. Hubby and I are already dreaming of the many adventures we'll have with a truck. Maybe if we get lucky, we'll find that one property near a lake. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. It's always good to dream though. You never know. Remind me to buy lotto tickets. :-)

I'm lucky that hubby's family is close-knit. It's so much like mine. It really helps especially since I'm oceans away from my parents and siblings. Which reminds me, if we get to go home in the Philippines this December, I have a lot of organizing to do. I wanna see everyone. You don't realize the value of family until you can't see them regularly anymore. Good thing there's always family reunions to look forward to.

Some photos from the 2012 Laing Family Reunion:

 my little family

happy mom

Big Grandma, Vince and Tala

 Tala's big cousins

cuties!

it's a small small world

Big Grandma's family

Cuteness overload!

my little mermaid

water freaks :)

adorable cousins

enjoying the summer despite the heat

Little Jelly Bean's First Birthday

Tala's first birthday party was short and sweet. She was feeling a little sick so she barely smiled, poor thing. I think the only fun part for her was when she smashed her cake. She looked so cute in her tutu with matching ballet shoes. I need to take her to a studio so she can have professional pictures wearing the tutu.

I can't believe she's already a year old. It seems like only yesterday when she looked like an alien! A very cute little alien. Now she's all over the house walking. Or climbing the stairs. Or making strange little sounds. She even hums. I think my baby's gonna be a singer. Or at least someone who loves to sing, like her Nanay.

Here are some pictures from her party.